“WE do not have enough construction [or] skilled workers on island,” Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said during a press briefing on KKMP radio Friday.
He said he has been reminding the U.S. Department of Labor, Citizenship and Immigration Services, and other federal partners about the islands’ lack of skilled workers since Typhoon Soudelor struck Saipan in 2015.
“I’m happy that they… allowed us to have 3,000 construction workers for recovery [after Super Typhoon] Yutu,” he added.
He said the “greatest success” was the reinstatement of the Philippines on the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2A and H-2B programs this year.
The governor said the Commonwealth now looks forward to local construction companies beefing up their manpower, noting the $241 million in federal funds that will be provided to the CNMI for disaster relief.
He said the CNMI will also receive additional funding from the U.S. Economic Development Authority, the U.S. Department of the Interior-Office of Insular Affairs, as well as for several other federal programs.
“We hope that in the next several months leading, more construction workers and companies, including those from Guam, will assist in rebuilding Saipan as well as Rota and Tinian,” Torres said.
He said he is also working with the Northern Marianas Technical Institute board chairman Mario Valentino to prioritize training future construction and other skilled workers.
In terms of funding, the governor said, “I’ve assured the chairman… that I’ve been assisting NMTI since day one” when it was founded as a nonprofit trade school by the late businessman Anthony Pellegrino.
In February 2019, the governor signed a law that transformed NMTI into a government entity.
He said he will continue to ensure that the goals and vision of NMTI fits the needs of the CNMI, specifically for skilled workers and creating more career opportunities for local residents.
‘More permanent structure’
In a separate interview, Alex Sablan, Tan Holdings Corp. vice president of corporate business development and a member of the Governor’s Economic Council of Advisers, said the Commonwealth needs a “more permanent structure” with the CW-1 program.
The focal point, he said, is always going to be hiring U.S. workers first.
“But we all know that we do not have a sufficient local workforce base…. The diminishing number [of workers] annually does not help us to grow the economy,” he added.
“So we need to augment [our local workforce] with a CW program, but what that number is and where we can go with that need to be determined.”
Sablan said the council and the local business community will continue working with U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan to pass legislation that will amend and improve the current CW-1 renewal process.
He noted that Kilili caucuses with the Democrats who now control both houses of Congress and the White House.
“We’re hopeful that we can find a more solid footing on the [CW-1] program working with Congressman Kilili…and minimize the impact [of the economic downturn] on the community,” Alex Sablan said.
