From left, Rep. Vincent S. Aldan, House Floor Leader Edwin Propst, Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Joe Guerrero, SCC Director Alex Sablan and SCC Executive Director Kimberly Camacho conduct a press conference in the House chamber on Thursday afternoon.
A WORKING group has been formed to “find solutions” to economic and other regional issues facing the CNMI and Guam.
The group’s members include House members, senators, Special Assistant for Broadband Policy Glen Hunter, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, the Hotel Association of the NMI, Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio.
The participating House members include Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez, House Floor Leader Edwin Propst, Reps. Vincent S. Aldan, John Paul Sablan and Julie Marie Ogo while the Senate members are Senate Vice President Donald Manglona and Senate Floor Leader Corina L. Magofna. Hunter will represent the executive branch.
On Thursday, Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Joe C. Guerrero, SCC Director Alex Sablan and SCC Executive Director Kimberly Camacho joined Propst and Aldan in a press conference in the House chamber.
According to the chamber of commerce, the formation of the working group “was born by a shared recognition of the need for a cohesive effort to navigate the complexities of the current economic and social landscape. The initial meeting, held at the chamber’s office on February 23, 2024, set the groundwork for what promises to be a productive partnership.”
CNMI legislators, in turn, invited the chamber officials to join a meeting set for March 1, 2024 with Guam Gov. Leon Guerrero and Lt. Gov. Tenorio to discuss regional issues. These include air transportation, access to foreign labor and workforce development, immigration, healthcare, and creating a formal structure to address shared priorities, the chamber said.
Propst said the main issue is the economy.
“That is really what brought us together, talking about the real challenges of small and large businesses, the hotels in particular,” Propst added.
“We are in a very challenging time,” he said.
Chamber President Joe Guerrero said, “We are grateful for this opportunity to really sit down and discuss issues. No politics involved. … We are here to help, the business [community] is here to help, whatever ideas we have, any thoughts [as we try to] find a way to move forward,” he said.
“There are challenges before us, many of them are not new,” he added.
“That is why it’s now time to sit down and really start sharing ideas. … I think that is what this working group is all about — sharing information, what do you know, what do we know, and how to use the discussions to create solutions and present that … to the other leaders and stakeholders in the CNMI,” Guerrero said.
He expressed hope that through the working group they can build a “better working relationship with our brothers and sisters on Guam, and tackle regional issues.”
“So we are grateful to the House floor leader for an opportunity to open discussion on some of these topics,” Guerrero added.
