Gov. Benigno R. Fitial was also invited by Chinese casino investors but he decided not to go due to pressing issues the CNMI is facing, which include the $10.5 million budget shortfall, Press Secretary Angel A. Demapan told Variety.
The governor, Demapan added, is waiting for legislative concurrence to implement the reduction of the budget in the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30.
Fitial wants to meet potential investors but “it is a question of timing,” Demapan said.
“We just issued a memorandum that we have to reduce the current budget by 9.7 percent,” he said adding that the administration is still in the process of identifying areas that may be reduced or eliminated.
Variety learned that Senate President Paul A. Manglona, Ind.-Rota, Senate Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider, R-Tinian, Sen. Frank Q. Cruz, R-Tinian, and Sen. Henry H. San Nicolas, Covenant-Tinian, left for Tianjin, China on Thursday morning to meet officials of Bridge Investment Group who are reportedly interested in opening a casino on Tinian.
Last month, Manglona, Hofschneider and Cruz joined Sen. Ralph DLG. Torres, R-Saipan, in Washington, D.C. to hand to the U.S. Congress the CNMI Senate’s recommendation on the future status of guest workers.
On Thursday, Manglona, Hofschneider, Cruz and San Nicolas took the 2 a.m. flight after a Senate session on Wednesday night.
During the four senators’ absence there will be no regular sessions to be held. They will be back on island this Friday.
As of press time, it was not known who paid for their trip to China.
Senate Floor Leader Pete P. Reyes, R-Saipan, is the acting Senate president. He can call for a special session if necessary.
Speaker Eli D. Cabrera, R-Saipan, said that he too was asked to go, but since “there are lots of pressing issues here, it’s more appropriate for me to stay.”
He said if Bridge Investment Group is interested in doing business in the islands, “they are free to come over.”
He added, “This is where they want to invest so this is where they should meet the officials so whatever deal that comes out would be known to the public right away.”
Bridge Investment Group, Demapan said, wants to lease private land on Tinian so any deal would be between the investor and the private landowner, not the CNMI government.
All the government can do is to support the entry of new investments, Demapan said.
