4 Guam First nominees to meet Saturday

Written by

Oyaol Ngirairikl from Pacific Daily News

The four individuals nominated by Chamorro rights organizations will meet this Saturday and determine who among them will sit on the Guam First Commission.

There were 11 organizations that turned in nominations by the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline. The nominees are Trini T.Torres, Frank J. Schacher, Antonio Artero Sablan, and Michael 'Miget' Lujan Bevacqua. Bevacqua was the only person nominated by more than one organization.

Joseph Artero-Cameron, head of the Department of Chamorro Affairs, said the four will meet at the Chamorro Village Conference Room in Hagåtña 10 a.m. Saturday.

"These are all very educated individuals with the best interest of the Chamorro people at heart and I think any one of them will do very well on the commission," Artero-Cameron said.

The representative of the Chamorro rights organizations is the last seat on the 18-member commission.

Other organizations have nominated their representatives.

Gov. Eddie Calvo announced last month that he would convene the Guam First Commission, which has been dormant since its creation in 2008.

The 18-member commission was meant to be a single point of contact for the military expansion and a counterpoint to the Defense Department's Joint Guam Program Office. But the previous administration opposed the commission because former Gov. Felix Camacho said there were redundancies with his Civilian Military Task Force, which had been meeting for years, Pacific Daily News files state.

Guam Senator Challenges DOD's Draft EIS Intentions

Guam Senator Challenges DOD's Draft EIS Intentions

Written by Guam News Factor Staff Writer
Tuesday, 12 January 2010 21:29

Blas Tells DOD To Deal With Guam's Unresolved Issues First

GUAM - Language in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) suggests the military is intentionally sabotaging efforts to resolve Guam's political status and uphold indigenous rights, Senator Frank Blas Jr. testified at a public meeting Tuesday night.

Blas made the accusation based on language in the draft, which states that "an expansion in non-Chamorro voting population could... affect outcomes of any future plebiscites about Guam's political status." The report also notes that budgets for cultural activities, the number of native Chamorros in government offices or leadership positions, and activities dedicated to cultural issues could also be affected by the population shift.

"Is it part of your military buildup plans to inundate our island with people who will have no appreciation or consideration of our culture and beliefs?" Blas asked in his testimony. "Do you firmly believe that we are going to sit back and let you take over our lives and force us to forget who we are?"

The senator also demanded that the Department of Defense and the federal government address war reparations and political status questions as part of the preparation process. The offensive and inflammatory language in the DEIS raises these issues despite the military's insistence that these concerns are not associated with the buildup, Blas added.

Another mention of Guam's efforts to hold a Chamorro plebiscite also suggested the military fully intends to ignore decades-old concerns about Guam's status, Blas noted.

According to the draft, "the political importance of some Chamorro issues would likely recede as the 'militarization' of Guam is stabilized at something close to present levels," the draft states. Blas called the characterization "both disturbing and highly offensive" and said the promise of economic activity in no way compensated for all that Guam has lost due to military activity.

Blas' message to the Department of Defense? "Deal with our issues first, then come back to me with your EIS!"

Hundreds of residents have testified at a series of meetings to inform the public about the military's upcoming buildup, and to collect comments on a draft impact statement that is federally required as part of the development process. In addition to the concerns raised by Blas, residents have formed numerous groups and organizations to protest environmental issues, proposed land acquisition, and other impacts that will result from increasing military activities in coming years.

Senator Frank Blas Jr.'s Testimony

My name is Frank Flores Blas, Jr., a Senator in the 30th Guam Legislature and this is my testimony:

In 2005 during the initial discussions concerning the anticipated military buildup, I had the opportunity to speak with Air Force Lieutenant General Daniel Leaf on the need to address quality of life issues for the people of Guam in order to gain its acceptance by the people. Two issues directly related to the quality of life for our people are war reparations and the amounts spent by the people of Guam to provide services relating to the Compacts of Free Association. We were informed then that those matters as well as any other unresolved issue that didn't relate to the construction of the needed military facilities would have to be brought up with other federal entities other than the Department of Defense.

In conversations I have had with Major General David Bice and Mr. John Jackson, they too further related that the Department of Defense was in no position to deal with Guam's unresolved issues and that DoD's plans relating to the military buildup will be presented and discussed in the DEIS. I was also informed that although the issues were important, it had no relevance to the tasks they were directed to perform.

I believe that before we can have any meaningful conversation concerning the impact that the proposed buildup will have on our island or the requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to accomplish this action, Guam's unresolved issues pertaining to war reparations, compact impact reimbursement, the return of excess lands, the unfretted access to private lands blocked by federal installations, political status, and true representation in Congress have to be addressed and determined.

In Chapter 3 of Volume 7 of the Draft EIS, more specifically on Page 3-55 under the sub-heading "Sociocultural Impacts," it states, "The political importance of some Chamorro issues would likely recede as the 'militarization' of Guam is stabilized at something close to present levels."

I find this statement both disturbing and highly offensive as to suggest that the promised economic activity as a result of the buildup will cause us to forget the sufferings and the killing of our people because of their loyalty to the United States during World War II. I don't appreciate the suggestion that we will forget the hundreds of millions of dollars that we have had to spend to fulfill the mandate imposed upon us as a result of the Compacts of Free Association. Your promise of economic activity does nothing for the many people who had their lands taken from them for military purposes only to see that those lands now sit dormant and selfishly held for no compelling reason. And like your fore-fathers who established the United States of America because they firmly believed that it was unconscionable to have no representation in a Parliament that was making decisions for them without their representation, I am offended that you would believe that the militarization of Guam will cause me to continue to accept my status as a third class citizen and let you continue to impose your will without a discussion with me.

Or maybe this is part of your plan.

In the same chapter of the same volume, but now on Page 3-64 under the sub-heading of "Chamorro Issues," it states, "Guam's indigenous Chamorro population has strong concerns about whether incoming military populations would recognize them as both American by nationality and also a unique ethnic culture worthy of respect and preservation." It goes on to say, "However, an expansion in non-Chamorro voting population could eventually affect the population of Chamorro office-holders and government workers; thereby affecting the current government budgets and activities dedicated to cultural issues and practices. It could also affect outcomes of any future plebiscites about Guam's political status."

What are you telling me?

Is it part of your military buildup plans to inundate our island with people who will have no appreciation or consideration of our culture and beliefs so as to derail us from our inherent and moral responsibility to protect our homes and our dignity? Do you firmly believe that we are going to sit back and let you take over our lives and force us to forget who we are and where we came from? That's never going to happen!

I have always said that before we have any discussion with what you further want to do on our island, we first deal with those issues that have been unresolved for too many years. Although it had been initially stated that those issues were not relevant nor connected to the buildup, the statements made on Pages 55 and 64 just made their relevance very significant. You opened the door on this, and now we're not going to let this go.

Where I have said, now I demand! Before you tell me of your plans to widen my roads, lease my property, strain my healthcare system, or overcrowd my schools, and how you intend to help me help you, deal with our issues first, then come back to me with your EIS!

Thank you.

LEAP: Guam Chamorros Among Biggest Groups Of Pacific Islanders In U.S.

LEAP: Guam Chamorros Among Biggest Groups Of Pacific Islanders In U.S.

Written by Jeff Marchesseault, Guam News Factor Staff Writer
Saturday, 07 November 2009 20:16

GUAM - According to a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of Asian Pacific Americans, Chamorros are among the largest groups of Pacific Islanders inhabiting the United States. And Asian Pacific American (APA) buying power is skyrocketing. But APA's growing ability to purchase is lagging behind their representation in America's top corporate boardrooms.

Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) has released the findings of a recent report that made these determinations. An official news release from the nonprofit is attached, below.

Asian Pacific Americans Remain Absent from Corporate Boardrooms, Says LEAP's Report

76% of Fortune 100 Companies Lack Asian Pacific American Representation on Their Boards

Washington, D.C. (BusinessWire) November 06, 2009 01:25 PM Eastern Time -- Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) unveils the findings of its 2009 Corporate Governance Report measuring Asian Pacific American (APA) inclusion on the boards of Fortune 100 companies.

"Despite social, business and economic rise, Asian Pacific Americans remain absent from corporate boardrooms," said J.D. Hokoyama, LEAP's President and CEO. "This is an issue we hope to address fully in 2010 as part of our long-term strategy on research of APA representation in top leadership roles in the public, private, foundation, education and nonprofit sectors."

Key Findings

In 2009, 23 Asian Pacific Americans held just 27 board seats at 24 companies in the Fortune 100. APAs constitute over 5% of the US population and more than $500 billion in purchasing power.

There are 23 APAs that hold 27 board seats at 24 Fortune 100 companies.

The 27 board seats represent 2.2% of the total 1,220 board seats in the Fortune 100.

The breakdown of these APA board of directors by ethnic group is as follows: Asian Indian (13), Chinese (6), Japanese (2), Filipino (1) and Vietnamese (1).

Five (21.7%) out of the 23 APA directors are women.

Four board members sit on more than one Fortune 100 board: John S. Chen, Rajat K. Gupta, Andrea Jung and Marissa T. Peterson.

Seven APA directors served as (vice) chair, (co) president and/or (co) chief executive officer of a Fortune 500 company in 2009.

Three Fortune 100 companies have more than one APA director on their boards: Goldman Sachs, PepsiCo and Best Buy.

The 24 Fortune 100 companies with APA representation on their boards are: General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Citigroup, IBM, Procter & Gamble, Morgan Stanley, Dell, MetLife, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Safeway, Supervalu, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Best Buy, Cisco Systems, Walt Disney, News Corp., Apple, Motorola, Prudential, Humana, Deere and Alcoa (listed in order of revenue ranking in Fortune magazine).
About Asian Pacific Americans (APAs):

There are several terms that are used interchangeably referring to this community: Asian, Asian American, Asian Pacific Islander and Asian Pacific American, to name a few. There are two major groups that comprise the community: Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The US Census Bureau defines the Asian category as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent", which includes over 20 ethnic groups. The Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander category is defined as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands."

People of Asian and Pacific Islander descent make up more than half the world's population and more than 5 percent (16.2 million) of the total US population making it one of the fastest-growing groups in the United States. According to the US Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey, the largest Asian groups in the US include: Chinese (23.28%), Filipino (20.06%), Asian Indian (18.22%), Vietnamese (10.78%), Korean (10.13%) and Japanese (8.02%). Native Hawaiian, Samoan and Chamorro (Guamanian) are the largest Pacific Islander groups in the country.

The Selig Center for Economic Growth at The University of Georgia, Terry College of Business projects Asian Pacific American buying power will more than quintuple, climbing from $116 billion in 1990 to $509 billion in 2008 and to $752 billion in 2013. The 337 percent gain from 1990 through 2008 is substantially greater than the increases in buying power projected for whites (139 percent), the US as a whole (151 percent), blacks (187 percent) and Native Americans (213 percent). Currently, the Asian Pacific American market already outshines the entire economies of all but seventeen countries-it is smaller than the 2007 GDP of Turkey but larger than the GDP of Sweden.

About LEAP:

Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics, Inc. (LEAP) is a national organization founded in 1982 with a mission to achieve full participation and equality for Asian Pacific Americans through leadership, empowerment and policy. With original programs in leadership training, public policy research and community education, LEAP raises the impact and visibility of Asian Pacific Americans in all sectors. LEAP is headquartered in Los Angeles and has an office in Washington, DC.

Under its leadership research initiative, LEAP will produce a series of research reports to evaluate APA representation at the highest levels of the American workplace in Corporations, Foundations, Nonprofits, Higher Education and the Federal government. This baseline research will be used to measure APA representation in leadership roles.