!JNIVERSlTY Of HAWAJJ L1B~'{ . ,~ , ~~:<' ... ' ~;,A ., ~ ~l; • "-1~~ "' ~""'" .,; / \. ,, ...,,,,,, arianas %riet.Yr;~ · Micronesia's Leading Newspaper Since 1972 ~ C\VS PalauOEK Econon1y n1ay ren1ain passes bill to outlaw sluggish through 1999 prostitution By MALOU L. SA YSON By Aldwin R. Fajardo financial upheaval which caused maybe, end of next year," Ayuyu For the Variety Variety News Staff severe effects to the country and told the Variety. KOROR (Palau Horizon)-Be­ WITH ONE more week to go the rest of the Asia-Pacific re­ <;ontinental Micronesia presi­ fore adjourning over the past week before the new year, CNMI resi­ gion. dent Bill Meehan previously said for the Holiday Season, the 5th dents should not expect a better "There was not much move­ he is not very optimistic about the Olbiil Era Kelulau passed a monu­ year because business analysts are ment in terms of improved eco­ developments in the economy of r:nental legislation which seeks to predicting that the bleak economy, nomic activity in Japan. The Japa­ the Mariana Islands since this is prohibit prostitution in Palau. triggered by financial upheavals nese government is very reactive generally intertwined with the It took almost two years before in Asia, will stretch throughout on economic issu·es despite the economic activities in the Asian Senate Bill No. 5-21, SDI, HD3, 1999. pressure from the United States," region. CD I, otherwise known as Anti­ Outgoing Saipan Chamber of Ayuyu said. As this developed, Gov. Pedro Prostitution Act before it got Commerce president Joe C. He explained that economic P. Tenorio vowed to utilize all passed in Congress. Ayuyu said the '"hard times" will improvement from such a devas­ available means to prevent any Senate Committee chair on last throughout the new year al­ tating crisis is expected to be slow. adverse impact of the anticipated Heal th And Social Welfare Sandra "It will take a long time." though the economy is expected JoeC. Ayuyu subsequent sinking of economies Sumang Pierantozzi, who spon­ to show a slow rally of growth He added that CNMI is also to of major Asian countries. sored the bill, said the passage of during the later part of 1999. experience such a slow growth Japanese. "We don't think the situation the Anti-Prostitution Bill is "one Ayuyu said all indications arc since the economy of the North­ "Next year will be another year will change throughout 1999. As of the landmark achievements of leading to a still bleak economy. ern Marianas is largely depen­ of continuing slow growth. The a matter of fact, we think it's the OEK thi~ year." adding !hat the Japanese govern­ dent on Japan's considering t~at growth will not be so significant going to flow in to the year 2000 She, however, noted that the ment is re<!.cting '"too slow·· un the majority of CNMI visitors are that we won't notice it until, Continued on page 52 Continued on page 53 Reyes- assures: No 'payless paydays' By 2aldy Dandan Variety News Staff THE GOVERNMENT'S rev­ enue projections have not im­ proved-, but the chairof the House Ways and ·Means Committee says that a "pay less payday" for government employees is now more unlikely-at least until Jan. 31. "There are no danger signs now," Rep. Karl T. Reyes (R­ Prec. I, Saipan) said Monday. Karl T. Reyes "If there were, the administra­ tion would have already alerted With the expected slight in­ us." crease in the number of tourist Reyes said the government has mrivals from this month until money covering the pay periods spring, and with the beginning The UOG's "Native Tongue" choir led by its director Randell Johnson (center with sunglasses) delighted that will end next month. Continued on page 52 Power 99 radio listeners as the group sang two Christmas songs on the air yesterday. Photo by Tony Celis ~~'?~O!h~~-~~'~-.:...::.:~- ..,,~-~--~-, -~~.:.:._ ___::::::__:.._..:-_.::._;.~, '·- ·-. -~-- --~-, j Volcano on Alarnagan ~New Com~erce secretary push~s i:J shows signs of activity By Rene P. Acosta nephew, Jun Cabrera, 19; and ~ f?,~jo~~rapp1ng of $~00,0~h~N~:P.y?v~~~- ti Variety News Staff his grandson, Jake. 1 I\: 11variety • News Sfaff erb ate tI 1e cunent economic. ,:J' FIVE persons including a three­ According to Emergency :J COMMERCE Secretary crisis. year old boy were evacuated Management Office Acting Di­ i; Frank B. Villanueva yester- He said eliminating the i : from Alamagan Island yester­ rector Greg r;uenero, the five [J day said he will be working $ I 00,000 deposit is vital in day as a volcano in the area were the only known reported ~ !:; '~ with the Legislatu1:e to scrap efforts to bring the CNMI's ):J started showing signs of activ­ inhabitants of the island. -0 the $100,000 secunty deposit moribund economy back to l' Guerrero said they learned ity. ;: required from investors ~ant- Iife as this wi II encourage ~:\ The evacuees were flown about the apparent activity of :f ing to do business in the Com- badly needed investment. '\ aboard a helicopter which Mt. Alamagan from the five who • /" monwealth. "We think that the$ I 00,000 touched down at about 3: 16 p.m. called up through a radio at about : In an interview, Villanueva deposit requirement serves no ·· 5 p.m. yesterday after seeing at the Capitol Hill baseball field. i said the requirement under business purpose and has dis- thick smoke coming from the i The five were identified as Public Law 10-44,isadversely couraged investment," said Ben Santos, 63; his two sons, volcano. : affecting investment flow into Frank B. Villanueva Continuecf on page 5-2 Patrick, 20, ·and Ed, 36; his Continued on page 52 J a. ..... THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1998 -MARIANAS 'j ARJETY NEWS AND VJEWS-3 2-MARIANAS VARIET\'__l'1EWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY- DECEMBER 24, 1998 A Yearender: Tan alia request denied By Zaldy Dandan said. act of transfer may have in­ Variety News Staff "Under Chamorro customary cluded a reciprocal under­ year THE SUPERIOR Court yes­ law, the mother has an absolute standing for Mrs. Taylor to agtheDo terday denied Amalia DLG. right to live out the remainder take care of Tan Amalia until Diaz's request for an order al­ of her life in her own home. the day she dies. By James Anderson Or Russian Prime Minister to the astonishing tune of $3.6 bil­ lowing the 86-year-old matri­ "Tan Amalia," he added, "did But this question could only LONDON (Rcutcrs)-Like film Viktor Chemomyrdin? lion. arch to return to a San Antonio not lose her family home when be resolved at trial, Lizama of ;m m111ed man floundering in President Boris Yeltsin faded Eleven European states readied house now occupied by the she gave in to her daughter who said. quicksand. 1998 showed a flabber­ almost from view during the year, themselves for a New Year's launch family of her daughter, Celina begged her for the legal title for The ultimate question. he gasted and mocking world the slow­ his health gone, his abrupt discard­ of their common cun'Cncy, theeuro, D. Taylor, whose husband is the property." said, is whether the Taylors motion image of its most powc1fol ing of underlings no help for the but without its principal founder the recently retired Supreme Lizama disagrees. have failed to provide Tan leader being swallowed by scan­ rnined rouble. after German voters in September Court chief justice. In his order, the judge said the Amalia with the respect she is dal. From September onwards, most rejected Helmut Kohl, their chan­ But Diaz's civil lawsuit San Antonio house is no longer entitled to under Chamor-ro A dduge of lurid detail swept observers rated Soviet era veteran cellor for the past 16 years. against the Taylors remains Tun Amulia's. custom. Tan Amalia Juan T. Lizama awav bo;ndaries between public Yevgeny P1imakov, the year's third Fears of recession and unem­ pending and will now go to a He noted that there was a Lizama said there may have and ·private life. leaving President premier, as the man most in charge ployment were still strong and it jury trial, according to her at­ with the Chamorro customary transfer of property, and that Lizama said based on all the been '"an extreme act of disre­ Bill Clinton to deny nearyear"s end of the precarious fo1rner super­ seemed thatthecuro'scentral bank­ torney, Theodore R. Mitchell, law, which we proved beyond Mrs. Taylor and husband Marty evidence, the custom that gives spect" toward Tan Amalia, that his small bombs in Iraq were power. ing regime might be less politics­ who admitted being "stunned" doubt at the hearing during the W.K. Taylor, who are repre­ Tan Amalia the right to live in who used to stay in the San twisting to the tune of his crisis at TI1e developed states of Nollh free and strictly monetaiist than by Associate Judge Juan T. testimony of our expert witness, sented by lawyer Rex Kosack, the house until she dies can no Antonio house, that forced her home. AmericaandWestemEuropeheard originally planned. Lizama's ruling. Dr. Donald Howard Rubinstein have managed and improved the longer be applied. to leave, which could be con- Soothsavers in the Far East had warnings that they too were also ENDOFCENTURY,MILLEN­ "It is totally out of keeping (an anthropologist)," Mitchell property. At the same time, he said the Continued on page 52 predicted ; nasty 12 months - an cruising to a crash. NIUM IN SIGHT easy call for economies in tu1rnoil, But their stock markets, excited With the end in sight for the born out bv the riot-driven depar­ by huge mergers and cuts in inter­ century and the millennium, 1998 ture of Indonesia's president est rates, rebounded from several seemed a "Wag the Dog" year of Poker fees raised shmp dips.