arianas ~riet~~ Micronesia's Leading Newspaper Since 1972 ~ VS

ResRep foots Mansur trip; nothing wrong says aide

By Zaldy Dandan Variety News Staff

RESIDENT Rep. Juan N. Babauta 's office is footing the bill for having a top adviser to a U.S. congressman visit the CNMI, but a Babauta aide yes­terday said the expenses are a legitimate use of public funds for public purposes.

Complex opening faces uncertainty

Bob Schwalbach, Babauta's congressional liaison officer, said there is no secrecy involved in Manase Ma.nsur's ongoing fact-finding visit, adding that the resident representative's of­fice will be "happy to give a fu 11 account of the expenses" in­volved.

Manase Mansur

committee next month in light of the persistent reports of labor and immigration abuses in the CNMI.

By Ferdie de la Torre Variety News Staff

THE OPENING of the multimil­lion Judicial Complex in Susupe is facing uncertainty because of problems with its construction and a costly budget for operations.

Couils Director Edward C. De Leon Guerrero in an interview yesterday said he could not say when the complex will finally be fully operational.

Mansur is insular affairs ad­viser to U.S. Congressman Don Young (R-Alaska),.chairof the U.S. House Resources Com­mittee which has oversight ju­risdiction over the CNMI and other insular areas.

. But the ranking Democrat in the committee, U.S. Congress­man George Miller of Califor­nia, is already scheduled lo ar­rive Sunday, Jan. 11. and in­tends to "see much of the Com­monwealth and meet many of its residents."

De Leon Guerrero acknowl­euged earlier projections that the new building was to open in De­cember 1997 but clarified they were based on Department of Public Works estimates.

The multimillion Judicial Complex: No opening date yet.

Young, for his part, has sched­uled a fact-finding visit by the Continued on page 20

He, however, stressed that the relocation to the new building ranks high among the judiciary's priorities in 1998.

The courts director said the building itself is not ready for occupancy yet because of prob-

!ems in central air-conditioning, elevators, fire alarm and security systems.

"It's too noisy and hot in other areas. Six elevators are still not commissioned for service. They're still doing the fire alarm

systems and some doors for the security system," said the dirt::c­tor.

De Leon Guerrero emphasized that al though the court is the owner of the complex, it is not involved

Continued on page 20

'O·pen· market' allows overpricing of goods

........... ,.

MHS Teacher Academy student Anerica Bermudes (right) helps a first grader at San Vicente Elem. School with his schoolwork. MHS students have started helping younger. students as teacher aides this week.

Photo by Lalla C. Younis

By Aldwin R. Fajardo Variety News Staff

TI-IEPREV AILING"open mar­ket" policy of the Northern Marianas is resulting to im­ported goods and commodities being priced at extremely high levels.

Goods imported from other countries could have been · passed over to end-consum~rs generally overpriced, or at the ·very least, double the procure­ment price from exporting na­tions.

A random survey made by the Variety on some Philippine items sold in several groceries and shopping centers on the is­land showed a huge difference between the '.'unshipped" and

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!J Lobbyists urging Tenorio to sign 'medical cost' bill ~ H By Zaldy Dandan has been on the desk of the gover- ·, · nature and have a second look t;.·

i'\j Variety News Staff nor since Monday. · at the controversial legislation. k f,~ '.'LOBBY~STS"have be~n urg- Sources s~id 1:en~rio was al- The veto message has al-~ mg outgoing Gov. Froilan C. most talked mto s1gmng the mea- ready been prepared, and the ,, Tenorio to sign a bill that seeks sureTuesdaybyagroupofpeople governor may sign it by today,

to make the hiring of alien who visited him at his official it was learned. workers more affordable, but residence. Tenorio, whose term ends he may eventually veto it, ad- The same sources, however, Monday, Jan. 12, earlier said ministration sources said yes- refused to identify the "lobby- he is inclined towards vetoing terday. ists." the bill, adding that employers

Senate Bill I 0-4, which Other Variety sources, for their should still be responsible for would no longer require em- part, said the governor did sign the workers' medical costs. ployers to pay for their alien the bilJ, but his aides ''strongly Otherwise, he said, the workers' medical expenses,· advised" him to cross out his sig- Froilan C. Tenorio Continued on page 20

PAC NEWSPAPER STACKS

the shelf prices of such imported commodities.

Given freight costs and other overhead expenses, sources say shelf pricing of Philippine ex­ports like food stuffs are still "way too high."

For instance, a pack of noodles which could be bought at five Philippine pesos (PhP), is sold at $1 for every three packs, which is translated to PhP 13.00 each.

This figure is more than 50 percentthe good's price back in the Philippines.

A bottle of seasoning, which is only about PhP30 ($0.75) in the Philippines, is being passed over at $2.49 in grocery stores

Continued on page 2"0

.W-EAT~ER Ou1look

. . . . . '

. Partly ·cloudy with Isolated showers

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2-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY- JANUARY 8 1998

cord Korea trade By KYONG-HWA SEOK

SEOUL,South Korea (AP)-South Korea posted its second straight monthly tr&de and current account surpluses in December, the Bank of Korea said Wednesday.

Bank officials attributed the sur­pluses to a sharp .depreciation of the Korean cmrency, which boosted ex­port, and discouraged imports. The Kori:!an won lost moil:! than half of its value la.st year.

1l1e central bank said the trade and cuni:!nt account su1pluses in Decem­ber we1<! the highest ever.

1l1e unexpectedly high December smpluses plus the continuing rise in

stock prices raised hope that the country's economic crisis may be eased earlier than expected.

'Toe news of the surplus will posi­tively affect foreign investors, be­cause they will think Korea's ability to pay back foreign loans will be stronger," said Kang Sung-mo, an analyst at Hanjin Investment and Se­cmities Co. Kang said, however, that it was premature to predict whether the trend would continue.

In December, South Korea regis­tered a $3.64 billion current account surplus, surpassing the previous monthly high of dlrs 1.84 billion in December 1988.

That followed a current account surplus of$540 million in November 1997, the first surplus since Decem­ber 1993.

The current account measures a nation's trade in goods and services plus certain other capital flows. It is a key yardstick for gauging a nation's economic health.

Trade in December also produced a record surplus of $ 2.69 billion, contributing to the month's current account surplus, the bank said. The previous record monthly trade sur­plus was$ 1.76 billion in December 1988.

Continued on page 5

China expects a stable currency BEUING (AP)-China will not de­value iL, cmrency to boost its export competitiveness against other Asian counuies that have already seen the value of their cmrencies plunge in recent market rurmoil, an official re­port said Wednesday.

The yuan is supported by China's hefty foreign exchange reserves and strong capital inflows, the newspaper ChinaDaily quoted an unnamed "au-

thoritative source" as saying. The finance official said China

would enhance its export competi­tiveness through increased efficiency and improved technology, the report said.

The financial crisis throughout Asia has prompted speculation that China will also be obliged to devalue the yuan, despite conu·ols that prevent speculative attacks on the currency.

Signs of Asia's currency jitters al­ready can be seen on Chinese streets, where growing numbers of black marketeers are hedging their bets by offering attractive rates to exchange yuan for dollars.

Top central government officials, including the head of the central bank, Dai Xianglong, and Vice Premier Zhu Rongji, have repeatedly denied that a yuan devaluation is coming.

Parents of Japanese students slain in Peru call for justice

By DAVID KOOP LIMA, Peru (AP) -The parents of two 'Japanese students hacked to death by soldiers in the Amazon junglecalledonPeru 's goverrmient to punish their children's killers.

In their first statement since the crime, the parents, at times in tears, told a news conference Tuesday that they were proud of their chil­dren for daring to try to navigate Peru.'s Arnawn River in a flimsy balsa wood raft modeled on those used by local Indians.

They were stunned, however, by the savagery of their sons' deaths.

"I cannot pardon this criminal be­havior. When my son died he must have been in pain, suffering. I cannot find words to express myself. Itis too cruel," said Toshi .Miyashita, father ofTakahiro Miyashita, 23.

Policesaythesnidentswererobbed and beaten to death with rifle butts andrnachelesbymernbersofanarrny patrol in the remote jungle district of district of Pebas, 700 miles (I, 125 kms) northeast of Li.ma

Policehaveanested 16solcliersfor the crime.

The dismembered bodies of the ,rudentswerefoundDec.27btlriedin

three graves in a stretch of dense jungle on the banksof theAmaz.on River l,600feet(500meteJs)from the army base where the soldiers were stationed. · Police found theStlldents' camera,sleeping bags; life jackets arid a small quantity of yen iri the boose of a family living near the army ba/Je.

The . soldiers· reportedly stole about c11rs 2,500 the students were carrying.

TheparentsthankedPeru'sgov­emmentand police for quickly ar­restingthesolcli~rsand transferring them to the civilian justice system.

Kazuhiro Ito, left, and Toshi Miyashita, fathers of the two Japanese students slain by soldiers in the Amazon jungle, tearfully call on Peru's government to punish their children's killers during a press conference in Lima, Peru Tuesday. AP ·

Workers of the Samsung Group collect gold items from its employees to procure US dollars at the Samsung Headquarters in Seoul, Wednes­day. A nationwide campaign launched to collect. gold to help South Korea repay 57 billion dollars owed to the IMF in emergency rescue funds. AP

S.E. Asia currencies plunge to n~w lows

By GEOFF SPENCER' JAKARTA,lndo~ia(AP)- With no end in sight for Asia's troubled economies, currencies in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines crashed to historic lows agaimt the U.S. dollar Wednesday.

Indonesia led the plunge ':¥hen the rupiah fell to 8,400 against the dollar in early ttading as markets reacted negatively to the government's 1998 budget, announced by President Suharto on Tuesday nighL The ru­piah was trading at around 7,100 late Tuesday.

The government had hoped the budget would instill confidence, but dealers were unconvinced ..

"In general, I think the market was disappointed with the bud­get, seeing it as unrealistic," said a dealer with one U.S. bank in Jakarta.

The rupiah recovered slightly later in the day.

Nevertheless, some market par­ticipants said they had wanted to see more stringent economic re­forms announced in line with de­mands by the International Mon­etary Fund, which has put together a$ 40 billion rescue package for Indonesia.

By law the budget has to be balanced, although officials said the government is on track for a fiscal surplus of I percent of gross domestic product- a requirement laid down by the IMF.

Others were concerned that bud­get calculations had been based on an exchange rate of 4,0CO rupiah to one dollar- twice that now being offered in the market

The Malaysian ringgit plunged to 4.5750 to the dollar from the 4.3355 quoted late Tuesday.

Bankers said the cunrency was expected to dip further in ooming days, partly amid fears that the economy is in a worse state than previously thought

The Philippine peso fell to a record low of 46.50 to the dollar as the government said it was seeking a dlrs 200 millipn loan from the Asian De­velopment Banlc and $300 million to $400million from the World Bank to replace foreign reserves used up de­fendingthecurrencyinre.::entrnonths.

The Thai baht continued to drop in domestic and offshore spot ttading in the wake of the record lows for the cmrenciesofneighboringeconomies.

In afternoon trading, the baht was quoted at 53.2 to the dollar in the domestic spot mark;:t, falling from 52.15 at the close of trade Tuesday.

Singapore's dollar fell to its lowest point against U.S. dollar in more than six years and the country's de facto central bank said it would block any attempts by speculators to destabilize the cuITency.

The U.S. cuITency was quoted briefly at Singapore dollars· 1.7890, its highest point since June 19, 1991.

The South Korean won rose slightly to 1,730 against the dol­la,r, up from \ ,742, at Tuesday's close, but the cuITency later slid to I, 780 amid persistent concern about the country's ability to pay its short-term foreign debts, deal­ers said.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998 -MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VJEWS-3

scrutinizes factory By Rick Alberto Variety News Staff

ENVIRONMENT AL concerns arising from a gannents factory which was reopened in 1995 and has undergone major expansion were aired in yesterday's Coastal Resources Management board meeting.'

CUC, HPO reps not signing permit for MGM /Diorva

The factory, owned by Micronesian Gannent Manufac­turing/Diorva, late last year was discovered by the CRM to have expanded from a small factory in 1988 such that it required a permit as a major siting project.

.The factory closed down in 1993 but Diorva went into part-

nership with MGM to revive the garments firm in 1995.

The factory last year was up­graded into a two-story structure that houses the main offices and the sewing, cutting, trimming and shopping departments.

MGM/Diorva is proposing to build new constructions includ­ing a storage building.

Leading the opposition to the granting of a coastal permit to MGM/Diorva is the family of Dionicio C. Torres whose house and property is adjacent to the garments facility.

Borja seeks Taylor recusal in 'Teno eligibility' appeal

By Ferdie de la Torre

Dionicio and his son, Joe, were present at yesterday's meeting to verbally air their concerns on the factory's "adverse impact on the environment and community in the Dandan area."

Previously Joe T. Torres had made known their opposition to the presence of the factory to the CRM in writing at least thrice.

But the fact is, the CRM is dealing with an after-the-fact situ­ation. The expanded facility has already been completed.

The owner, by applying for a permit, only has to comply with all the conditions that a regular major-siting permit carries as well as comply with the building code and Division of Environmental Quality requirements.

Already, four out of six board members have signed the permit to signify their approval.

Two, however, have not, shar­ing the same environmental con-

cems of the ToITeses. They are the representatives of the Com­monwealth Utilities Corp. and the Historic Preservation Office.

Technically there is a deadlock on the issue, according to CRM Deputy Director Peter Barias.

Under this situation, the CRM can ask the governor to sign the permit, which the Torreses are trying to prevent.

Joe Torres is raising several technicalities, including the fact that adjacent property owners were not informed about the ex­pansion project.

MGM/Diorva representative John Gourley admitted having not notified adjacent lot owners since it is an after-the-fact situation, the building having been in existence since 1989.

Joe Torres said that as early as then, the Torres family had ob­jected to the presence of MGM to then CRM Director Maile Bruce.

"We were opposed to MGM's presence because of its environ­ment imp act and the presence ofa large number of foreign workers in a small fanning or residential community."

Consequently the Torres fam­ily filed a lawsuit to enjoin MGM from constructing the factory, but MGM prevailed in the court deci­sion.

In not signing the pennit forthe factory, the CUC representative says the problem of inadequate sewer system in the area should first be addressed.

Gourley, however, said the sewerproblem is being addressed, adding that "some concerns have been corrected" by MGM/Diorva.

"MGM/Diorva is sincere in being a good neighbor in the com­munity," he said.

The Torres family, meanwhile, is drumming up support of the residents of Dandan and As Lito for another public hearing on the permit application.

Variety News Staff

MANASSES Borja yesterday sought th~ disqualification of

. Chief Justice Marty W. K. Taylor and otlier members of the CNMI judiciary from presiding his ap­peal on the trial court's ruling on Pedro P. Tenorio 's eligibility to serve again as CNMI governor.

era! election to sit on the case would tum that judge into a "su­per-voter" equipt with the ability to vote for a candidate and later reaffirm that support through the judicial process.

On the other hand, Borja said Rexford Kosack, who served as RobertO'Connor'sco-counselfor LL Governor-elect Jesus R. Sablan, has acted as Taylor's pJi­vate lawyer in another controver­sial civil case.

·DEQ chief raps DPW 9n dump

Borja in his motion to recuse. said he believes that Taylor and retired Associate Judge Pedro M. Atalig both have a personal bias or prejudice in favor of or against one or more of the parties in­volved.

Borja, thro(!gh counsels C. Sebastian Afoot and Timothy H. Skinner, said since every resident members of the Commonwealth judiciary actually voted in the Nov. I polls, each cannot serve as the judge in the election contest.

"Simply put it, when a judge cast his or her vote in favor of one of the candidates, that judge lost his or her impartiality and status as a disinterested person," said the plaintiff in his motion.

Skinner and A loot, said in short, any judge who voted in the gen-

"The inextricable and very pub­lic involvement of his (Taylor) ongoing personal counsel in struc­turing and arguing the case, his significant role in crafting the very arguments that will likely be ad­vanced on appeal, and his con­tinuing personal and professional interest in the ultimate success of appellees on appeal combine to waITant disqualification," Borja said.

Meanwhile, Borja in opposing Tenorio's motion to dismiss con­tended that Initiative I 0-3 amend­ing Article IV, Section 3 of the NMI Con;;titution allows him to appeal the dismissal of election contest as a matter of right.

By Rick Alberto Variety News Staff

THE Department of Public Works has been slow in complying with the administrative orders of the US Environmental Protection Agency in relation to the Puerto Rico Dump, including the fenc­ing of the area, the head of the Division of Environmental Qual­ity said yesterday.

Director John I. Castro Jr., in an interview with repotters, said he W,L~

frnstrated with DEQ's mother de­p,utment "being not in compliance."

Castro said the contract for the fencing of the Dump area has so far not hccn awarded yet.

In expressing his frustration, Castro, who is leaving office when the new administration assumes Tuesday next week, said, "The problem is that the DEQ is under the administrative supervision of

the Department of Public Works. It's kind of hard for DEQ to really enforce actions against your su­perior."

"What we're doing right now,'' Castro continued, "is we are co­ordinating and collaborating with the EPA, and the EPA is the one giving administrative orders to the Public Works."

He said the orders were given way back in 1994.

"We tried as much as possible to work with Public Works to assist them to comply, but some­thing went wrong. They (DPW) are not complying up to par," he said.

I-le said. though, that the DPW had requested the EPA to change the compliance schedule and that the EPA granted the request with reservation.

The EPA orders also require

that the trash put in the Dump be covered daily, the slopes around Dump be stabilized, there should be a site assessment by a certain date.

"Public Works is doing its best, but it is not complying as to the dates," Castro said. ·'For ex ample, in the compliance schedule, it says that they must put a fire suppres­sant on site, but they never did."

Last year at least two fires were ignited in the Dump, forcing the nearby Garapan Elementary School to send their students home and guests of hotels to remain indoors to escape the toxic smoke.

The site assessment contract has been awarded to a company, but Castro said he didn"t know if the contractor is doing the site assess­ment, which involves finding out "what is in the Puerto Rico Dump from top to bottom."

PSS children's developmental assistance center gets donation

BOE member-elect Anthony Pellegrino, Public Health Site Manager Susana Macaranas, Hongkong Bank rep. Joan Kosack, PSS Acting Commissioner Margaret Dela Cruz, HB rep. Violy Sablan, PSS Early Childhood Specialist Susan Lizama and PSS Assoc. Commissioner for Secondary Schools Patrick Te/lei gather to accept a $2,000 donation from Hongkong Bank to the Children's Developmental Assistance Center. Photo by u,lla c. Younis

By Laila C. Younis Variety News Staff

THE CHILDREN'S Develop­mental Assistance Center received a donation of $2,000 from Bong Kong Bank in a ceremony held Tuesday.

"We are so gratefu 1 for the bank's contribution. It will help the Center a great deal," said Public Health Site Manager Susana Macaranas.

"We will purchase a new re­frigerator and medical instru­ments for the children,'' she said.

"The Center is run by the Pub­lic School System and the De­partment of Public 1-kalrh and we assist children with devel­opmental disabilities," said PSS Early Childhood Specialist Su­san Lizama.

"Last tear, the bank also do­nated $1,000 to the Center and we were able to bring all of the pa1ents from Rota and Tinian for a training workshop," she

said. "Free develop mental

screening is available now, so concerned parents can bring in their children for testing at the Center," she added.

Hong Kong Bank represen­tative Joan Kosack said that the Center's program is "not well known", and that is what stirred the cooperation to con­tribute.

"Also, the program's ser­vices helps all members of the community, and it is impor­Iant to the families that need these services,'' she said.

"We hope to continue to double our donations every year to thc Center, as part of our community service," she added.

The Center's office hours arc ·from 7:30a.m. to4:30p.m.,and interested parents may call 234-6457 (Saipan),532-9461 (Rota) and 433-9263 (Tinian).

-4-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND V!EWS-THURSDA Y- JANUARY 8. 1998

chief Castro exits By Rick Alberto Variety News Staff

THE hea<l of the Division of En­vironmental Quality 1~ill be exit­ing from his position on Tuesday. "glad and satisfied .. , ~John I. Castro Jr., like all other

heads of government offices, ha<l tendered his resignation to incom­ing Gov. Pe<lro P. Tenorio who takes his oath on Jan. 12.

"I'm glad I'll be out. rm satis­fied with what I've done," he sai<l in an interview with reporters.

Not only he is satisfied with his own perfo.rm:mcc <luring his three­year-an<l two-month stint as DEQ

director but also the U,S Environ­mental Protection Agency.

Patricia Young, EPA's CNMl Program manager since Septem­ber and her predecessor, Jim Branch, have both expressed the hope that the new administration would retain Castro.

Castro cites the reorganization of the office, developing anti-toxic programs, and staff development as among his big accomplish­ments.

Un<ler the reorganization pro­gram, Castro expanded and gave responsibilities to employees by letting them manage certain sec-

tions and programs. '"For example, I created a

position of manager for waste water, who deals with the sewer, storm runoff, and ma­rine water," he said.

Castro also created the air an<l toxic program cov~ring car emissions, incinerators and solid waste, as well as the pesticide and toxic program un­der which DEQ enforcement of­ficers, among other things, check the chemicals sold in retail stores if they are in the list of those approved by the EPA.

Castro is proud that the DEQ

RP could be center of medical · excellence in Asia, says Consul

By Aldwin R. Fajardo Variety News Slaff

I

THE PHILIPPINES, a home to numerous specialty hospitals, is aiming to become a center for medical excellence in Asia, the Consulate said yesterday.

Consul Julia Heidemann said local hospitals in the Philippines can easily compete with and outshine other medical inst:tu-

tions in other countries. "Partofourtrade mission is the

promotion of the Philippines as the center of medical ·excellence in Asia;' Heidemann told the Variety in an interview.

She said the Consulate will start intensifying its campaign on other highly-reliable hospi_tals and medical centers to decon­gest referrals in two· leading institutions in the Philippines.

Heidemann said there is a­concentration ofreferials with the Maka ti Medical Center and the St. Luke's Hospital from patients outside the Philip­pines.

She.said there are numerous highly-reliable and excellent medical institutions in the Philippines that have to be promoted in the foreign ma_r­ket.

Apparently, foreign patients

are not aware of other medi­cal centers and hospitals in the Philippines where they· can come and avail of inter­national-quality health care.

"There are a lot of excel­lent hospitals in the Philip­pines that need to. be pro­moted," sh.e stressed. ·

· Heidemaimm~ntioned the Children's Medical Center, a government~run specialty hospital for the children situ­ated along Quezon Avenue in Quezon City. · · She also'cited the National

Kidney and Transplant In­stitute, the Lung Center of the Philippines and the Phil­ippine Heart Center for Asia.

The three specialty hospi-. tals have been considered premier medical institutions of their· kind in the Asia-· Pacific region.

laboratory is staffed by capable people.

Eighty-five percent of his staff, he said, had undergone trainings as part of the agency'scapability­building program.

The DEQ also has been suc­cessful in seeking federal grants to fund its different programs and projects. ·

Castro said he is leaving behind

a $250,000 surplus in the DEQ coffers.

But when he leaves, he will be presenting to the employees a sou­venir, a marble rendition of the DEQ logo.

Incidentally, when Castro came to DEQ, its logo was the same as the EPA's.

He had the logo changed to reflect the local situation.

San Vicent& Elementary School students (from left) Ashley Combs, Tanya Manglona and Robert Camacho stand beside their school's unique "Thatched Hut" display in the counseling office.

Photo by Lalla C. Younis

MHS Teacher Academy program starts its work

'Union movement here not dead'

By Laila C. Younis Variety News Staff

NEW TEACHERS arc in the making as Marianas High Schou! Tc,1chcr Academy stu-1._kr:ts h::\·1..· stancJ wor~lng :tt !'"t:h]:.,. d'l!r··,n!., '.hi,; Wt'(·L. :tC'­

l.''-'i.l1 ;< .. ~ I1. :! :-,t.:/11.l()! uf1 ici.l!. ·\)\•~r [\\'l.'llty ~tu-.knl:--; r·rurn

i:.'..:'i ,; i ,g h,u,:11:,.,:1 l :111d II arc \'. , ,. r ;, in g ~ll di fr i: r ~ n t schocil~ as p~u·t Df our Tcach~r .-\c:,dc:rny Program.·· s:1i<l :\HIS Tc,1chcr .-\cackmy i\"istant Succy S,111 Nirol,ts.

"The pro12ram this year ha.s a tot:tl of 45 students training in the fiel<l of Education. 13c­in)2 :1blc to work at the schools is a L,ood experience for the students an<l gives thrn1 a sense of the teaching profes­sion." she said.

The students arc being pai<l $5.00 an hour for a total of 8 hours a day through a PSS Federal Grant, according to San Nicolas.

"The students can also tra<le their working experience for

college credits. We encour­age all of our students to pur­sue higher education and lo return to the CNMI." she said.

"Our two students. Eric F,·:tr-1gL·lis~:1 '.tn 1.l .,\ri Bnr.i:1 ,;,·ill h:: t"t._'flln~ing t!J·,- ,·::ar 1.1.i.1h :1

I3:1cht:lnr 111· ,\rt, d1..·Int.:1_· i1;

Educalil·ir~. ·· sh:_· :lJ,kd. ··[ ;1rn Cil](Jyin~- 1Ll.: l'\ri.:ri­

l'llCC. it is f,111. cspcci,dly ,, i1h fir..;t gr~tdcr:-;.

Till' students arc :1!1,·av,, :isk-1ng tor help and l 'm cri11sli111tly inl'olved with their worl,;." said "v1l1S Senior /\n_ierica Bermudes. an aide at San Vicente Elerncntary School.

"I know that teachers arc in a great demand and it is a great Cielc.l. l'm planning to pursue a career in Educational Psychol­ogy ... she said.

The Teacher /'.cadcmy stu­dents arc at SYI!S, G:1rapa11 Elementary School. llopwoo<l Jr. High, MHS, S:111 Antonio Elementary School and Will­i arn S. Reyes Elementary School.

By Aldwin R. Fajardo Variety News Staff

IF YOU think the labor union movement in the N.orthern Marianas is <lead, think again.

Labor leader Vic Perez said there is no way he will abandon the union movement. despite the recent departure offo1mer K:1ridat L111·ycr Er·ic (,regoirc :1ml [ !. E. R. E I ,·,c-:il -~ rnordi11t1tor [I wood Mott.

Earlier reports said the labm u1,ion rnnv,'.rnent iii rhc CN/v1l 111;1y he i':1cing a harJ time. after losing t11·0 frontline leaders.

"I am t;1king a low profile atti­tuLk these days because l don't want the workers to get fire<l once their employer learned of their plans in joining the union an<l get organized," Perez told the Vari­ety in an interview.

Pcrczsai<l the laborunion movc­mcnt in the Marianas is not dead nor dying "or will it ever be dead."

Ile continued by saying that thcr,; an: three labor union elec­tions coming early this year. two in major hotels an<l one in a cater­ing firm.

I le a<lded that the Hyt1tt Re­gency !Intel labor union wi II vote for its officers on January 23, while the Dai-lchi employees'

. .

union will hold its elections on Febrnary 5.

Perez said there is no schedule yet for the union elections in the restaurant-catering company.

The Variety contacted I-lot<:\ Association of the Northern Mariana Islands President Ron Sablan but he refused to comment on the issue.

Sabl:111 01:ly s,1id 1hc issue will he disrnssed Juri11g the'. next lli\N\11 illc~<:ting.

"If people think the laboruni,m movement on the island is dying. then. what arc these coming labor union dcctions for," he stressed.

He adde<l that he is not alone in "fighting the battle", saying that he is backed up by the multi­racial workforce in the Northern Marianas.

"I am not talking only of Fili pi no or Chi nesc workers. We also have the support of Bangladeshi workers and the locals," Perez sai<l.

I le: said. how.:vcr. that he is having ,1 hard time dealing with loc:il workers but he ex­pressed confidence he will eventually make the locals realize "what are we fighting for and for whom."

"Eventually, I know, they (locals) will realize that they will get most of the benefits of the unionization of the la­bor sector in CNMI," he told the Variety.

Pe1·ez stressed thost: who are trying to halt the organization ofCNMI workers will not suc­ceed because there arc :;till pcopi,; who :ire willing and iietc·rn1incd to fini.s:h 11·1!;11 has been -;iancd.

"I will fight up to the last drop of my blooJ," he sai<l.

Former Commonwealth La­bor Federation President John Cool was not able to say much about state of the union move­ment on Saipan.

But he said the union move­ment is probably "leaderless."

"Prnbably yes," Cool said when asked if he thinks the labor union movement, at present. docs not have a leadcr.

At present, there are at let1st three labor unions organized in the Northern Maria;ias.

Previous reports sai<l em­ployees of the Micronesian Telecommunications and the Post Office have already been unionized.

+ ,,

i !

;/

OPArules PSS official not ent~tled to OT pay

By Laila C .. Vounls Variety News Staff

A Public School System official is not entitled to $11,867 worth of over-time pay, according to a Of­fice of the Public Auditor report filed yesterday.

The OPA in its report found "insufficient evidence to establish that PSS Administrative Officer III Andrea Alepuyo should be a 'non­exempt' employee entitled to over­time pay".

The report also noted that "spe­cific requirements in the personnel regulations for over-time payment were not met", in Alepuyo's case.

"We recommend that PSS for­mally dismiss the claim~ of the Administrative Officer for over­time pay," said the report.

In a letter to Public Auditor Leo L LaMotte, former Commissioner of Education William S. Torres responded that PSS "accepts the recommendation to dismiss the claims".

Alepuyohad laid claimsforover­time pay for the work she was performing as administrative of- . fleer. This prompted PSS to request an OP A audit todeterrninewhether PSS violated personnel rules or the Fl.SAbynotpayingA!epuyoover­time.

In the report, Alepuyo stated she was"requiredtoperform more than

one per,on' sjob", functioning both asthesecretaryfortheDeputyCom­missionerof Administration and as the coordinator for the Teacher Substitution and After School Pro­grams.

The report showed that Alepuyo worked ''470 hour, in excess of the 40 hour work week requirement".

'The report, however, stated in addition that the Administrative Officer III position is classified as "Fl.SA exempt from over time", her salary of"$35,013 was more than the minimum annual salary of $13,CXX) provided in the first ex­empt requirement".

Moreover, OP A cited that the complaint could have teen avoided if a clear written statement about overtime was made by PSS when Alepuyo was assigned the addi­tional responsibilities of the two PSS programs.

Alepuyo was given by PSS a salary increase from $31,758 to $35,013 to "compensate for the additional work and responsibili­ties, without paying overtime" said the report

"It could not be ascertained, how­ever,.whetherbothemployer (PSS) and employee had a consensus on whether the employee was entitled to overtime ornot, because no writ­ten records were made," the report noted.

DOLI employee returned travel advances, says DOF

By Aldwin R. Fajardo Variety News Staff TI-IE FINANCE depmtment yes­

terday said tl1e alleged misuse of a labor and immigration employee of travel advances hasalteady been prop­er! y taken care of.

Ina brief telephone interview. Ael­ing Finance Secreuuy Dolmes D.L. Guenero sai<l the employee, identi­fied as Patricia Concepcion, h,L, al­ready returned pm1 of the adv:mccs WOlth $2,7(XJ.

Guenero sai<l the 1emaining $278 will bedcducte<l from thccmployce 's salmy during the next payday.

"It is going to be elem· hy next week," she tol<l the Varie1y

'O,e Office of the Public i\uditor h,L, e:u-lier w;kcd the lin:uice dcp:u1-ment to submit a rqx111 (JVe1· the alleged misuse of travel adv:111n:s hy the DOLi employee.

'Il1e 01' A, in a letter to Gucn-ero in December. said it receivcxl m1 tmony­mous call complaining against a De­prntment of L1bor and Immigration employee who obu1ine<l travel ad­vrn,ces but did not make tl1c sched-

Record ... Continued from page 2

All non-tr.i<le sectors. including tourism rn1d capital transfer.;, also recorded su1pluses in December, the bank said.

TheDecem l:crsurpluscscompm-ed with a dlrs 906 billion trndc deficit and a $1.85 billion cum.:nt account deficit in the same montl1 of 1996.

The Deceml:cr su1pluscs lowered the counu-y's cumulative cutrent ac­count<leficit in l 997 to$8.85 billion, <lown sharply from $23. 7 billion in

ule<l nips. LaMottesai<l the ,monymouscaller

mentioned thatthcemployeeobtained travel advances "but did not make the scheduled nips and also did not return the n·avel adv,mces."

La Motte 's letter cite<l DOF1ecords which show that close to $3,CXX) in travel adv,mces 1emain ouL,tanding under the name of the DOLi em­ployee.

·n1e letter also mentioned in par­ticular the supposed trips, which should have been made in three in­stances.

LaMotte sai<l the DOU employee should have ma<le a roun<lnip from Saip:m to Rota l,L<;t November 16-17, 199:'i. with a<lvrn1ces amounting to $6X: anothe1· roun<luip from Saip:m tnTini:mlastJum: l~-17.1997witl1 advances tot:1ling to $615: .u1d ,U1-

olhert1ip to Rot:1 frnm June 19 to July 3. 1997. with adv:mces amounting to $:2,275.

"Accor<lingly.thd)Pi\ woul<l like to know your<lep,u1111cnt's immedi­ate plan of action to n:covcr the ad­v:mces," he said in the letter.

1996. As in November, the December

figu1es wen: issued c,u-licr than usual in tul app.u-cnt cffrnt to help boost investors' conlidcnce in tlie economy. 1l1osc figu1-cs me usually rcbt~d by the end of the following month. Meanwhile, sh:u-c plices on the Ko­tea Stock Exch:u1gc closed higher Wednesday on the continued bullishness of frm:ign invcstorn. ana­lysts said. . The benchmark Ko11:an Com1x1s­ite Stock Index dosed at 4(Y.).4:2. up :l.OK 1x1ints, or 0.76 percent.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-5

Teno team sends thanks to the outgoing governor

Or. Jose T. Villagomez

By Zaldy Oandan

Variety News Staff

THE CHA IR of governor-elect Pedro P. Tenorio 's transition team yesterday said the incom­ing administration is "thank­ful" for outgoing Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio 's signing of the bill that would finance the in­auguration on Jan. 12 which, he added, will push through with or without the Supreme Court's decision on the law­suit challenging the governor­elect's eligibility to serve a

thir<l term. Dr. Jose T. Villagomez, at

the same ti me, said the transi­tion team is likewise grateful for the outgoing governor's declaring Monday, Jan. 12, a special ho! iday.

"We also thank him for that," said Villagomez who earlier accused the outgoing governor of "derailing" the transition process.

Aske<l if the appeal filed_in the Supreme Court has been affect­ing the transition team's prepara­tions for J,m. I 2, Villagomez said "We already forgot about it until you aske<l the question."

The lawyers of the governor­elect have asked the Supreme Court last week to throw out the appeal for a reconsideration of last month's Superior Court rnl­ing that favored the govemor­elect.

Meanwhile, the transition team's executive committee continues its review of the various assessment reports of the transition subcommittees.

Froilan C. Tenorio

A final "unified" report is expected to be drafted before the end of the week, Villagomez said.

Prior to the governor's sign­ing of H.B. 10-477-the so­calle<l transition bill­Villagomez said the transition team has depended on dona­tions from the community.

The measure wi11 appropri­ate $330,000 for the gover­nor-elect 's transition office and the CNMI government's inaugural expenses.

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CARVING Roast Beef Prime Ribs

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6-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY - J ANDARY 8 1998

.---oU~~ 4r-~ THE

-<:~~ This section, Around \he Islands covers community stories, local events, and cuttural activities. Should you

have a slQI'/ you would 1ike lo share, or an event \hat needs to be covered, contact Laila at 234-6341

U.S. Navy's premier band.to hold conc.ert THE US Navy's Seventh Fleet Band will give a concert at the

. amphithreater in American Memorial Park, tomorrow, Jati. 8 at 8 p.m., the Adminis­tration said in a news release.

The 26 professional musi­cians that make up the band come from all parts of the United States and will be ar­riving on the U.S.S. Blueridge, the flag ship of the Seventh Fleet.

It will be docking on Saipan earlier Thursday afternoon.

Stationed in Yokosuka, Ja­pan, the Seventh Fleet Band is the premier band for the Com­

mander, U.S. Seventh Fleet. It holds the unique honor of be­ing the first overseas band to be led by the only female band­master in the Navy Music Pro­gram, Lt. Lorelei Conrd.

The band has a nineteen

piece showband, "Far East Edition", which also makes up

the ceremonial band and wind ensemble.

In addition, the group con­tains a reception combo as well as a brass quintet.

The band also boasts a six­piece contemporary musice ensemble, "Orient Express", featuring some of today's top sounds in rock and roll, coun­try and R&B.

The concert marks the first time a U.S. Navy band has played in the Commwealth since the Guam Navy band gave its farewell concet more

than two years ago. The concert has been made

possible in part thanks to the cooperation of the National Park Service and the support of Pacific World Enterprises, Ltd.

Banlt of Hawaii THE BANK OF THE PI\ClFIC'

Repossessed Vehicle for Sale to Highest Bidder to be Sold AS IS and where is conditioned

1989 Toyota Hi·lux Extra Cab Please inquire at the Bank of Hawaii

Garapan Branch, Puerto Rico Tel. # 322-4220 xin 265

The Bank reserves the right to refuse any and all Bids

NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS RETIREMENT FUND

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT CLAIMS SPECIALIST

(LOCATION: SAIPAN) This is a responsible position involving a broad scope of _duties and responsibilities within the Worker's Compensation_ Comm1ss1on. The applicant selected is expected to man~ge a hl1ng_ system_ assist customers with inquiries, periorm mathematical calculations, review and process claims, provide technical assistance to other personnel, ~raft reports and correspondence and interpret statutes, rules and regulations.

A minimum of a Bachelors degree in Business Administration, Finance, or related field with at feast two years progressively responsible experience in a workers' compensation program or a combination of a high school diploma with at least five (5) years of exper_ience in a workers' compensation program. The beginning salary range rs at Pay Level 31/ 1 to 31/5, depending on qualifications and experience.

Interested persons may visit the NM/ Retirement Fund office in the Na_uru Building, Susupe, Saipan for application and the pos1t1on descnpllon. Applications must be submitted no later than the end of th~ day on Tuesday, January 13, 1997, to Mr. Edward_H. Manglona, Admm1strator, NM/ Retirement Fund, P.O. Box 1247, Sa,pan, MP 96950.

SBA issues loan checks to Keith's Tinian victims SAN JOSE, Tinian-Kenneth Q. Lujan, Branch Manager of the U.S. Small Business Administraiion(SBA) Guam Branch Office, announced that the first disasler loan checks to help victims repair damage caused by Supertyphoon Keith werre issued yesterday.

Lujan said the first checks for $54,800.00 were presented to eight disaster victims on Tinian by acting Tinian Mayor David Q. Maratita.

"To date, SBA has approved 58 low interest disaster loans total­ing $1,298,300.00 to owners of property damaged during Supertyphoon Keith," Lujan said in a news release.

SBA disaster loans are the pri­mary form of federal disaster as­sistance fornon-farm, private sec­tor disaster losses.

Disaster loans from SBA help homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private, non-profit organizations fund rebuilding."

According to Lujan, SBA has processed these applications in an average of only 4 days.

In order to assist indiv.iduals and business owners in complet­ing their loan applications, an­swer questions about the disaster loan program, accept completed applications, and to provide one­on-one assistance, SBA represen­tatives are available at a disaster

office on Tinian. The Tinian disaster office is

located at the Emergency Man­agement Office in San Jose Vil­lage and is open on Wednesdays from 9:00 to 4:00 p.m., the SBA said.

Lujan pointed out that homeowners, renters, and non­profit businesses of all sizes are eligible to apply for low interest SBA disaster loans if they suf­fered physical damages· to their homes or businesses as a result of Supertyphoon Keith.

"Disaster loans of up to $200,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eli­gible for up to $40,000-to replace damaged or destroyed personal property," Lujan said.

He added that business owners may qualify for up to $1.5 million to repair or replaced damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets".

".In addition, small business owners may qualify for economic injury disaster loans if they have been financially impacted by the disaster. Even if these small busi­ness have not suffered any physi­cal loss, they may qualify for eco­nomic injury loans," he contin­ued.

Economic injury loans are

working capital loans to help pay obligations until normal opera­tions resume.

SBA disaster loans help homeowners, renters, and busi­nesses fund rebuilding and re­placement costs which exceed available insurance coverage, if any.

Property owners without insur­ance are eligible, and property owners with insufficient insur­ance coverage are eligible to bor­row funds to pay replacement costs not covered by insurance, including deductibles.

Lujan encouraged all individu­als and business owners who suf­fered propty damaged or eco­nomic injury loss as a result of Supertyphoon Keith to meet with an SBA representative to discuss how disaster loan might assist their prompt recovery.

"You do not have to wait for your insurance settlementoracontractor' s estimate before applying for SBA disaster assistance," he clarified. . Individuals and business owners unable to visit the SBA office may obtain information and loan applica­tion forms by writing to SBA at P.O. Box 10015,Saipan,MP96950-95 l 6.

All applications for physical dam­age must be returned to SBA by February 6, 1998. Applications for economic injury disaster loans must be returned by September 8, 1998.

Microl Insurance renovates.·· its office; sports new nam.e MICROL Insurance, one of the CNMI's biggest insur­ance companies has just re­cently completed the reno­vation of its Saipan office, the company announced in a news release.

"We have been serving the people of the CNMI for over 32 years and our renovated office, change of name and dedication to customer ser­vice will, we believe con­tinue to satisfy the needs of the Mariana Islands well into the 21st century," the com­pany said.

The company related how in October affiliate Inchcape In­surance was acquired by the AON Group.

AON is an American com­pany which has experienced a meteoric rise to one of the larg­est insurance risk services pro­vider in the world. AON group employs more than 29,000 people spread throughout more than 700 offices world­wide with a combined earn­ings in excess of $3.9 qillion.

This year the name Micro! Insurance will be replaced by AON Insurance Micronesia, a

NMC extends Spring Semester registration NORTHERN Marianas College\ Spring Semester registration for new students will now begin Tues­day, January 13 and continue un­til Thursday, January 15, the col­lege announced in a news release.

With the granting of adminis­trative leave to Executive Branch workers by Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio, and to Northern Marianas College crnployccs by Acting President Jack M. Sablan authorized by Board of Regents Chair Vicente N. Santos Mon­day, for inauguration ceremonies, the beginning of open registra­tion has been moved to January

I:\. The Office of Admission and

Records, J3usiness Office, and Counseling will be open from 9 a.m. to noon and with new af"ter­noon hours from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The extension to 6 p.m. is to serve working people interested in taking evening classes.

"We 're making these changes to ensure students have every opportunity to register for Spring Semester and allow them and our employees to attend the upcoming inaugu­ration ceremonies," Acting President Sablan said.

change meant to acknowl­edge the recent changes in the company, the release said.

"Because we ar part of a large global organization we are able to tap into m.arkets and services which we would not have normally been privy to. We aim to continue to im­prove the service standards which Micro! has been known for throughout the CNMI. It is our goal to provide the best pos­sible service at the best possible price for the customer," said the company.

'._ ... "'.·· L>,·-····:'k·.··,_·.·G· .. · ,,,.....:,:·:· ;:-·· ' (JnlJ.U ·. · OV. Walter to.· meet with

.' constituents .· THIS IS to inform all Chuukese citizens residing on Saipan, that there will be a meeting on January 11, Sun­day at the "Minachom I Atdao" Pavilion, Kilili Beach, fron1 11 :00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Governor Ancito Walter and other FSM dignitaries will be present at this meeting to hear your suggestions, concerns, and comments.

Ple;asedon 'tforget to bring your favorite dish to share with us.BYOB.

'!

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TIIURSDA Y, JANUARY 8, 1998 -MARIANAS VARIEIY NEWS AND VIEWS-7

10th Legislat11re 'sine dies' today By Zaldy Danclan Variely News Staff

THE TENTII Legislature will wrap up its two-year !elm.today, with both houses sceduled to hold "back-to­back" sessions before adjourning for the last time.

The l lthlegislature,togetherwith governor-elect Pedro P. Tenorio and lieutenant governor-elect Jesus R_

Sablan, will be sworn in Monday. Asofyesterdayaftemoon,theonly

pie.re of legislation on the House of Represcntatives'billcalendarisH.B. 10433, which would remove the existing restrictions on owning and operating poker and slot machines.

However, House Majority Leader Pete P. Reyes (R-Saipan) earlier said

that the House is prepared to act on other bills certified as urgent by the Senate.

The Senate, !he Variety learned, may ovenide the vetoes on the Child Adoption (S.B. 10-78) and Driv­ers' Licence Test (S.B. I0-79) bills, and act on H.B. 10-421 which would provide funding for the construction of a new high school on Saipan.

Also to be considered are H.B. I 0-458, which seeks to require hotels and property owners with swimming pools to employ a qualified lifeguard, and llB. 10483, which aims topre­ventwastcwatermanholesonSaipan from overflowing.

Introduced by outgoing Rep.

Michael P. Tenorio (R-Saipan), the bill would require all gannent facto­riesand hotels using the public waste­water system to install Common­wealth UtilitiesCorp.-approved bar screens within their sewer later­als.

Business with cafeterias or din­ing places would likewise be re­quired to install-grease traps be­fore discharging to the wastewa­ter system.

A ~nalty fee of $5,000 to $10,000 would be imposed on

violators. The bill states that overflowing

wastewater manholes on Saipan are being caused by "an increase presence of (such) foreign mate­rials (as garment rags and wood)" in the public wastewater system.

'Clean Air Act' may be imposed if CNMI does· not develop program

By Rick Alberto Vatie[y News Staff

TIIE C.N.M.I. must develop a clean-air program that is ap­proved by the U~ Environmen­tal Protection Agency by April,

ticipated in. "We have until April 1998 to

come up \\'.ith these regulations, including an amendment to our existing statute," Castro said.

~Fraud case' vs N aholowaa, wife reaches Ninth Circuit

. else the stringent federal Clean Air Act will be enforced.

This was diclosed yesterday by Director John 1 Castro Jr. of .

"the Division of Environmental Quality.

"We were granted the exemp­tion, but the EPA said that we must develop our air program which will be approved by EPA and that air program must be simi­lar to Title 5," said Castro, who is leaving office after he .had ten­dered his courtesy resignation to the. incoming administration of Pedro P. Tenorio.

Castro expressed his willing­. ness to continue to help in the formulation of the program as he said he had acquired adequate knowledge on the Act from the various workshops he had par-

"If we do not come up with these regulations, then the fed­eral Title 5 will apply to the CNMI," he added.

Castro explained that the CNMirequested for the exemp­tion from Title 5 because it "is so stringent. It looks Ii ke it is not applicable to the CNMI."

By Ferdie de la Torre Variety News Staff

A WOMAN has brought her $ I-million fraud case to the Ninth Circuit against Bank of Guam execµtive and his wife over a dispute on land trans­action.

Felicidad C. Boddy appealed the decision of the CNMI Su­preme Court reversing the jury finding in the Superior Court as to fraud against Mike Naholowaa, vice president for BOG Loan Adjustment De­partment, and his wife Ana.

Boddy sued in 199~ the Naholowaa couple for alleged misrepresentation over a land deal.

The jury rendered a verdict in 1996 finding that Naholowaa defrauded Boddy by misrepresenting a material fact. The jury awarded plain­tiff $231,000 in damages:

The couple, through coun­sel John A. Manglona, ap­pealed the case to the Supreme Court.

In reversing t_he jury's ver­dict last September, the high tribunal said the decision is clearly erroneous because the jury made a finding of fraud without any evidence to sup­port.essential elements of such act.

Boddy, through counsel Robert W. Jones, asked_ the Ninth Circuit to reconsider the Supreme Court's ruling.

Jones said the failure of two members of the appellate panel to disclose certain con­flicts of interest violated Boddy 's constitutional due process right to review by a disinterested impartial panel.

Jones raised the following issues:

• By not disclosing certain conflicts of interests of two members of the appellate panel, did the CNMI Supreme court violate plaintiff's due process right to review by a disinterested and impartial panel?

• Did the CNMI Supreme

Court err in reversing the jury's verdict of fraud by de­fendant Naholowaa.

• Was there a sufficient evi­dence to support jury's verdict?

The CNMI government had petitioned the EPA to be ex­empted specifically from Title 5 of the Act

Castro said the exemption was granted five years ago.

SERVISTAR HARWARE (CHALAN KIYA)

CLOSING OUT MOVING TO TINIAN

S.• ···.A ·· .. ·L.·E. . . . . ' .

. . . ·,. '..;, . . . .

Begins Friday January 9th at 8:00 A.M.

... DISCOUNT ON ALL INVENTORY IN STOCK*

* No Rain Checks Cash & Carry 235-6604/05/06/6691

8-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY-JANUARY 8, 1998

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine peso fell in brisk trading Wednesday on heavy demand for U.S. dollars, trn<lers said.

The volatile currency market and . rising interest mtes also pLished the

stock market sharply lower, with the market's main in'dex losing 4 percent

The peso's decline, however, wasn't as steep as on Tuesday. Banks

were more willing to _sell dollars be- 45.4 l 9pesos perdollarafterfallingas cause of the launch of a new system far as 46.500 pesos, a record low. On aimed at providing security for com- Tuesday it averaged 44.894 pesos panies with unhedged dollar loans. and fell as far as 45.209 pesos in one

Demand fordollarshasbeenheavy of its biggest single-session declines in recent weeks as companies need- ever . ing to repay dollar loans have tried to While corporate demand for dol-acquire the U.S. currency before it larsremainedstrong,trnderssaidcom-appreciates further. panies were no longer willing to pay

At midday the peso averaged exorbitantratesforthe U.S.currency ,----,---,----,----,--7

Philippine Central Bank employees sort out sheets of Philippine pesos being printed at its facilitiy a_t suburban Quezon city Tuesday. Printi[7g of its currency is· continuing as scheduled despite the peso losing tis value_ by 40 percent following currency crisis plaguing the country and the Asian region. The Peso fell to an all-t,me low of 45.20 to the dollar Tuesday. AP

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because of the launch of the new system to protect dollar borrowers.

Under the so-called non-deliver­able forward facility, corporate bor­rowers can lockintoapre-determined exchange rate based on a central bank calculation using commercial bank interest rates.

This will protect companies pay­ing off debt with dollars from sharp fluctuations in the peso-dollar rate when their loan matures.

Traders said the system is expected to slow the dollar's rise against the peso by allowing banks tostartselling dollars without fear of being short­changed later.

Meanwhile, the central bank also raised its key overnight borrowing rate to I 2 percent from I I percent in an apparcntefforttowiden the differ­ential between peso and dollar inter­est rates to make pesos more attrac­tive. Buta trader with a foreign bank said the move is likely to have only a minimal impact on improving the supply of <loll ars to the currency mar­ket.

In stock trading, the 30-share Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 73.26 points, or 4.0 percent, to 1,747.34, according to prelimi­nary data. On Tuesday it dropped 52.24 points.

Manila gov't seeks loans to boost foreign reserves MANILA,Philippines(AP) • 'Ire Philippine government is seeking a $200 million loan from the Asian Development Bank and $300 mil­lion'to$400millionfromthe World Bank to ooostdwindlingreservesof foreign currencies.

Fmance Undersecretary Cecilia SorianosaidWednesdaythatmon­etary and fmanceofficials have been negotiating informally with both theADB and the World Bank since late December for the loans. She said she expects an inunediate re­sponse, but declined to elaborate.

The Philippine central bank's re­serves have fallen to $9 billion from arecordhighof$12billioninMarch, mainly because of its costly tu1Suc­cessful attempt to prevent the peso from falling.

The peso has ch;opped more than 40 percent against the dollar since the Asian CUl1'ency crisis began in July. On Wednesday, it fell to a record low of 46.50 pesos per dol­lar.

While the loans are being sought to boost the central bank's reserves, theFinanceDepartmentsaidasmall portion also would be used to fund studies on reforms for the financial

sector and capital market A study of ways to take advan­

tage of the Philippines' export com­petitiveness due to the weaker peso is also expected to be financed by the loans.

The department declined to be more specific on the breakdown of the funds. ·

"We have had initial talks with the ADB and we have been in con­tact with the World Bank. I think we will be able to push through with this immediately," Soriano said.

The Philippines also has its sights ona$1.8billionstandbycreditavail­able under an Intemational Mon­etary Fund program.

Although the Philippines hopes to ex.it later this month from its existing three-year borrowing pro­gram with the IMF, it has sought a precautionary arrangement that would allow it to tap the $ 1.8 billion in available funds.

The central bank said the IMF has said it will decide on whether to grant the precautionary ar­rangementafter it concludes that the Philippines is sure to exit from the existing borrowing pro­gram.

·Philippine Scouts sickened ~y spewn Mt. Pinatubo ash

CLARK FIELD, Philippines (AP) - More than I 00 scouts at a national jamboree have been treated for respiratory ailments apparently caused by powdery volcanic ash from Mount Pinatubo, officials and news reports said Wednesday.

About 24,000 boy and 500 girl scouts and 8,000 scouting officials are taking part in the jamboree at Clark Field, a former U.S. air base near Mount Pinatubo.

The mountain belched bil­lions of tons of volcanic ash in 1991 in one of this century's most violent volcanic erup­tions, forcing the U.S. Air Force to abandon the base. Thick layers of volcanic dust still cover many areas around the mountain.

"My message to all otJr mothers and fathers is don't

worry, your boys and girls are well taken care of and we have a very good medical staff here," said Education Secre­tary Ricardo Gloria.

News reports said at least 135 scouts were treated for respiratory problems, includ­ing 14 with asthma.

Dr. Nemesio Santos, head of the camp's medical staff, said the ailments were man­ageable and not serious.

Small delegations from Ja­pan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, New Zealand, ALis­tral ia and the United States also participated in the na­tional jamboree, Pangilinan said.

He said other Asian coun­tries d'id not send contingents because of the economic slump caused by the currency crisis sweeping the region.

THURSDAY.JANUARY 8, 1998 -MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-9

To meet demands o.f US fishing. shipping industry

Majuro marine school expands By Giff Johnson For the Variety

,tajuro-·n1c Fisherics;md Nau­tical '[bining Center in !lie Mm-shall lsl:mds crnm,1t tum out grn<luates fw;t enough to keep up witl1<lemrn1<l from the ll.S. fishing rn1d shipping in<lus­u:-·. said the schoo Is principal in ,umouncing a 1998 pl,m to add train­ing prog1:m1s for purse scine1,, pas­senger linc1, mid c,u·go ships to iL, cun.:nt crnTiculum.

For the tii-st time. too. the mmine u:1ining center is phmning to offer u~1ining oppo11unities to Mm,hallese \\'Omen.

able jobs. ··we 'II sta1t in Febru,uy with a

cr:L,h u·ainingprogram forpursesein­crs," he s,1id.

"We 'II b1ing in all thestudenL, who have already graduated but<li<ln 'tget jobs ,md train tl1em for working on purse seiners."

1l1e Ame1ic,m Tuna Association Foundation wanL, to know the num­berof M,u,hal! lsl,mdc1, in the train­ing program and will begin recn1iting worke1, at the end of M,u·ch. Muller said.

ing vessels, but cm·go ships and p,L,­senger liners.

He wrn1L~ to link tl1c rmu·ine u·ain­ing center witlh tl1e counuy Is llag of convenience ship 1egist1y.

Muller is lobbying political lea<lc1, to adopt legislation requiring that M,u-shal I lslm1ds flagged ships c;u1y a minimum 30 percent M,u-shallesc crew.

Based on the cum:nt 165 ships 1egistered in the Mm-shall lsl,mds. Muller said that 30 percent of the rn:ws would amount to 442 jobs for Mm,hall lsl,mde1-s.

At the minimum sal,uy of $6,(XXl per year. that woulc.1 mean 442 Mm-shallcsc would cmn $2.6

Muller h,L, seen the 11:sult of the

money the mo1etkm 30 FNTC gm<lu­atcs now working with U.S. fishing comp,mies me sending back home.

··n1esc fishermen me 11:ally help­ing the economy of tl1c Mm,halls by sending money back to their fami­lies," he said.

Cu!l'ently. the school c,m accom­modateonl y 24 students forcach nine month training session.

Bllt that isn 'tcvcn close to meeting the demand for job u~1ining. In 1997, almost 2(Xl young men applied for the 24 openings.

·111isprogra111 is vc1y popuhu·witi1 young peoplc becatJsc they know when they graduate they wit I get jobs,'' Mui !er said.

ll1e school. in audition to adding

COUJ'SCS for purse scinc1,, is pl,mning to add staff ,uic.l inc11::Lse iL, facilities ,L, pmt of the cxp,msion.

Up to now. FNTC Im, trainee.I only men. Mullcrishopcful that the school will also soon be oflcring u·aining oppo1tunitics for women.

American I lawaiian Cruise Linc is interested in hiring Marsha I Iese caterers, said Muller, who is dis­cussing training rc4uircmcnts with officials from the lfowaii­bascd company.

··we phm toc.lcvdopa thn:c months cunirnlum for catering," he said.

"It wi II fc:x:uson u·,uning women. to give ,m equal opponunity to botl1 men ,u1d women in the M,u-shall Is-1:mds."

Capt:Linpiincipal L..uiy Muller said that Marshall Islanders working abom-d Ameticm1 longlinc1-s have 11:­ceive<lsuch high pmise that now U.S. purse seine compm1ies ,m<l passenger line1, ,ue exp11:ssing inte1est to hi1i:: u·ained M,u,hallcse.

ll1is inte11:st from Ameiicm1 fish­ing ,md p,L,senger line comp,mies h,l, prompted tl1e M,tjuro-b,L<.cd school to launch its biggest exp,msion pro­gram since it was st,ute<l in 1992.

·111e purse seine comp,mics ,u.: intc11:sted because other Ame1icm1 boat owners are recommending Mrn,hallcsc:· he said. ··111t:y tell us they are very happy with their Mai,hallesc c11:ws."

Another 11:,L,on for the incn;ming dcm,md for 1I:1inc<l Mm,hallcsc sea­men is that the mm·ine training schlXll in the Federated Stmcs or Micmncsia dosed iL,doo1, l,L,t yc,u·. reducing the pool of skilled fishem1cn for the Amcric,m fishing llect.

Hawaiian Airlines, Bank of Hawaii will sell plane tickets at the ATMs

- FNTC is adding a two montl1 long purse seining coLI1,c module to tlhc cuniculum, st.mting e,u·Jy in 1998. to p1ep,u1: Mai,hallese fonea<lily avail-

Muller secs gn:at future potential for Mm,hallcsc working on a 1:u1ge of di ffercnt vcssc Is :md is working to upgrade the FNTC's cu11"iculum to prcpmi:: Marshalksc fornotonly fish-

Reported dengue fever .cases in Fiji increasing SUVA (Pacnews)-Latest statis­tics on the dengue fever otJtbreak in Fiji show a dramatic increase in tht: 1rnmber of cases reported to health authorities.

Dr Asinate Bola<luadua of the l lcalth Ministry says more than I 00 clinically reported cases have been reported at the Lautoka I los­pital and the Colonial War Me­morial Hospital in Suva. Radio Fiji reported.

Dr Bola<lua<lua says I I m:w cases of dengue fr:vcr were re­ported at the Lautoka I lospital in the past six Jays.

l lowevcr. no deaths apart from

the earl icr three have been re­ported.

Meanwhile, the Health Mi11i,­try has admitted that suspected dengue fever cases were first l'L'·

ported last July but NO action was taken to counter it.

Assistant cpidcm iologisl D:1, id Foundas says at that st:t),!L' th,·1\' were only a srnal I nu rn hn <11" ,·;N·, so they treated it :1, ;1 .. ,,mil" outbreak.

I le admits thn did 11, ,1 h'll'° :111 outh1·cc1k \\':ll"llin.,: .111,I Ilic· ,1111.1 tir1n \\'ursc'Jll'd lll c';tl h I l,·, ,·111h·1

rorcin,µ 1h~· 1111111-..11, 1,, l'-'-11(' 1111·

warnill1-!.

By MICHAEL TIGHE HONOLULU(AP)-lnaLinique marriage of convenience, Hawaii's largest airline and larg­est bank will sell pla .. "lc tickets through ATM machines.

Beginning in March. Hawai­ian Airlines will become the first airline in the country to sell tick­ets at automated teller machines in a deal with Bank of Hawaii. 'Inc sc1vice, which is for interis­land travel only, will be offered at 140 A TMs in bank branches, supem1,u·ke1s. convenience stores and airpo11s statewide.

"What we 're doing is taking advantage ofavail:1blc technolo­gies to offer advantages to our rnstomers," Hawaiian Air spokesman Kconi Wagner said Tuesday. "The name of the game is customer service and custL1111er rnnvc111cncc." I lawaiian Air hopes the ATM service will help close the pp with No. I intcris­land carrier Aloha i\irlinc.,. I la­\\'aiian is the st:1tc's l:1rgL·st air­line· hc'CILISL' it ,th,, h:1s rti~lll, "'

---- ., __ ,,_ -- ~, __ _ ...... /~_ ..... I/Ulll61111 • , .,, ,,, ,,, JC. .. Jc:. • ,, 11111/JF ....

, __ .. ,I•&• -, . .,. a ••

the mainland and other Pacific is­lands.

Customers can use their debit or crcdi t cm·ds around-the-clock to buy !light coupons for travel between Hawaii's major islands- Oahu, Hawaii, Maui. Kauai. Molokai and L.mai. Purchasers then reserve a flight through Hawaiian Air. with the coupon acting as a ticket.

Wagner said the ac.lvm1tagcsofthc coLipons a1e thc1t they lock in a p1ice. whe11:,L, ticket-counter prices v;uy b,L'iCdonavailablesec1t.ing,mdwhcthcr the customer is a Hawaii resident or not. 1l1c coupons also have longer shelf lives thm111:guhu- tickcL,.

Hawaiian Air cuffently sells books of six coupons over th.: counter for dlrs 309. or dlrs .'i 1.50 per intcrisland llight. Fares can dif­fer for residents and visitors. but the rnupons through the ATtvls will not di,tinguish lx:twccn rcsi­drnt and \·isitor purchasers.

11 aw ai i an t\ i r was the state's Ii r~t airli nc and nuw is the mt ion's I 21h­brgcs1 in 1ern1s of passenger load. c·:11Tying -U, mil I ion people through

Saipan Cellular & Paging is now located at its new location: Gualo Rai Commercial Center

Main Building Gualo Rai, Middle Road, Saipan

Come see our new store! z

SAIPAN CELLULAR &: PAGING l

The Choice is CleaT.

Tel: 235-PAGE (7243) • FAX 235-7640

Home to the Best Cellular & Paging

Products & Services in the Marianas.

November. Besides interislaml flights, it flies from Honolulu to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sc­uttle. Portlanc.l, Las Vegas, An­chorage, Tahiti and Ametican Sa­moa.

Bank of Hawaii cuITently sells postage stamps and other gift ccnificates at its A TMs. Spokes­woman Linda Chinn said Tues­day the bank hopes the deal, ini­tiated by Hawaiian Air, will in­ere asc tr,1 ffic at its A TMs.

"We wouJJ like to hc1vc pt:ople become comfonablc with using ATM machines for other types of transactions:· Chinn said, ac.ld­ing that Hawaiian Air tickets can be a marketing tool to attract new customers. "We really w,mt to begin to modify behavior."

Bank or Hawaii will collect a commission for each coupon purchased. much like a travel agcntdo-:s. Chinn said. Bank Dr Hawaii is the principal subsid­iary of Pacific Century Financial Corp .. a holJing company with S14.9 hill ion in assets.

10-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY· JANUARY 8. 1998

.. :_,. Elsewhere .in the _Pacific .

MPs face crintinal charges HO!\'IARA (Pacnews}-Solomon Islru1ds members of parli\tment and public se1vm1ts who were implicated in the Foreign Affairs small projects Jevelopme1;t fund affair could face criminal charges.

Director of Public Prosecution Francis Mwanesalua says the police have now stai1ed investigations into

the USS 1.2 million<lolhu, li.md which was use<l up within days.

Mwrn1esalua says once investi­gations have been complete<l he would look at the case files and decide whether there's enough e·1idence to lay criminal charges against -them. -11,e fund was established by the

fo1111er Manialoni cabinet in Jru,uruy 1996 with money from fines col­lected by the Honiara based Fo­rum Fisheries Agency from for­eign vessels fishing illegally in Solomon Islands waters.

The special fund administered by the ministry of foreign affairs was used up within 60days mostly by former cabinet ministers, MPs an<l some public se1vants purport­edly for small community project,.

Drought relief truck after looting in PNG PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) - Food 1elief to one of the worst affected <.huught-sllicken provinces in Papua New Guinea In, been suspendccJ after the looting ruid vandalism of a supply trnck.

Trncking operator Pagini aml Transwest. in a fax sent Wednesday to 1ice supplier Trnkai, said it had halted all food deliveiies from Mount Hagen to Enga province until the safety of its workers was guarantee<l.

A trnckcmrying25 to~sof1icem1d

25 tons of cooking oil was stopped mid looted by a large crow<l of people while on its way to the Engm1 capital ofWabag on Monday.

Itwasaccomp,mied by police, who we1e overwhelmed by the crowd.

News of the disrnption to supplies, which came out Wednesday, coin­cides with a new repo1t by Aus11·alia 's aid agency, AusAID, which says more than a million Papua New Guine,ms m-e now facing food shortages be­cause of tl1e drought Thousands converging for

Bougainville peace talks PORT MORESBY (Pacnews)­lmportant peacetalks are taking place in Central Bougainville today between all factions involved in the Bougainvi]Je crisis.

controlled areas started converging onCentralBougainvillesinceMon­day for the meeting.

Ex-employee of American Samoa's Dev't. Bank face embezzlement raps

Bougainville Transitional Gov­ernment Premier Gerard Sinato, politicians, civii servants, secession­ists, village chiefs and other com­munity leaders are takingprutin the two-day meeting ending Thw-sday, NBC reported.

Thousands of villagers from aroundBougainvilleincludingBRA

Bougainville Interim Govern­ment ru,d BRA leaders Joseph Kabui, Sam Kaouna and Francis Ona were expected to be at the meeting.

The gathering will enable the leaders of the Papua New Guinea island to finalize their discussions before thenextroundof peace talks in New Zealand scheduled formid this month.

PAGO PAGO (Pacnews)­A former employee of the American Samoa Develop­ment Bank, has been arrested and charged with 39 counts of embezzlement.

The employee, Anna Ponafala, who now serves as personal secretary to the Speaker of the House of Rep­resentatives, is out on US $8

000 bail, posted by her ooss. Ponafala is alleged to have

kept for her own use about US $13 000 worth of payments made by the development bank's clients for delinquent loa·ns.

The discrepancies were re­vealed in an audit ordered by the bank's president after the former secretary suddenly quit

her bank job to work for the Legislature, without prior no­tice.

The audit revealed that pay­ments made by clients were not all deposited by the ac­cused.

Embezzlement is a felony charge which carries a fine of seven years imprisonment, or a fine of US $5 000 - or both.

Solomons police offer reward in arson case

. Cyclones continue to affect Pa~itic ·

HONIARA (Pacnews)-Police autho1ities in Solomon Islands have offered a financial reward for infor­mation that would lead to tl1e arrest and conviction of those responsible for the burning of the Ministry of Fimmce building in Honima in No­vember.

Police Commissioner Fr:mk Shon said the $US2,CXXlrewanl isrui incen­tive to further assist the police in their investigationintothefoewhichcause<l millions of dollars in damage.

TI1e building which housed the Ministry ofFin'imce and the Ministry of Development Plruming was badly gutted by fire in the early hours of November 17 and destroyed office records and computors.

Earlier police reports say two men had been detained in connection with the !iie.

TI1e European Commission has already indicated it would pay for the renovation of the two storey building.

PORT VILA (Pacnews)­The three cyclone currently in the region continue to affect the Southwest and Central Pacific in varying degrees.

Cyclone Susan which was working its way down the east­ern side of Vanuatu this week has moved away from the country, Radio Vanuatu.

Late yesterday evening, the system started moving in the southeasterly direction, away from the southern part of Vanuatu.

.·~ ... ·· ... ·· .. ·

1::1 NORTHERN MARIANAS

HOUSING CORPORATION EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

. PUB_LIC·NOTICE

The Northern Marianas Housing Corporation (NMHC) Board of Directors, through its

Chairman, Mr. Juan S. Tenorio, and in conjunction with the Department of Veterans

p, Affairs, is pleased to advise CNMl-descent veterans that the Native American Direct r1 Loan Program has been extended for another four years by President Clinton. t

The interest rate for the program also dropped to 7 1/4%. Eligible veterans may obtain a loan to construct, purchase or improve a primary residential dwelling

up to a maximum of $120,000.00 for a term of 30 years.

This is the only veteran residential loan program available in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Several CNMl-descent veterans on Saipan and Rota

have constructed their family residences with proceeds from this loan program. CNMl-descent veterans, who have yet to take advantage of this program, are

encouraged to apply. CNMl-descent veteran who wish to apply are required to provide copies of their DD-214 and certificates of eligibility. Applicants must be

honorably discharged from military duty.

Interested individuals are urged to contact the NMHC offices on Saipan at 234-7689/

7670/6866/944 7, or Tinian at 433-9213 or on Rota at 532-9410 for more iniormation.

NMHC is an equal employment and fair housing agency"

At 7am today Cyclone Su­san was locared 200 nautical miles west of Efate.

It is maintaining its inten­sity at 200 kilometres an hour and accelerating to over I 0 knots.

In the Solomon Islands, storm and gale force winds are in force for Rennell and Bellona islands, Southern Guadalcanal and Makira as Tropical Cyclone Katrina moves closer to the country.

Early this morning the sys-

tern was located about 120 nautical miles southwest of Rennell and Bellona. lt is con­tinuing its east-northeast movement and intensifying.

Meanwhile, reports from Tonga say that agricultural crops on the kingdom's north­ern most islands of Niuatopuitapu and Nuiafo'ou suffered widespread damage from the overnight effects of Cyclone Ron.

However, there were no re­ports of casual ties.

Tongan tanker carrying oil shipments for Cook Islands NUKU'ALOFA (Pacnews)­Tonga · s oil tanker, the Lomipcau, is currently on its way to the Cook Islands with 2000 tonnes of oil supplies from New Zealand.

The main bulk of the con­signment is for the Cooks' capital. Rarotonga. aml the rcm:tinder is intrndeu fnr the Cooh lsh111ds' fishing indus­try. Radio Tonga report<:d.

The Tongan Defence Sn-

vices which operates the Lomipeau says the tanker is on full-time charter over the next three months.

The oil tanker was presented as a gift in 1995 by the French government an<l un<lcrwent a major rcfi tin New Zeal and at a cost of several hundred thou­s;11HI dollars.

The Lomipeau has a complc:­mcnl of 27 CIT\\'. capt;1i11cd by Commander Lupeti Vi.

Gov't presents land to Samoa Head of State APIA (Pacncws)-Thc Sa­moan government has pre­sented seven and a half acres or land to the head of state, Malietoa Tanumafili II, for his t-:5th hirthJay.

This was announced by Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alcsana who said the laml was Malictoa land that was taken away during colonial days.

Tofilau said His lliglrness has held this parcel of land. in Fagalii village. for over 40 years, but on a lease basis.

I k thanked Mal ietoa for ser­vice to Samoa spanning ovc,· 50 years. The Malietoa has been Head of State since Sa­moa became independent in I %2.

The I lead of State's birtliday falls on January 4. but a function to celebrate the occasion was only held yesterday, with a public hol i­day.

Guests included King Taufaahau Tupou IV of Tong7t and Queen Mataaho Halaevalu, and American Samoa leader Gov­ernor Taucsc Sunia.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998 -MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-11

Malaysian gou't tells employers:

'Expel jobless foreigners' KUALA LUMPUR, Malay­sia (AP) -Malaysian employ­ers have been told to send home all their foreign work­ers thrown out of work by the nation's economic downturn, the national news agency Bernama reported Tues<lay.

Deputy Home Minister Ong Ka Ting emphasized that em­ployers should not wait until the unemployed foreigners' work permits expired before sending them home, Bernama said.

This would only encourage them to "roam free and even commit crimes," the minister said.

"We must be prepared. Dur­ing good times foreign work­ers have jobs, but we're now cutting down on jobs." A few days earlier, Malaysia said it would expel l million for­eign workers _ about half the registered foreign work force _ to safeguard Malaysians' jobs in Asia's economic cri­sis.

Indonesia ·navy ready to bring home 'workers from . Malaysia

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The Indonesian navy was ready to bring home thousands of Indonesian workers from neighboring Malaysia, where an economic crisis has made foreign workers no longer welcome, news reports said Tuesday.

"The ships are ready, but we have not received any or­ders so far," the official Antara news agency quoted the navy chief, Adm. AriefKushariady, as saying.

Last week, Malaysian Deputy Home Affairs Minis­ter Tajol Rosli Ghazali was quoted by the Malaysian press as saying about l million for­eign workers were expected to lose their jobs and would be sent home un<ler a new pol icy to give work to local people.

The newspaper Jakarta Post quoted officials at the Indone­sian Embassy in the Malay­sian capital, Kuala Lumpur, as saying there were about 600,000 Indonesians legally working in Malaysia.

Large numbers of Indone­sians are also believed to be working there illegally.

Unti I a financial downturn hit last year, Malaysia's once booming economy ha<l needed foreign workers to take up mainly unskilled jobs.

Drive Safely

The Immigration Depart­ment also announced plans for more workplace raids to make sure employers are not har­boring illegal foreign work­ers. There are about 800,000 illegai foreign workers in Malaysia, accor<ling to offi­cial estimates.

Ong also warned cash­strapped employers not to re­lease illegal workers to avoid repatriation costs. If the ille­gal immigrants were caught by enforcement officials, the former employers would also be punished, he said. Under Malaysia's Immigra­tion Act, employers who hire more than five illegal immi­grants could be jailed more than six months if convicted.

Workers from Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand and In­dia routinely seek jobs in Ma­laysia, a country of 21 million people.

0

0

A money changer adjusts the latest rates at a Kuala Lumpur money change Tuesday. Malaysia's currency hit a record low of 4.3050 ringgit to the U.S. dollar in the early trading, pressured by gloomy sentiment in the Asian region and uncertainty over how Malaysia will address irs economic problems.

January 8, 1998 0 • .-.C\J~A c? e• .

8:00 P.M. ~op. -~~ 0

AMPHITHEATER American Memorial Park

Bring the whole family and all your friends to hear the U.S. Navy's finest musicians play

and to welcome the US Blue Ridge and the

return of the U.S. Navy.

The concert has been made possible thanks to the cooperation of the National Park Service

and Pacific World Enterprises, Ltd.

A worker prepares stacks of Indonesian rupiah at a bank in Jakarta Tuesday. The Indonesian currency broke through the 7,500 level against the U.S. dollar, a new all-time-low. AP -

Suharto half-brother seeks ouster of Finance officials JAKARTA. btdonesia (AP) - A half-brother of President Suharto called Tuesday for the resignation of Indonesia's finance minister and central bank governor, saying their departure might help solve the nation's economic crisis.

Businessman and banker Probosutedjo made the c:orrunents only hours before Suharto was scheduled to present his government's budget for the fisc.al year 1998-99.

The budget is expected ro con­tainarangeof austerity measures to meet the demands of a $40 billion International Monetary Fund eco­nomic rescue package. But it might also be tempered by sensitive do­mestic political and social consider­ations.

"If they resign, the country's monetary crisis may even be solved," Probosutedjo said of Finance Min­ister Mar' ie Muhammad and Bank Indonesia Governor Soedradjad Djiwandono.

He said theministerand governor should reconsider the policies they

had implemented. Probosutedjohasbeenkx:kedin

a legal battle with the two officials since they ordered the shutdown of his Bank Jakarta along with 15 other troubled commercial banks. ~ liquidation order was made

onNov. l underanIMF-backedset of refonns lhatso far have failed to aireSt a dramatic slide in the value of the rupiah.

Probosutedjosaidhewouldfight to have his bank reopened.

Last week, a lower Jakarta comt ruled that Bank Jakarta could re­main open pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by Probosutedjo against Mar'ie and Soedradjad.

Probosuted jo charges in the suit that Bank Jakarta wasn't insolvent and was closed unlawfully.

Late Friday, however, the State Administrative High Court issued a letter that de­manded the lower court's rul­ing be disregarded. Bank Jakarta said the instruction was illegal and vowed to defy it

Japan, Australia in joint research CANBERRA, Aw;tralia (AP) -Australia and Japan will cany out jointresearchproject~oncommunity CaJC and health following a visit by Japanese Healt11 Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Koizumi met Health Minister Michael Wooldridge and Family Services Minister Warwick Smith Tuesday and Wednesday to workout ways in which thetwocountriescould collabornte mrne closely.

The countries agreed to work to­gether in the light of health needs

as.<;oeiated wit11 aging societies, pres­sures on national budget~. escalating health cost~ and changes in discao;es faced, the ministers said in a joint statement

Joint research activities between the Health Department and the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare will be encouraged, with projects this year to include acom­parative analysis of approaches to community care and the use of technology to enhance health and . well-being. ·

Amidst currency plunge

Thailand changes its forex rules on exports BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -The government reacted to the baht's latest record low Tuesday by tightening rules to prevent Thai exporters from hoarding foreign currencies.

The Cabinet approved a new regulation, effective Wednes­day, that requires exporters to transfer foreign currency earn­ings directly to Thailand upon receipt, rather than within 120 days as previously.

''When they receive the pay­ment, they must send the money back into Thailand im­mediately,"

Akapo! Sorasuchart, a gov­ernment spokesman, said at a post-meeting news confer­ence.

The exporters also must de­posit the funds in their bank accounts within seven days of arrival in the country, Akapo! said. Previously, they were allowed 15 days.

The measures were taken a day after the Thai baht weak­ened in value past the psycho­logical barrier of 50 to the U.S. dollar, or a 50 percent depreciation since being floated last July.

Currency dealers have said the baht's weakness is partly due to exporters' reluctance to sell the dollars they earn, based on fear the baht will

keep falling as it has for the past six months.

Akapo! said the Cabinet had learned that Thai exporters re­ceive payments for goods im­mediately _upon receipt in 70 percent of al I cases, represent­ing about$ 3 billion a month in cash flow.

Exporters will be allowed to deposit the paym·ents in for­eign currency accounts at lo­cal banks only on a case-by­case basis, Akapo! said.

The government is amend­ing rules to enable the central bank to initiate prosecution of offenders, who will be subject to a maximum fine of 20,000 baht ($400) or a maximum three years in prison.

The Cabinet believes that the new rules will cause several hundred millions of dollars to begin flowing into the coun­try immediately from export­ers' accounts overseas.

The baht continued sinking Tuesday, opening at 52.50 to the U.S. dollar in domestic spot trading.

But the Stock Exchange of Thailand index, after initially dipping below Monday's close of 366.18, rose to close at 370.27 as foreign investors picked up banking, communi­cations and energy stocks that had recently declined. The

baht's slide followed Monday's news that Thailand will seek to renegotiate terms of a $17.2 billion bailout pack­age organized by the Interna­tional Monetary Fund.

Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai 's remark Monday that he co_uld not predict how far the currency would fall before stabilizing also helped drive it lower.

Thailand's flotation of the baht in July after sustained attacks by speculators unex­pectedly triggered an eco­nomic crisis across Asia.

Since Thailand signed on to the rescue plan last August, the spread of the financial cri­sis across the region has un­dercut the growth assumptions on which the IMF_ based the package ..

In particular, declining gov­ernment revenue from slow­ing economic growth means the government, despite four rounds of budget cuts, is un­likely to meet a -key condition of posting a budget surplus equal lo I percent of gross· domestic product.

Finance Minister Tarrin Nimmanahaeminda will visit Washington later this month to try to negotiate a relax­ation in the condition with the IMF.

Malaysia ·cuts entertainment allo~ances KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - With Malaysia sinking deeper into economic crisis, the government on Tuesday slashed entertainment funds for civil ser­vants, the local news agency Bem~ma reported.

Beginning this year, entertain­ment allowances for government

and police officials _will be trimmed by more than IO percent, the government said in a state­ment

This latest bid to cut spending came just days after authorities forbade Malaysia's senior civil servants to travel abroad on vaca­tions. Senior govemmentofficials

also were told recently to expect pay cuts.

Among the countries hit hard­est by Asia's continuing economic crisis, Malaysia anl).ounced a se­ries of austerity measures late last year intended to prevent further decline in the nation's currency · and stock markets.

Indonesian military dres~ed in riot gear secure debris strewn on the street following a riot by street vendors and thousands (!f others m Bandun_g, east of Jakarta, Monday. The violence, which erupted following a police cra~kdown on 1//egal_ street vending, led to p_asserbys throwing rocks and smashing· windows of ethnic­Chme~e owned businesses .. News of the d1stu_rbance. sent the Indonesian rupiah to new record tows breaking the 7,500 level agamst the U.S. dollar ,n morning trading. AP '

TIIURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998 -MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VJEWS-13

111{ protest continues By PRISCILLA CHEUNG

HONG KONG (AP) - Chicken vendors and ·politicians camped outside government offices Tues­day for a second straight day, de­manding greater compensation for poultry killed in an attack on bird flu.

About 50 protesters waved placards and shouted from be­hind police barricades as govern­ment officials entered the main government building for work.

"The government first slaugh­tered chickens, now us!" chanted the protesters, who had been there all night. "Give us back our beau­tiful chickens."

The government slaugh­tered all of Hong Kong's 1.3 million ·chickens last week because it suspected they were the source of the A H5N I in­fluenza virus that infected hu­mans for the first time last year. Sixteen people have been confirmed as having the vi­rus, including four who died.

A ban on chicki:n imports from China, possibly the origin of the virus, is in its third week.

The government proposed compensation Monday for poul­try fanners, vendors and trans­port workers hurt by the slaughter and trading ban. The package in­cludes payments of30 to 36 Hong Kong dollars (U.S. dlrs 3.85 to 4.62) foreach slain adult chicken, plus grants and loans so that the industry can -pay its workers and fixed expenses. About 50 chicken retailers, .criticizing the offer as too small, began a sit-in in the parking lot of the government

.offices Monday evening and pledged to stay until Wednesday morning. . They were joined by leaders of

the opposition Democratic Party, and later by other Hong Kong parties, including the pro-China Democratic Alliance for the Bet­terment of.Hong Kong.

About 50 chicken farmers joined them during the day Tues-day. ·

Tam Shun-wo, owner of a downtown chicken retail stall, said the proposed grants would not cover even one month of his fixed costs. He said he laid off two of his six employees and a third quit.

"We fulfilled our duty to kill our chickens for the sake of pub­lic health," Tam said. "Now it's the government's tum to fulfill its obligation to protect our liveli­hood."

The protesters said losses will mount as the ban on live chicken trading is expected to stretch through January. Farmers said it will take at least four months to restart flocks.

The Executive Council, an ap­pointed body that must approve expenditures, voted on a compen­sation package in a closed meet­ing. No details were released and it was not clear if it improved on Monday's package.

The package must be approved by the legislature's Finance Com­mittee.

Tsang Kin-shing, a Democrat

and former legislator, said pro­tests will escalate if the govern­ment does not offer more money.

Democratic Party Chairman Martin Lee held a news confer­ence to accuse Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa of failing to show leadership in handling the flu cri­sis. He also called for an indepen­d1ent commission to investigate the government response.

"It seems like the chief execu­tive has chosen to quarantine him­self," Lee said.

He said actions to ·curb the spread of flu were delayed be­cause the Hong Kong government sought approval from Beijing, and argued it should have acted on its own. He also accused the govern­ment of withholding vital infor­mation, fueling public panic.

Lee, Tsang and 17 other Demo­crats lost their seats in Hong Kong's legislature when Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule on July I. China dissolved the body because it objected to the terms of the last election.

Chicken vendors gather outside Hong Kong government office Monday demanding more compensation from the government following its decision to slaugher all chickens in the territory because of a bird flu disease. The posters read: "Government kills chic~ens and makes us jobless." AP

NORTHERN MARIANAS HOUSING CORPORATION EQUAL HOUSING

OPPORTUNITY

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS The Directors of the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation (NMHC), through its Chairman, Mr. Juan S. Tenorio, is soliciting sealed proposals from licensed companies in the Commonwealth, engaged in providing ground maintenance services. Areas to be maintained include common grounds described in Proposals Specifications which are available at the NMHC Office, anytime between the hours of 7:30 a_m through 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.

Sealed proposals, in duplicate, will be received until 10:00 a.m., January 16, 1998 at NMHC's Office in Garapan, Saipan, at which time and place all proposals will be publicly opened and read aloud. The proposal documents shall be signed by the owner or authorized representative of the firm, and shall be enclosed in an envelope which shall be sealed and clearly labeled "GROUND MAINTENANCE­SAIPAN". Companies shall be responsible for the proper placement of its finn's name, address, telephone and fax number on the outside of the proposal envelope.

A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held on Wednesday, December 18, 1997 at 10:00 a.m. at the Central Office in Garapan.

NMHC hereby notifies all proposers that it will affirmatively ensure that, in any contracts entered into pursuant to this advertisement, small business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit proposals and will not be discriminated against on grounds of race, color, religion, sex, handicapped/ disabling conditions, or national origin.

Questions or additional information may be directed to Edith C. Fejeran, Office Manager, at 234-0447 /7689/7670.

NMHC reserves the right to waive any informalities and to reject any and all proposals in the best interest of NMHC.

ls/MARYLOU S. ADA Corporate Director

Top rebels yield in Southern India HYDERABAD, India (AP) -Three top leaders of an under­ground group that wants to create a communist state sur­rendered to police in southern lndia on Tuesday.

H.J. Dora, police chief of Andhra Pradesh state, said the Peoples' War Group rebels who surrendered include S. Uppalaiah, one of the main leaders of the organization, which has been fighting po­lice to carve out a separate state for tribespeople.

The leaders apparently left the organization foll-owing caste-based discrimination, Dora said. He did not elabo­rate.

Dora told a news conference in Hyderabad, the state capi­tal. It is 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) south of New Delhi.

In November, two top guer­rillas were among the 79 rebels who surrendered to the state chief minister.

Last year, 144· rebels and 56 police officers were killed in clashes. Another 193 civil. ians were also killed.

The rebels usually target land owners, accusing them of exploiting poor farm hands.

They also often gun down policemen and government officials, whom they accuse of colluding with rich peas­ants.

Italian Prme Minister, Romano Prodi right talks to Sonia Gandhi the widow of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as Indian President KR.Narayanan second from right and Flavia Prodi/ook on in New Delhi Tuesday. Prodi is on a three-day official visit to India to improve bilateral ties. AP

The backbone of the move­ment in the northern district of Warangal has been broken,

More than 5,500 people have died in the violence in the last 17 years.

Yeltsin pos~pones his visit to India

Boris Yeltsin

MOSCOW (AP) -Russian President Boris Yeltsin has de­cided to postpone his visit to India later this month. a news service said Tuesday.

The IT AR-Tass agency quoted an unidentified Russian diplomat as saying the visit was postponed by '"mutual agree­ment" and would take place at an unspecified date later this

year. Yeltsin bad planned to visit

India on Jan. 19-20. IT AR-Tass gave no reason for the postpone­ment and there was no indica­tion that Yeltsin had suffered any new health problems.

TheForeignMinistrysaiditcould not confirm or deny the report, and Yeltsin' s press seivice declined comment when contacted bY. The Associated Press.

Yeltsin, who recently re­turned to work following a bad cold, began a two-week vaca­tion Sunday at a northern gov­ernment retreat on Lake Uzhin, where he hoped to do some ice fishing.

The 66-year-old Russian leader spent two weeks at a rest home last month. Doctors say he recovered and he was back at his Kremlin office at the end of December.

Data leaked from computer files of major Japanese bank TOKYO (AP)-A comp,my hired by a major J apancsc lxmk unit to \\Tile :1 soft wan: progr:m1 is untkr irwcstiga­tion for allegedly stealing scnsitiYc information on the b,mk · s customers. JXllice said Tuesday.

An employee with the ~of1wa11, comp,my allegedly approached a Tokyo-based mailing-list firm in November about a possible sale of the data.

But the forn, which sells informa­tion to corporations planning direct­mail carnpaih'llS, ale11ed Sakura B,mk Ltd. because the data on the bm1k's depositors were unusually detailed, said a spokesman for Sakw:1 Bank, who asked not to be identified by name.

Tokyo JXllice were questioning officials from the software comp,my to dctc1mine whether the employee stoic the data from the computer sys­tem he w:L, hired to improve, said Torn 1-londa,deputychicf of the Chuo Police Station in Tokyo.

Police investigators so fm· have

confirmed that the data included in­formation on 37 customers including thcirnamcs. addresses mid telephone nurnl~r-s. Honda said.

News t'CJX)tls, tliough, said the disk ,md other materials allegedly offe1-cd for sale covered 19 ,9(Xl Sakura Bank customers, including tl1e status of m1y Iocu,s they had taken out and details on their frm,ily budgets.

The data were taken by the soft­ware compm1y employee between Nov. 2 and 8, the Sakura spokesman said.

After learning of the security breech, Sakura Bank took action to prevent the unnamed software company from gaining access to additional customer data, the spokesman said.

Saku1:1 Info1rnation Systems Co., ,ITT affiliate oftl1e bm,k. had ,Lsked the comp,my to develop softwm-c that would speed up da~11-cuieval.

Pm-cnt company Sakrn:1 Bank is .one of Japan's IO largest commercial bm1ks.

Report: Bus drivers protest in China BEIJING (AP) - More than I SO bus drivers iii a city in China's southwestern Sichuan province have besieged their company's offices to protest an increase in their annual fees, a human rights group said Tuesday.

The drivers in Suining, some I, 170 kilometers (73 I miles) southwest of Beijing, began the demonstration late Sun­day night to protest a com­pany decision to raise fees to 17,000 yuan ($2,050) from I 0,000 yuan ($1,200), Human Rights in China said.

A local government official confirmed that the protest had occurred, but declined to pro­vide further information.

Chinese workers i ncreas­ing ly are taking to the streets to protest layoffs, unpaid wages and other troubles with

their employers, many of which are state-owned facto­ries on the verge of bank­ruptcy.

There have been many re­ports of such demonstrations from Sichuan, an inland re­gion where many now defunct factories were constructed during the Cold War as part of a national drive to move stra­tegic industries away from vulnerable coastal areas.

The Suining bus drivers are refusing to pay their company the fees they are charged for the right to drive thy buses and collect fares. Many Chi­nese taxi and bus drivers pay a flat fee to their employers and then keep whatever remains as their income.

The bus drivers staged a "park-in" in front of the bus company's offices, demand-

Bank teller Nadedzda Nikolaevna displays new Russian rubles at a Moscow bank Friday. Many Russians lost the1r savings when new rubles were introduced in 1991. AP

ing that government or com­pany officials meet to discuss a solution to the problem, the New York-based human rights group said.

As of late Monday, the buses were still parked there, it said. Several vans of police had ar­rived at the scene, but there was no violence.

The bus drivers were threat­ening to send 300 or400 buses to local government offices if their demands were not met, the group added.

Human Rights in China urged the government to seek a peacefu 1 solution to the dispute, noting that such protests are widespread.

Although such protests are ille­gal, the authorities in many cases have avoided using force to dis­perse the demonstrations, hoping to prevent an escalation of vio­lence.

JAKARTA,Indonesia(AP)-Indo­nesian and Singaporean officials agreed Tuesday to hold a mass fu­neral Jan. 19 for those killed in last month's crash of a SilkAir Boeing 737-300.

The service is to be held exactly one month after the SingaJX)re-oper­ated plane fell from the sky and hit the muddy Musi River on Sumatra Is­land half-way through a flight be­tween Jakarta and SingaJXlre.

Indonesian Minister ofTransJXlr­tation Haryanto Dhanutirto said a common grave would be prepared for the mainly unidentified remains of the 104crewmembersandpa~sen­gcrs who died in the Dec. 19 crnsh. n,ere were no survivors.

The grave and a monument to the victims would be situated in a public garden in Palembang, a city about SO kilometers (30 miles) soutl1 of the cm~h site. ·

Dh,mutino ,umounced the location m1dtimeof the funeral after a meet­ing with Singapore Communica­tions Minister Mah Bow Tan in· Palemlxmg.

j ,J .1 a ",J :1 :'i 'I ~ ·i

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998 -MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND YIEWS-15

UN appeals for N. Korea food By EDITH M. LEDERER

LONDON (AP) - The World Food Program launched the big­gest emergency operation in its 35-year history Tuesday, appeal­ing for more than $378 million to feed nearly a third of North Korea's people and avert a "hu-

. manitarian catastrophe." 'The international community

has been very them to be even more generous to prevent the present food shortage from de­veloping into a famine situation," said Catherine Bertini, executive director of the U.N. agency.

North Korea has suffered three years of devastating weather conditions. Extensive flooding in 1995 and 1996 crippled agricultural produc-

. tion, and the country was hit by severe drought last sum­mer. Little rainfall reduced the projected maize harvest last year by more than half, and tidal waves from Typhoon Winnie in August damaged the rice crop.which fell far short of domestic needs. ·

No figures on famine deaths are available.

Adults have tried many new .ways to get food - harvesting seaweed, growing vegetables on rooftops and refitting factories to make small bricks of bark or leaves.

"These are not anything that

Russia generals suspected of .corruption. may yet get amn~sty .

MOSCOW (AP) - About half of the 30 Russian generals and admi­rals facing criminal charges arc likely to receive amnesty, a top military prosecutor said Tuesday.

The .amnesty approved by parliament's lower house in De­cember would cover up to 15 of the commanders, said deputy military ProsecutorGeneral Yuri Y akovlev. Most of the commanders are sus­pected of conuption, which is con­sidered a widespread problem in the demoralized Russian military.

Yakovlcv said the amnesty ap­plies to those who have taken pa11 in cornhat operations. That would include gcncrals involved in thc I <Jl)4-lJ6 Chechen war and those who scrwd in restive regions o!'thc former Soviet Union before the Soviet hreakup at the end of 1991, the lntcrfax news agency reported.

It also would cover decorated vet­erans and those suspected of rela­tively minor offenses punishable by prison teims or tlu-ce years or less.

The amnesty would be pan or a broader measure approved by the State Duma on Dec. 24. It applies to 35,000 prison inmates who would be released by July, and about 340,000 people who have received suspended sentences for minor offenses, including traffic violations. ·

ll1e beleaguered Russian mili­tary has suffered from a Jack of funds, low morale and a military defeat in Chechnya since the So­viet breakup.

will help nutritionally, but they fill their bellies," Bertini ex­plained.

Children have fared the worst, with some showing signs of stunted physical and mental growth, she said.

U.N. experts who visited North · Korea last fall said the country needs more than I million tons of food aid this year to avert a fam­ine, she said.

Of that total food aid, the WFP must provide nearly 724,000 tons to almost 7 .5 million North Kore­ans ~ about a third of the country's 23 million people. The main recipients will be children 12 and under, the handicapped, hospital patients, pregnant women and employees in food-for-work programs.

said. Last year, the WFP's appeal

raised $141 million and pro­vided more than 360,000 tons of food to 4.7 million North Koreans. Other donations brought the total food aid to more than 990,000 tons.

"We came through last year by the skin of our teeth," she said.

The new appeal tops the I 992 record of $297 million to help 7.6 million people combat drought in l O coun­tries in southern Africa, Bertini said. It also exceeds the annual spending on crises in R·wanda, former Yugosla­via, Ethiopia and Somalia.

The argest donors have been · the United States, the Euro­pean Union, South Korea, China and Japan.

Other governments are respon­sible for getting another almost 400,000 tons of food to the ailing communist country, Bertini said.

"We recognize that this is part of a sho1t-term solution, but it is absolutely vital. in order to avert humanitarian catastrophe," she

Bertini said North Korea has agreed to let WFP operate throughout the country, which means it can now visit north­ern Ryangjang, where the fam­ine rep_ortedly is most severe.

North Korean defector Lee Ae Ran, right, holds her baby Ko Chu Huk while hugging her family member Helie Lee at the Duksu Palace in Seoul. South Korean National Security Planing Agency opened to the public nine North Korean defectors, three men and four women with two kids who defected to South in August. AP

P U B -L I. C· . N. D T . I · C . E (Amendment I 12/30/97)

TH Is IS TO INFORM ALL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS THAT THE GOVERNOR'S JTPA OFFICE IS SOLICITING ONE HUNDRED (100) APPLICANTS FOR THE YOUTH VACATION EMPLOYMENT TRAINING PROGRAM.

PRIORITY CONSIDERATION WILL BE ACCORDED TO THOSE STUDENTS BELOW

THE POVERTY INCOME GUIDELINE (ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGE). HOWEVER,

DEPENDING ON THE AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL FUNDING, THE PROGRAM MAY

ACCOMMODATE THOSE STUDENTS WHO ARE CONSIDERED HIGH INCOME TO

FULFILL THE 100 SLOTS.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION IS EXTENDED TO THURSDAY. JANUARY 0ft } '

1998. No APPLICATION WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE ESTABLISHED DATE.

ALL STUDENTS ON BLUE TRACK ARE ENCOURAGED TO VISIT THE JTPA OFFICE LOCATED DIRECTLY ACROSS CUC, OR CONTACT MRS. GINA S. WESLEY OR MR. MARTIN C. PANGELINAN AT 664-1700/4 FOR MORE' INFORMATION.

~ RESPECTFULLY,

/s/ MARTIN C. PANGELINAN JTPA Deputy Director

f.

16-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY-JANUARY 8, 1998

Clinton proposes Medicare expansion

By TERENCE HUN.T WASHINGTON (AP) - In a new bid to expand health insur­ance, President Clinton unveiled a proposal Tuesday offering Medic:m: coverage to .. some of our most vulnerable older Ameri­cans"' - an estimated 300.000 early retirees and displaced work­ers.

Republicans were skeptical but conceded the election-year plan would be popular.

1l1e administration said the plan would not solve the nation's health problems but could help a modest number of aging Ameli­cans who are more likely to have serious health needs, be denied coverage or face exorbitant in­surance prices.

"It is the right thing to do," Clinton declared.

The targeted proposal would help about 300,CXXl of the 3 mil­lion uninsured Americans be­tween the ages of 55 to 64, the administration estimated. Hefty premiums of up to $400 a month would price it out of the range of many possible recipients, offi­cials acknowledged.

"This is not a panacea in terms of being able to cover all work­ers," Labor Secretary Alexis Hem1ansaid. "Itwon'tbeevery­one because of the cost,'' said Health and Human Services Sec­retary Donna Shalala.

Republicans expressed doubts aboutputtingnew demands on a financially troubled system.

"lf your mother is on the Ti­tanic and the Titanic is sinking, the last thing on Earth you want to be preoccupied with is getting

more passengers on the Titanic," said Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas.

The plan-another ingredient in Clinton's step-by-step ap­proach to expanding heal th care after Congress' rejection of uni­versal ·coverage - would open Medi care coverage to Americans at age 62, instead of 65. They could buy into the program by paying premiums of about$3()() a month. Further, once they be­came fully eligible for Medicare, they would have to pay slightly higher out-of-pocket fees than those who didn't.

The Medicare option could particularly help women - es­pecially those with pre-existing medical problems - who were covered by their husbands' poli­cies at work but were then left without insurance when their spouses retired and joined Medi­care, Shalala said.

Clinton's proposal also would offer_ Medicare coverage to Americans as young as 55 who lost their jobs, such as through layoffs. They could buy insur­ance for about $400 a month.

Additionally, the proposal would offer. insurance to retirees whose employers had promised health benefits but then reneged. In that case, retirees would be offered the right to buy into their former em­ployers' health plans until age 65 under so-called Cobra coverage.

Clinton said his proposal was fiscally responsible because any additional costs would be paid by subscribers' premiums and a se­ries of new Medicare anti-fraud and waste proposals. Republicans · were skeptical.

President Clinton tries to introduce his new dog Buddy to first cat Socks during a meeting outside the Oval Office at the White House Tuesday. Socks didn't seem to appreciate the n·ew arrival. AP

Pre!?ident Clinton discusses budget initiatives with members of his economic team during a meeting at the Wh_1te House_ Monday. Mem~ers of the economic team from left are: Presidential Adviser Paul Bega/a; Frank Rames, cha,rman of the Office of Management and Budget; and Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles. AP

Balanced budget effects to be 'long-term' into future

By Alan Fram WASHINGTON (AP) - A de­cade-long parade of yearly federal SUll)luses, which many analysts say seems quite possible, could help hold down Americans' borrowing costs and further energize the already ster­ling economy.

But that's in the long run. Fornow, the balanced 1999 budget that Presi­dent Clinton says he will propose next month should have little notice­able impact on most people. That's because deficits have already been sharply reduced and the financial markel~, which help determine inter­est rates, have already taken that into account.

This means Clinton's announce­ment that he will propose the first balanced budget the United States has had since J 969islikelyto.havefar more political than personal signifi­cance, at least for now.

Politicians now begin an era in which they will claim credit for budget surpluses and fight over how to spend them, but average people are likely to detect little immediate effect on their Jives.

"It's an accounting phenom­enon.·· said Scott I lodge, a budget analyst at tl1e conservative Herir.;7gc Foundation. "It docsn 't mean mo~ money in tl1c pocket., of average Ame1ic,ms."

Almost everyone agrees that a bal­,mccd budget is better than one tl1at cmries big defici L,.

The more money government borrows, the Jess there is for business, driving up borrowing costs, imped­ing investment and threatening jobs.

Even liberals seem undisturbed by the prospect ofa surplus because this one is being produced mostly by surging federal revenues, not by cuts in cherished social progranis.

Thanks mostly to the steadily ro­bust economy, the record $290 bil­lion shortfall of] 992hasmeltedaway each year since, shrinking· to $23 billion for fiscal 1997, which ended Sept. 30.

Clinton said he expects the fiscal 1998 gap to be less than $22 billion, and some private analysts are betting this year will see a surplus of $30 billion or so, without any action by lawmakers.

But as far as the $8.4 trillion economy is concerned, at this point it hardly matters.

Deficits or SUll)luses in this range are already an insignificant fraction of economic activity and have little detectable effect on it

Indeed, interest rates on 30-ycar bonds s:mk to historic lows around 5.7 percent tl1is week.

Analyst, said it ww; due in pmt to tl1e budget's strnng recent pc1for­mance, which n·aders have already taken into account.

'111e mm'keL, are always looking ahead, :md interest rates me in tl1e 5 percent rJ11ge because we've seen this happening," said economist Jim

Glassman of Chase Securities Inc. in New York. "Sotheaverage guy won't see any great new development, he's already seeing it."

Of course, people would be af­fected by politicians' decisions about how to spend federal surpluses. Law­makers could use them to buy down the $5.4 nillion national debt, reduce taxes or start new spending initia­tives.

The fight over that is already under way. Both sides say they want to keep surpluses going, but Clinton is al­ready preparing spending proposals for health, education and other areas. Republicans prefer more tax cuK

House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R­Ga, wrote Clinton on Tuesday, ask­ing him to identify wasteful govern­ment pmgranis so lawmakers could balance the budget in 1999 "and, more important,providetremendous savings that can be returned to the Ame1ican taxpayer."

But even a, this battle begins, policy-makers know two storm clouds are hoveling over tl1e budget surplus scemuio.

One is tl1at the pmsperouseconomy - now in iL, seventh consecutive ye,U'of cxpm1ding-could go sour at ,my time, taking hopes of sU1pluscs with it.111e tum10il bedeviling Asia's economies is only tl1e latest example of how quickly tl1ings c.m tum.

The other is the looming retire­ment of tl1e Baby Boom ge;crntion, which begins in about a decade.

Buddy, Socks in White House spat By Mike Householder

WASHINGTON (AP)-Presi­dent Clinton tried to broker peace Tuesday at the White House be­tween bitter rivals - Buddy and Socks.

After returning from a surprise visit to the Education Department to offer 65th-birthday wishes to Secretary Richard Riley, Clinton brought his two pets together on the South Lawn of the White House for an attempt at detentc.

Socks, the cat, was waiting on the lawn as Clinton and Buddy, who rode along in the presidential limousine, slopped on the way to the Oval Office.

/\. very agitated Buddy ap­proached the cat and began bark­ing as the president restr;incd him with a green leash. Socks, hair raised high, stood his ground un­ti I Clinton and Buddy made their exit to the Oval Office.

Asked what became of the

meeting, Clinton replied: "Mak­ing progress."

There is bad blood between the White House pets. Socks was left behind when Buddy and the fam­ily vacationed in the U.S. Virgin Islands last week.

While Buddy, the pr~sident's new Labrador pup, took his maiden flight aboard Air Force One for the trip, Socks was left at home in the care of the White House usher.

I I

'

<~ .. , \ ...

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-17

Sonny Bono is m.ourned By BRENDAN RILEY

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Ca­lif. (AP) - He played the fool as part of Sonny & Cher during the . 1960s and '70s, and his very name became something of a punch line when he was first elected to Con­gress.

But Sonny Bono had gone a Jong way toward shedding his image as a bell-bottomed buffoon when he died in a skiing accident Mond.ay. He was 62.

"Sonny was becoming a much more important leader than people realize;" House Speaker l'l"ewt Gingrich said.

Bono, an avid skier, slammed into a tree while on the slopes at the Heavenly Valley Ski Resort on the Nevada-California state line, 55 miles south of Reno.

Bono was skiing with his fam­ily when his daughter fell and his wife and son stopped· to help her, officials said. Bono skied on ahead into the woods off the main trail to try out the fresh powder in an area that is not officially out of bounds but is more hazardous.

Sonny Bono

He struck a tree squarely, ripping off the bark.

He died on impact of serious head and neck injuries, officials said.

Bono - who had skied at the resort for more than 20 years -was alone at the time of the crash. His family mostly likely didn't see him when they went down the same run, said Sgt. Lance Mo~ispacher of the Douglas County Sheriff's Department.

"He was in such an area of

Arco pays $42,000 for Gingrich's trip

Newt Gingrich

By Jim Drinkard WASHINGTON (AP) - Inter­national oil giant Atlantic Richfield Co. spent $42,CXXJ to send House Speaker Newt Gingrich, his wife and two aides on a speaking nip to London last month - one of the most expensive trips disclosed so far under new rules that let special interests pay for travel for lawmak­ers.

Gingrich ,md his entourage spent five days in annual dinner. He also metwitl1Prime Minister Tony Blair and other political leaders, spoke publicly at London University and tcured the Museum of Natural His­tory, the zoo and Westminster Ab­bey.

While in London, Gingrich, R­Ga, also met privately with Aroo Chainnan Michael Bowlin, mostly as preparationforhisdinnerspeech, said Christina Martin, Gingrich's spokeswoman.

By far the biggest item on the speaker's travel tab was transporta­tion. Air fare and ground transpor­tation for Gingrich and his wife Marianne cost $20,268. Separate transportation for the two aides to­taled $3,300.

The group stayed at Claridge's, one or the city's most exclusive hotels, which Martin said was Arco'schoiceoflodging. Five days

there for the speaker and his wife cost$12,225; for each of the aides, itaveragedabout$2,500. Meals for the group totaled $947.

MartinsaidtheHouseethicscom­mitteeapprovedthetripinadvance, and defended it by saying it cost "less than a ninety-minute flight aboard Air Force One," the presi­dential jet

An Arco spokesman, Al Greenstein, said the company has sponsored the. dinner every year since 1976, seeking speakers "whose views are of interest to an audience of government and busi­ness leaders of the United King­dom" and top Arco executives.

Prior dinner speakers include former presidents Reagan, Bush and Cmter, retired Gen. Colin Powell and former Senate Majotity Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan. Only Dole and Gingrich were in office when at the time of their speeches.

Rules that took effect two years ago banned most special-interest gift giving to members of Con­gress, but left one large exception: all-expense-paid travel. The rules require only that the trips be con- . nected with a lawmaker's official duties and be disclosed within 30 days. First-class travel and luxury accommodations are allowed as "reasonable" expenses-an inter­pretation critics say is a loophole forundue influence by wealthy in­terests.

Prior to the new rules, special interests often sponsored lawmak: ers' nips, but costs and details were not disclosed.

An Associated Press analysis of 1996 records showed various interests picked up the tab for $4.6 mill ion in trips that year for members of Congress and their staffs.

treesthatyou wouldn'tseehim," Modispacher said.

Unaware he had not made it down the hill, his wife, Mary Whitaker, 6-year-old daughter Chianna and 9-year-old son Chesare, waited for him at the bottom. His wife reported him missing when the resort closed

about 4:30 p.m. His body was found about two hours after that, but his death was not made public until after midnight.

old son of the fate Robert F. Kennedy, slammed into a tree and died while playing football on skis in Aspen, Colo.

Investigators said there was no immediate evidence that drugs or alcohol were involved ..

His death came less than a week after Michael Kennedy, 39-year-

Bono evolved from playing the fall guy to his sharp-tongued wife on "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour," to a politician in

Continued on page 18

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18-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY - JANUARY 8 1998

Irm1 eyes US relations By Anwar Faruqi

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)- The "Death to America" signs have been removed from hotels in Tehran, and hard-line denouncements of the "Great Sa­tan" are being drowned out by a presidential call for a dialogue with the "great American people."

In gestures, statements and even in his Cabinet appointments, Ira­ni an President Mohammad Khatami is moving toward rap­prochement with the United States.

And despite strong resistance from hard-line religious leaders, he may be the person who can accomplish it.

Khatami wi II culminate months of careful maneuvering with a televised interview with CNN, airing Wednesday in the United States, in what Iran has billed as an address to Americans.

His intention to talk to the · people rather than the U.S. gov­ernment seems a ·clever move: It allows him to detour around anti­American Islamic hard-liners and seek a detente with Washington.

Khatami 's cal\ last month for a dialogue with the '"great Ameri­can people" is the strongest signal for possible renewal of friendship since the former allies broke ties

nearly two decades ago. The moderate cleric's landslide

election victory in May gave popu­lar support for his bid to change Iran's foreign policy, since many Iranians are tired of being cast as a pariah state by the West.

More than half oflran's 60 mil­lion people arc too young to re­member the U.S.-backed Shah who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic revolution. For them, '"Death to America," the slogan of the revolution, has little reso­nance.

The "Death to America" signs that greeted guests at Tehran ho­tels were removed a few months ago, ahead of December's major Islamic summit in Tehran. The weekly magazine Aban reported that the military has ordered sol­diers to stop burning or trampling the U.S. flag.

Although Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has continued to criticize the United States in strong terms, Khatami's comments about dia­logue have not drawn the expected onslaught from the right-wing.

Lasl year, Khatami signaled his intentions when culture and Islamic guidance. Mohajerani had come under fierce criticism three years earlier by hard-liners for

advocating direct talks with Wa~h­ington.

As a former culture minister himself, Khatami knows the im­portance of the Culture Ministry, which controls the media, in changing attitudes. Mohajerani agrees.

"l believe that cultural policies can affect Iran's foreign policy," he told The Associated Press.

Mohajerani's appointment to Khatami' s Cabinet set off furious debate in the Majlis, or parlia­ment, but he was approved along with all other ministers.

But the hard-liners are not giv­ing up, By invoking the anti­American slogans of the late revo-1 u t ionary leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, they have been trying to limit how far Khatami can go in seeking better relations with Washington.

"We are sure that in his inter­view the president will unvei I the historical crimes of the various criminal U.S. administrations and tell the American people that the United States has earned the title of 'Great Satan,"' Parliament deputy Ali ZadsarJirofti said Sun­day. . Last Friday, Khamenei also ac­cused the United States of want­ing "to build a gap between the

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in this December file photo. In gestures, in statements and even in his Cabinet appointments, Khatami has been opening the way for rapprochement. AP

(Iranian) people and Iranian lead­ers" by trying to tum Iran to the West.

But he stopped short of con­demning Khatami, probably for fear of a popular backlash. Khamenei 's role as unquestioned leader lost some luster recently

when Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a dissident but se­nior cleric, publicly asked how an un-elected official could out­rank the elected president.

Some intellectuals have begun to speak with unprecedented candor about renewing ties with the United States.

UN approves Iraqi food distribution "Wesaytl1atwedon'thaveaquar­rel with the representative of the Americans, so when we quarrel with it, we quan-el with the American people,"SadeghZibakalam,aTehran University political science profes­sor, wrote in the weekly Aban.

By Robert H. Reid UNITEDNATIONS(AP)-lraq will resume selling oil as soon as possible, Iraqi officials said Tues­day, after the United Nations ap­proved Baghdad's plan for distrib­uting humanitarian supplies pur­chased with oil revenues.

U.N. spokesman Juan-Carlos Brandt said Secretary-General Kofi Annan approved the distribution plan late Monday. Iraq stopped exports last moo th pending approval of the plan.

Thcannouncement was expected to put more pressure on world oil prices, which have been tumbling

in recent weeks. On Monday ,crude oil futures prices

slumped totheirlowestlevelsin more than two years on the New Y orl< Mercantile Ex.change. Traders were concerned that increased Iraqi pump­ing would boost already ample sup­plies. In early afternoon trading Tues­day, crude oil for February delivery

· wasup 16centsto$17.05a42-gallon barrel.

Energy futures have been retreat­ing for weeks following the Organi­zationofPetroleumExportingCoun­tries' decision to raise its daily output ceiling by nearly IO percent Many members had already been exceed-

ing their individual quotas. Moreover, Annan is expected this

month to recommend a significant increase in the amount of oil Iraq can sell under the oil-for-food progrdlll, further adding to world petroleum supplies.

Last month, the Security Council renewed the program under which Iraq can sell up to$2.14 billion worth of oil every six months to buy food and medicine.

But Iraqi refused to resume exports until the United Nations signed off on its distribution plan. Iraq's U.N. am­bassador, Nizar Hamdoon, said Baghdad expected to resume sales

Iraqis on Monday, the sixth day of the holy month of Ramadan, buy Baklava sweets from the money they saved for this month. Only the well-off can relish their baklava, the walnut-stuffed sticky sweets which for ages have been a hallmark of Ramadan in Iraq. AP

"as soon a~ pos.~ible." Iraq's oil minister, Amer

Mohammed Rasheed, said in Baghdad that exports would re­sume "a couple of days" after the plan wa~ approved.

U.N. officials said Iraq must also submit a plan for setting the price ofoil to be sold this month. In Baghdad, the official Iraqi News Agency said the pricing formula was faxed to U.N. headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

llie plan is up:Jated monthly based on world market prices. U.N.officialssaiditordinarilytakes about two days to review and en­dor.;e the monthly pricing formula, meaning Irnq could resume ex­ports by the end of the week.

Iraq ha~ been banned from freely exporting petroleum since 1990, whcnthcSccurityCouncil imposed s:mctions to punish Baghdad for invading neighboring Kuwait At the time, lmq wa~ pumping more th,m 3 million b,uTCls a day.

After a U.S.-led coalition drove thelraqisfromKuwaitin 1991,the council decided to maintain the s:mctionsuntil U.N. inspectors had certified that Irnq had destroyed all long-range missiles and weapons of ma<;S destruction.

U.N. inspectors have accused Irnq off ailing to disclose all details ofi ts illegal weapons programs and of hindering inspections.

In December 1996, the sanc­tions were eased to al low Iraq to sell limited amounts of oil to buy food and medicine for its people. U.N. monitors oversee the distri­bution to make sure the supplies are equitably distributed.

Until now, the conventional wis­dom in Inm ha~ been that Khatami can go only so far in warming up to Washington because foreign policy is Khamenci's domain.

But Khatami keeps defying con­ventional wisdom - in winning election despite opposition by ultrn­conservativcs,gcttinghisentireCabi­net approvedandl,L~t month oversee­ing a wanning of ties with Saudi Ambia after decades of icy rela­tions.

Sonny ... <::ontinued from page 1_~ demand for his GOP fund-raising speeches peppered with I lolly~ wood anecdotes.

I le w:1, elected to Congress :1, a Republican representing the Palm Springs area in 1994.

'"l11ela,tthing in thewrnid I thought 1 would be is a U.S. congrcssm,m, given all die bobcat vest,:md Eskimo boots I used to we,u-," Bono said in 1995.

Fellow Republican Rep. Jim Saxton of New Jeroey remembered Bono a~ someone who meant busi­ness. "He had to work hard justto get past the perception that he was just a funny guy," Saxton said.

"He earned respect by being a witty and wise participant in policymaking processes that often seem p6nderous to the American people," President Clinton said. "He made us laugh even as he brought his ownastuteperspectivetothe workof Congress."

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THURSDAY.JANUARY 8, 1998-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-19

Israel pullout promise sought

Israeli Prime.Minister Benjamin Netanyif!hU, left, with US envoy Dennis Ross, second left, Israeli Ambassador (o the US Eltyahu Ben Eltssar.and cabinet secretary Danny Naveh Tuesday at the beginning of a meeting m Jerusalem. In top level meetings Tuesday, US envoy Ross sought a promise from Israel to withdraw troops frqm a large area of the West Bank. AP

By Dafna Linzer JERUSALEM (AP) - A U.S. envoy sought an Israeli promise Tuesday to withdraw troops from a large chunk of the West Bank and a pledge from the Palestin­ians to fight Islamic militants.

Channel 2 TV said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu re­fused to tell envoy Dennis Ross how much of the West Bank he was willing week of moderate Foreign Minister David Levy has complicated matters.

The United States has said Levy's departure should not slow the peace process. President Clinton is to meet Netanyahu at the White House on Jan. 20 and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat two days I ater.

At the start of his meeting with Ross, Netanyahu said the talks are "part of a chain of activities the U.S.,along with lsrael and the Palestinian Authority, seek in ad­vancing the peace process."

After that meeting, Ross trav­eled to the autonomous West Bank town of Bethlehem to see Arafat.

Ross told reporters they had "good discussions."

"I am here to work ori the pro­cess, work with both sides, to try and find ways to·move forward," Ross said.

Arafat told Ross he hoped the talks would lead to further Israeli troop pullbacks, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.

"We hope that Mr. Netanyahu will not use his internal political crisis for more settlement activi­ties and confiscation of land," Erekat said. ·

Without Levy in ·the Cabinet and his five-member Gesher fac­tion in the parliamentary coali­tion, Netanyahu is extremely vul­nerable to a threatened rebellion from hardliners who oppose cede: ing any land.

At the same time, the prime minister faces pressure from mod­erates in the government to carry out the pullout. They are also threatening to bring down his coa­lition, which now rests on a mini­mal majority of 61 outof120par­liament seats.

Several dozen right-wing Israe­lis demonstrated outside Ross' hotel Tuesday, carrying signs say­ing: "Israel is not for sale."

Three trooppullbacks are called for in the Israel-PLO accords. Netanyahu reluctantly embraced the idea lastJ anuary when he with­drew from most of Hebron and commilted lo carry out the West Bank withdrawals by mid-1998.

At their summit, Clinton ex­pects Netanyahu to present plans to add at least IO percent of the WestBanklothe27percentwhcrc Palestinians now have autonomy - though Arafat's demands are far higher.

Netanyahu adviser David Bar­Illan said the premier was pre­pared to go ahead with troop pull­backs, but only if the Palestinians live up to promises to rein in Is­lamic militants, confiscate illegal weapons and reduce their secu­rity force.

"There is no question that there will be a very tight linkage with Palestinian compliance

with theirobligations underthe

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, left, and US envoy Dennis Ross shake hands at the beginning of their meeting held at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Tuesday where Ross sought a pledge from Palestinians lo fight Islamic militants. AP ·

accord," Bar-Illan told The As­sociated Press. He added that the Cabinet would decide on the scope of the pullback in the next two weeks.

The Netanyahu government's instability has generated wide­s·pread speculation in Israel that elections would be held as early as this spring. They could be forced next week, when Netanyahu faces a no-confidence

vote brought by the dovish Merctz party.

Levy, a top political rival of Netanyahu, said Sunday he was resigning because the prime min­ister had abandoned the peace process and was ignoring the prob­lems of Israel's poor.

On Monday, Netanyahu man­aged to pass the 1998 state budget in parliament despite Levy's de­fection.

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20-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS THURSDAY-JANUARY 8, 1998

Man on FBl's Most Wanted list caught IN 11-IE SUPERIOR COURTOPTIIE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN

MARIANA ISLANDS

Bank of Guam, Plain1iff. ·V·

Singeru I. Techur and Dionicia K. Techur, fka Dionicia Q. Kapileo, Defen<lanls. Cil'il Aclion No. 96-354

NOTICE QF SALE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that, pursuant lo an Order issued by lhe Court in lhis mailer on Deccmi:<r 2J. 1997, I will sell. at public auction, 10 1he highest bidder, on the tenns and condilions sci forth hereini:<low. all of lhe right, litlc, and in1ercs1 of Defendants in and lo lhe following property: real property siiuated in Koblervillc, Saipan, Commonwe.lth of the Northern Mariana Islands, designated as Lot No. 005 I 274, containing an area of 939 square melers, more or less, as more particularly dcscrii:<d on Drawing/ Cadastral Plat No. 0051 OS, the original of which was registered with the Commonwealih Recorder's Office as file no. 84-1364 on the 31st day of July, 1984. The sale is subject to such liens and encumbrances upon the property as appear of record.

Date Time ard Place of Sale. The s.1le will be held on Friday, February 13, 1998, at lhe hour of I :00 p.m .. at the law offices of White, Pierce, Mailman & Nulling, Jocten Center, Susupe. Saipan. Northern Mariana Islands. The sale will be open to the general public.

I nspcc1ion of Pmpcrty. Ii is the responsibility of the buyer to inspect the property prior to the sale. Failure to inspect the property or any portion thereof will nol constitute ground foF any claim, adjustmenl, or recession by any buyer.

Warranties and Covenants. All property listed for s.1le in this No1ice will be sold in its current condition. and at its eurrcn1 location. The sale will be held without nny warranties or covenants whatsoever. whether express or implied, including Out nol Jirni1cd to warranties of tillc, merchnntabi lily, and/or fitness for any purpcse whatsoel'cr, all of which warranties and covenants arc hereby eipressly disclaimed. Neither the undersigned nor the Plaintiff may give any wananty or col'enant. «press or implied, with n:spect to the property listed for sale in this Not ire. 1'either the urdersigned nor the Plaintiff shall be liable forthe quality of the propeny listed forsale in this 1'otice, or for any fault or defect in the description thereof. Buyers shall not be entitled to w,~·i-;sion. damages. or any other remedy on .in:ount thereof.

('ondurt of Sale. a. Rmrve. The auction sale may be held

"ith rc,crvc. The reserve price on any propeny Llffi.·rl·J for s.11t• may or may not he disclosed to hiJ.Je,:;, in 1/w sole discretion of the undersigned.

b. Riohis and du1ies of auctioneer. Consislt'nl with 1hr bws, rusroms. and usages of lhr Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana \:,l;i.nJs ~avcming auctions sales, the undcrs\gnl!J ~hall h:1n· t\'1c fo\\owing righ1s and duties in conUuctin~ the aul'lion sale: {1) to withdraw the propcny llstcJ for sak in this Notice ~fore sale or t-dorc a bid for such propen)' is accepted; (2) to Jdjourn the sak without notice al any time hcfore :my spcci1ic propeny is struck olT, without inrucring any liability whatsoeverthcrcby; and (3) to rcj«t. on oeh,lf oi the seller. any or all bids. for :inv renson.

·,. Bids. Bids may be submitted in advance ior :my or all of the propeny li~ed in this No1icc. The highc~t of such bids will automatically OC considered the opening bid for the item. Advance biJ~ may h.: submincd only in writing. signed by the hid,kr, and delivered to the law offices of White. Pk ice, ~failman & Nuuing.Joctcn Center, Susupc. Saip,n. Nonhem Mariana Islands. The bidder mumcs all risk of non-delil'ery, late ddi1cry. or mis-delivery of bids. Any person. including rhe Plainliff. may bid in person at the ;1ur1ion sail'. whether or no! such person has submitted an adl'ance bid.

d. Dispu1cs. The undersigned may resubmit any pmpt.·rty listed in this Notice if a dispute arises a5 to any bid thereon.

Enfom:mi:nt of Auction Sale. a. Dt·[).1~i1. EH:ry successful bidders shall

p,1y to the undersigned a deposit of ten percent I I U'i J of the purchase price immcdia1ely after 1he s:Jk is cDr:summateJ. Payment sh:!ll he in cash or liy rLnillcti check. The bJlance must be paid to lh·: Plaintiff. in care of White, Pierce. Mailman & :-;uttin~. within three (.1J dJVS from the date nf sale. in cash or hy crrtlfinl cheCk. If the balance is not so paid. Plaintiff will retain lhc deposit as liquiJ:.Hcd tl:1magcs. and will again offer the property for s..1\c.

o. \kmorandum of Sale. If requested by the undersigned. every successful bidder must sign :i

Memorandum of Sale. immedia1elv after lhe sale of any property is struck off i.Jl aul'iion.

e. Coun Approval Required. Every sale is subject 10 approval by lhe Court. The auc1ionecr mJkes no warrnniirs or promises wi1h respect to mun appro1;,I oilhe sale, including bul net limited to the time in which such tipprov3l mny be gran1cd No delay in the granting of court approval shall he ~round for any claim, adjustment, or rescission by any successful oiddcr. The successful bidder will be promptly notified if and when court approval is gr.rnlcd

d. Removal or Stor.iol' of Pasonal Propcny. The successful bidder shall have one (I) working day af1cr coun apprnval of the sale to remove any pcr:-<mal propcny purchased from the place of s:i\c. After 1hc cxpiralion of 1his 24-hour period, 1he successful bidder sh~II hc:irtllc entire risk of loss of or damage to such propcny. and shall he liable for :ill cxp.:mi:s cf caring for and1or storing such pmpcny

Ch:1nnr oi Tnms and Conditions. The urn.Je~j,,n('J and the Plaintiff rcser,e the ri 11 ht to ch:rngl' 7iny of the 1em1s herrof b.)' ~mnouncr;1cnt. writtrn or oral. m.tdc tx:fon: the :IU<.'lion s:1lc or at thl· rnmmcnn:mt·n1 thrn:of. and such change or di;rng~·s. t,y \irtuc of thi~ diu~l'. ~hall tit' hinJing on ;111 hiddl·n h)' cort\lructi\·e nolicl'.

By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN W ASIDNGTON (AP) -A Viet­namese man on the FBl's 10 Most Wantedlistwascapturedby policein communist Vietnam and returned to this country to face a murder charge, the FBI announced Tuesday.

Thang Thanh Nguyen, 28, a cook charged with the"execution-style" murderof an upstate New York res­taurant· owner six years ago, was arrestedDec.22inBacLieuprovince by the People's Police of Vietnam in what FBI Director Louis J. Freeh called an outstanding example of in­ternational cooperation against vio­lent crime.

Lobbyists • • • Continued from page 1

CNMI government would end up paying for it.

He added that his original pro­posal was to include the alien workers' newly born children in the medical policy to be paid by the employers.

"That way, the government doesn't end up paying for the ba­bies' medical costs," he said.

The House legal counsel has said that the bill may violate fed­eral law, a view shared by some members of the House leader­ship.-

However, the Senate legal coun­sel in a memo dated March 26, 1996, said the bill can be enacted into law provided it is drafted to avoid any equal protection prob­lems.

As passed by both houses of the Legislature, S.B. I 0-4 allows employers to deduct the cost of health insurance premiums from their alien workers, even if the deductions reduce the worker's net pay below the applicable mini­mum wage.

Under the legislation, the em­ployer will no longer be respon­sible for the following medical costs of an alien worker:

• Dental care • Pregnancy and childbirth

Open ... Continued from page 1 on Saipan.

The same thing goes with other Philippine food items when sur­veyed by the Variety.

The Consumer Counsel within the Attorney General's Office said there is currently no regulation to govern the pricing of imported commodities.

The Counsel said merchants can even put additional charges on imported items to a "sky-is-the­limit" level, "as long as the con­sumers are willing to pay the price."

But it said merchants nonnally monitor and follow each other's price levels to compete with one another.

"That is the beauty of an open market," Consumer Counsel rep­resentative Diane McDevitt said.

The CNMI's Consumer Pro­tection Law said that the "public interesl requires that consumers be protected from abuses in com­merce which deprive them of the full value and benefit of their pur­chases of goods and services."

'Toe am:st ... is an exceptional example of the benefits of coopern­tioninevery level oflawenforcement - local, s~te, national and interna­tional." Freeh said. He thanked the Viemamese government and police, U.S. ambassadors in Thailand and Viemam and local prosecutors and police in New Yark for their help.

The Vietnamese police · took Nguyen to Bangkok, Thailand, where they turned him over to a team of FBI agents. The agents escorted him to Rochester, N.Y., Tuesday.

In July 1992, Nguyen was in­dicted on a murder charge by a Mon­roe County, NY., grand jury and the

• Routine physical exam (other than required by the Nonresident Workers Act)

• Non prescription medication and drug

• Preexisting conditions at the time of recruitment

• Activities outside the scope of employment and off the premises, including barracks, of the em­ployer

In justifying its provisions, S.B. 1 0-4 states that the medical costs for the alien workers are continu­a11y increasing due to current law holding emplpyers responsible for medical related expenses of alien workers "24 hours a day ... regardless of the nature of the activity ... or the source of the illness or injury .... "

The bill states that the require­ment should only include emer­gency and acute care.

But because of this requirement, according to the bill, some em­ployers have restricted the free­dom of activities of its workers during unsupervised hours.

"The purpose of this Act is to reduce conflicts between work­ers and employers and to increase the unencumbered liberty enjoyed by the workers during non-work­ing hours," the bill states.

In her June 6, 1996 memo, how­ever, House legal counsel Maya K_ara said the bill is "fatally flawed" as it violates the Preg-

The Consumer Protection Law, however, does not mention any­thing about overpricing, or pass­ing on goods to consumers at an unacceptable price.

The law only cited as illegal the increasing of the cost of merchan­dise "which has been previously. been placed into the stream of commerce by having been offered to the public for sale at a specific price, indicated by the price tag or marking placed on the goods."

CNMI consumer laws also pro­hibit the stocking of merchandise on shelves or on display without also displaying the price of the merchandise in a location which is close to the merchandise and clearly visible to the consumer.

With regards to the imported commodities, CNMI laws merely prohibit the use of deceptive rep­resentations or designations of geographic origin in connection with goods or services.

However.the law finds it ille­gal for anyone to engage "in any act or practice which is unfair or deceptive to the consumer." It was not clear if it includes over­pricing of imported goods.

'FBI obtained a federal warrantcharg­ing him with flight to avoid prosecu­tion. Nguyen, a native of Soc Trang, Vietnam, was put on the 10 Most Wanted list Aug. 3, I 996.

Authorities charged that on Jan. 26, 1992, Nguyen and three ac­complices entered the Irondequoit, N. Y., home of Chung Lam demanding as a cook in a local restaurant owned by Chung -Lam ..

Nguyen was charged with fa. tally shooting his fonner boss in the stomach aµd the-back of the head. Authorities said Nguy en in­advertently injured one of his

nancy Discrimination Act of 1978, and allows employers to deduct medical premiums even if ft low­ers the pay to below the prevail­ing minimum wage.

Other critics of the bill noted that it would only be "fodder" to the mounting clamor in Washing­tori, D.C. to extend federal mini­mumwage and immigration laws to the CNMI for its supposedly "irresponsible" wage and irnmi-

Complex. • • Continued from page 1

with the construction as much as DPW is.

Moreover, DPW has hired a firm to oversee the management of the project.

Once DPW hands over the key for the complex to the Judiciary, De Leon Guerrero said the criti­cal issue on funding for opera­tions comes into the picture.

The judiciary needs at least seven profess,ional staff to run the complex--a building superinten­dent, an assistant building super­intendent; two electrical engi­neers, two building maintenance supervisors arid one ground main­tenance coordinator.

The ·director also underscored the need to hire 23 court marshals to supervise the security of the complex, the movement of the prisoners and the serving of penal summons.

"We could not hire these per­sonnel because we don't have the money. There is no budget for Fiscal Year 1998 ... Weareoperat­ing through continuing resolution budget," he said.

De Leon Guerrero noted that the $5.7 million 1997 budget for the courts, however, is much less than what is needed because there

ResRep ... Continued from page 1

Miller, in a letter to the CNMI's legislative leaders, said he has a continuing interest in the health and the welfare "of all those who live and work" here, and is look­ing forward to his discussion with the CNMI's officials.

Highly critical of the CNMI's immigration and labor practices, Miller has introduced legislation that would extend federal immi­gration and minimum wage laws to the islands, and end the local garment products' duty free entry to the mainland U.S.

Sources told the Variety yester-

accomplices during the robbery. Two of the accomplices were ar­rested almost immediately when one of them sought medical attention. The third accomplice was later ar­rested in Fort Worth, Texas.

The FBI said the search for Nguyen by nearly every bureau office in this country turned up a credible tip that he had fled to his homeland. The FBI legal attache in Bangkok relayed information through the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi to the People's Police in Vietnam and worked closely with· them during their hunt for and arrest of Nguyen.

gration policies. With its economy heavily de­

pendent on alien labor; such a "federal takeover" is considered "disastrous"· by most of the CNMl's business and political leaders.

Proponents of the bill, how­ever, have said tliat "if the federal government were really con­cerned, then they should pay for the alien w<1rlcers' medical costs."

is a prohibition on the continuing resolution to carry over "capital items."

With regards to the purchase of 12 Toyota Previa minivans, De Leon Guerrero explained that these vehicles are tools to opera(<: the building and for marshal ser­vice.

The vans, worth a total of $350,000, are assigned on Rota, Tinian, Family Court, Probation Office, complex staff, clerk of court, administration and marshal service.

These vans, except three, are already being used by the court for its daily operations.

The money used in buying the vans, he said, came from Judiciary's lapsed funds in 1997.

He said the vans are only tool incidental to the relocation.

De Leon Guerrero said the Judiciary's requestof$10.I mil­lion for Fiscal Year 1998 is only 3.8% of the CNMI budget.

"I'm seeking help from the Leg­islature and Governor or from any body to disseminate the informa­tion of our message of urgency to relocate to the new building," he said.

"We 're hopeful that with the correction of existing deficien­cies in the building and appropri­ate staff problems. We will be able to open," he said.

day that the U.S. Department of Defense will be paying for Miller's trip, but according to Schwalbach, the visit is a con­gressional expense.

"He will be here on official business, and it will be Congress that will (pick up 'the tab)," Schwalbach said.

"Sometimes," he added, "they enlist a U.S. military plane for these official trips, but it will still be Congress and not the (Penta­gon) paying for it."

Due to a conflict in schedule, Miller will not be able to make it in February with the rest of the Resources Committee members, and has to visit the CNMI ahead of Young, Schwalbach said.

j

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998 -MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-21

-~tftlarianas %rietr~ DEADLINE:12:00 noon the day prior to publication ____ ~ -----i

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01 ENGINEER, SALES MECHANICAL­Salary:$1,500.00-2,000.00 per month Plus $120.00 food allowance monthly 01 AIRCONDITIONING TECHNICIAN­Salary:$3.50-6.00 per hour Plus $120.00 food allowance monthly 01 ELECTRICIAN (ELECTRICAL AP­PLIANCES REPAIR)-Salary;S3.50-6.00 per hour Plus $120.00 food allowance monthly Contact: CHONG'S CORPORATION dba Chong's Corporalion Tel. 234-6560(1/20)T70116

01 SUPERVISOR, SALES (STORE)­Salary:$1,000.00-3,390.00 per month 01 TOUR OPERATIONS MANAGER­Salary:$1,000.00-3, 120.00.00 per month Contact: TASI TOURS & TRANSPOR­TATION. INC. Tel. 235-9373(1/ 22)Th70166

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_,,

.. 22-MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-THURSDAY- JANUARY 8, 1998

EEK & MEEK® by Howie Schneider 1RY!/J6 1D GET A BALAfJC:€.D

BUDGE.1. ..

PEANUTS® by Charles M. Schulz WE SHOULD CALL 0-!UCK,AND TEL..L HIM WE WERE SITTING 8'{ THE CAMPFIRE.AND WE WERE THINKING OF HIM ..

STELLA WILDER

YOUR BIRTHDAY By Stella Wilder Born today, you do not al­

ways share your opinions with the world at large, though you do know how to attract the largest, most diverse audience possible when you choose to do so. You have a charismatic, magnetic style that attracts all kinds of people into your or­bit, and you know how to say and do the right things to make sure you are the center of their attention al all times. It is as if you've turned life into the most carefully crafted of per­formances and you are always on stage. When you decide to let others know what ·s beneath the surface. you never do so in a way that could be misinter­preted.

The fact that you live your life in such a theatrical man­ner is likely to cause you a good deal of trnublc at home if you let it. Unless you arc careful lo be genuine with your loved ones, you may never enjoy trust and closeness in your personal relationships.

Also born on this date are: David Howie, singer, songwriter, musician and ac­tor; Bill Graham, concert promoter; Elvis Presley singer; Soupy Sales, come­dian.

To see what is in store for you tomorrow, find your birth­day and read the correspond­ing paragraph. Let your birth­day star be your daily guide.

FRIDAY, JAN. 9

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) - You may feel as though you are preparing for your swan song, but the fact is that you have a lot more up your sleeve.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) - A cooperative effort pays off today, but you must take care that you don't ne­glect one or two individual efforts that you must make at this time.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) - The smallest error can result in a major setback to­day. so you must take care that you don't let any details slip by without your keen at­tention.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) - You may have been trying to get together with a special friend for some time, with no luck. Today, the stars arc conspiring to help you out.

TALRUS (April 20-May 20) - It may be more dil.fi­cult than expected to arrive at the right conclusions today. hut ;1 f1·icnd will help you keep your perspective intact.

GEMINI (May 21-.Junc20J -The sooner you get down to work today. the sooner you'll complete the very things that you arc not looking forward to doing. Get them done first I

CANCER (June 21-,July 22) - It doesn't take a genius lo realize that you may be try­ing to do too much too soon. Take time to reassess your current position, and alter

HE<t, Cl-lUCK .. MARCIE AND I WERE SITTING B't' Tl-lE , CAMPFIRE, BUT WE WEREN T TI-HNKIN6 OF '{OU ..

I

plans. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -

Something may be keeping you from asking someone else for assistance today. Is it pride? Remember, pride alone won't get anything done.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -The more involved you can be in someone else's affairs today, the more likely you will appreciate what he or she is trying to accomplish. ·

LIBRA (Sept. 23-0ct. 22) - Someone may be trying to oppose you at every turn, but you know how to get around even the most unusual of ob­stacles at this time.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) - Do not let your memo­ries lead you down the wrong path today. It is important that you recall how things really were, not how you wished they were.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) - You may come in contact with one or two indi­viduals today who seem to liavc your best interests at heart. but arc actually oppo­nents in disguise.

The first battle between American and German ground forces in World War l began on June Ii, 1918, exactly 21i years before D-Day in World War IL

for a time in the Middle Ages, the crossbow was deemed inhuman. and its use in war wa·s banned.

CROSSWORD PUZZLER ACROSS

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series 11 Carrying

method 13 Individual 14 At home 15 Also 16 Baoy's

garment 18 Male child 20 - Ryan al

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state

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Hodges 58 Moved one's

eyelids 61 Roman three 63 Tantalum

symbol 64 In addition 65 Simple song 68 Affirmative 69 "-

Misbehavin"' 70 - -of-the­

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Fr. 11 Leaning

Tower of-12 - Kippur

17 Ventilate 19 Actress Long 21 Uttered a

sign of annoyance

24 24 hours 26 Perform 28 Shy 29 Female

sheep 31 Chafe 33 Lincoln's son 35 Fed. agcy. 36 Wrestling pad 38 Vehicle 39 Pecan or

almond 42 Injures 45 Household

pet 47 "- not what

you can do ... " 49 Trick 51 Powerful man 52 Oil or-54 Antiloxins 56 Prefix with

section 58 This-Out 59 Suffix 60 "--Hear

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 1998 -MARIANAS VARIETY NEWS AND VIEWS-23

Mercedes tourney kicks off By RON SIRAK

CARLSBAD,Califomia(AP)-To say that it is the beginning of the end sounds like a prophecy of doom, yet when the Mercedes Championships starts the 1998 PGA Tour season Thm,day, golf will take a big step toward the next centu1y - and 1iches undreamed of less than a decade ago.

The upcoming season is the last one before a new TV contract and three new World Golf Champion­ships push the total p1iz.e money on the PGA Tour well past the $100 million mark- three times what it was in 1988.

To say that this year will be the end of professional golf as we know it might be an overstatement- but only slightly.

Beginning in 1999, there will be more players from more different nations competing in more major championships and playing for more money than ever before.

There is a real chance that by the end of the centu1y, the best golfer in the world - whomt:ver that might be -will earn more money than a back-up shortstop in baseball.

Ai,d with the leaders of the major golf organizations moving quickly to capitalize on the unprecedented at-

Indians sign Garcia

CLEVELAND (AP) - Seeking to solve their second base dilemma, the Cleveland Indians signed free agent Carlos Garcia to $650,000, one-year contract on Tuesday.

. Garcia,30, whodroppedofftoa.220 average but played solid defense for Toronto lastseasqn, isexpected to share time with prospect Enrique Wilson. Garcia'sbestyearwas 1993withPitts­burgh, when he hit .269 with 12 hom­eis, 47 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

"Carlos Garcia gives us more depth at second base as well as being able to fill in at short and third when needed," Indians general manager John Hart said. "After a subpar 1997 season, we are looking forward to him returning to the form that made him one of the NL 's best second basemen."

The Indians have been searching for a regular second baseman since trading Carlos Baerga to the Mets in 1996. Tony Fernandez handled most of the second baoc;e duties l,L,t year, but he signed with Toronto. Late-season ac­quisition Bip Roberts signed with De­troiL

us • • • Continued from page 24 wa, a, far ahead as I was, but I'm not suiprised I won it," Rose said.

Despite her confidence, Rose's previous best perfo1111ance was a third­placing at last year's Pan Pacs in the 1500-meter event behind two com­pauiots.

Shemissedoutonkeepingabronz.e medal under Pan Pac iules prevent­ing one nation from sweeping med­als. Rose was hugged at the end of the swim by her parents Bob and Carolyn, and 12-year-old brother Brad.

"I love having them here but I won 'tsay I wouldn 'thavewon if they

tention brought to the game by Tiger Woods, the game offers the potential for staggering gmwth.

"If we are at all successful, golf will take its place as a mass sport somewhere inthenextcentwy, ''PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said.

. Woods secs expanding the popu­larity and profitability of golf as a major prut of his mission.

"I'd like lo dominate the game," Woods said. "I'd like to be able to make golf one of the core sports of Ameiica along with basketball and football."

There is no more fitting place to begin the transitional season than at the La Costa Resort ru1d Spa, since it is a key player in the changes to come.

Thirty-one players who won on the PGA Tour in 1997 are eligible to 'play at La Costa and apparently 28 will be on hand.

GregNorrnanandScottHochhave yet to reserve rooms, indicating they are skipping the evenl Bill Glasson, who had off-season surge1y, will be on hru1d- likely to pick up the Come­back Playerof the Yem Awru·d_ but will not play.

It was at the Mercedes 12 months ago that Woods started golfs incred­ible year by winning the tournament with a dramatic near hole-in-one on the first playoff hole against Tom Lehman.

This is the last year the sea,on-

Karpov Continued from page 24

prize, and $768,000 goes to the runner-up.

Karpov won Friday's opening game and Anand won Saturday's game, before the players drew Sunday and rested Monday.

Anand, 28, won the right to

Lizama ... Continued from page 24

per game. In the most steals per game, the

award went to Ric Alegre of MTC team, while the most assist per game went to Tony Diaz of the Team Budweiser-.

Most Block shots per game was awarded to Keith Gardner of Team Budweiser.

Sportsmanship Award was awarded to the CMS team.

weren't l1e1e," Rose said. Russia's dual European champion

Akatiev made the mostofhis favo1ed calm conditions. ·

Akatiev, a 1500-meter finalist in the JXlOI at the Atlanta Olympics, overtook Ausu·alian teenager Ky Hurst about 400 meters from the finish as the pair headed into a shel­tered harbor.

Akatiev finished in 55 minutes, 18.60 seconds with Hurst clocking 55:24.90 and third-placed Luca Baldini ofltaly finishing in55:37.40.

"I didn't know I had won until I touched the finishing pad," Akaticv said.

Hurst, a 17-year-old surf lifesaver more suited to a heavy swell, was

opening event will be held at La Costa. Beginning in 1999, the tour season will sla!t in Hawaii, providing the opportunity to use the time differ­ence to televise the event in piime time to much of the mainland.

La Costa is not cut out of the pic­ture, however. It will be the site of the 1999 Andersen Consulting World Match Play Chw11pionship for the lop 64 playm on Ll1e World Golf R,mkings.

Like the NEC Invitational, the World Stroke Player Championship and-beginning in 2(XX) - the World Team Championship, the World Match Play will have a purse in ex­cess of $4 million, more th,m m1y of the fou[ Grand Slm11 evenL,.

But befrne Ll1e 1999 bommza can begin, the 1998 season needs to be put into the 1ec01tl books. ll1e year sL'Uts with many inui1,>uing questions.

• Cm1 Tiger Woods maintain the pe1forrmmce and publicity levels he achieved l,Lst yem·. or will his equip­ment change from Mizuno toTitlcisl irons hu1t him as changes hu1tC01ey Pavin, Mark Brooks and Steve Suicker hL,t yem·? • Cm Dc1vid Duval become the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win four consecutive starts on the PGA Tour?

• Will the youthful rivals who rose to the competitive challenge presented by Woods continue their high level of play?

challenge Karpov, 46, for the world crown at a three-week qualifying tournament at Groningen in the Netherlands.

He beat Michael Adams of En­gland in the semifinals.

Two of the world's top play­ers, Vladimir Kramnik and GmTy Kasparov, titleholder in the breakaway Professional Chess Association, didn't participate in the tournament.

The playoffs will start on Jan. I 0, with first game 7:00 p.m. played by McDonalds versus Team Budweiser.

The winner will advance to the Championship game.

The second game of the evening will be MTC versus Country House Restaurant.

There will be no games on Janu­ary 17. which their will be a vol­leyball tournament and the cham­pionship games will start on Janu­ary 24, 25, and 31st.

racing in just his second major open water swim.

Akatiev won the 5-kilometer and 25-kilometer double at the Seville European championships last year in calm water. "When I saw him coming home I felt like deck­ing him," Hurst said. "But I'm pretty happy to finish second to someone with so much experi­ence."

Baldini, 21, was surprised by his bronze medal despite a third­placing behind Akatiev in Scvi Ile.

'Tm very happy. My physio went mad at the finish because he didn't expect such a good finish," Baldini said. "I was hoping for a top IO finish - not this."

Philadelphia 76ers center Theo Ratliff, right, fouis Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone after Malone's slam dunk Tuesday in Salt Lake City. AP

Jazz defeat 76ers AT SALT L1ke City, Greg Oste1tag blockcu 11 shots w1d Kai·\ Malone

scored 21 point> and hit four flee throws in ovc1time :L~ Ut,tl1 edged Philadelphia.

Allen Iverson banked in a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left in 1egulation to tie the score at 88, capping a fwious 21-5 nm by Philadelphia over the final 9:40 of the foutth quaiter.

Philadelphia had a 93-92 lead with 2:35 lcft in ove1timc before Malone :md Jeff Homacek were petfect on six shot, from the line. Ixnick Coleman missed a 3-pointer with three seconds left.

SuperSonics I 02, Homels 81 At Seattle, Am·on Williams had a cmeer-high 20 poinls m1d Gm-y Payton

added 18 to lead Seattle over Chm-lone. The Sonics won their sixth in a mw and for the 12th time in 13 games to improve their NBA-best record to 27-6. Vlade Divac scored a season-best 25 points and Glen Rice had 19 for Chm-latte. which beat Seattle twice la,t season. Williams, a third­yem· pro si1,JJ1ed as a nee agent duiing the preseason, came off the bench to surpass his previous NBA best of 16 point,. He shot 8-of-9 and also had eight rebounds in 25 minutes. ·

Kings 105, Clippers 89 At Sacremento, California, Corliss Williamson scored 24 points and

Michael Stew rut tied a franchise record with nine blocks as Sacramento pulled away to defeat Los Angeles.

Stew mt, a rookie center, ignited the Kings in the decisive third quarter when they broke the game open. He had a franchise record six blocks in thequaiter, helping Sacramento to a 34-16 scrning advantage.

Agas~i ... Continued from page 24

But AgtLssi looked f1esh Wednes­day to fight back for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win .

In another match delayed over­night, 1997 French Open champion Gustavo Kuetten of Brazil beat Dcnm,u-k's Kenneth Cu-lsen 7-6 (7-5), 7-5, also in the first round.

Ag:Lssi, aiming to put a dismal 1997 behind him, was ple,L,ed with his effon.

"It w;Ls certainly a much better situation for me today,·· Agassi, now ranked l !Ointheworld,said. "I knew I was in for a few problems had we had to finish last night."

Agassi, who has been a huge hit with the Adelaide crowds despite his ailing fortunes on the court, said he has been in training for the past three months to prepare for this year.

'The difficult part is getting out there and winning these matches and

convincing yourself, as well as the other players, that you expect to win," Aga,si said.

ll1e tfoec-timcGrtmd S\,m1 singles champion said his pc1fom1:mcc d1is week w,Ls cmcial to his p1eparation for the Australian Open, which stwts in Melbourne on Jan. 19.

"If I wm1t to go to Melbourne expecting great results, I'm going to have to sL'lrt here," Agassi said, "I'm not going to make predictions about whe1e in the r,mkings I'm going reach."

AgtL,si went through 1997 with­out mi A TPTourfinal appeanmce for the first time since 1986.

He said his ti me back in the world tennis nurse1y had given him a chance to reflect and he was now confident he could climb back to the top level.

"At27 l'd be shocked iflcan'tdo it - I'd be llery shocked," he said.

Elsewhere,seventhseededThomas Johansson of Sweden was bundled out of the event in a second round match Wednesday, losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to French qualifier Nicolas Escude.

..

24-MARIANAS VARIETY NE~S AND VIEWS-THURSDAY-JANUARY 8, 1998

SPORTS MVB Buffaloes Fun Run set for Jan. 31

By Priscilla T. Castro Variety News Staff

TI-IE MARIANAS Visitors Bu­reau will be coordinating the an­nual MBV Buffaloes Fun Run, which will be consisted of a I OK

f (6.2 miles) and 13.1 miles mara-0, thon on Saturday, January 31.

Both events will start at 5:30 ·· am. at the American Memorial . Parle and will head east towards

the DPS Garapan Substation, tum southandwillrunalongthescenic

beach road and back. The I OK tum around will be in

front of the Nissan Motors and the 13.1 milesmarathonwillbeattheSan Antonio Beach Park.

Trophies plus prizes will be given out to the top three male and fe­male finishers in both events.

Prizes will also be given out to the 1st place male and female fin­ishers in the 19 & under; 20-29; 30-39; 40-49; and 50 & up age division.

Registration fee will be $25. 00 that includes the awards banquet and a finishers shirt. t

Registration forms are avail­able at the Marianas Visitors Bureau office located on Beach Road San Jose, besides the ! Bowling Center.

For more information please •si

contact the MVB office and i ask for Ed Diaz or Jack Diaz at 664-3200/ I during working hours.

..:._ .....

;;Jj~~~a~r~gtll~i~~~so~'lMVP · · By Pi'lscllla T. Castro p<>int .. sysiem- due to the MTC

Variety News Staff . . .. . . arid McDohalds tie, • . . INTER COMMERCIAL. • ···: <B'ecau~ofthe.defaultgfM'fc, Baseketball League concluded against M,cDorialds' on the sec- ' its regular seaso_n las~ S_a.t1.1rday ,.~ ;,. · 011d:round. as per Intern.at1onal .. after the Country .II.ousfpre~.. ·· ··. ·Ifoles, the:. win~in'g tearn is

,i;nr;i; f i;~\r/ ' -· ·now'1ied:'withcMcDonalds,at 6· 's\: ;·.wi~:'.~ij}J~si:ap\ds{;\:.;>\\.>::,\}: ; '< : W~rc:~inf#¢r<;iat /~)igµe;1-µtes , · i'. andJeg~I~ti.o&:i11dicate's that'i(a 'teani;~efauJts"twice,Oi(will'·.be' automatically eliminated from . McDona.l1.b; _i.v:i( it\V,l!"~~d\H~c · bing'ai1 average of IO reboundii the league. pennantchamp1onsbecause·ot the . ::\.,.;<Ponlmuedon page 23

. . ~ ~· ..

Karpov takes chess lead

Anatoly Karpov

LAUSANNE,Switzerland (AP) - Defending champion Anatoly Karpov took the lead Tuesday in the FIDE World Chess Champi­onship with his second victory

over cha I knger Vis,,·:111athan Anand of India.

Russian grandmaster Karpov now leads by two and a half points to one and a half.

Karpov won with the black pieces, after failing to take ad­vantage of playing with the white pieces in a draw Sunday.

On move 12, Karpov played a novelty to neutralize Anand 's preparation.

He won a difficult endgame with opposing bishops on the 49th move, sealing his first-ever victory over the Indian with the black pieces.

The Russian will have the white pieces Wednesday as Anand tries to level the finals.

Anand, a renowned fighter, now

has just two games in which to reverse the champion's lead or

· force a tiebreaker on Friday. The winner gels a $.1,373,000

Continued on page 23

Russian teenage tennis star Anna Kournikova limbers up for a practice session in Sydney Wednesday. Kournikova will play in the Interna­tional tennis- tournament in a warm up to the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open later this month. AP

US wins 2 ~wirn golds By TONY HARPER \

PERTII, Australia (AP) - Schoolgirl Erica Rose powered the United States to two gold medals on the opening day of the world swimming championships Wednesday.

Rose, 15, from Cleveland, Ohio, was an easy victor in the women's 5-kilometer open water swimming event on a benign Indian Ocean course.

Her victory also led the U.S. to a team gold medal, added to the results of John Hanagan and Austin Ramirez in the men's event earlier. Hanagan was eighth and Ramirez I 5th behind Russian Alexei Akatiev, who took the honor of the first gold medal of the meet

Russia's. team took the silver and Italy claimed bronze. Rose left behind a crowded pack full of danger at the halfway marlc of her

first major international meet and was never troubled. She finished in 59 minutes, 23.5 seconds. Edith van Dijk of the Nether­

lands was second in one hour, 58.80 seconds with Peggy Buchse of Germany third in 1:01.05.80. .

"I knew I had a good chance and it was my _goal. It was a surprise that I

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ADELAIDE, Australia (AP) -Andre Agassi put his preparntion for this month's Australian Open into gear Wednesday when he came from behind to beat Sargis Sargsian of Armenia in a rain-halted first round match at the Australian men's hardcourt tennis tournament at Me­morial Drive.

Agassi, trying to fight his way back into the top 20, was down a set to Sargsian on Tuesday before· min stopped play. Sargsian won the first set 6-4 and led the second 3-2 as Agassi was plagued by unforced er­rors despite strong support from the capacity Adelaide crowd.

Continued on page 2'3

Sumo grand champion Takanohana, accompanied by sword bearer Takatoriki, opens arms to perform the new year's first "dohyoiri, "or a ring entering ceremony at Tokyo's Meiji Shrine Wednesday. Takanohana and his fellow grand champion Akebono showed their skills at the annual event. AP ,--~--------

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