Saipan: Island of broken dreams

In the 80s, to drive development, it swung its doors open to skilled migrant labourers.  And they came in droves to fill jobs in the service industry and garment manufacturing.  Thousands came expecting a better life…. a large number were from the Philippines.
“I even brought a jacket…,” recalled Philippine-born Rudy Francisco confessing his naïve atmospheric expectations of “being in the US”.  Or at least “close” to it.
It was supposed to be the land of promise and dreams-come-true – he shared bitter-sweetly.
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
Meeting Rudy
We met him in a ramshackle hut built on borrowed land – hidden from view behind tall foliage.  He was wearing clothes that seemed he’d been in them, unchanged, for days.  He had no running water, and no electricity.  He had no job, and no savings.
“It’s amazing how few friends you realise you have when you lose everything…,” he told us.
Rudy Francisco had been living in Saipan for over 20 years.  Like many other migrant workers, he lost his job when the economy went on a downturn after factories closed and moved to cheaper pastures in Southeast Asia. 

For 20 YEARS the abuse has flourished. 12 years ago there was bi-partisan agreement to end the abuse and extend US laws to CNMI. Then Jack Abramoff entered the picture. With the backing of Tom DeLay and the GOP he managed to protect a system where law and morality did not exist.
To underscore why HR 5550 is needed, Rep. Miller released a suppressed 2002 report analyzing the security risks to the mainland from the lack of Federal oversight on Guam and CNMI.

One Family holds the power over CNMI. And much of the rest of the Pacific rim. It is the Tan Family. A 3-29-2001 Saipan Tribune article told the story of the Families rise to power:

Thirty years since its entry into the region's business community, Tan Holdings Corporation has grown from a shipping company in 1971 to a major contributor of economic growth in the small island nations of the Western Pacific Region today. A $200-million corporation, THC has, since then diversified and now operates a myriad of business activities that include real estate, insurance, hotel, airline agent and airport service. [snip]
It opened L&T International in 1982 to bring the film distribution to another level. L&T International was established to oversee trading, cinema and family entertainment businesses, according to Dr. Tan.
Within the same year, THC invested into what is now the company's biggest business activity -- garment manufacturing. THC launched its apparel manufacturing operation on Saipan before it expanded to the Philippines, China. Cambodia, Indonesia, and Guatemala.
THC has also infused huge investment into Pohnpei and plans to expand to other island-states in the Micronesian region. It also set up an office in Japan which had grown to become one of the largest suppliers of tuna in that North Asian country. [snip]
"I believe that people who work hard to survive difficult situations will come out stronger. Difficulties give us new opportunities to be better than what we are today," says THC President Willie Tan. [snip]
THC has made major economic contributions in the West Pacific and Mr. Tan says the company is not stopping there. "We are going to do more. We will reaffirm our commitment to social responsibility. We will maintain the beautiful, clean environment where we do business."
He lays down plans to make THC the Western Pacific Region's counterpart of America's General Electric, a world-renowned company operating various businesses in different industries.
"We will expand. We will explore acquisitions, particularly in tourism and real estate development. You will hear our vision to become the most admired company in the region," he told participants to the first annual THC conference at the Hyatt Regency Saipan.