Council vows increased role in buildup preparation
Wednesday, 20 January 2010 03:02
by Zita Y. Taitano | Variety News Staff
DEDEDO mayor Melissa Savares, the newly inducted president of the Mayors Council, said yesterday village leaders will keep their active participation in the community’s preparations for the military buildup.
“We continue to be involved in the dialogue of the move of the U.S. Marines and their families and additional contract workers from Okinawa to Guam in the coming years,” Savares said in a speech during the induction of the council’s new officers at the Asan/Maina Community Center.
She also encouraged esidents to read and provide comments on the draft environmental impact statement.
“The growth of our island population will definitely impact our villages, be it heavy traffic congestion on our village roads, the overcrowding of our schools or by the neighbors who continue to move into the house next door. Whichever it may be, we as residents of Guam will definitely be affected,” Savares added.
The Dededo mayor succeeded Agat mayor Carol Tayama, who described her stint at the council as “a very fruitful year for all of us.”
“Though there are many projects and programs that we want to pursue, we accomplished much in 2009,” Tayama said, adding she will continue to work with the new officers in 2010.
“These are exciting and serious times we and our people are facing today. As mayors and vice mayors we have always been on the forefront of the issues facing our island. 2010, will be no different. It’s just we need to give our new officers support and assistance in making 2010 another banner year for the people of Guam,” she said.
The newly inducted officers are Savares, president; Sinajana vice mayor Robert Hoffman, vice president; Tamuning/Tumon/Harmon vice mayor Louise Rivera, secretary; Inarajan mayor Franklin Taitague, treasurer; Hagatna mayor John Cruz, sergeant-at-arms.
In her speech, Savares also emphasized the importance of recycling, citing her village’s efforts to promote the program among her constituents as one example.
Showing posts with label Contract Workers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Contract Workers. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Guam Military Buildup by Congressman Neil Abercrombie
By Neil Abercrombie
July 11, 2009
Some in Guam have expressed strong opposition to provisions in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, passed overwhelmingly this week by the U.S. House, concerning military construction in Guam.
The measure authorizes a multi-year, multi-billion dollar building program to construct a new home for the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Forces and elements of other units stationed on the island of Okinawa and in mainland Japan for many years. This means building permanent military facilities to accommodate about 8,000 military personnel and as many as 9,000 family members. The move is the result of a lengthy and detailed agreement between the United States and Japan, under which the U.S. will pay about 40% of the cost.
When Members of the House Armed Services Committee considered the matter, we had two aims: 1.) to assure our men and women in uniform and their families high quality, comfortable and durable buildings and facilities in a secure environment in which they can work, train and live, and 2.) create stable, well-paid jobs for skilled American building and construction workers to replace some of the thousands of jobs lost in this economic recession,.
This five-year project will require 15,000 or more construction workers. Thousands will have to be recruited to relocate to supplement the local workforce. The legislation reserves 70% of those jobs for American workers.
My ideal for the quality of housing and facilities we want on Guam are the military construction projects in Hawaii and across the country through public-private joint ventures, in which companies win multi-year contracts to build, maintain, repair and manage family housing and other structures on a base. The company builds out the project and makes its money from the Basic Allowance for Housing paid by the military families who live in the housing. In Hawaii, we negotiated 50-year agreements with our construction companies at Schofield Barracks, Hickam Air Force Base, Pearl Harbor Naval Station and Marine Base Kaneohe. The product and the process have been widely praised by military families and military leaders.
Wages should be commensurate with the experience and skills of the building trades workers who can provide the quality construction our military personnel deserve. The legislation established wages at the level for similar projects in Hawaii, the closest U.S. labor market. Guam’s prevailing wage is significantly less than most U.S. labor markets; its tax base is limited; and its workforce has only a fraction of the trained and skilled people needed for this job.
The alternative is to outsource to Japanese companies that will bring in foreign workers, for which the Guam government collects a bounty of $1000 per head. This will open the door to profiteering and continued wage bondage, and be a slap in the face of every qualified, unemployed American worker.
Relocating thousands of military personnel and their families is a massive undertaking, and will dramatically alter Guam’s future. Building a new military base from scratch will take several years and billions of dollars. The project will offer thousands of local jobs, thousands more from outside, create opportunities for local small businesses and transform the economy of the island. It is also a singular opportunity to put Americans to work, in an American territory, building America’s future in the Pacific region. Economic security and national security go hand in hand.
July 11, 2009
Some in Guam have expressed strong opposition to provisions in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, passed overwhelmingly this week by the U.S. House, concerning military construction in Guam.
The measure authorizes a multi-year, multi-billion dollar building program to construct a new home for the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Forces and elements of other units stationed on the island of Okinawa and in mainland Japan for many years. This means building permanent military facilities to accommodate about 8,000 military personnel and as many as 9,000 family members. The move is the result of a lengthy and detailed agreement between the United States and Japan, under which the U.S. will pay about 40% of the cost.
When Members of the House Armed Services Committee considered the matter, we had two aims: 1.) to assure our men and women in uniform and their families high quality, comfortable and durable buildings and facilities in a secure environment in which they can work, train and live, and 2.) create stable, well-paid jobs for skilled American building and construction workers to replace some of the thousands of jobs lost in this economic recession,.
This five-year project will require 15,000 or more construction workers. Thousands will have to be recruited to relocate to supplement the local workforce. The legislation reserves 70% of those jobs for American workers.
My ideal for the quality of housing and facilities we want on Guam are the military construction projects in Hawaii and across the country through public-private joint ventures, in which companies win multi-year contracts to build, maintain, repair and manage family housing and other structures on a base. The company builds out the project and makes its money from the Basic Allowance for Housing paid by the military families who live in the housing. In Hawaii, we negotiated 50-year agreements with our construction companies at Schofield Barracks, Hickam Air Force Base, Pearl Harbor Naval Station and Marine Base Kaneohe. The product and the process have been widely praised by military families and military leaders.
Wages should be commensurate with the experience and skills of the building trades workers who can provide the quality construction our military personnel deserve. The legislation established wages at the level for similar projects in Hawaii, the closest U.S. labor market. Guam’s prevailing wage is significantly less than most U.S. labor markets; its tax base is limited; and its workforce has only a fraction of the trained and skilled people needed for this job.
The alternative is to outsource to Japanese companies that will bring in foreign workers, for which the Guam government collects a bounty of $1000 per head. This will open the door to profiteering and continued wage bondage, and be a slap in the face of every qualified, unemployed American worker.
Relocating thousands of military personnel and their families is a massive undertaking, and will dramatically alter Guam’s future. Building a new military base from scratch will take several years and billions of dollars. The project will offer thousands of local jobs, thousands more from outside, create opportunities for local small businesses and transform the economy of the island. It is also a singular opportunity to put Americans to work, in an American territory, building America’s future in the Pacific region. Economic security and national security go hand in hand.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
What's Behind Abercrombie's Ammendment?
What’s behind the Abercrombie amendment?
Sunday, 12 July 2009 23:49 by Jayne Flores
The Marianas Variety
It’s a trade off: the long-awaited payment of war reparations to our dwindling number of survivors of the Japanese occupation, for a Hawaii-based wage rate for the buildup.
That seems to be the most logical reason behind Hawaii Rep. Neil Abercrombie’s two additional amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.
Abercrombie is running for governor, and if he can boost his state’s struggling economy by giving construction workers jobs on Guam that pay just as much as if they were working in Hawaii, it would be a large feather in his political cap. It’s a cap that, according to a candidate watchdog web site, has been paid for with contributions from the likes of Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, and 21st Century Systems, all military contractor heavyweights.
On the other side, we’re getting to the point that if we don’t settle this war claims issue soon, there won’t be any WWII survivors left to receive the money.
Abercrombie’s first amendment requires that Hawaii construction wage rates, which are approximately double what construction workers on Guam are paid, will apply to all build-up related projects funded with money specifically earmarked for the build-up.
The second amendments says that not more than 30 percent of the total hours worked per month on a buildup construction project may be performed by foreign workers, or workers holding temporary work visas.
So we’ve now got requirements that the Defense Department has to pay everyone who works on a buildup project those high Hawaii wage rates, and on each of the jobs, 70 percent of the work hours have to be worked by U.S. workers.
Obviously, Abercrombie is trying to prevent jobs going to foreign workers while construction workers in his state and other states are out of work. His amendment makes perfect sense if you’re a senator watching unemployment rates skyrocket in your state, or watching your state hand out vouchers for payment because it is broke.
This amendment seems to strike fear in the hearts of contractors on Guam and the overall Guam business community. They’ve been collectively saying that doubling wage rates for these projects might kill the buildup, or cause a domino effect and increase the cost of living on the island. But would it?
The large contractors that will be paying these higher rates already pay similar rates in many states. According to www.payscale.com, journeyman electricians make an average of $25.44 an hour in the states. Carpenters make from $22.33 to $32.43, depending on where they work. So these contractors’ bids will reflect the Hawaii-based wage rates accordingly. It’s the Department of Defense that will have to fork out the big bucks.
Local contractors are not getting these jobs – that’s the word through the grapevine. They may get subcontracts, but they can work the higher wages into their subcontract bids. So the local contractors won’t actually have to pay these rates, because Abercrombie’s amendment is specific to the buildup, not to the prevailing wage rate on Guam.
What will happen, though, is that the buildup will create two classes of H-2 workers and local workers, those who work on federal projects and are paid the higher wages, and those who work on local projects and are paid Guam’s prevailing construction wage rates. This could cause some animosity among workers within a company, especially among foreign workers who might fight over who gets to work the 30 percent hours on federal projects.
The higher wage rate might actually work in Guam’s favor. Although stateside workers will probably send home a significant portion of their paychecks if they don’t move their families out here, rest assured, they’ll frequent local restaurants and other establishments, and spend more of their money here than would foreign workers, who as a general rule send home most of their paychecks.
The defense budget bill, including the war claims and Abercrombie amendments, is now in the U.S. Senate. What senators are going to have to decide is whether they want to increase the cost of the buildup in order to put more Americans back to work, or scratch the whole bill and start over. Or, they could take out Abercrombie’s amendments, or the war claims amendment, or both.
At this point, anything can happen. But having to deal with the higher buildup wages won’t be as devastating as will having the war claims legislation slip through our fingers once again.
If this is the deal – we should take it.
Sunday, 12 July 2009 23:49 by Jayne Flores
The Marianas Variety
It’s a trade off: the long-awaited payment of war reparations to our dwindling number of survivors of the Japanese occupation, for a Hawaii-based wage rate for the buildup.
That seems to be the most logical reason behind Hawaii Rep. Neil Abercrombie’s two additional amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.
Abercrombie is running for governor, and if he can boost his state’s struggling economy by giving construction workers jobs on Guam that pay just as much as if they were working in Hawaii, it would be a large feather in his political cap. It’s a cap that, according to a candidate watchdog web site, has been paid for with contributions from the likes of Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, and 21st Century Systems, all military contractor heavyweights.
On the other side, we’re getting to the point that if we don’t settle this war claims issue soon, there won’t be any WWII survivors left to receive the money.
Abercrombie’s first amendment requires that Hawaii construction wage rates, which are approximately double what construction workers on Guam are paid, will apply to all build-up related projects funded with money specifically earmarked for the build-up.
The second amendments says that not more than 30 percent of the total hours worked per month on a buildup construction project may be performed by foreign workers, or workers holding temporary work visas.
So we’ve now got requirements that the Defense Department has to pay everyone who works on a buildup project those high Hawaii wage rates, and on each of the jobs, 70 percent of the work hours have to be worked by U.S. workers.
Obviously, Abercrombie is trying to prevent jobs going to foreign workers while construction workers in his state and other states are out of work. His amendment makes perfect sense if you’re a senator watching unemployment rates skyrocket in your state, or watching your state hand out vouchers for payment because it is broke.
This amendment seems to strike fear in the hearts of contractors on Guam and the overall Guam business community. They’ve been collectively saying that doubling wage rates for these projects might kill the buildup, or cause a domino effect and increase the cost of living on the island. But would it?
The large contractors that will be paying these higher rates already pay similar rates in many states. According to www.payscale.com, journeyman electricians make an average of $25.44 an hour in the states. Carpenters make from $22.33 to $32.43, depending on where they work. So these contractors’ bids will reflect the Hawaii-based wage rates accordingly. It’s the Department of Defense that will have to fork out the big bucks.
Local contractors are not getting these jobs – that’s the word through the grapevine. They may get subcontracts, but they can work the higher wages into their subcontract bids. So the local contractors won’t actually have to pay these rates, because Abercrombie’s amendment is specific to the buildup, not to the prevailing wage rate on Guam.
What will happen, though, is that the buildup will create two classes of H-2 workers and local workers, those who work on federal projects and are paid the higher wages, and those who work on local projects and are paid Guam’s prevailing construction wage rates. This could cause some animosity among workers within a company, especially among foreign workers who might fight over who gets to work the 30 percent hours on federal projects.
The higher wage rate might actually work in Guam’s favor. Although stateside workers will probably send home a significant portion of their paychecks if they don’t move their families out here, rest assured, they’ll frequent local restaurants and other establishments, and spend more of their money here than would foreign workers, who as a general rule send home most of their paychecks.
The defense budget bill, including the war claims and Abercrombie amendments, is now in the U.S. Senate. What senators are going to have to decide is whether they want to increase the cost of the buildup in order to put more Americans back to work, or scratch the whole bill and start over. Or, they could take out Abercrombie’s amendments, or the war claims amendment, or both.
At this point, anything can happen. But having to deal with the higher buildup wages won’t be as devastating as will having the war claims legislation slip through our fingers once again.
If this is the deal – we should take it.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
House Bill Would Sharply Raise Cost of Guam Project
House Bill Would Sharply Raise Cost of Guam Project
By Walter Pincus
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Washington Post
A little-publicized provision in the fiscal 2010 defense authorization bill approved by the House last week would double the $10 billion cost of construction on Guam as part of the realignment of U.S. military forces in the Pacific.
The planned move of 8,000 U.S. Marines and about 3,600 other U.S. military troops and their dependents from Okinawa and mainland Japan to Guam over the next five years was originally expected to cost about $15 billion.
Of that total, $10 billion would be in construction of facilities, family housing and public utilities.
But a provision in last week's House bill would require that construction companies pay their employees working on Guam's realignment construction projects wages equivalent to rates in Hawaii, which are 250 percent higher than those on Guam, according to the Joint Guam Program Office.
The Congressional Budget Office report attached to the House bill estimates the growth in labor costs from this provision alone "would increase the need for discretionary appropriations by about $10 billion over the 2010-2014 period."
The provision was authored by Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), the fourth-ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Another amendment Abercrombie added to the bill would limit to 30 percent the proportion of foreign workers that would be allowed to work on these projects.
"At a time when a depressed economy has dealt a body blow to our construction industry, the Department of Defense should not even consider turning over badly needed jobs to foreign workers at questionable wages," Abercrombie told his constituents.
"This is a huge opportunity to put Americans to work, in an American territory, building an American military base. My amendments provide clear guidelines to manage the buildup while ensuring quality work for our service members and their families," he added.
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Another provision would require the secretary of labor to report to the House and Senate Armed Services committees by June 30, 2010, "on efforts to expand the recruitment of construction workers in the United States to support this effort; on the ability of labor markets to support the Guam realignment."
Not everyone agreed with Abercrombie's proposals. Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), also an Armed Services Committee member, said during debate on the bill, "This provision will lead to inflated wages in Guam, while taking American jobs from construction projects in Texas, Maryland and Virginia."
The realignment, first agreed to in 2006 by the Bush administration and Japanese government, was designed to reduce tensions caused by a large, unwanted American military presence on Okinawa. In February, during her trip to Japan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton restated the U.S commitment "to modernize our military posture in the Pacific."
The government of Japan is expected to contribute about $2.8 billion to pay for the move. The U.S. government is to contribute $4.2 billion, and an additional $3.2 billion worth of family housing construction will be financed by third parties, who would then take a fee for managing those properties.
The Congressional Budget Office said it "does not expect the Japanese government to increase its share," thus leaving Washington to pick up the additional costs for construction projects if the provision remains in the bill.
A Government Accountability Office report in April raised questions about whether the U.S. government and the military had made adequate preparations on Guam. The GAO pointed out that military members and their families would create roughly a 14 percent increase in Guam's current population of 171,000, which would "substantially impact Guam's community and infrastructure."
There also would be a need for an estimated 22,000 additional construction workers, at least temporarily.
The GAO suggested that Guam's two major highways would need upgrading to carry the increased traffic. In addition, the island's major port would have to double its capacity.
Its electric capacity would need a major buildup, as would its water and wastewater systems, which the GAO said are near capacity already. The estimate was that the latter would have to be increased by 25 percent.
One question was who would fund the additional demands on Guam's roads, schools and public utilities. In last week's bill, the House expressed its "sense of the Congress that utility improvements on Guam should incorporate military and civilian utilities on Guam into a unified [electric] grid."
By Walter Pincus
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Washington Post
A little-publicized provision in the fiscal 2010 defense authorization bill approved by the House last week would double the $10 billion cost of construction on Guam as part of the realignment of U.S. military forces in the Pacific.
The planned move of 8,000 U.S. Marines and about 3,600 other U.S. military troops and their dependents from Okinawa and mainland Japan to Guam over the next five years was originally expected to cost about $15 billion.
Of that total, $10 billion would be in construction of facilities, family housing and public utilities.
But a provision in last week's House bill would require that construction companies pay their employees working on Guam's realignment construction projects wages equivalent to rates in Hawaii, which are 250 percent higher than those on Guam, according to the Joint Guam Program Office.
The Congressional Budget Office report attached to the House bill estimates the growth in labor costs from this provision alone "would increase the need for discretionary appropriations by about $10 billion over the 2010-2014 period."
The provision was authored by Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), the fourth-ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee.
Another amendment Abercrombie added to the bill would limit to 30 percent the proportion of foreign workers that would be allowed to work on these projects.
"At a time when a depressed economy has dealt a body blow to our construction industry, the Department of Defense should not even consider turning over badly needed jobs to foreign workers at questionable wages," Abercrombie told his constituents.
"This is a huge opportunity to put Americans to work, in an American territory, building an American military base. My amendments provide clear guidelines to manage the buildup while ensuring quality work for our service members and their families," he added.
ad_icon
Another provision would require the secretary of labor to report to the House and Senate Armed Services committees by June 30, 2010, "on efforts to expand the recruitment of construction workers in the United States to support this effort; on the ability of labor markets to support the Guam realignment."
Not everyone agreed with Abercrombie's proposals. Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), also an Armed Services Committee member, said during debate on the bill, "This provision will lead to inflated wages in Guam, while taking American jobs from construction projects in Texas, Maryland and Virginia."
The realignment, first agreed to in 2006 by the Bush administration and Japanese government, was designed to reduce tensions caused by a large, unwanted American military presence on Okinawa. In February, during her trip to Japan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton restated the U.S commitment "to modernize our military posture in the Pacific."
The government of Japan is expected to contribute about $2.8 billion to pay for the move. The U.S. government is to contribute $4.2 billion, and an additional $3.2 billion worth of family housing construction will be financed by third parties, who would then take a fee for managing those properties.
The Congressional Budget Office said it "does not expect the Japanese government to increase its share," thus leaving Washington to pick up the additional costs for construction projects if the provision remains in the bill.
A Government Accountability Office report in April raised questions about whether the U.S. government and the military had made adequate preparations on Guam. The GAO pointed out that military members and their families would create roughly a 14 percent increase in Guam's current population of 171,000, which would "substantially impact Guam's community and infrastructure."
There also would be a need for an estimated 22,000 additional construction workers, at least temporarily.
The GAO suggested that Guam's two major highways would need upgrading to carry the increased traffic. In addition, the island's major port would have to double its capacity.
Its electric capacity would need a major buildup, as would its water and wastewater systems, which the GAO said are near capacity already. The estimate was that the latter would have to be increased by 25 percent.
One question was who would fund the additional demands on Guam's roads, schools and public utilities. In last week's bill, the House expressed its "sense of the Congress that utility improvements on Guam should incorporate military and civilian utilities on Guam into a unified [electric] grid."
Monday, November 17, 2008
Buildup Could Bring Many Filipinos
Buildup could bring many Filipinos
Joe Murphy
Guam PDN
November 17, 2008
Guam is heading for a sea of change. The key behind this, obviously, is the military buildup. That is coming, and if you don't like it I would suggest moving to Palau.
How will all this affect you? Greatly.
I just read a blog from the Asian Journal that puts one part of this typhoon-type change in perspective. It was written by Malou Liwang Aguilar of the AJ Press. It stated: "In the next few years, the number of Filipinos in Guam will possibly increase with the strategic move of U.S. military bases from Okinawa, Japan. At present, approximately one-fourth (or larger) of the island's population are either Filipinos or of Filipino descent.
"This move opens new opportunities for Filipinos in the island, as an estimated $13 billion will be spent for construction of facilities and housing for military personnel in the span of four years.
"This also means that 20,000 to 30,000 Overseas Filipino Workers can find jobs in Guam. Known for their work ethic and English proficiency, Filipino construction workers are preferred by Guam companies, according to the Philippine Association of Service Exporters Inc.
"But Guam is no stranger to Pinoys. In fact, 35 percent of Guam's population is of Filipino descent, according to Guam Gov. Felix Camacho, during his speech at the 'Living the Dream' event sponsored by the Republican National Convention held in St. Paul, Minn. Camacho, who is also part Filipino, emphasized the significant contribution of the API vote and urged his fellow APIs to get involved.
"Also, Filipino businesses thrive in the island. Chinese-Filipino tycoons like Lucio Tan, Henry Sy and George Ty are major investors. Tan owns one of the largest mall in the island, Micronesia Mall, (as well as) the Tropicana Hotel, American Bakery, Toppy Furniture and iConnect, a mobile communications company. His banks, Allied Bank and Philippine National Bank, also have branches, while Philippine Airlines regularly flies between Manila and Guam."
By the year 2014, approximately 8,000 U.S. Marines and 9,000 family members will relocate to Guam. It is said to be the biggest military buildup in the history of the United States. The expansion could include a new Marine base, an Army ballistic missile defense facility and expanded Air Force and Navy bases by 2014, according to an initial Defense Department time line.
However, news of the military buildup has raised fears among some Chamorros that their culture and population will be diluted. In a recent interview, Chamorro leader Debbie Quinata said that she's not sure that the tiny island can cope with the military influx.
With 40,000 people -- about a 25 percent increase -- expected to move to the island in less than a decade, that is certainly a big challenge to all issues that matter to Guam.
That was why during the Republican convention, Camacho reached out to U.S. presidential candidate Sen. John McCain to discuss the issues. "I've met with John McCain, to discuss issues that matter to Guam."
The governor's office is lobbying for financial assistance from the federal government over the next few years, money that is to be spent outside the bases' fence lines. This would mean roads, seaport, utility improvements and other projects.
In a visit to Guam last year, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney stressed Guam's role in the U.S. bases' relocation.
"The U.S. can move quickly and effectively to protect our friends, to defend our interests, to bring relief in times of emergency, and to keep the sea lanes open for commerce, and close it to terrorists," he said. "This island may be small, but it has tremendous importance to the peace and security of the world."
Yet even with Guam's significant role to the U.S. military, Camacho pointed out to McCain that Washington, D.C., could give Guam better treatment.
"We are also Americans, and we need to change the way Guam is treated," Camacho said.
But no matter how you cut it, you are never going to make everybody happy.
Billions of dollars will be spent in Guam by the military, the American government and the Japanese government. That should make the businessmen joyful.
Millions of dollars, if not billions, will be spent to upgrade our roads and highways, and transportation in general.
We also can rest assured that the U.S. government isn't going to just drop the Marines off here. They will need better air transportation. They will need water and power and a garbage dump.
The people of Guam, if they can see into the future, should know that the Marines, their families and associated workers will pay more in taxes, and thus provide a bigger, better tax base, which should help our schools.
Communication should get better too, with better TV and movies. We will have more restaurants and night spots.
It is going to hurt somewhat that the traffic, already bad, will worsen.
More jobs will be created for local people, and more taxes will be paid into GovGuam, broadening that base.
The people of Guam have always been on the low end of the gross national product, but I think this will change, too. I see clearly that new and better houses will be built. The island people should have more money to spend on vacations and education.
Health care will become an essential issue, and we may get a new, up-to-date hospital built.
If we watch the military buildup, and don't complain too much, maybe we can count on a plebiscite that would grant this island more freedom than it has now, in the form of a commonwealth.
Joe Murphy is a former editor of the Pacific Daily News.
Joe Murphy
Guam PDN
November 17, 2008
Guam is heading for a sea of change. The key behind this, obviously, is the military buildup. That is coming, and if you don't like it I would suggest moving to Palau.
How will all this affect you? Greatly.
I just read a blog from the Asian Journal that puts one part of this typhoon-type change in perspective. It was written by Malou Liwang Aguilar of the AJ Press. It stated: "In the next few years, the number of Filipinos in Guam will possibly increase with the strategic move of U.S. military bases from Okinawa, Japan. At present, approximately one-fourth (or larger) of the island's population are either Filipinos or of Filipino descent.
"This move opens new opportunities for Filipinos in the island, as an estimated $13 billion will be spent for construction of facilities and housing for military personnel in the span of four years.
"This also means that 20,000 to 30,000 Overseas Filipino Workers can find jobs in Guam. Known for their work ethic and English proficiency, Filipino construction workers are preferred by Guam companies, according to the Philippine Association of Service Exporters Inc.
"But Guam is no stranger to Pinoys. In fact, 35 percent of Guam's population is of Filipino descent, according to Guam Gov. Felix Camacho, during his speech at the 'Living the Dream' event sponsored by the Republican National Convention held in St. Paul, Minn. Camacho, who is also part Filipino, emphasized the significant contribution of the API vote and urged his fellow APIs to get involved.
"Also, Filipino businesses thrive in the island. Chinese-Filipino tycoons like Lucio Tan, Henry Sy and George Ty are major investors. Tan owns one of the largest mall in the island, Micronesia Mall, (as well as) the Tropicana Hotel, American Bakery, Toppy Furniture and iConnect, a mobile communications company. His banks, Allied Bank and Philippine National Bank, also have branches, while Philippine Airlines regularly flies between Manila and Guam."
By the year 2014, approximately 8,000 U.S. Marines and 9,000 family members will relocate to Guam. It is said to be the biggest military buildup in the history of the United States. The expansion could include a new Marine base, an Army ballistic missile defense facility and expanded Air Force and Navy bases by 2014, according to an initial Defense Department time line.
However, news of the military buildup has raised fears among some Chamorros that their culture and population will be diluted. In a recent interview, Chamorro leader Debbie Quinata said that she's not sure that the tiny island can cope with the military influx.
With 40,000 people -- about a 25 percent increase -- expected to move to the island in less than a decade, that is certainly a big challenge to all issues that matter to Guam.
That was why during the Republican convention, Camacho reached out to U.S. presidential candidate Sen. John McCain to discuss the issues. "I've met with John McCain, to discuss issues that matter to Guam."
The governor's office is lobbying for financial assistance from the federal government over the next few years, money that is to be spent outside the bases' fence lines. This would mean roads, seaport, utility improvements and other projects.
In a visit to Guam last year, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney stressed Guam's role in the U.S. bases' relocation.
"The U.S. can move quickly and effectively to protect our friends, to defend our interests, to bring relief in times of emergency, and to keep the sea lanes open for commerce, and close it to terrorists," he said. "This island may be small, but it has tremendous importance to the peace and security of the world."
Yet even with Guam's significant role to the U.S. military, Camacho pointed out to McCain that Washington, D.C., could give Guam better treatment.
"We are also Americans, and we need to change the way Guam is treated," Camacho said.
But no matter how you cut it, you are never going to make everybody happy.
Billions of dollars will be spent in Guam by the military, the American government and the Japanese government. That should make the businessmen joyful.
Millions of dollars, if not billions, will be spent to upgrade our roads and highways, and transportation in general.
We also can rest assured that the U.S. government isn't going to just drop the Marines off here. They will need better air transportation. They will need water and power and a garbage dump.
The people of Guam, if they can see into the future, should know that the Marines, their families and associated workers will pay more in taxes, and thus provide a bigger, better tax base, which should help our schools.
Communication should get better too, with better TV and movies. We will have more restaurants and night spots.
It is going to hurt somewhat that the traffic, already bad, will worsen.
More jobs will be created for local people, and more taxes will be paid into GovGuam, broadening that base.
The people of Guam have always been on the low end of the gross national product, but I think this will change, too. I see clearly that new and better houses will be built. The island people should have more money to spend on vacations and education.
Health care will become an essential issue, and we may get a new, up-to-date hospital built.
If we watch the military buildup, and don't complain too much, maybe we can count on a plebiscite that would grant this island more freedom than it has now, in the form of a commonwealth.
Joe Murphy is a former editor of the Pacific Daily News.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thursday, September 06, 2007
More on CNMI Federalization
Homeland Security involved in redrafting of federalization bill
By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff
September 6, 2007
THE August deadline for the revised version of S. 1634, the bill that will federalize the local immigration system, has been pushed back after the U.S. Interior Department asked the help of the U.S. Department of Security in drafting a new measure.
David Cohen, Interior’s deputy assistant secretary for insular affairs, hopes to submit the new draft of S. 1634 soon.
“We are still working with the Department of Homeland Security to finish up the draft,” said Cohen in an e-mail interview. “We hope to be able to submit it soon.”
Homeland Security will be among the five federal agencies to oversee the transition to a federal immigration system in the CNMI.
The department sent Philip B. Busch, one of its legal counsels, to Saipan to observe the Aug. 15 field hearing conducted by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs on H.R. 3079, the Northern Mariana Islands Immigration Security and Labor Act, which is similar to S.1634 but includes a provision for a CNMI nonvoting congressional delegate.
Busch is with the Office of the Chief Counsel of the department’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Cohen said once his office submits the second draft, the next step will be up to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
“Their next procedural step will be to report the bill out of the Senate committee and a similar process will be going on in the House,” he said.
S. 1634 and H.R. 3079 both propose that foreign workers in the Northern Marianas who have been legally employed for at least five years be given the opportunity to get nonimmigrant visas which will entitle them to freely travel, work and study anywhere in the United States and its possessions.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial is strongly opposed to both bills citing their “negative economic impact.”
****************
Cohen: NMI situation has changed
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Variety Assistant Editor
Sept 5, 2007
DEPUTY Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs David Cohen says the federal government’s point back in 2004 was that it would not be willing to grant immigration status to nonresident workers “unless the entire CNMI immigration system were to be federalized” but, he said, the “situation has changed now.”
Cohen was responding to a statement from Covenant Party chairman Alvaro Santos who said “it is shameful and disgraceful for Cohen to be representing himself as the ‘savior’ of nonresident workers when you consider the fact that David Cohen strongly opposed the granting of permanent residency status to nonresident workers only a few years ago.”
Among the changes Cohen cited that were beyond the CNMI’s control were the U.S. Congress’ active consideration of federalizing CNMI immigration which is indeed supported by the Bush administration, and the changes in world trade that have contributed to sharp declines in CNMI revenue, depriving it of the resources it needs to properly administer its responsibilities.
“Now that we’re seriously considering immigration federalization, we have an opportunity to examine the situation of the long-term contract workers that have been so essential in building the CNMI economy,” he said. “We have the opportunity and the obligation to try to ensure that everyone — the indigenous community, the contract workers, the business community and others — is treated fairly.”
On Dec. 16, 2004, Cohen was quoted as saying that “there is virtually no hope of the Dekada movement succeeding in getting U.S. permanent residence for its members on the basis of their presence in the CNMI.”
Dekada is seeking permanent residence status for over 3,000 of its nonresident members who have been lawfully working in the CNMI for at least five years.
The movement, formed in September 2004, consists mostly of Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, Nepalese, Bangladeshis, Thais and Burmese.
In a statement yesterday, Cohen said reasonable people can disagree about what is fair, and that’s why a healthy, respectful debate is essential at this time.
The Covenant Party chairman said he is “deeply offended” by and resents Cohen’s political behavior and unprecedented intrusion into the CNMI’s self-government and local politics.
“The way David Cohen has been carrying on when he visits the Commonwealth, you would think that the temporary alien contract workers negotiated and approved our Covenant agreement with the United States for their benefit, not the indigenous population. This was never the intention of our founding fathers or the great Americans who supported our Covenant agreement with the United States,” said Santos.
Cohen, for his part, said, “Our point back in 2004 was that the federal government would not be willing to grant status to contract workers unless the entire CNMI immigration system were to be federalized. The basic bargain was that the CNMI’s continued control over its own immigration was conditioned upon the federal government not having to bear the burden of immigration decisions made by the local CNMI government.”
He said if the federal government was going to have obligations to those who were admitted to the CNMI, then the federal government would insist upon controlling who is admitted to the CNMI.
“Our point back then was that granting status to the contract workers would bring about federalization. Not even the strongest proponents of federalization in Congress were pushing federalization with any sense of urgency at that time, perhaps because this was before changes in world trade rules helped to plunge the CNMI into the crisis that exists today,” he said.
According to Cohen, this was why they were concerned, back in 2004, about the possibility that contract workers would come to the CNMI, or attempt to extend their stay, on the belief that they would get green cards.
“We were concerned that their hopes would make them exploitable, and that the CNMI would become a magnet for those seeking green cards,” he said.
Cohen said he doesn’t blame people for having anxiety at this time, “because the CNMI is likely to change significantly, one way or another, in the foreseeable future.”
“We don’t yet fully know what that change will look like, and that naturally causes anxiety. Every segment of the community is experiencing anxiety — the Chamorros, the Carolinians, the guest workers, citizens of the freely associated states, business owners and everyone else,” he said.
But according to Cohen, much of this anxiety has nothing to do with the federalization debate.
He said people are worried about their ability to support their families, to pay their utility bills and to rely upon the most basic of public services, and these worries were in full swing long before immigration federalization legislation was introduced.
“We have to guard against this anxiety spilling over into anger that is misdirected at fellow members of the community, especially the most vulnerable members. I’ve said before that everyone in the CNMI is in the same boat, and that the community will sink or swim together,” Cohen said.
By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff
September 6, 2007
THE August deadline for the revised version of S. 1634, the bill that will federalize the local immigration system, has been pushed back after the U.S. Interior Department asked the help of the U.S. Department of Security in drafting a new measure.
David Cohen, Interior’s deputy assistant secretary for insular affairs, hopes to submit the new draft of S. 1634 soon.
“We are still working with the Department of Homeland Security to finish up the draft,” said Cohen in an e-mail interview. “We hope to be able to submit it soon.”
Homeland Security will be among the five federal agencies to oversee the transition to a federal immigration system in the CNMI.
The department sent Philip B. Busch, one of its legal counsels, to Saipan to observe the Aug. 15 field hearing conducted by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs on H.R. 3079, the Northern Mariana Islands Immigration Security and Labor Act, which is similar to S.1634 but includes a provision for a CNMI nonvoting congressional delegate.
Busch is with the Office of the Chief Counsel of the department’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Cohen said once his office submits the second draft, the next step will be up to the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
“Their next procedural step will be to report the bill out of the Senate committee and a similar process will be going on in the House,” he said.
S. 1634 and H.R. 3079 both propose that foreign workers in the Northern Marianas who have been legally employed for at least five years be given the opportunity to get nonimmigrant visas which will entitle them to freely travel, work and study anywhere in the United States and its possessions.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial is strongly opposed to both bills citing their “negative economic impact.”
****************
Cohen: NMI situation has changed
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Variety Assistant Editor
Sept 5, 2007
DEPUTY Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Insular Affairs David Cohen says the federal government’s point back in 2004 was that it would not be willing to grant immigration status to nonresident workers “unless the entire CNMI immigration system were to be federalized” but, he said, the “situation has changed now.”
Cohen was responding to a statement from Covenant Party chairman Alvaro Santos who said “it is shameful and disgraceful for Cohen to be representing himself as the ‘savior’ of nonresident workers when you consider the fact that David Cohen strongly opposed the granting of permanent residency status to nonresident workers only a few years ago.”
Among the changes Cohen cited that were beyond the CNMI’s control were the U.S. Congress’ active consideration of federalizing CNMI immigration which is indeed supported by the Bush administration, and the changes in world trade that have contributed to sharp declines in CNMI revenue, depriving it of the resources it needs to properly administer its responsibilities.
“Now that we’re seriously considering immigration federalization, we have an opportunity to examine the situation of the long-term contract workers that have been so essential in building the CNMI economy,” he said. “We have the opportunity and the obligation to try to ensure that everyone — the indigenous community, the contract workers, the business community and others — is treated fairly.”
On Dec. 16, 2004, Cohen was quoted as saying that “there is virtually no hope of the Dekada movement succeeding in getting U.S. permanent residence for its members on the basis of their presence in the CNMI.”
Dekada is seeking permanent residence status for over 3,000 of its nonresident members who have been lawfully working in the CNMI for at least five years.
The movement, formed in September 2004, consists mostly of Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, Nepalese, Bangladeshis, Thais and Burmese.
In a statement yesterday, Cohen said reasonable people can disagree about what is fair, and that’s why a healthy, respectful debate is essential at this time.
The Covenant Party chairman said he is “deeply offended” by and resents Cohen’s political behavior and unprecedented intrusion into the CNMI’s self-government and local politics.
“The way David Cohen has been carrying on when he visits the Commonwealth, you would think that the temporary alien contract workers negotiated and approved our Covenant agreement with the United States for their benefit, not the indigenous population. This was never the intention of our founding fathers or the great Americans who supported our Covenant agreement with the United States,” said Santos.
Cohen, for his part, said, “Our point back in 2004 was that the federal government would not be willing to grant status to contract workers unless the entire CNMI immigration system were to be federalized. The basic bargain was that the CNMI’s continued control over its own immigration was conditioned upon the federal government not having to bear the burden of immigration decisions made by the local CNMI government.”
He said if the federal government was going to have obligations to those who were admitted to the CNMI, then the federal government would insist upon controlling who is admitted to the CNMI.
“Our point back then was that granting status to the contract workers would bring about federalization. Not even the strongest proponents of federalization in Congress were pushing federalization with any sense of urgency at that time, perhaps because this was before changes in world trade rules helped to plunge the CNMI into the crisis that exists today,” he said.
According to Cohen, this was why they were concerned, back in 2004, about the possibility that contract workers would come to the CNMI, or attempt to extend their stay, on the belief that they would get green cards.
“We were concerned that their hopes would make them exploitable, and that the CNMI would become a magnet for those seeking green cards,” he said.
Cohen said he doesn’t blame people for having anxiety at this time, “because the CNMI is likely to change significantly, one way or another, in the foreseeable future.”
“We don’t yet fully know what that change will look like, and that naturally causes anxiety. Every segment of the community is experiencing anxiety — the Chamorros, the Carolinians, the guest workers, citizens of the freely associated states, business owners and everyone else,” he said.
But according to Cohen, much of this anxiety has nothing to do with the federalization debate.
He said people are worried about their ability to support their families, to pay their utility bills and to rely upon the most basic of public services, and these worries were in full swing long before immigration federalization legislation was introduced.
“We have to guard against this anxiety spilling over into anger that is misdirected at fellow members of the community, especially the most vulnerable members. I’ve said before that everyone in the CNMI is in the same boat, and that the community will sink or swim together,” Cohen said.
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