Mayor Benjamin T. Manglona has apologized to Gov. Juan N. Babauta for not informing him about the plan of the Global Country of World Peace to invest on Rota.
“We are sorry that you feel that you were not informed about this potential investor,” said the Rota mayor in a March 28 letter.
The mayor explained to Babauta that he had tried to communicate with him several times.
He said keeping (the governor) aware of (Global Country’s) credentials “has been our intent for sometime.”
Manglona said that on March 14, he notified the Office of the Governor about the press conference of Global Country.
On March 15, the mayor said they again “expressly invited” officials from the Office of the Governor. He said one of the governor’s advisers, Adam Turner, and a representative from the Department of Commerce “were good enough to appear.”
Manglona assumed that Turner “passed” the information to Babauta about Global Country’s intention.
After the Charter Day celebration at Northern Marianas College, Manglona said he briefly spoke to the governor on the matter but he was told by Babauta that he had a tight schedule on March 26.
Manglona also appealed for Babauta’s support in helping the people of Rota. He said Global Country’s investment proposal will help his constituents.
Babauta, in a separate interview, said any concerns regarding the entry of Global Country’s officials and members should be referred to the Department of Labor and Immigration.
“If the mayor has questions on immigration matters or any other thing that concerns immigration and labor, he should contact the secretary of DOLI,” the governor said yesterday.
Dr. Emmanuel Schiffgens, Global Country’s “prime minister,” said they had been encountering difficulty in securing authorization to board, which is a requirement for non-residents who want to enter the CNMI.
Manglona welcomed Babauta’s advise. “That’s a good suggestion from the governor,” he said.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Heinz S. Hofschneider said Global Country’s request that it be given sovereign rights on Rota is “troubling.”
“I don’t think that the CNMI is authorized to bestow or transfer sovereignty to a sub-group within the commonwealth. I think the relationship in the Covenant that established the commonwealth is quite clear as to the sovereignty of the federal government,” he said.
But Manglona said the group would go through the legal process.
“If our law will not permit (them to have sovereignty rights) then that’s it. Everybody must be bound to that unless the government wants to amend the law, but of course that involves a long process,” he said.
