Saluta made headlines last August when he, his wife, who is also unemployed, and their children sought shelter at a Susupe park after they were evicted from their apartment.
He was later jailed for 13 days for an assault with a dangerous weapon incident that happened in April last year. He has pleaded not guilty and is out on a $525 bail.
Saluta yesterday said he wants to apologize to those who believe that he and his wife are exploiting their U.S. citizen children.
He is hoping that the people will understand his predicament.
He said he wants to work and has been offered jobs, “but I have to comply with the law.”
The CNMI government, he added, did not give him an umbrella permit, so he cannot work legally.
“The (CNMI) labor investigator told me it’s illegal to work without an umbrella permit,” he said.
The CNMI Department of Labor said the couple are out of status and can be deported.
Saluta said since he lost his job in April 2007, they have survived through food stamps and the Women, Infants and Children program.
Mrs. Saluta, a former garment worker who lost her job seven years ago, told Variety she also wants to work but her youngest child needs to be “breastfed.”
She said three of their children are students of William S. Reyes Elementary School.
They now reside in Chalan Piao, in a one-bedroom house, near where they previously lived and were evicted for failure to pay rent after their housing benefit from the Northern Marianas Protection & Advocacy Systems Inc. expired.
Segundo Castro, a local resident now in the U.S., is paying for the $100 monthly rent of the Salutas.
The couple said they personally don’t know Castro but he has been assisting them since they became homeless in August.
“We don’t know him and he is not Filipino yet he helps us. We really thank him and other locals and Filipinos for supporting us,” Mr. Saluta said.
Mr. Saluta, 39, arrived on Saipan on 1997 while his wife arrived here in 1994.
Legal status
Mr. Saluta said they like to remain on Saipan but are now willing to leave if the CNMI government will declare that he no longer has legal status.
However, he said his labor case should be resolved first.
He maintained he has a legal status to remain in the CNMI because of this pending labor case.
This was also confirmed by his lawyer, Robert H. Myers Jr.
Mr. Saluta said he was among the 628 guest workers who had pending cases with Labor.
When the umbrella permits were being issued last year, he said, they were told by Labor to come back.
But Labor never gave him an umbrella permit.
“It wasn’t my fault. I was being discriminated by Labor,” he said.
