Some historical information about Kan Pacific

As one of the pioneers in our tourism industry, I would like to share some historical and factual information regarding Kan Pacific, which does business as Mariana Resort and Spa. I am providing this information so our people especially our leaders can see the necessity and the importance of renewing their requested lease.

From 1974 to 1976, I was fortunate to serve in the Marianas District Legislature and served as the chairman of the Economics Committee. Through the combined efforts of our early leaders, i.e., President Vicente N. Santos, late representative Juan DL Cabrera, pioneer golfers the late Manny Villagomez and late Silvio Ada, we were able to convince or Resident Commissioner, Edwin Canham, to approve the lease which was an important ingredient in the development of our tourism industry. At that time, we were planning on starting direct flight from Japan to Saipan in October 1977. We felt that with the popularity of golfing in Japan, it will give us great advantages since we were only three hours away with ideal climate.

Through the support, encouragement and investment of Kan Pacific, we were able to convince and attract Takifuji Company from Japan to stage the first professional golf tournament in the CNMI. In addition, Mariana Resort was also able to assist our community in raising money for the NMC Foundation, St. Jude Church, etc. Over the years, Mariana Resort kept adding facilities that helped improved our youth’s athletic capabilities by allowing the use of its Olympic-size swimming pool and baseball field, which was also used by professional baseball teams from Japan and Korea.

Ladies and gentlemen, let us not forget the many good deeds that this particular company has done for our islands in improving our tourism industry when others were hesitant to build needed and attractive facilities. Let us rally behind and protect good companies that have been with us both in good and bad times. Let us join hands in preserving and improving our economic and important relationship with Japanese investors. They have invested millions in our islands and let us not ignore that. We should nurture them. Ladies and gentlemen, please, for the sake of our economy, it is important that we maturely adopt policies that are conducive, important and respectable so we will not jeopardize our future economic prosperity.

Your partner in progressive tourism,

JM Guerrero
Fina Sisu, Saipan