ar1anas• MICRONESIA'~ LEADING NEWSPAPER SINCE 1972 RP wants better pay for workers here By Nick Legaspi maids and farmers must be paid at least $200 a month Domestic helpers, live-in maids and farmers, who are Staff reporter with free board and lodging. also not covered by the minimum wage law, receive The Philippine government wants employers in the The wage requirements basically address the labor about $150 a month. Northern Marianas to pay Filipino construction sectors not covered by the existing minimum wage law The memorandum, copies of which were circulated workers at least $2.15 an hour with free board and lodg­ in the CNMI. At present, the $2.15 minimum wage this week among members of the Saipan Chamber of I ' does not apply to construction workers, who are mostly Commerce, says that the required minimum wage must .- I, ing. .,"' In a memorandum listing new requirements for the nonresidents. The construction industry, where the bulk be stated in the approved labor contracts sent to the I hiring of overseas workers the Philippine Consulate of nonresidents work, pay its employees as low as consulate in Guam for authentication, also a new General in Guam also said domestic helpers, live-in $1.50 an hour, with free lodging in barracks but no food. See 'Wages", Page 5 Lt. Gov. , lnos dispute report "They're all wet " -Tenorio By DAVID T. HUGHES editor Lt. Governor Pedro A. Tenorio and fonner chairman of the CUC, Eloy S. Inos, said earlier ::; . ,.. this week that a recent report prepared by u. Gov. Tenorio Lyonnaise Marianas America, Inc. which outlined why the August 15 hlackout happened "was in error." Both men stuck by earlier claims ~ Felicidad H. Sablan, left, receives the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette.from Japanese Consul made by Tenorio and Inos saying that the outage ;· I\ Yasunobu Togo. The award was presenled for Sablan's late husband, Former Saipan Mayor Vincente D. Sablan. was the result of water being blown in through an ~ - open bay door in the power house during a light "':- ;:ji~/ thunderstorm. ~i "If that's what the LMA report said, then they are J · ' Japan honors Saipan man all wet - and you can quote me on that," Tenorio ..__ ____. said in a Wednesday telephone interview. He also Eloylnos said, "I was there - they weren't I interviewed people right after it for his works toward peace happened - they said it was negligence and water coing in through By Nick Legaspi the door." · Staff reporter • Inos said; "we both were there - we saw where the water had come The Japanese government conferred to the late Saipan Mayor Vicente D. Sablan the Order of the in... ." That report said in very finn terms that "the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosettee,the first ever received by a Northern Marianas resident from fundamental cause of this outage is rainwater coming into the the Japanese government power plant building through the many holes in the roof and the The posthumous award was presented Wednesday by Japanese Consul Yasunobu Togo to Felicidad H. many missing side panels, particularly facing the sea, causing Sablan, the mayor's widow, in a short ceremony at the Consular Office of Japan at the Nauru building. damage to electrical equipment" A certificate accompanying the award said it was from the emperor of Japan. The certificate or patent of Inos told a reporter asking him about the report that "the report decoration was signed by Japanese Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. " doesn't say holes in the roof caused the outage .... " He referred to In a speech during the award presentation, Togo said the award was "in recognition of the valuable the second sentence of the report as the "real cause of the power contributions by Mr. Sablan to a greater understanding and friendship between the people of the outage". That sentence read: "The trip-out was initially caused by Northern Marianas and the people of Japan and other related achievements ... the ingress of rainwater into the low-tension motor control situated Togo said the mayor, who died last year, promoted peace, understanding and friendship between the at ground level near the main entrance to the power plant, causing a ,! people of Japan and the Northern Marianas after the war. He also said Sablan helped with the Japanese short circuit." government's bone collecting missions, "which means so much to the Japanese people."" He said the bay door in question was "right where the incident "I don't know what to say, I'm so happy," Sablan's widow said after the ceremony.She attended the happened." Inos said the accident was caused "when the door ceremony with her two daughters and a son. The ceremony was also attended by Governor Pectro P. automatic closing mechanism jammed and the door couldn't be \ Tenorio, Lt. Gov. Pedro A. Tenorio, Senate President Julian S. Calvo and members of the Japanese closed. See "All Wet", page 11 community in Saipan. ,1 Page 2 - MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS -- September 4, 1987 September 4, 1987 -- MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS - Page 3 Editorial Page EDITORIAL PAGE 2 Free Speech· Americas Heritage Letters to the editor: Editor's note: The Letter to the editor last week which was signed "Sue Cabrera" LOOK TO THE was written by Sue T. Cabrera. PAST TO FIND A response to our new poll yes, I am in favor of immediate privitization of the power system for the following reasons. THE FUTURE First, there is an old saying, "you get what you pay for." At the present time we are paying sub­ : I standard rates for our power, ergo, sub-standard power. 1987 is the 200th anniversary of the Constitution of the United States of America. That document which outlines Because I realize that the government, if it got the money it needed to profitably run the power plant, would only spend it on increased payroll, new cars, junkets and all those o!11er frin~e tx;nefits exactly what the U.S. is, and what freedoms her people that go with working in a non-job, paying more would only mean a more expensive contmuatton of enjoy, has stood the test of time. It has given the world the same old thing. one of the most powerful and caring nation on Earth while at the same time allowing her people the right to do Governments are not in the business of making money. They spend it. A private business operates almost anything they want. at a profit or it doesn't operate for long. A private business would.take lhe money, put some back in The CNMI could do well to use more parts of that the business, give good service, and then and only then would they enjoy lhe fruits of their labor. wonderful document to govern our wonderful island I don't work for the government, I work for a living. So I have no sympathy for those "hard working public works e~ployees" who will be laid off because they don't perfonn well. Welcome to Commonwealth. the real world. Also, the Constutution and the laws of that nation force the government to be answerable to the people for their Secondly, when the population sees how efficient a private utility company can be, then we can actions both internal and international. Tremendous start looking at the water and other service branches which might be sold. power is vested in agencies like Congress to get to the "It's the darn vultures that worry me!" Thirdly, MTC is a perfect example of the way things can be. Look at GT A in Guam. It's ridiculous. But lhey still don't get the message. bottom . of things. Corruption, double-dealing and changed, but Saipan reminds Fourthly, with the attempt to get rid of all the alien labor, there will be plenty of openings in the treason are ferreted out in the blinding light of television me a lot of Benton in those private sector for those who get laid off. and under the typewriters of the print media. early years. Name witheld by request The Legislature of Saipan has a wonderful opportunity · Our chief would have never al­ to set this young and potentially great Commonwealth on lowed an officer to approach a Get it right: "RP", not "Pl" a path that will be envied by all island nations of the vehicle like that because it was Pacific. While the Variety has reservations about the just "bad politics." But, I will Dear Editor: . current round of hearings going on in the legislature, IF be the first to say that Saipan ,/ Marianas Variety issue of August 28, 1987 page 7 "Violence Breaks Out Again in PI." Please note they use the information gathered to help draft a is NOT that sleepy southern ~' PI or Philippine Islands in reference to the present Philippines is improper. Reference to PI was use.ct ~o '1 during Spanish times prior to independence before World War II. The Philippines is a Republic since sweeping set of laws that give the people more town. We have a lot of people .' from literally all over the world t, 1945 up to the present and therefore RP or Republic of lhe Philippines is more appropriate. I \ information about how their government operates, then Thank you for printing to "Letters to the Editor." "Work'' is relative stop here or vacation here. ~·.· that will be a good sign and the hearings will have been a Some of those dudes are very /s!C/Uto P.