Lualemaga Faoa Remembered As a Pillar of the Community
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Page 5 Hawai’i State Hawaii bill Rep. Cedric Solosolo Asuega Gates (sitting) would classify of Samoan ancestry homelessness from American Samoa, with family members as medical (standing l-r) Benjamin Asuega Gates, Anita condition Asuega and Meafou Page B1 Asuega Sausi in this Jan. 18 photo on the floor of the Hawai’i state House GCCC Football of Representatives. See Program offers story below. 4 scholarships [photo: Rep. Gates Office] to local players ONLINE @ SAMOANEWS.COM Le Lali Toe i’u lava C M tagata Manu’a Y K DAILY CIRCULATION 7,000 i le MV Sili PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017 $1.00 Lualemaga Faoa remembered Youngest in current Hawai’i as a pillar of the community Legislature HE WAS A LEADER WHO RAISED CONCERNS AND PUBLICLY SPOKE OUT ON ISSUES is House Rep by Joyetter Feagaimaali’i-Luamanu Lualemaga served as an Associate expressed his condolences to Lualema- Samoa News Reporter Judge, a Senator and his latest post was ga’s family. of Samoan “ e have lost a great tra- as Western District Governor for two Pulu Ae Ae Jr., director of Congress- ditional leader, he was terms. He had just been sworn in two woman Aumua Amata’s local office, a pillar in his county, weeks ago to serve his second term. said Lualemaga was a vocal leader who ancestry his village, his family Governor Lolo, who is among those raised concerns and publicly spoke out by Fili Sagapolutele andW the Government of American who found it hard to accept that Luale- on issues, and he was always a friend of Samoa News Correspondent Samoa, for he has worked in all of the maga had passed, said, “I was chatting the media. When the Hawai’i Legislature con- three branches of the government,” said with him just a week ago, we were For example, in September 2015, vened last week for its new session, the an alarming increase in drug-related Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga, who joking about him not getting a paycheck youngest lawmaker among members is stunned by the news that Western unless he’s sworn in to serve as the crimes, which led to a shooting of a is a person of Samoan ancestry from District Governor Lualemaga Faoa has Western District Governor. police vehicle that injured a police American Samoa in the Hawai’i state passed away. “He’s a dear friend and someone officer, caused the Western District House of Representatives, serving his Lualemaga passed away at the LBJ who would disagree with me on certain Governor to publicly question the vil- first term in office. hospital on Tuesday afternoon, after issues and that’s a sign of a great leader, lage mayors and police on what they Hawai’i State Rep. Cedric Solosolo a sudden illness. His passing came as someone who is not afraid to speak his were doing to protect their respective Asuega Gates represents District 44 — a shock to close friends who were just mind and make hard decisions. He will villages, during a meeting of all tradi- Maile, Waianae, Makaha, Makua on with him last week. be sorely missed,” said the governor tional leaders. Oahu Island — where he won 63% of A Paramount Chief from Aasu, in a phone interview. The governor (Continued on page 8) the votes during the November 2016 general election. Daniel Lin, a National Geographic explorer, will be in the Manu’a Islands next week to “Being the youngest lawmaker... at host a workshop for high school students there, training them on how to record, document, age 23, has definitely been a blessing and ‘tell their story’ about what the new solar microgrid – which has made Manu’a energy because I feel that my community has efficient — means to them. See story inside for full details. [photo: Blue Chen-Fruean] made a commitment to investing in our young leaders and it also shows that our elders have confidence in the success of our future generations,” Gates said yesterday from Honolulu responding to Samoa News questions. C M Gates said his mother, Easter Asuega Y K Gates, passed away in 2006 and his father William Gates passed away in 2014. “So I really had no choice but to grow up fast,” he noted. According to family members, Gates is the grandson of Leaosa Asuega and Faigaelo Moananu and the great grandson of High Chief Solosolo Mauga Asuega and Samitioata Moemoe Asuega — all from Pago Pago “He brings new ideas and a bright future for the people of West Oahu and his dis- trict,” said a family member in an email message to Samoa News. Some family members, brother Ben- jiman Asuega Gates, Anita Asuega of California and Meafou Asuega Sausi of Hawai’i, attended the opening of the Hawai’i Legislature on Jan. 18 that included traditional Hawaiian song and The Ta’u 1,400kW solar panel installation. dance. (image credit Solar City) (Continued on page 9) Page 2 samoa news, Friday, January 27, 2017 DOC director reveals Datamatics pulls out of local ICT development by Fili Sagapolutele great in getting the Internet Samoa News Correspondent moving forward in American Due to internet costs in Samoa, “it did not produce American Samoa, Datamatics, the broadband that we need to the company looking to set entice technology based indus- up a local business process tries,” Lafaele told Chamber outsourcing (BPO) operation members. “With all that devel- — similar to a call center — opment, we still have one of the has opted out of the territory, most expensive [internet costs] despite the local government’s in the world.” tax breaks, according to Com- He pointed out that Data- merce Department Acting matics, the company that was Director, Keniseli Lafaele, close to opening shop in Amer- who noted that ASG continues ican Samoa, late last year, “did to work on attracting US tech- not opt to go with us because...i nology based companies to the t was just too expensive” when territory. it comes to local internet costs. Lafaele made the revelation “Even with all the tax breaks about Datamatics during the that we would give them, all government’s presentation on the breaks that they asked for local economic development [and] we gave them, but this at a Chamber of Commerce was the breaker — the cost of general membership meeting the Internet,” he said. Wednesday night. The presen- However, he believes that tation was a joint one between things will change in the near DOC and the Governor’s Commerce Department Acting Director, Keniseli Lafaele speaking Wednesday night to the future regarding internet costs Office, which was represented Chamber of Commerce general membership meeting on economic development issues. [photo: FS] with the planned Tui Samoa by the governor’s executive can be a game changer in the of 2017 for construction of the six years later with the Amer- fiber optic cable, based in assistant Iulogologo Joseph development of our economy.” ICT Industry Business Incu- ican Samoa TeleCommunica- Samoa, and ASTCA joining Pereira. He described the ICT bator, but didn’t provide a site tions Authority’s Broadband the Hawaiki fiber optic cable. The status of Datamatics industry as the “greatest oppor- on island for the project. Linking the American Samoa Another fiber optic cable in came up when Lafaele spoke tunity for new industry and Lafaele recalled past efforts Territory (BLAST) project the planning is Moana Cable about the Information and strong job creation.” to improve internet service as well as the O3b satellite in which the Bluesky Group is Communication Technology Based on information on his starting in 2009 with the launch (which has been operational for involved. (ICT) industry, which he says presentation, the government of the American Samoa Hawai’i ASTCA for more than a year). “is something that we believe is looking at the third quarter Cable (ASH-Cable), followed While all those efforts are (Continued on page 20) Do You Snore? It could be a sign of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) Other Signs and Symptoms: Pacific Sleep Care Offers: • Excessive daytime sleepiness • Diagnostic study • Abrupt awakenings accompanied by shortness of breath • Titration Study • Morning Headache • Split Night Study • Difficulty staying asleep Insurance Accepted • Attention Problems • Tricare PO Box 4445 Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799 Ph: (684). 633-2838 Fax: (684). 633-5838 samoa news, Friday, January 27, 2017 Page 3 [l-r] Benjiman Asuega Gates, Anita Asuega, Hawai’i state Rep. Cedric Solosolo Asuega Gates and Meafou Asuega Sausi in this Jan. 18 photo at the Hawai’i State Capitol building, in Honolulu, after the official opening of the new session of the Hawai’i Legislature. [courtesy photo] Withdrawing from TPP, US will AUTO NATION negotiate directly with each NU’UULI: (684) 699-7168 FAGATOGO: (684) 633-2239 FAX: (684) 699-7175 2 Ton Jack $99.00 Boombotix Speaker (Bluetooth) country for trade agreements $50.00 AM. SAMOA LOOKING FOR MORE VIABLE SOLUTIONS TO ITS FAILING FISHERIES INDUSTRY by Fili Sagapolutele AMERICAN SAMOA eral pressing issues involving the Samoa News Correspondent LOOKING FOR MORE expansion of ocean monuments, In withdrawing the United VIABLE SOLUTIONS exclusive economic zones, and Battery $109.00 $119.00 States from participating in the American Samoa’s major con- regional issues with other Small Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) cern with the TPP, as well as other Island States involving fishing agreement, US President Donald US unilateral trade agreements and high sea prohibition. J. Trump says the US will nego- with other countries, is that it “For the most part, these tiate directly with each country reduces the competitive edge for regional issues directly impact Ball Joint when it comes to trade agree- the canneries duty free export to the growth of American Samoa’s $40 + Up ments.