By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

Ericco/Maeda Joint Venture, the recycling firm running the Basula Produkto junk shop in Lower Base, wants the Fitial administration to cancel the deal it made last year with the Guam-based company, Balli Steel, regarding the removal of junk cars on Saipan.
Eric Cruz, the firm’s president, said a local firm could do a better job.
In October of last year, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial signed the memorandum of agreement with Balli Steel which will ship junk cars out of Saipan for free.
Four months later, Cruz said, junk cars are still seen on island.
In a letter to the governor, Cruz said they “would like to make the same offer as the other company in order to help the CNMI get rid of abandoned vehicles, (and) basically, there will be no charge to the CNMI for disposal of the vehicles,”
Under the MOA between the government and Balli Steel, the firm “shall receive all abandoned vehicles and process them at no cost to the CNMI government. And the firm shall also apply for necessary permits and licenses at contractor’s expense. The firm shall supply all heavy equipment, labor, fuel, and other materials needed for the proper processing of junk cars. It shall also be responsible for removing all fluids like engine oil, transmission oil, brake fluid, differential oil, anti-freeze, batteries, Freon, tires and upholstery at its own expense.”
The commonwealth, in turn, “shall provide access to a piece of land as the primary processing area, the improvement of which shall also be shouldered by the contractor. The government shall also provide staging sites, assist the contractor in securing all approvals necessary to perform its obligations and allow it to disposed of non-metallic waste at the Marpi solid waste facility,” Cruz said their company has collected and properly disposed of 500 vehicles since last year.
He said they are willing to “donate” to Beautify CNMI! “$10 per ton of metal derived from the junk cars exported.”