THE number of security guards manning Imperial Pacific International’s properties on Saipan has dwindled down to seven from 17, Variety learned on Wednesday.
One of the remaining security guards, who requested anonymity, said due to a lack of manpower, they are working almost “round-the-clock” in securing IPI’s casino, luxury villas and unfinished hotel tower.
Some of his 10 co-employees were furloughed while the others stopped reporting for work because of unpaid salaries.
Next Friday, the security guard said, it will be their fifth payless week if IPI still fails to pay them.
The security guard said IPI no longer has in-house security personnel for its warehouses in Tanapag, San Antonio and Lower Base so it has acquired the services of a Bangladeshi-owned security agency to guard those warehouses.
IPI has yet to pay the security agency for previous services, but it is hoping that IPI will pay them this time for their current services and the unpaid balance from the past, the security guard said.
In a separate interview, Jesse Aquiningoc, the former team leader of IPI’s construction team, said IPI is also having trouble with the owners of warehouses due to unpaid rent.
He said IPI has to move its expensive construction equipment because the warehouse owners have already evicted IPI.
For his part, Aquiningoc said he will sue IPI not only for the unpaid $4,000 paid time off he is claiming, but also for IPI’s failure to remit his Social Security contributions in 2019, as well as the healthcare costs he incurred over the years, due to IPI’s failure to remit the health insurance premiums deducted from his paychecks.
He also alleged that IPI did the same thing to other construction workers.
Variety was unable to get a comment from IPI.
Two 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost sedans were parked outside the Imperial Pacific International’s unfinished hotel-casino building earlier this week.
