He said since he wrote to his friend, Masaru Hashimoto, the governor of Ibaraki prefecture, the Rota mayor’s office has been receiving calls from people in Japan who wanted to make travel arrangements to the island.
In a telephone interview, Mendiola said they again received calls yesterday from two people who survived the tsunami and earthquake that hit Japan and are anxious about the possible nuclear meltdown in their country.
A number of them, the mayor said, have already been asking about entry papers to the CNMI.
“We are still waiting for more calls,” Mendiola said.
His letter to Hashimoto was printed in a Japanese newspaper, and this was how a lot of Japanese came to know about the Rota mayor’s offer. A copy of the newspaper clipping reached Saipan and was translated into English.
Mendiola told Variety that his office conducted a survey among residents of Rota. They were asked who among them were willing to host the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last month.
The mayor said they can accommodate some 200 people from Japan.
In his letter to Hashimoto dated March 21, Mendiola said he and his constituents “warmly extend open hearts and offerings to help the needy in any way possible.”
He told the Japanese governor: “We can offer valuable housing facilities for the affected survivors as the island of Rota may accommodate a total of 200 people more or less to live on Rota which is an all year round eternal summer without crime and a peaceful environment.”
The mayor also told Hashimoto that Rota is near Guam.
“We learned so many values form the past and present Japanese and it is more reason we give back respect and honor from our people. We are very friendly, hospitable people and we believe you will feel at home when you get to Rota,” Mendiola tells Hashimoto.
