BRIEFS June 13, 2014 2014 Homecoming Festival To Be Held On June 21 COLONIA, Yap (Media Division) — Yap will be celebrating the 2014 Homecoming Festival at the ground of the Yap Living History Museum on Saturday, June 21, 2014, according to the event program prepared by the Yap Visitors Bureau (YVB) and other organizers of the event. Pre-festivities will take place prior to the actual ceremony on Tarang Island, also known as “O’Keefe’s Island”, where the famous Captain David Dean O’Keefe had established his legend and legacy over 110 years ago. On Friday, June 20, 2014, a brief ceremony will be held on Tarang Island at 3:00 PM, where O’Keefe’s great-granddaughter Victorine O’Keefe Heuvelman will raise O’Keefes flag for the first time in 113 years. The event is open to the public and anyone wishing to attend should be at the Manta Ray Bay Resort at 2:15 PM and transportation will be provided. The event on Saturday will begin with a special mass at St. Mary’s Church at 9:00 AM, followed by the opening ceremony at the Yap Living History Museum at 10:30 AM. Several activities including local dances will be performed before the keynote address by Fr. Frances X. Hezel, SJ, and other remarks to be delivered by members of the State Leadership. Among the activities scheduled, the Yap Visitors Bureau will have a display for viewing of historical photographs of Captain O’Keefe and his family during his days. The great-granddaughter of Captain O’Keefe, Victorine O’Keefe Heuvelman, and the head of the Palau delegation will be among the other guest speakers during the Homecoming Festival. Members of the Palau delegation will be arriving on a special flight to Yap to be made available by United Airlines. The special flight is scheduled to arrive in Yap on Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 2:25 AM. DOI/OIA To Hold Joint Budget Consultations With Yap And FSM COLONIA, Yap (Civic Affairs) — On June 9, 2014, the Office of the Governor notified the State Leadership of the upcoming joint consultations with the US Department of the Interior/Office of Insular Affairs. The Office was notified of the visit to the FSM, and Yap, through a communication dated June 3, 2014 from the Director of SBOC (Office of Statistics, Budget & Economic Management, Overseas Development Assistance and Compact Management). The Joint Budget Consultations between the USA and the FSM governments on the fiscal year 2015 Compact sector budgets will be held from June 9 – 17, 2014. The consultations will be held in each of the States of the federation, starting from east to west—Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, then Yap. The consultations with Yap State will be held from June 16 – 17, 2014. The first day of consultations will be held at the Yap SBDC conference room, while the last days consultations will be held at the Yap ECE conference room. Pohnpei Students Join Growing Chorus Of Support For Shark Protections In FSM POHNPEI, FSM (Marianas Variety, June 13, 2014) — On May 26, 2014 dozens of student members of the Youth Environment Ambassador Club from Nanpei Memorial High School and Madolenihmw High School arrived at the National Congress in Pohnpei to demonstrate their strong support for shark protections in the Federated States of Micronesia. The students’ presence coincided with a Resources and Development Committee hearing on pending legislation to create a shark sanctuary in FSM’s exclusive economic zone. They join more than 8,300 Micronesian students who have signed a petition in support of an FSM shark sanctuary. The student signers come from all four states of FSM, Palau, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Guam. Their support comes in the wake of Chuuk’s recent passage of its shark protection law — making it the fourth and final state in FSM to protect sharks in state waters. It also follows a recent resolution by Pohnpei’s traditional leaders who called on the Congress to pass legislation for the creation of a shark sanctuary in FSM’s national waters. “I’m so pleased to see Micronesia’s next generation standing up for shark protection in FSM,” said Willy Kostka, executive director of the Micronesia Conservation Trust. “Healthy oceans need sharks, and the creation of a shark sanctuary will ensure that our future generations will reap the environmental and economic benefits of shark protections.” FSM committed to a regional shark sanctuary at the Micronesia Chief Executive Summit or MCES in 2011. The resolution, which was signed by President Manny Mori in 2011, was reconfirmed at the 2013 meeting. Since the agreement was signed, all the MCES members have passed shark protection laws and the FSM will be considering its own shark protection bill in its regular session in September or in an earlier special session. In a letter to FSM Resources and Development Chairman David Panuelo, Tony deBrum, minister of foreign affairs for the Republic of the Marshall Islands said that RMI remains steadfast in its commitment to the protection of sharks. “The government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands looks forward to working cooperatively and collaboratively with the FSM national and state governments in the enforcement of our respective shark protection laws,” wrote deBrum. The Association of Pacific Island Legislatures also passed a resolution in 2013 calling for a Pacific islands regional shark sanctuary, further demonstrating the widespread support across Micronesia for a shark sanctuary. “I am eagerly awaiting FSM’s creation of a shark sanctuary, joining with Guam and the rest of Micronesia,” said Vice Speaker BJ Cruz of Guam who sponsored Guam’s shark protection law. “Students in Guam were an integral part of the passage of our shark protection legislation, and I am delighted to see them standing up for a shark sanctuary in FSM as well.” “The passage of FSM’s shark sanctuary law would put Pacific islands on the global stage as conservation leaders and maintain our oceans for future generations,” said Carlotta Leon Guerrero, senior advisor to The Pew Charitable Trusts’ global shark conservation campaign. Bank Of Guam Spearheads Finance And Business Conference In The FSM PALIKIR, FSM (FSMIS, June 12, 2014) — President Manny Mori was the keynote speaker at the opening of the 2-day FSM Finance and Business Conference that is being held at the College of Micronesia-FSM National Campus starting this morning. Spearheaded by the Bank of Guam as the main organizer and sponsor of the event, the conference brings together the financing institutions that impact the FSM economy as well as several business entrepreneurs, some local government agencies, foreign government representatives and programs, and others that play a role in business development and banking. After a welcoming from the FSM Association of Chambers of Commerce, President Mori addressed the group of bankers, lending institutions, business community, and other relevant government officials, stressing the critical need to enhance collaboration as the FSM seeks to jump start a more viable economy. President Mori touched briefly on his administrations efforts in the area of more targeted partnership with the private sector. For this, he thanked the Bank of Guam for taking the initiative to contribute to the efforts in terms of the conference. The President also pointed to the creation of the 2023 Planning Committee and the proposed Investment Development Fund as strategic efforts, among others, as FSM looks ahead to the termination of Compact sector grants in 2023. The 2023 Planning Committee Secretariat, through Director Evelyn Adolph and Department of Resources and Development advisor, Mr. Roger Mori, provided further details to the Presidents remarks. Director Adolph highlighted that the 2023 Committee was tasked to recommend specific ways to address budgetary shortfall projected to occur after Compact sector grants are withdrawn. She said the FSM has got to expedite the strengthening of its economy and maximize potentials through infrastructure development projects that create jobs and revenues in the remaining nine years. Mr. Roger Mori highlighted the familiar message that FSM must turn around the stifling business climate for both local and foreign investors to thrive more profitably. He also brought up some strides made in the direction of improving confidence in the enforcement of contracts and awareness of the court system to the need for dependable timetable in progressing business related cases. Mr. Joseph P. Bradley, Senior Vice-President/Chief Economist for Bank of Guam made a presentation on economic prospects for the FSM, which spurred exchanges of views and discussions from the audience. Mr. Bradley advised that the FSM needed to watch closely other regional events that have impacts on financial situation in the FSM. He reminded his audience of the saying in Guam that when Tokyo sneezes, Guam gets a cold. In the form of panel discussions, other topics were discussed by a wide range of authoritative panelists. Topics included: Specific Bank Requirements for Business Financing; What can be done to stimulate Business Financing; United States Federal Government Lending Programs; and Foreign Government Assistance offered to the FSM. Two more panel discussions will take place tomorrow before the conference wraps up. The cadre of panelists for today included: · Mr. Ignacio Stephen, Senior Vice President/COO, FSM Development Bank · Mr. Aren Palik, President and CEO, Pacific Islands Development Bank · Mr. Antonio John, Vice President, Bank of the FSM · Mr. Christopher Cruz, Pohnpei Branch Manager, Bank of Guam · Mr. Joe William, Acting-Executive Director, Pohnpei Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corp. · Mr. Adelman Joseph, Trade Program manager, FSM Department of R&D · Ms. Anna Mendiola, President and CEO, FSM Development Bank · Mr. Kenneth Lujan, Branch Manager U.S. Small Business Administration (Guam) · Mrs. Melsihner Hadley, Acting Banking Commissioner, FSM Banking Board · Mr. Chris Kanazawa, State Director, Hawaii State Office, U.S. D.A. · Mr. Gary Bloom, Manager, U.S.D.A. Rural Development – Pohnpei · H.E. Dr. Terry Beven, Ambassador, Australian Embassy · H.E. Masaki Sakai, Ambassador, Japan Embassy Fishing Day Fees Set To Jump MAJURO, Marshall Islands (Marianas Variety, June 13, 2014) — A big increase in the price for fishing in the western Pacific and action to reduce heavy fishing of yellowfin and bigeye tuna is on the table for discussion at this Parties to the Nauru Agreement or PNA ministers’ meeting that [opened] Thursday… in Majuro. Political decision-makers from the eight countries that make up the PNA are meeting [in Majuro] for their annual gathering June 12-13. PNA controls the best fishing zones in the Pacific, which account for over 50 percent of the world’s skipjack tuna supply. “The benchmark price of $6,000 per day is up for discussion at this meeting,” said Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority Director Glen Joseph. “There are proposals for it to increase up to $10,000 for 2015.” While the PNA has a well-developed “vessel day scheme” or VDS that is used to manage purse seiner vessels fishing in PNA waters, it is still in the talking stages about a VDS for longliners. Longliners, which use hooks on long lines to catch mainly yellowfin tuna, target fresh fish sashimi markets, while purse seiners, which use massive nets to catch mostly skipjack tuna, provide fish for tuna canning. “A longline VDS and other measures for purse seiners will also be discussed,” said Joseph. The PNA will be taking a “hard look at meaningful measures for limiting the catches of yellowfin and bigeye,” he added. Joseph said PNA members are also keen to look at the southern Pacific Ocean albacore fishery and provide support for a “robust measure” to be adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission at its annual meeting in December. A challenge for fisheries management in the region is the uncertainty about the stock levels of yellowfin and bigeye that are a cause for concern, he said. “The overall picture (or fisheries management) is not effective,” he said. A key issue for the PNA is that most distant water fishing nations are still not providing operational level catch data for tuna caught on the high seas, despite promising to do so for the past eight years. This is a big gap in data that is needed to help scientists produce meaningful stock assessments. The scientific committee that advises members of the Forum Fisheries Agency and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission will meet in Majuro this August to present results of a three-year assessment of tuna stocks. But scientists last month criticized distant water nations for failing to provide needed catch data. Joseph said PNA has developed internal measures—such as banning use of fish aggregation devices for four months of the year and closing high seas pockets to fishing—to limit fishing and has improved collection of fishing data within 200-mile zones. “Yes, we can do it,” Joseph said. “But how far do we go (to regulate domestic waters) and balance our economic interests with sustaining the resource? We have a tendency to over-regulate ourselves, and this results in a disproportionate burden to the islands.” He said distant water fishing nations are not sharing the burden of conservation equally with the islands, and one example of this is the fishing countries not providing catch data they’ve promised for many years. “They need to pull their socks up and provide the data,” he said. “This is an obligation of these states, but eight years later it is still a problem.” Not providing required tuna catch data is a compliance issue that should subject these countries to penalties, he said. “It is urgent for us to narrow the uncertainties (in stock assessments).” -END- COMMUNITY MESSAGE: No matter how good you drive or how good you think you are as a driver, you are always at the mercy of other drivers. Yet, we seldom, if ever, think of it that way, despite all the sad and costly experiences that some have gone through on, even off, the various roads in our land. It is rare, if ever, to hear a driver admitting that he or she is a dangerous or lousy driver. But, we know better, at least those of us who value life more and do not want to get hurt or die or hurt or kill another and ruin all kinds for another family. So, it is with these things that have and will continue to make our narrow and curvy roads so unsafe. The fact that we ought to know better does not seem to ring a bell. Sure, we hear the Sunday bell often enough, but the Sunday bell, and there are quite a few of them, has not been of much help to the upstairs bells.
Posted on: Sat, 14 Jun 2014 03:29:21 +0000
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