In a meeting on Thursday, members of the Saipan municipal council appointed as village coordinators or “block captains” the two residents who stepped forward to organize the task force groups in their villages — Juan I. Tenorio of As Matuis and Howard Macaranas of China Town.
Council vice chairman Ray B. Camacho said these two volunteers have pledged to take the initial steps in organizing the task force. They will conduct a survey in their villages and try to develop their own approach in implementing the neighborhood watch task force.
The two volunteers, Camacho said, will the seek the assistance of the youth.
Also attending last week’s meeting were Department of Public Safety’s Vicente Sablan who will serve as the over-all chairman of the task force, Bill Torres, Tony Benavente, Bill Santos and James Lee.
Mayor Juan B. Tudela signed the municipal bill creating the task force in Jan. 2007, in light of the rising number of burglary reports and other illegal activities in the villages.
The task force will have seven members appointed for a term of two years.
The task force will conduct studies and develop action plans and implementation strategies in consultation with the appropriate local and federal government agencies.
The funding for the task force may be incorporated in the mayor’s annual budget.
This is the perfect time for people in the villages to organize against crime, Camacho said.
“And I am honored that these two gentlemen [Tenorio and Macaranas] stood up to start the implementation of the task force,” he said.
Bill Torres, who serves as the Saipan council’s consultant, said it is up to each task force group which strategy is suited for their villages, depending on their own assessment.
