This summer, Tan Holdings Corporate Affairs, sent out applications for an internship program for Tan Holdings employee’s kids between the ages of 16-18. This is the pilot year for this program and it began with a partnership with Kanoa Resort. Kanoa’s General Manager Wendi Herring, and Director of Operations Glenn Policare, warmly welcomed the program and created a curriculum that would provide a diverse amount of exposure for the students. This included five departments within Kanoa Resort; Food and Beverage, Front Office, Sports and Recreation, Engineering and Housekeeping.

On July 14, the students came in for an interview with Glenn and Corporate Affairs Program Specialist Eunice Angeles. The interview process was a first for most of the students. Every Monday, the students came in for personal development training with both Eunice and Tan Holdings Corporate Affairs Vice President, Catherine Attao. From Tuesdays to Fridays, the students were at Kanoa Resort to report for duty. Under the guidance and supervision of Ruth Anne Bagne, Ricardo Cruz Jr., Mario Domingo, Ribedindo Pablo, Arthur Saw, Danny Dela Cruz, Roy Tan, Darrel Roligat and Matthew Duenas, the students were able to train, work and learn the specific tasks that each department implements daily. Their daily tasks varied by department as well as their working hours. This taught the interns about flexibility and time management.

The Interns also had the opportunity to volunteer for the JP Walk/Run that took place last July 30th. Volunteer work is highly valued at Tan Holdings and providing this opportunity for the interns was a priority of the Corporate Affairs. The internship program culminated with a graduation ceremony that celebrated at Kanoa Resort’s Latte Stone Conference Room with the interns’ family and friends. During her speech, program participant April Catagatan, expressed her gratitude for a program that not only taught her practical work lessons, but life lessons which she can apply towards a brighter future.

Next summer, Tan Holdings aims to broaden the scope of the internship by providing new opportunities for more individuals and SBU’s to participate in.

Last June 11, Fiesta Resort and Spa Saipan took part in a clean up operation along the shores of Makaka Beach. The team collected 20 bags of trash and debris weighing approximately 220 pounds. This is their 3rd clean-up day for this year.

Glenn Policare is the new director of operations at Kanoa Resort Saipan. With 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry and appointed with managerial roles at Pacific Islands Club and Saipan World Resort, Glenn is equipped with right skills and expertise to fulfill the new position.
Wendi Herring, general manager of Kanoa Resort, comments on Glenn’s appointment: “He possesses the skills, dedication and dynamic work ethic required to be successful in this industry and will quickly prove himself to be an asset to our team.”

As director of operations, Glenn is tasked to ensure that everyday activities run smoothly and adheres to excellent service standards. He will focus on Kanoa’s Room Division, Food and Beverage, Sports and Recreation departments. Glenn is also responsible for the further development of the skills and talents of the hotel’s workforce.

Tan Holdings SBU’s participated in the 7 Habit s of Highly Effective People program. The team members were taught of professional practices which increases productivity, restores balance, and develops greater maturity and responsibility in any situation at hand.

The workshop has educated our team members on the following key actions:

• Focus and act on what can be controlled and influenced, instead of what can’t.
• Define clear measures of success and create a plan to achieve them for both life and work.
• Prioritize and achieve the most important goals instead of constantly reacting to urgencies.
• Develop innovative solutions that leverage diversity and satisfy all key stakeholders.
• Collaborate more effectively with others by building high-trust relationships of mutual benefit.
• Overall, attendees will learn the essentials of personal effectiveness that will help them take responsibility, recognize and seize opportunities, solve problems, and achieve better results.

2016 Saipan Marathon– 24 Fiesta volunteers showed their spirit of volunteerism during the Saipan Marathon competition held on April 16. Our Water/Aid station was the 10K turn around.
Half Marathon Men 60+ age: Das Krishnan ranked #6
10K : 40-49 age Emma Bacus #15;
10K : 50-59 age Alfred Capacio 50-59+ age #7;Aurelio Cayabyab #8; Edgar Casing #5
10K : 60+ age Evaristo Estabillo #9
10K : 30-39 age Nimade Suweni #8

Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan has become the first hotel on island to have a taste of IT&E’s faster connection using the underground fiber optic cable that they are currently installing around the island.

Tan Holdings and IT&E executives marked the significant event in a ceremonial ribbon cutting yesterday.

A commemorative plaque was also presented to Tan Holdings president Jerry Tan for Fiesta Resort being “the first commercial user of fiber optic technology in the CNMI.”

With the introduction of this technology, higher speed Internet can be experienced by patrons of the hotel.

“We’re very happy we’re the first one on Saipan,” Fiesta Resort general manager Abner Acosta said.

“We chose Fiesta because they were ready first. They’ve been a good customer of ours for a very long time,” IT&E chief operating officer John Compton said, “It happened rather naturally actually, they needed it and about the time that we were finishing our work going by the hotel, it was relatively easy for us to do it.”

“They were very agreeable, very cooperative because there are some work that we have to do inside the hotel to connect everything together,” Compton said.

10 times faster

Compton said, compared to the copper DSL that they currently have which has a physical limit of 10 megabytes per second, the fiber optic cable lines can handle up to 1 gigabyte per second or 1,000 mbps.

Acosta described their updated connection as “10 times faster than the regular digital subscriber line.”

“We’ve had it for four days and you can really see the difference,” Acosta said, “I’m sure our guests are very happy with this development.”

Acosta said many of the tourists on Saipan are disappointed with the kind of connection speed that we have on island.

“That has come up with our surveys with guests, one of the disappointments—not only here but around Saipan—is slow Internet,” Acosta said.

For Tan, having this technology is not only an upgrade that is beneficial to Fiesta Resort but to the whole CNMI as a destination.

“The main reason is really for the experience of our guests,” Tan said. “Their home country and everywhere they go, in other destinations, high-speed Internet is a must.”

“That’s what they expect because high-speed Internet is what they get,” he added.

Tan said it is important not to disappoint tourists and continue the same speed that they enjoy back home. He also noted that communication is a big part of traveling nowadays.

“It’s really about us as a destination. Eventually in other hotels, restaurants, everywhere tourists will enjoy the same high-speed experience that they experience everyday in their lives so we can make sure that they really are happy tourists when they come here,” Tan said.

Connecting everyone

This project being undertaken by IT&E is expected to spread out through the entire island as well as to Tinian and Rota within a five-year timeline.

“We are building an island- wide fiber optic cable network that will eventually replace our copper network,” Compton said.

“Eventually this is going to cover the whole island and Tinian and Rota as well,” he added.

IT&E currently has three crews working seven days a week on various locations on Saipan to install the fiber optic cables.

According to Compton, it will take them “no more than two weeks” to connect another establishment to their fiber optic.

Compton added that not only commercial establishments will get to enjoy the high-speed connectivity of their cable but residents as well.

“They will eventually, we don’t have the equipment for residences yet, its coming, but yes it will absolutely improve the residences,” Compton said.

This article was originally authored by Frauleine S. Villanueva-Dizon of the Saipan Tribune and published on April 15th 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

The Saipan Tribune became a primary sponsor of Saipan Cares for Animals donating a $500 check yesterday that would support the volunteer group’s various programs.

“We are so thankful to the Tribune for all they have done for us,” said SCfA’s Jason Hudy. “For almost a year now the Tribune has always made space in their paper to run stories about our animal efforts.”

“I have no doubt that countless dogs and cats have found new and loving homes specifically because people read about it in the Tribune. And now, they help us out with a monetary donation as well.

Hudy added they would use the money to buy medical supplies for the dogs and cats at the shelter.

The Animal Shelter, which is under the Saipan Mayor’s Office of Mayor David M. Apatang, is temporarily using the Department of Lands and Natural Resources’ quarantine facility in As Perdido.

The shelter and the SCfA volunteers moved there after the facility at Lower Base had to close down last March 31 due to the extensive damage it incurred in Typhoon Soudelor.

For more information, visit SaipanCaresforAnimals.com or their Facebook Fan Page Saipan Cares for Animals to learn more about the group’s efforts, or to inquire about adopting a dog or cat or volunteering with the animals.

“Volunteers are always welcome, and the new shelter area is a beautiful place to take a dog for a walk” said Beth Pliscou, newly elected president of Saipan Cares for Animals. “And thank you to the Tribune for all their support.”

This article was originally authored by Press Release of the Saipan Tribune and published on April 14th 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

16 Fiesta volunteers were kept busy by ‘Olympiads’ and ‘Iron Man ‘runners during the Tagaman competition on March 5. Our Water/Aid station was the 10K turnaround for the 0lympiads.

Officials from Philippine Airlines and PAL Express held a courtesy meeting this morning (March 4, 2016) with executives of Tan Holdings Corp. and its subsidiary Century Travel, Inc. The meeting was held at the World Café of the Fiesta Resort and Spa Saipan. PAL officials presented Jerry Tan, President of Tan Holdings Corp with a model aircraft symbolic of the scheduled launch of PAL direct flights from Manila to Saipan starting June 15, 2016. Century Travel was commissioned by PAL as its General Services Agent (GSA). Another tan Holdings company, POI Aviation was also tapped to handle all of PAL’s ground handling requirements. From left: David Sablan, President, Century Travel, Inc.; Cathy Cepeda, Operations Manager, Century Travel, Inc.; Eli Arago – Philippine Consul to the CNMI and concurrent Tan Holdings Senior Vice-President; David Lim SVP, Commercial Group for PAL; Jerry Tan, President Tan Holdings Corp.; Bonifacio Sam, President, PAL Express; Ivan Quichocho, VP Tan Holdings Corp., and Rabbi Vincent Ang, AVP Commercial and Business Devt. for PAL Express.

Nine members of the Pacific Century Fellows inaugural class of 2014 and 38 employees of Fiesta Resort & Spa took to the streets of Garapan this past Saturday, February 27, and collected 26 bags of trash and debris weighing approximately 150 pounds. The Saturday clean up marks the first highway cleanup day for Fiesta Resort & Spa this year. The hotel has adopted the 1-mile stretch along Beach Road from the Fire Department to Angaha Road in 2013 as part of its commitment to help keep the CNMI clean and beautiful. The clean ups are held on a monthly basis