Workers want IPI funds unfrozen

Workers of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC stage a peaceful protest in front of the Horiguchi Building in Garapan yesterday to demand that the court lift the freeze on IPI’s bank accounts so they could get their two paychecks. Some workers have also petitioned to disqualify District Court Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona from handling IPI lawsuits. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Hundreds of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC workers stopped working yesterday to stage a peaceful protest in front of the Horiguchi Building in Garapan where the U.S. District Court for the NMI is located as banks refused to accept their paychecks, apparently after the court froze IPI’s bank accounts.

IPI management staff, local residents, and Filipino workers being furloughed joined construction workers who are mostly Turkish, Mongolians, Italians, and Taiwanese at the rally.

The workers started converging in the parking lot of Kristo Rai Church across the Horiguchi Building shortly before 10am. Many were holding up placards and streamers that read: “Open back the IPI bank account” and “We want to get payed (sic).”

Some of the protesting workers were also soliciting signatures for a petition that wants U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona to be replaced from presiding over lawsuits against IPI.

The petition stated that they were shocked to see Manglona enter the writ of execution in connection with Pacific Rim Land Development LLC’s lawsuit against IPI and freeze all IPI accounts before reviewing all of IPI’s evidence and considering IPI’s defense.

During the current pandemic, the petition said, business throughout the world have suffered, yet IPI had been trying hard to meet its corporate responsibilities and sought all venues to ensure that payrolls are paid to its employees.

The petition calls to replace Manglona in all IPI matters and restore IPI’s payrolls accounts, and to “bring justice back to IPI,” citing what it describes as Manglona’s recent judgments and orders against IPI that it described as “biased.” As a result of one of these orders, the payroll accounts of IPI have been frozen, creating a major factor of unrest among the workers, the petition said.

The petition said that Pacific Rim had been using general laborers to make up for skilled workers, and fraudulently obtained overinflated labor fees and management fees from IPI. Pacific Rim has denied this allegation.

The petition urged the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Public Safety, and other federal and local agencies to investigate Pacific Rim.

After about an hour, the workers proceeded to the CNMI Department of Labor in Capital Hill to continue their protest. At 10:40am, the workers boarded buses and their personal vehicles and proceeded to Capital Hill.

At the Labor Department office, Labor Secretary Vicky Benavente met and talked with IPI senior vice president Tao Xing, IPI’s senior vice president for Security and Surveillance Donald Browne, and IPI’s Human Resources director Redie Dela Cruz. After the meeting, Dela Cruz explained to some workers, who acted as leaders of their respective teams, as to what happened during their talks with Benavente. The workers later dispersed.

Dela Cruz said in a later interview that Benavente heard the employees concerns, and that she stated she would need to consult with the Torres-Palacios administration and U.S. Department of Labor and then she (Benavente) will issue a statement.

Dela Cruz said the concern is the IPI payroll. With the U.S. district court seizing IPI’s bank accounts, they have not been able to meet payroll for two periods, he added. Dela Cruz said IPI wants to pay its employees but that they don’t have other avenues to do so.

“We’re looking at every option that’s available to us, or every resource that we can tap to see how to get our employees paid. And that’s the bottom line,” she said.

Even local employees who have been furloughed came to support their colleagues who are actively working, she added.

She said if IPI goes back into business, it’s also going to affect those furloughed as well. “So everyone actively working and furloughed have come together to see if we can bring [this matter] to the immediate attention of anyone…who can help us just try to get some advocacy as far as payroll [is concerned],” Dela Cruz said.

Construction of IPI’s casino-resort stopped yesterday as everyone joined the protest. “Everyone feels that this is an important thing to bring up. If most of the construction employees are here, it has halted operations to some degree,” she added.

Dela Cruz said she has no answer to the question whether construction will resume today, Tuesday.

A resident employee who requested anonymity said the issue is one month of payroll and that they just want to be paid. He said he joined the protest to support the workers’ cause—to have someone open up IPI’s accounts so the employees can get paid. “The court closed the accounts. …Ever since they did that, we don’t get paid,” he added. He said IPI actually paid better than his previous government job.

Rollie Maclang, a chef, said he has been working for IPI for five years now and that he did not have any problems before because IPI paid all their benefits. Maclang said he deposited his last paycheck with First Hawaiian Bank, but the bank returned it and even charged him $10. He said he gave the check back to their office. Maclang said IPI issued a new check, but even stores don’t accept it.

Patrick Delos Reyes said he has been a cook with IPI for two years, and was furloughed since last March 15. Delos Reyes said he joined the protest to support his team and co-workers.

“To be honest, IPI is okay. It’s a good company. It’s just this pandemic that really hurts the people here on the island,” he said.

Delos Reyes said that IPI employees, who are composed of many nationalities, are actually like “one family.”

Bluent Peker, a project manager for the 90-man Turkish team, said they are not holding the rally to support IPI but to bring the employees’ concerns to the court and to the CNMI administration.

Peker, a civil engineer, asked Gov. Ralph DLG Torres to take care of the IPI employees’ payroll bank account issue. “Take the money from IPI payroll account and pay us. And create a mechanism for us to get paid from IPI. If not, send us home,” Peker said.

Peker said the court or anyone cannot just freeze everything and expect these 500 to 600 people who are living here be left without salaries or food.

He also appealed to Torres to talk with the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and tell CUC that they cannot just come in to their barracks and cut their electricity and water because of IPI’s unpaid bills. “Three hundred people without water, without electricity. What we would do? We are very nice people. For the past one year, not one of us created any trouble,” Peker said. “We are builders. We want to give some positive things. We are really working there day and night. Our laborers they are working 11 hours in a day [and] seven days in a week,” said Peker, adding that the Turkish team is a full team as it has civil engineers, mechanical engineers, foremen, and others.

IPI’s Donald Browne said he joined the protest to support the workers. He said they are hoping to get some sort of stay on IPI’s bank accounts or have the bank accounts unfrozen.

“If people can’t get paid, people can’t eat. We need the bank accounts to operate,” Browne said, adding that about 400 joined the protest.

He said nobody was forced to attend the protest. “Our bank accounts are frozen. As you can imagine it is very difficult when you can’t pay employees. We need our bank accounts open so we can pay our good, hardworking employees who expect to get paid for their work and we want to pay them,” Browne said.