July 3, 2014

July 1st Briefs



BRIEFS
July 1, 2014

Luncheon Held By Yap HPO

COLONIA, Yap (Civic Affairs) — On Wednesday, June 25, 2014, a late luncheon was held at the Nungoch recreational area by the Yap State Historic Preservation Office (Yap HPO) and Mangyol Stone Money Bank Nomination Advisory Council. The event was in celebration of several occasions.

The main draw was in acknowledgement of the nomination of the Mangyol Stone Money Bank. The Mangyol site is a part of a trans-boundary nomination with Palau for consideration as a World Heritage site.

The other reasons for the luncheon was to congratulate the organizing groups for the UNESCO workshop and MCES held earlier in the year, as well as to recognize the youths that assisted in the endeavors and the youth delegation to be sent to Guam for the Pacific Heritage Youth Summit in mid-July.

With Yap HPO's John Runman acting as MC, the luncheon began with a flurry of remarks from noted speakers, including Stan Kensof—Coordinator for the UNESCO workshop, Peter Rebeuluch—Chief of Youth Services, and Francis Reg—Yap State Historic Preservation Officer, as well as remarks from the honorable chiefs present for the event—Gagil Chief Francis Fithingmow on behalf of the Council, and Peter Ruechugrad on behalf of the Tomil Chiefs, Steven Mar and John Kadannged .

After the remarks and thanksgiving, the late lunch was served a little after 2:30 PM.

Early Registration For Fall 2014 Semester

PALIKIR, FSM (COM-FSM News) — College-wide early registration for Fall 2014 semester will begin on July 7-11, 2014. For online registration, period one will be from July 7-11, 2014, and deadline for paying the registration fee, July 25, 2014 after which Business Office will run the registration purge for those who are not able to pay the registration fee after the deadline.

In the past, early registration was given as an option exclusively to continuing students; however, this option is now extended to include returning students.  Although we now have (a) online, (b) face-to-face and assisted, and (c) mixed online and face-to-face registration modes, returning students will have to register, face-to-face, as they may not be eligible to registering online or mixed online and face-to-face.

First-time in college students (new) will register during the dates set for them to register.

A quick guide to registering online, face-to-face (assisted or traditional), and mixed online and face-to-face registration is available from: http://www.comfsm.fm/dcr/misc/onlineregistrationandgradesubmissiononline.pdf

Available sections are accessible by the public through this URL: http://www.comfsm.fm/?q=available-sections

For more information contact the Admission office at (691) 320-2480 Ext. 171/172

FSM Coconut Development Authority's Functions Now Repose Under FSM PetroCorp

PALIKIR, FSM (FSMIS, June 30, 2014) — On June 16, Federated States of Micronesia President Manny Mori signed into law a bill that dissolves the FSM Coconut Development Authority (CDA) and reposes the CDA's responsibilities under the FSM Petroleum Corporation.

In a brief signing message to Congress, President Mori emphasized, "...the intention of the Act is dissolve the FSM Coconut Development Authority and assign its essential function and responsibility to the FSM Petroleum Corporation. The FSM Petroleum Corporation will assume the assets of the dissolved government agency and utilize the assets to develop the coconut industry".

The President expressed appreciation to Congress for its "favorable action" in passing the bill.

By request of the Executive, the bill was introduced by Floor Leader Singkoro Harper on September 16, 2013. 

Tourist Arrivals In Palau Continue To Surge

KOROR, Palau (Marianas Business Journal/PIR, June 29, 2014) — Tourist arrivals in Palau continue to show a robust performance with a nearly 50% increase in May. According to the latest Palau Visitors Authority's arrival statistics, there were 8,691 tourists compared to the same period last year of 5,879.

The statistics showed that Japan is still the top market for tourists with 2,101 arrivals. The nation experienced a surge in arrivals from Japan when Japan Airlines resumed its charter flights and with the celebration of Golden Week.

... The Korean market, although still the third top market, has declined by 17.9%. The decrease maybe due to the Korean domestic economy and the significant appreciation of the won against the U.S. dollar.

Tourists from mainland China had the most significant increase by more than 550%. In May 2013, there were only 212 arrivals. This year it was 1,295 arrivals. The Palau Visitors Authority said the rise is due to Mega Globe Maldives Air Services Inc. resuming operation in Palau in April. Mega Maldives airline flies from Hong Kong to Palau.

Asian Development Bank Team Visits Marshall Islands

MAJURO, Marshall Islands (Marianas Business Journal/PIR, June 29, 2014) — A top-level ADB team spent five days in mid-June in the Marshall Islands getting briefings from government leaders, visiting Arno Atoll, talking with U.S., Taiwan and Japan embassy officials, and engaging in a lively discussion with business representatives about private sector needs.

The visit by the bank's board members was the first in four years. The group was led by executive director Muhammed Sami Saeed from Pakistan and included executive directors Jerome Destombes of France and Bhimantara Widyajala of Indonesia and alternate executive director Khin Khin Lwin of Myanmar.

Key points the team made about the Marshall Islands:

         From 2015 onward, the bank will triple its level of grant and technical assistance support to no less than $3 million per year.

         A planned donor partners meeting for August will help give momentum to the Marshall Islands' new development plan and help with donor coordination and reducing duplication of effort. "We want outcomes and next steps from the meeting," Destombes said.

         The stagnant economy in the Marshalls is a concern, with a focus needed on how to get the economy growing.

         Asian Development Bank will conduct an analysis of the Marshall Islands private sector during 2015.

In talks with a small group of local business representatives, the point was made by businesspeople that the private sector lacks capital for expansion. ADB officials responded by saying the bank's Private Sector Operations Department at its Manila headquarters is focused on working with governments to improve legislation and operations in support of the private sector and also is able to make loans to the private sector.

One recommendation made by local businesses was for the bank to provide funds to the Guam-based Pacific Islands Development Bank so it has more funding to lend to business projects in U.S.-affiliated islands it serves.

$114 Million Operating Loss For Guam Memorial Hospital

HAGÅTÑA, Guam (Pacific Daily News/PIR, July 01, 2014) — Guam Memorial Hospital has been losing so much money for so long, auditors now have "substantial doubt" about whether it can continue to operate, according to a financial audit released yesterday.

Despite receiving $50 million in subsidies from the government of Guam during the past five fiscal years, the hospital posted net operating losses of $114.6 million, according to a fiscal 2013 financial audit released by the Office of Public Accountability. It was prepared by Deloitte & Touche.

The hospital's inadequate cash flow has resulted in higher prices from frustrated vendors and has threatened the hospital's ability to provide patient care, according to the audit.

Despite declining revenues, the hospital's staffing and payroll costs have remained steady, the audit states, with 1,096 people on staff during fiscal 2013.

The government in May lifted a freeze on government pay raises and merit bonuses, but the hospital cannot afford the full additional $3.6 million cost, the audit states, and has made only partial payment.

No surprise
GMH Administrator Joseph Verga yesterday said he wasn't ready to respond in detail to the audit findings, but said the auditors' concerns do not surprise him.

"I've always said that unless the government fully funds GMH, there is a concern ... whether the hospital is able to sustain services that we provide," Verga said.

Lawmakers in January allowed the hospital to borrow $25 million, but that wasn't enough to erase its debt, according to the audit.

Lawmakers last year earmarked gambling taxes to support the hospital, but the audit states the new gaming law "has not delivered the funds that were expected," and the hospital is owed $310,000 for fiscal 2013.

The hospital needs even more financial support from GovGuam, the audit states, but it also notes that GovGuam has nearly reached its limit on its ability to provide subsidies.

GovGuam must provide financial support for GMH's services to self-pay and uninsured patients, which represented 13 percent of the government hospital's billings, the audit report states.

The government hospital also will face competition when privately owned Guam Regional Medical City opens later this year. The $219 million private hospital is expected to open in October.

Science And Technology ‘Ignored’ In Pacific Plan Review

SUVA, Fiji (Science Dev. Net/PACNEWS, July 01, 2014) — Science and technology organizations that contributed to a review of the Pacific Plan, which is designed to strengthen cooperation between countries in the region, say it ignored their concerns.

The review, which has produced various recommendations to update the Pacific Plan, received nearly 70 public submissions from organizations including the Pacific Senior Health Officials Network, the Pacific Europe Network for Science & Technology (PACE-Net) and the Digital Society Foundation (DSF).

But some of the organizations are unhappy that few of their concerns are included in the review’s recommendations about building the suggested Framework for Pacific Regionalism, which is to replace the existing Pacific Plan.

The forum secretariat’s governing body will be considering the suggested framework at their meeting in Suva, Fiji, this week (2-3 July), before sending it to country leaders for approval at their forum in Palau in the last week of July.

Christopher Sampson, founder of the DSF, believes “old thinking” dominated the review.

He adds that the forthcoming Framework for Pacific Regionalism should recognize that it is better if decision-making and development activities are locally driven, rather than centrally organized.

“I was disappointed that affordable broadband-speed internet was not highlighted,” he says. “This infrastructure is vital for enabling a sustainable future for the island people of the Pacific and to enable local empowerment.”

For Jito Vanualailai, a mathematician at the University of the South Pacific and interim coordinator of the Pacific Islands Universities Research Network (PIURN), the most glaring omission was related to scientific research.

“I can’t see any reference to science, technology and innovation (ST&I) in the review,” he says.

PIURN was established to “advocate for ST&I”, which Vanualailai says is under-appreciated in the region. He points to a recent survey of Pacific island governments—carried out by PACE-Net—which revealed a lack of interest in the role of scientific research.

“It’s not a priority for them and they don’t see it as a tool to solve problems like climate change and poverty,” he says.

Despite ST&I not being mentioned in the review, Vanualailai says there may be other ways of promoting the importance of scientific research—such as by setting up a regional research council.

But Matthew Dornan, an economist at the Australian National University, says the review has done what it set out to achieve.

“It was never meant to be a development plan, or a list of priorities—but a process to advance regionalism and help countries with their own development plans,” he says.

Dornan adds that earlier versions of the Pacific Plan were unworkable because they included too much detail and too many priorities.

“This didn’t serve anyone,” he says. “The review has taken the right approach against further priority setting.”

And, he says, people should not judge the review harshly “just because it does not include their own area of interest”. He adds that science would remain vitally important in the region—despite there being no mention of it in the review.

“As the effects of climate change become more pertinent in the Pacific, I expect funding for science to increase,” he says.

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