Tag Archives: Saipan Tribune

Emotional kick off to ‘Field of Heroes’ celebration

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The weeklong commemoration of the 9/11 tragedy unfurled yesterday at the CPA Airport Field with no less than the guest speaker of the “We Will Never Forget: Field of Heroes” kickoff becoming emotional as soon as he saw the more than 500 U.S. flags planted on the ground.

Duane Samiano, a war veteran and now assistant federal security director for the Transportation Security Administration, admitted he was moved as he drove through the venue.

“As we drove by the field it brings an emotional feeling to see the flags out there and what they represent,” said Samiano. “What they represent are just the individual lives of many of our family and friends, of those we don’t even know who went overseas and sacrificed not only their lives but some came back with wounds and scars that may never heal.”

Samiano mentioned that not only should the tragic incident be remembered, but also the numerous lives that were lost due to the ripple effect 9/11 had on the world.

“When we think about how many lives were lost in the 9/11 tragedy that happened back in 2001, we had nearly 3,000 people killed, those that were on the ground, those that were in the building, and those that were in the aircraft,” said Samiano. “The [succeeding] conflicts over the last 15 years that we’ve had troops overseas, we look at the lives that were lost; nearly 6,000 servicemen, nearly 7,000 injured, nearly 30,000 wounded or casualties throughout Afghanistan and Iraq, all standing on the tragedy that happened on 9/11.”

Samiano stressed that the “We Will Never Forget: Field of Heroes” event has no relation at all to politics. He said the event is to pay respect and to honor the military servicemen and first responders.

“These is not a political statement; they’re not an ideology. They’re not something we’re trying to politicize or have you think something other than to honor those that have made sacrifices.”

Sen. Sixto Igisomar (R-Saipan), for his part, said the event is a great way for the community to give back to those who are serving and sacrificing their lives in the name of freedom.

“I would say it’s a beautiful day to honor those that have fallen during 9/11 and all our heroes, all men in military, that gave their lives to defend our country and to defend the U.S. in respect to what transpired with 9/11,” he said. “It’s a very emotional day, and I even had goosebumps just coming over to see these flags.”

Igisomar is ecstatic to know that the proceeds of the event would go to the treatment of soldiers and veterans suffering from PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“Its great for me that the proceeds would be going to veterans and servicemen that are suffering with PTSD, because I have family members that are going through these emotional illnesses or troubles and it’s not that easy,” shared Igisomar. “The stress that the person gets, the stress that the family goes through, any little amount of money that we could actually give to them would really help along the way to show them that we are here still. Just to give them a chance to feel normal, to feel loved. To feel loved goes a long way.”

On-leave press secretary Ivan Blanco also shared his sentiments about the event.

“9/11 went down as an infamous date that affected a lot of lives with the U.S. and her allies, even the smaller countries that came out in support. The event is reminding the community that we still remember all those that perished all through that time and show our appreciation to all those first responders who gave their lives, those who survived but are still suffering from the effects of it, including all our men and women in arms that went off to Iraq and Afghanistan, and those that didn’t make it back.”

Cathy Attao, vice president for Corporate Affairs of Tan Holdings Corp., said she was extremely happy with the turnout for the opening ceremonies, with various representatives of numerous departments of the CNMI government attending.

Some 75 servicemen, first responders, government officials, businessmen, and community members attended the 9/11 kickoff event on Saipan.

“We had a great turnout, a great representation of all the different departments, government departments, and the private sector as well,” said Attao. “We are pretty much excited for this whole week and pretty much just want to give back to the community.“

Attao is inviting the community to join this Sunday’s culminating event at the same venue. “We really just hope the community comes out,” she said.

On Sunday, Sept. 11, “We Will Never Forget: Field of Heroes” commemoration continues with a tribute at 3pm and different departments of the government would be conducting outreach programs as well as community engagements. A freedom walk would start at 5pm, in which attendants are going to walk a lap around the CPA Airport Field.

“We Will Never Forget: Field of Heroes” commemorates the 15th anniversary of 9/11 tragedy and is hosted by Tan Siu Lin Foundation, the charitable arm of Tan Holdings. The more than 500 American flags at the Airport Field were bought and donated by businesses and individuals who want to honor the heroes of 9/11 and succeeding campaigns for freedom. There will also be simultaneous 9/11 commemorations on Tinian and Rota.

This article was originally authored by Erwin Encinares of the Saipan Tribune and published on September 7th, 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

‘Field of Heroes’ commemoration also kicks off on Tinian

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Tinian also commemorated the 15th anniversary of 9/11 with its own kickoff event for the “We Will Never Forget: Field of Heroes” last Tuesday at the island’s Fiesta Grounds.

The ceremony began with the posting of colors by the Tinian Junior Senior High School JROTC Stallion Battalion.

Karen Joy Lagunay beautifully sang both the U.S. national anthem and the CNMI anthem after being introduced by mistress of ceremonies Alexis Hofschneider, who is departmental assistant at the Office of the Mayor of Tinian and Aguiguan.

Father Rey Rosal then led the invocation after the singing of the national anthems.

Tinian Mayor Joey San Nicolas then spoke by expressing his sentiments of gratitude toward the many benefits that military servicemen and first responders—both past and present—allow civilians to enjoy. Upon hearing the moving words made by San Nicolas, the tone of the event immediately switched to a respectful one.

The “We Will Never Forget: Field of Heroes” is aimed at raising funds to finance the expenses of soldiers past and present diagnosed with the condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, in which keynote speakers Nazario San Nicolas Borja and director Juan E. Santos expounded on during the opening ceremonies.

The opening ceremonies came to a close with Sen. Jude Hofschneider (R-Saipan) providing words of gratitude toward the attendees, the sponsors, and the Tan Siu Lin Foundation, which thought of and executed the idea of honoring the servicemen and first responders current, past, and most importantly, those who made the ultimate sacrifice in America’s campaign for freedom.

Aside from local leaders and community members, businessmen like Bridge Investment Group executive director Phillip Mendiola-Long and Tan Holdings president and COO Jerry Tan also attended the kickoff event. The TSL Foundation is the charitable arm of Tan Holdings.

This article was originally authored by Erwin Encinares of the Saipan Tribune and published on September 8th, 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

Hotel executives are new MVA board members

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Three executives from three of the biggest hotels on Saipan were elected as new directors of the Marianas Visitors Authority board in yesterday’s election held during the tourism group’s general membership meeting at the Royal Taga Hall of the Saipan World Resort in Susupe.

Nick Nishikawa and Gloria Cavanagh, the general managers of Hyatt Regency Saipan and the Mariana Resort & Spa, respectively, and Vicky Benavente were voted by their peers, while Jerry Tan was reelected to another four-year term.

Nishikawa and Tan were elected in absentia as they were attending to prior commitments. A total of 109 members cast their votes, choosing from 14 candidates that were nominated to fill in the four director posts.

Cavanagh brings with her 23 years of experience in the tourism industry and has been working on Saipan since 2011. She said that being elected to the MVA board is a great honor and she accepts the responsibility entrusted to her by her peers.

“I will make sure I will not disappoint those who entrusted to me the responsibility of serving on the MVA board,” said Cavanagh, who is in her final year as Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands president.

She said having a HANMI member serving on the MVA board is something that HANMI has been lobbying for quite sometime. “HANMI fought very hard and lobbied to get a position from the board. Now, we have three from the hotels.”

Cavanagh added the she’s looking forward to do her share in promoting the CNMI especially with a lot of developments happening. “Arrivals are up and there are a lot of unique sites that we can promote to various markets. We can compete with other tourist destinations around us.”

Benavente is making her return to MVA after serving as its managing director more than 10 years ago. She is also the Marianas Tourism Education Council chair and is currently working as an executive administrative assistant to Pacific Islands Club general manager Hiro Sugie.

“I’m here to help guide the MVA especially in its international marketing efforts. I bring with me 30 years of experience working in the tourism industry,” said Benavente, who added that she wanted to emphasize in promoting cultural and environmental awareness.

“Seeing the indigenous culture, watching the native dances, and experiencing what our islands has to offer is what we want our tourists to see. This is part of our destination enhancement.”

“We should also teach our children to embrace other cultures. We are friendly people and we are known for our island hospitality,” Benavente said.

Michael Demapan, Kazusuke Fukuju, Wendi Herring, Paula Monk, Chris Nelson, James Nelson, Elitza Stoilova, Edwin Sze, Dennis Yoshimoto, and Alex Youn were the other nominees.

This article was originally authored by Jon Perez of the Saipan Tribune and published on June 24th, 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

MTEC welcomes new board member

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Kanoa Resort general manager Wendi Herring has joined the Marianas Tourism Education Council Board of Directors, voted in at the organization’s board meeting on June 15, 2016. Herring was a founding board member of MTEC in 2002 as a then-representative of Pacific Islands Club Saipan.

“I’ve been MTEC’s biggest fan on Facebook since I got back on Saipan,” said Herring.

“I’m excited to be back on the board and am looking forward to our work ahead.”

MTEC chair Vicky Benavente also reported at the meeting that MTEC netted $12,000 from the Governor’s Tourism Cup held last month at Laolao Bay Golf Resort.

“The NMI’s tourism industry can continue to grow and flourish, but only with the collaboration from our community and stakeholders. In celebration of the Marianas Visitors Authority’s 40th anniversary, the government and the private sector teamed up to coordinate a successful fundraiser for the MTEC, said Benavente. “With these funds, MTEC is able to continue the education outreach to the schools, focusing on the theme, “Tourism Is Everybody’s Business.”

The board also voted to offer the first MTEC scholarship to two graduating high school seniors in the amounts of $1,000 and $500. Scholarship criteria are being developed and will be announced within the next several weeks.

MTEC is a non-profit organization aimed at educating the public on the tourism industry and its importance to the community. MTEC is administered by a Board of directors, including Christopher A. Concepcion and Martin Duenas (MVA), Jonas Barcinas and Naomi Nishimura (CNMI Public School System), Larry Lee (MTEC), James Nelson (Sorenson Media Broadcasting), Gordon Marciano (Pacific Development, Inc.), and Shamika Ratwatte (Ernst & Young). (PR)

This article was originally authored by Press Release of the Saipan Tribune and published on June 23rd, 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

Team Building Seminar

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On March 19, SBU’s from JP Center (such as Saipan Tribune, L&T, Century Insurance, Century Travel, RMS) and TSL Plaza, participated in a half day team building seminar. This event was the start of a quarterly employee development program that will provide training for each individual and/or department. A total of 72 attendees were present at the day of the event. Registration started promptly at 8 am with a majority of attendees present and ready to begin. Senior Vice President Eli Arago, gave a wonderful welcome speech at the start and the seminar began with a team building presentation given by the HR Officer, followed by a self-evaluation that allowed each attendee to distinguish where they stand on a personal and goal oriented level. There were 2 activities that were simultaneously occurring. The first event was called Mine Field; this exercise gave coworkers a chance to work on their relationships and trust issues, which is why they were paired into teams. This activity allowed team members to trust their partner’s directions and taught them to communicate in a more effective way. The second event, called The Big Picture, taught participants how to work in a team, all while getting everyone to understand that each person working on their own part contributes to an overall group result. Everyone also had the chance to learn about what makes a great team member/player through Jerry Tan (Tan Holdings President), who came in and encouraged each individual to develop their potential and utilize the tools that are available to them. An evaluation of the event was conducted as the seminar came to a close. Overall, the feedback received was positive with requests for more activities, like this, to be planned regularly.

Tan Holdings outlasts Joeten in finale

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Tan Holdings survived a scare from Joeten to win the title deciding Game 3, 86-80, of their championship showdown in the 2nd JP World Corp. Customer Appreciation Basketball League last Friday night at the Gillette Multipurpose Gymnasium.

Tan Holdings squandered an 18-point lead in the third quarter and had to ride on the steady hands of Elmer Esdrelon from the foul line and R.J. Nonato’s clutch baskets in the homestretch to finally wrap up the short series and endure a gallant stand from Joeten.

Esdrelon knocked in six free throws in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, while Nonato hit two field goals with his first one dousing cold water to Joeten’s fiery run and the second moving Tan Holdings closer to the Promised Land.

Joeten, who once stared a 40-58 deficit midway in the third canto, managed to grab the upper hand twice in the fourth, 70-69, and 73-72.

A short jumper from Nonato brought the lead back to Tan Holdings, 74-73, 2:25 left on the clock, and a layup from Esdrelon made it a 76-73 advantage, entering the final two minutes of the match.

Joeten sued for time, but failed to produce a basket. It then got another chance when Sid Quan picked Matt Duenas’ pocket near midcourt and sprinted to their frontcourt, however the former missed the easy layup that could have cut the deficit to one. Earlier in the fourth, Quan, Dixon Kwon, and Alex Lauron muffed several point-blanked shots that could have changed Joeten’s fortunes.

After Quan’s sorry miss, Esdrelon was fouled on his way to the basket and had a split. Another Joeten missed on the other end returned possession to Tan Holdings and Nonato rose to the occasion with an and-1 basket off a spin move from the right baseline for their 80-73 lead, down to the last 42.7 seconds of the match.

Quan had a split and Lauron nailed back-to-back layups, hoping to anchor Joeten’s final push, but Tan Holdings kept its safe distance as its finals foe decided to commit preemptive fouls to stop the clock. Esdrelon drilled those important free throws, going 5-for-6 in his last three trips from the stripe, while Jarett Matsutaro added one charity. Joeten also got its last 2 markers from the foul line off Ferdie Tobias’ 2-for-3 performance from the charity lane to peg the final score.

Nonato top-scored in Tan Holdings’ title-clinching win with his 25 points, while Esdrelon and Duenas contributed 23 and 21, respectively. Lauron had 24 for Joeten, while Kwon still finished with 22 despite being hounded all night by Tan Holdings defenders.

Duenas, who fouled out in the third quarter of their Game 2 loss, made his presence felt early in Game 3, scoring 9 points to lift Tan Holdings to a 22-19 lead after the first canto. Tan Holdings’ advantage then ballooned to as much as 12 in the first half, 32-20, after Esdrelon’s triple capped a 10-1 scoring run in the first five minutes of the second period.

However, Joeten battled back, moving within one at the break, 38-39, as it finished the last five minutes of the first half with an 18-6 spurt behind the combined 12 points of Kwon and Athan Taisague.

After slowing down late in the second quarter, Tan Holdings opened the third with a 19-2 run to established the biggest lead in Game 3. Duenas led the breakaway, firing 10 points, while Nonato added 7.

However, Joeten refused to give up and threatened Tan Holdings in the fourth quarter before running out of guns in the end.

Tan Holdings 86—Nonato 25, Esdrelon 23, Duenas 21, Matsutaro 9, Pablo 6, Rivera 2.

Joeten 80—Lauron 24, Kwon 22, Quan 12, Taisague 11, Sambile 4, Tobias 5, Benghit 2.

This article was originally authored by Roselyn Monroyo of the Saipan Tribune and published on January 25, 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

Tan, White head Mini Games committees

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Preparations for the CNMI’s hosting of the 2021 Pacific Mini Games are moving forward as two sports officials were named to lead key committees.

Northern Mariana Islands Football Association and Northern Marianas Badminton Association president Jerry Tan was elected chair of the 2021 Pacific Mini Games Oversight Committee, while Northern Marianas Sports Association head Michael White was selected to lead the Organizing Committee of the Games.

Tan, who is also the president of Tan Holdings, and White were named to the crucial positions following the organizational meeting of the Oversight Committee last Jan. 13 at the Governor’s Office in Capital Hill. Joining Tan on the committee after being appointed by the late Gov. Eloy Inos were special assistant to the Governor for the Office of Management and Budget Virginia Villagomez, Department Public Works secretary James Ada, and Bank of Guam vice president, and manager Merced Tomokane. Completing the group are White, NMSA vice president Kurt Barnes and secretary general Rose Igitol, who were appointed by the Commonwealth’s governing sports body, and Pacific Games Council president Vidhya Lakhan.

The Oversight Committee, according to a press release from NMSA, will oversee the good governance, accountability, and transparency of the Organizing Committee for the 2021 Pacific Mini Games, which will be held on Saipan. The group will also receive reports from the Organizing Committee and brief the stakeholders of the Games, including the governor. The Oversight Committee, which was formed in October 2015, will meet again in April this year to get updates about the preparation for the Mini Games.

As for the Organizing Committee, the Oversight Committee has already reviewed and approved the organizational chart of the Mini Games and White said the NMSA board is looking for individuals who will chair various committees.

“The NMSA Board is meeting this evening (yesterday). I intend to ask the Board for permission to solicit expressions of interest from people interested in chairing committees. When these are received, I will suggest committee chairs for the Board’s consideration,” White said in an email to Saipan Tribune yesterday.

The 2021 Mini Games, which will be played for two weeks in June, will feature 12 sports, namely: wrestling, weightlifting, triathlon, swimming, sailing, baseball, va’a (canoe racing), volleyball (beach and indoor), badminton, athletics, golf, and tennis.

The Mini Games will come to Saipan for the first time after the CNMI won the hosting rights in 2014. Vanuatu will host the 2017 competition after beating the Commonwealth in the second round of selection.

This article was originally authored by Roselyn Monroyo of the Saipan Tribune and published on January 21, 2016. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

Fiesta treats man’amko to Thanksgiving lunch

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By Dennis B. Chan |Posted on November 24, 2015

As part of their yearly community service to the elderly, Fiesta Resort and Spa Saipan treated dozens of the man’amko yesterday to a Thanksgiving lunch to start the holidays.

This is their seventh year of hosting the lunch. Entertainment and raffle prizes were also provided yesterday at the Hibiscus Hall of Fiesta Resort.

Abner Acosta, general manager of the resort, said this is the hotel’s way of giving back to the elderly.

“Just to remember them,” Acosta told Saipan Tribune. “They are always in our hearts and prayers as a community.”

“This is just one of our yearly activities and personally I look forward to this because I get to see them every year,” he added.

Marie Salinas, one of the many man’amko at the lunch yesterday, said the event was a “surprise” for her.

“They woke me up to bring me over here,” she said. “Today is also my birthday. It’s like celebrating my birthday.”

Salinas and another man’amko, Jess Pangelinan, said they are thankful for the luncheon for this seventh consecutive year.

What else are they thankful for this holiday season?

“We are thankful to the Lord,” Pangelinan said. “We had a typhoon but nobody was killed. We are very thankful for that. We are very thankful for the federal government coming in and helping and giving us all kinds of assistance.”

Salinas also noted that this was the man’amko’s first get-together since the storm in August as the Aging Center has been closed.

“We haven’t talked to each other. We haven’t seen each other,” she said.

“We miss each other,” added Pangelinan.

“This is like an emotional get-together now,” Salinas noted. “Any occasion we get to see other is a happy occasion.”

This article was originally authored by Dennis B. Chan of the Saipan Tribune and published on November 24th 2015. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.

TOC receives $5K donation from Tan Holdings

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By Contributing Author|Posted on July 28, 2015

As part of its commitment to support projects that benefit the community and that promote the CNMI as a premier destination, Tan Holdings has announced that it has donated in-kind support and cash totaling $5,000 to the Tournament of Champions golf tournament, which will be held this weekend on Aug. 1 and 2.

“Many local community projects, including those that are now enjoyed by residents and tourists alike, were made possible by funds raised from the Tournament of Champions,” said David Sablan of Tan Holdings. “We are happy to be a part of the event’s 20th anniversary this year!”

“The Tan Holdings has been a longtime support of the Tournament of Champions,” said Ben Babauta, tournament director. “We applaud the company for its generosity and its commitment to supporting the community.”
The 20th Annual Tournament of Champions will be played at the LaoLao Bay Golf and Resort’s east and west courses on Aug. 1 and 2. The two-day event is bigger and better than ever with exciting hole-in-one prizes and the chance to win thousands of dollars in possible prizes. The TOC tournament fee is $200.

First place winners in the Men’s Championship, A, B, C, Senior, and Super Senior flights will each receive $500 cash, $400 for second, $300 for third, a digital camera for fourth, and $100 DFS gift certificate for fifth place. The Ladies Low Gross champion will receive $500, $400 for second, and $300 for third place. The first, second, and third place winners of the Ladies Low Net will receive a trophy.

There will be hundreds of thousands worth of prizes that will be at stake in the two-day tournament, including hole-in-one prizes that include brand new vehicles donated by Atkins Kroll Toyota, Joeten Motors, Triple J Motors, and Club C. Pacifica Insurance and Club C are also sponsoring cash prizes as hole-in-one prizes, while Saipan Laolao Golf & Resort is also offering one year of free golf as another hole-in-one prize. Delta Air Lines and Asiana Airlines are also offering airline tickets as hole-in-one prizes.

The tournament will also be featuring $1,000 cash prize for closest to pin competition with a 25-year-old bottle of Chivas Regal.

Since its inception, TOC has given over $700,000 to the Saipan Beautification Fund which has gone directly to improvements like the tree-lined traffic medians that stretch from Garapan to the former Palm Resort Saipan, as well as the revitalization of the Garapan special district. In addition, TOC also contributed funds for the Paseo de Marianas, the lighting of the Saipan Beach Pathway, and most recently the beautification of the Port to Park pathway.

This article was originally authored by Contributing Author of the Saipan Tribune and published on July 28th, 2015. All rights, recognition and acknowledgment are belong to the author and the Saipan Tribune.