THE Marianas Visitors Authority will request a waiver to be able to get its almost $500,000 deposit at Bank of Saipan.
MVA Chairman David Sablan said the agency desperately needs money to fund its marketing plans overseas.
“We need to get funding to continue advertising. When you don’t advertise, they’ll forget you. We should continue to show prominence, so we’re asking the government: please release the money,” he said.
He said the board’s legal counsel will take the necessary steps to claim the money.
However, government money in the bank cannot be released until all the private depositors have claimed theirs.
“We respectfully request for the waiver, an exemption from this (rule),” Sablan said.
He said MVA is an agency that generate revenues for the commonwealth and should be granted due consideration.
In related news, MVA wants to be reimbursed for the money it spent in assisting stranded passengers on Sept. 11, 2001.
MVA said it spent $50,000 for the breakfast of the affected passengers.
“We’re hopeful that we’ll get reimbursed,” Sablan said.
MVA said it would exert all efforts to drum up its marketing promotion in major markets such as Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.
Sablan said MVA has not received any supplemental budget from the government following the Sept. 11 attacks.
