WERE it not for the earlier media report that the CNMI will send 33 representatives to the 21st Annual Pacific Islands Environment Conference in Palau, the administration would have not announced the reduction in the size of its delegation. This was for the sake of not having any “appearances of impropriety.”
Even Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente said he was surprised to learn that he would lead a delegation of 33 to the event.
Gov. Juan N. Babauta also reportedly asked for a shorter list of participants.
Some of these people who are now talking about “environmental concerns” did not even bother to show up at the first ever CNMI Environmental Symposium in April at Diamond Hotel.
Now that a regional event of the same nature is going to be held on the beautiful islands of Palau, these officials are scrambling to have their travel authorizations approved.
What a waste of money and time. Some of the TAs are going to be paid by the U.S. government, but whether federally or locally funded it is still public money that they are going to spend.
The money the CNMI begged from the federal government should not go to unnecessary travels of local government officials and their cohorts. The majority diligently pay their taxes, but the powerful few use it only for themselves.
The CNMI government doesn’t even have financial assurances to secure a permit for the operation of the $10 million Marpi landfill project, but it has money to send 33 people off-island.
What is also interesting is that this is supposed to be an environmental conference, and that surely needs representatives from the Division of Environmental Quality, the Coastal Resources Management and the Department of Lands and Natural Resources.
But when you take a closer look at the list of participants, the CNMI’s contingency included only one marine biologist from CRM, and none from DLNR or its Division of Fish and Wildlife.
So who were on the original list? Eight from the cash-strapped Commonwealth Utilities Corp. which has a history of junkets and unnecessary spending of public funds; 11 from DEQ; four from the private sector; two from the Department of Public Works; Francisco Taitano, the governor’s special assistant for customs and quarantine policy and research; House Vice Speaker Manuel A. Tenorio; Reps. Martin Ada and Benjamin Seman.
According to the same EPA list, Australia—an island continent—is sending only one delegate.
On Friday, DEQ said it would reduce to five the number of its participants to the Palau conference, while CUC said it was not clear who among its officials and personnel were headed for the event.
Once they get back from Palau, what would they report to their constituents, to their employees? Probably the magnificence of Palau’s Rock Island.
When will all these government officials learn about ethics, accountability and responsibility?
Windtalkers. There’s not much local buzz about the film, “Windtalkers.” This movie is about the battle of Saipan in 1942. A historic film about Saipan is rare, even if it was not shot here, but the CNMI government did not endorse the movie for public education purposes.
At that time, there were about 30,000 Japanese soldiers occupying Saipan, and the U.S. forces were engaged in battle throughout the Pacific, taking over islands one by one toward mainland Japan.
During this brutal campaign, the Japanese were continually able to break coded military transmissions, dramatically slowing U.S. progress.
In 1942, several hundred Navajo Americans were recruited as Marines and trained to use their language as the military’s secret code.
Marine Joe Enders (portrayed by Nicholas Cage) is assigned to protect Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach)—a Navajo code talker, the Marines’ new secret weapon.
Enders’ orders are to protect his code talker. If Yahzee should fall into enemy hands, he’s to “protect the code at all costs.”
The film’s worth everyone’s time and money. Aside from understanding how Saipan was won, it also gives the Navajos credit for their contributions during World War II. Were it not for their language, there would have been more U.S. casualties.
