, --...... UNI, • "v ER"'I• ~'-' ""'I ''I or H:,YJi\li U8Rt.r<v. arianas %riety;~ Micronesia's leading Newspaper Since 1972 . '&1 ews $27. 72MgrantfgrFY1993 Guerra:Matchingtenns apply By Nick Legaspi on Dec. 17 whichsets the CNMI sharein thefiscal year 1993 fund­ TIlENORTHERN Marianas must ing at 25percent($6.92million). come out with $6.92 million to Under the agreement, the CNMI match the $'Z7.72 million federal share in the next sevenyears will contribution for local infrastruc­ start at 29 percent (forfiscal year ture projects in fiscal year 1993, 1994) and increase yearly until it accordingtoStellaGuerra, assistant reaches 71 percent. secretary for territorial and inter­ _Guerra alsodenied Manglona's national affairs. statement thatthe new agreement Guerra made the statement in wasnotyetineffect sinceithasnot response toanewspaperreport(see been enacted intolaw. Shesaid"I Marianas Variety,Jan.12)quoting shouldliketo remind you thatthe acting Governor Benjamin T. agreement to which youare party Manglona as saying that the pro­ is not an agreement withtheCon­ visions of the new multi-year fi­ gress, but with the special repre­ nancial agreement between the sentative of the president of the CNMIandtheUSshouldnotapply UnitedStates." :I "None of us can predict what , . to the federal grantfor fiscal year , . 19.93. He saidthe agreement has actionCongress maytake/'Guerra not beenenacted intolaw. said."buttoprotestinthefaceofa "I am trulyperplexed sinceyou signed document that a new , wereawareoftheseprovisions and agreement does not now exist is ASSISTANT Interior Secretary Stella Guerra and Lieutenant Governor Benjamin Manglona in an earlierpress 1 the intentions of the department insupportable." conference. when you and the other CNMI "Good faith demands that the sentative Ron de Lugo on Jan. 7, feet." Hesaidnothingintheappropria- special representatives signed the terms ofthisagreementbehonored saidthe department wasplanning Manglona asked Congress to tions law for thefiscal year 1993 agreement," Guerrasaidin a letter andpubliclysupportednowbyboth toimpose thematching provisions directthedepartment tofollow the federal grant indicates that the re- to Manglona Wednesday. parties unlessitistoberepudiated," of thefunding agreement "asif the terms of the law and make the leaseofthe$27.72millionistiedto She cited a provision in the shesaid. agreement had already been ap- $27.72millionpayabletotheCNMI the terms of the new seven-year agreement signed inSanFrancisco Manglona, in a letter to Repre- proved by Congress and is in ef- at theearliest possible time. agreement , ' , House approves' Lawmakers ask " .basic payhike Shell to continue. THEHOUSEofRepresentatives rector offinance, director ofcom­ By Gaynor Dumat-ol passedon firstand final reading, merce and labor, the govemot's mel.deliveries yesterdayHouseBill8-197which special assistant forplanning and A FIVE-YEAR-OLD boy was LAWMAKERSasked Shell the fuel supply contract with provides for a yearly increase in budgeting, representative of the killed when he was accidentally Marianasyesterdaytocontinue the utilities firm willbe termi- the$2.15 hourly minimum wage Hotel Association oftheNorthem pinnedby atrucktoawatertankin untilitreachesthecurrentfederal Mariana a supplying fuel for the Power natedonJan. 29ifCUC failsto Islands, 'representative frontof PL's Storein San Vicente basic wage levelof $4.25. of theCNMI Contractors' Asso­ plants of the Commonwealth pay itS $4 million obligation, Under the bill, the minimum ciation, a representative of the yesterday morning, policesaid. UtilitiesCorp.(CUC)whichhas including $3.1 million in ar- wagefor1993 willbeat$2.45per Commonwealth Garment Textile Ralph L. Quinto was declared been declared in default of $4 rears. The three-year contract hour, rising to $2.75 in 1994, Industry Association, one mem­ deadattheCommonwealth Health millionworth of obligationsto expires in May this year. $3.05 in 1995, $3.35 itt 1996, berappointedbythegovemorfrom Centerless than an hour afterthe Shell. In asubsequentlettertoCUC $3:65 in 1997, $3.95 in 1998and thebusiness community and one accident, Police Chief Antonio A "1 am writing to respectfully and Rep. Heinz S. $4.25in1999. member fromthebusiness com­ Reyessaid ask for your compassionate Hofschneider, Shell said lIB 8-197 removes construe- . munity from each senatorial dis­ it He was thefirstfatality in a ve­ considerationof the'dire situa- needed "somethingconcrete" tion workers from thelistofem­ tricttobeselected bythemayors. hicu1ar accidentthisyearinSaipan. ployees notcovered bythemini­ tion facing our islands by re- by today. Cruz would not say The-bill, which was introduced Initial investigationdisclosed that mum wage. However, live-in byReps. Jesus T.Attao, Heinz S. maining open to the efforts of whether the phrasemeantpay- maids, seamen, fishennen and Hofschneider and Herman T. the boy's mother, identified by .the Commonwealth Utilities ment of the debt, but said the farmers will continue to be ex­ Guerrero, was drafted by the police as Anita A. Ferrel, went .Corp, and the CNMI,govern- only way "to cure" the default cluded from theminimum wage Minimum Wage TaskForceear­ insidePL'sStoretobuysomething ment to provide yourcompany was to come up with the $4 provisions oftheproposed law. lierformed byGovernor Lorenzo andlefthersonwithanother child with its due payment for fuel million. Instead, the Department of 1. Guerrero. insideher car. suppliesto CUC," Representa- . HesaidCUCfailed tocomply Commerce andLaboI' will estab­ The governor, during a con­ The five-year-old managed to lisha special minimum wagefor gressional hearing inWashington tive HermanT. Palaciossaid in with a memorandum of agree- getoutof thecarandstoodinfront aletter toDavid O'Brien,Shell ment which,provides for a the exempt categories, which onJuly30,promised to workfor of the watertank locatednear the shouldnotbelessthan40percent ' theincrease inCNMI wages. Marianasvice president,secre- monthlyamortizationofthe$3.1 or more than 60 percent of the Theproposedlaw.however.did store's frontdoor. tary and treasurer, who isbased . million old debt in addition to' prevailing minimum wageatany not include the suggestion made Jong HwanKim,35, the owner inGuam.' payment for current monthly, ~e. .' .byRep.George Miller, chairman ofthestore, wasstarting theengine Reps, Herman T., Guerrero' deliveries., ranging, from The bill seeks to establish a of theCommittee onInterior'and of a Kiaflatbed truckat thattime. 'andFranciscoFloresaddedtheir $900 <XX) to $1 million. Wage andSalaryReview Board, Insular Affairs (nowCOmffiiiuie­ The truck was carrying a 1,000­ signaturesto Palacios' letter. ~iteitsproblemwithCUC, an advisory body Which will onNatural Resources),forthe4t­ gallon watertank. VictorF.Cruz,thecompany's 'Shell Marianas will continue monitor econoniic conditions in elusion of a representative fr6m Thestoreownerintendedtodrive public affairs manager,said in operatingin Saipan, cruz said.. the CODlinOnwealth and recom­ the laborfOrce in'the Wage:and thetruckforward but didnot real­ mend clianges 'intheprovisions' Salary Review Board: an:interviewyesterday thatShell, WhenCUCconductsthebidding ize that the gear was in reverse. qf'Jhe wage laws. ,'. ' HB 8-197goes tothe. SenalP.fOr ~lllilUlas issued anoticeof00-' for anew fuel supply contraCt Members of thebOIU'd,are:di-;' ~ts'action.'(NL):',:j,;:;·:(;,'·;';!)(: Thevehicle movedbackwards and fa~I~~t~~{Jcon'i?t#:~~8~~~~~:i\i'~;Shd.tWiIlbid;}re'~:'~)~·' hit theboy. -----~~~~~~~~~~~--- FRIDAY,JANUARY 15,1993 -MARIANAS VARIETYNEWSAND VIEws-3 2-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-FRIDAY-JANUARY 15, 1993 MTCposts Guerrero, Sablan .13% drop AirMike, PIAto sign accord • mrevenues ~.. MICRONESIA Telecommunica­ join board tions Corp. (MTC) suffered a 13­ MEMBER-businesses and orga­ percentdeclineinrevenues in1992 because of the economic slump, nizations of the Marianas Visi­ MTC vicepresident RoyMorioka tors Bureau yesterday elected saidWednesday. DavidM. Sablanand 1M Deleon The major segment of MTC's Guerrero to the MVBboard. business is long distance calling DavidM. Sablanis the special and. a comparison of 1991 and assistant to thegovemorforplan­ 1992 figures show that the tele­ ning andbudgetandis president communications company "expe­ of Saipan-based Central Valley ExportCo. He was member of rienced a dramatic downturn in found out that it was unsafe for solutions to reinstate the Saipan­ CONTINENTALMicronesia and berofCommerce, saidContinen­ theMVBboardfrom 1976to 1984­ Sablan GU61T8fO business"during theyearthatjust landing, particularly for big air­ Guam routein thenear future. passed, according toMorioka. Pacific Island Aviation willsoon tal did not walk away from its and wasMVB chairmanfor four theMVBmembership fee will be tourismindustry. I craftbecause oftherunway's poor Northwest is holding firm ,I In 1991, the increase in long sign an agreement allowing PIA obligation totransport Rotacom­ years from 1fJ77 to 1980. "strategically invested" in pro­ Sablan, on the other hand, muters. braking features. ground in the Guam and distance messages was nearly 33 to providesubstitute air transpor­ Micronesia route despite the de­ Guerrero is presidentof 1M & motions and projects that will promisedto workfor the alloca­ tation in Rota while the runway He reiterated Continental's Breeding also said that if, for percent, minutes of use up by 36 some reason, PIA would "falter" cisionto suspend thethe Saipan­ Associates andservesasconsult­ enhance tourismindustry in the tionof twoofthenineboardseats