To help address the situation, the Chamber will be requesting a meeting with the Office of the Governor and the departmental directors for CNMI Customs, Jesus Muna, and CNMI Quarantine, Tom Castro to discuss current difficulties experienced during the clearing cargo at CNMI ports of entry.
In a letter that they will be sending out today, Chamber president Douglas Brennan said that members of the Chamber have made numerous complaints with the administrative offices trying to gain some influence in addressing the lack of manpower needed to clear cargo at Customs and Quarantine due to the austerity measures currently in place.
“The austerity measures are adversely affecting commerce for our businesses, as well as the consumers that purchase our products that can now wait in containers at the sea port for additional days as a result of those austerity measures,” Brennan said.
He cited an example on Friday where only one Quarantine officer was available to man all ports where cargo needing inspection entered the CNMI.
“That officer was at the Saipan International Airport, leaving the seaport unattended. There were cargo delivery delays, which in turn lead to lost revenue for both the businesses and the CNMI government,” Brennan said.
He added that along with this concern, they would also like to point out the practice where officers that do get scheduled for additional duty on austerity days, as well as weekends, are only receiving base rate pay, not overtime, as a result of austerity measures now in place.
“This has created an atmosphere of unwillingness on the part of inspection officers that must come to work on days other than regular service for Customs & Quarantine,” Brennan said.
He said that what exacerbates the above is that “overtime rates are based on presented Bill of Ladings versus actual hours where CNMI personnel are present.”
Brennan said that between all consignees, they cumulatively pay from $2,000 to $4,000 per day in charges.
Brenna said that the Chamber would respectfully request a meeting with the governor and the directors to address this important CNMI business and commerce issue.
The Division of Customs and Quarantine is not exempted from the austerity measures. Only the Department of Public Safety, Department of Corrections, the hospital’s medical staff and Emergency Management Office are exempted.
