Torres to biz community: Hire more US citizens and locals

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres called on the business community to continue their partnership with the government and urged them to hire more U.S. citizens and locals for the benefit of the Commonwealth’s workforce.

Addressing various leaders during the Saipan Chamber of Commerce’s installation dinner at the Fiesta Resort and Spa last Saturday, Torres emphasized the need to keep the business sector open and prosperous.

“Our economic growth and development is the source of our funding to address the numerous issues facing our Commonwealth,” Torres said, “In short, your business establishment deserves the continued protection of our government, the assurance that laws remain stable and conducive to our business environment, and the same time we need you so that we can continue with our economic growth.”

Torres said his administration will be working with businesses to foster an open dialogue—later on calling on quarterly communication between both sides—and to create an environment for them to do better.

“One way to do so is to make the everyday interactions with government services more seamless. I am pursuing options to provide an online payment portal for government payments that keeps you from taking time out of your days to pay your taxes, or to make payment on fees,” Torres said.

Another way to help, according to Torres, is to ensure the long-term success of the whole.

“The second way I wish to work alongside you is to ensure that the rates of our growth do not affect the long-term success of our commonwealth. Economic growth is good. But too much of anything can be a bad thing,” Torres said.

“Allowing unrestrained growth, without direction and purpose, will only serve to negatively affect the societal goals we wish to achieve,” he added.

Torres then reminded the businesses community to prepare for the potential loss of foreign workers after 2019.

“We must accept the fact that although we will do all we can to protect the availability of foreign workers in the CNMI, we cannot be certain what will happen after the immigration transition phase expires,” Torres said.

“I want every business establishment of all sorts: Prioritize U.S. citizens and residents in our workforce. Hire U.S. citizens and our local residents because we need them,” he added.

Torres assured the business sector that they have his commitment in their relationship.

“We need to continue this dialogue in greater detail. If you provide me with recommendations, I will listen. I may not agree all the time, but we can disagree while still being on the same page,” Torres said.