As you’re aware from having done previous articles about the two events, our church was robbed on two occasions of its wires and various pieces of sound equipment. Since then we have continued to meet outdoors in our veranda area. We have had our Christmas services and our New Years services there as well. It has been four weeks and we have yet to get our power restored. CUC has informed us that in order to restore our power that they will need us to pay a fee to install another pole as the weight of the wire would probably pull the new weather head off the side of the building; that, coupled with the additional cost of the contractor to make all needed connections is in excess of $2,000. This was made necessary because we needed to move it directly to the main building (which is probably twice the distance of the previous wire) as a precaution against further robbery. So that remains a real challenge but, the Department of Corrections did provide us some good news though, in the form of community service workers coming to help keep the property clear, which was awesome! Kudos Capt. Arnold Seman and Delores San Nicolas and all the community workers, thank you so much for all your help.
I do have several questions and comments, however. First on the list would be why DPS has yet to send an investigator to do any follow up from the TWO robberies. We saw a DPS officer the day of the first robbery and have had no contact since. What’s up with that?
Another question is why doesn’t the government do something to stop further robbery of civilian and governmental infrastructure assets? When asking of CUC personnel as to why they don’t hire investigators and have those who buy the stolen wire, as well as those who do the stealing, the common answer is simply “We don’t have the funds.” Of course, if they actually did hire those needed personnel and the theft stopped, they would be saving three to four times what they are now losing; common sense dictates this be done but why isn’t it?
I, of course, have told the church that we must forgive those who perpetrated this crime, because the bible says if we want to be forgiven we must forgive. But we would be foolish to forget the lessons being dictated to us by thieves. Wisdom indicates that we must do what we can to protect ourselves from further crime. Which of course begs the question of why the government can’t do the same?
If a moratorium is declared on copper exports then there won’t be a market and the thievery will cease. This would also relieve the local banks of the shortage of pennies that are also being shipped away. Clearly the CNMI doesn’t produce copper; any export moratorium would only affect salvagers, whom are obviously part and parcel to the problem as long as they are not strictly regulated. Quotas and fines can be implemented and only licensed salvager’s bearing clear records of sources of salvage (that are subject to verification) will ever stop the rampant thievery. This would obviously require some manpower at the docks and elsewhere (as in inspectors checking manifests and making surprise visits at shops) but what choice do we have? The thievery must stop! The persons shipping copper off island must be held to account. As far as I know buying and selling stolen goods is still a crime. It is apparently simply not an enforced one.
Now, we all know that economic times are tough. Everyone has had difficulties making ends meet. But we must not turn to thievery and doing purposed harm to our neighbor as a result. God will not over look the sins of a person who plans to gain at his neighbor’s expense — regardless of their circumstance. “Times are tough” is not an excuse any judge would accept as a defense for thievery. Remember, King David was one of God’s most highly favored and yet, after going astray and committing sin as he did, though God did forgive him, God DID NOT relieve David of the punishment he deserved for the sins and crimes he committed. We must therefore, strive to remain people of integrity especially when times are tough, because it is precisely the hard times that show what type of people we really are. Padre San Vitores once said that the people of the Marianas did not deserve the title “Island of thieves,” as all the ones he knew were a good and kindly people, as it is to this day. Because it is exactly this type of difficulty which shows the true heart of a people, our response therefore should be to pull together and help one another, not reclaim an unjust title given 400 years ago due to misunderstanding.
REV. DAN BASALDUA
New Covenant Life Church
