Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, it's ``getting ridiculous.'' That's what Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Doug Brennan said about the Department of Homeland Security's failure to issue regulations implementing Federal immigration in the Northern Mariana Islands. And I agree, it is getting ridiculous.

Three years since the law was enacted, 18 months since it took effect, two oversight hearings, letters from congressional leaders, meeting after meeting, and still no regulations. Workers don't know what their status will be 5 months from now. Businesses can't plan for the future. ``It's putting the brakes on the economy,'' the chamber president says. And what does DHS say? The regulations will be released when the regulations are released.

That is no way for a Federal agency to fulfill its responsibilities. We will get to it when we get to it? Federal immigration was supposed to benefit the Marianas, improve the economy. Instead, it's making things worse. As we think about funding Homeland Security today, Homeland Security should be explaining why it isn't doing its job issuing these long-overdue regulations for the Northern Mariana Islands.

Mr. Speaker, in the Northern Mariana Islands, modern-day mayors represent a proud tradition that dates back thousands of years to the maga'lahi who led families, clans, and villages of ancient Chamorro society. These individuals, and their forebears, represent an enduring line of local self-government in our islands. They deserve recognition for the important role they have filled, particularly during the return to local self-government after World War II, which was essential to regaining and preserving our cultural identity. This process began soon after American troops freed our islands in the 1944 Battle for Saipan.

Chamorro and Carolinian survivors of the war elected a high chief, roughly the equivalent of a mayor, in their first exercise of American democracy. The mayor in those days served in a role now customarily identified with the office of the governor. Today, mayors are charged with more traditional responsibilities such as administering government programs, public services, and appropriations in their respective municipalities.

Please join me in honoring the past and present mayors of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, who have contributed greatly to the quality of life in our community.

Mr. Speaker, in the Northern Mariana Islands, the modern-day mayors of our far-flung community represent the democratic embodiment of a proud tradition of local leadership that dates back thousands of years to the maga 'lahi who led families, clans, and villages in ancient Chamorro society. These individuals, and their forebears, represent the most enduring line of local government in our islands and merit recognition for the important roles they have filled historically, and particularly during the return to local self-government during the past 65 years.

Over 3,500 years ago, the Mariana Islands were first discovered by intrepid sailors from elsewhere in Asia. They organized a society at harmony with nature on our islands that thrived for millennia. Beginning in the early 1500s, however, with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan, the Marianas lost their independence to successive colonizing forces from all corners of the globe. Spanish forces were followed in the Northern Marianas by Germans, then by the Japanese, and finally-- under a United Nations trusteeship--by the United States, until the people of our islands were given the opportunity for self-determination and voted overwhelmingly to adopt a Covenant to Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America.

During these four centuries of colonialism, our ancestors were told where they could live or not live, their traditional latte stone homes were destroyed, they were forced to adopt foreign customs and religions, and their populations were decimated by foreign diseases

and violence at the hands of their colonizers. Although there were titular local leaders, the reestablishment of a substantive government, under the control of the indigenous people, was essential to regaining and preserving cultural identity. This process began approximately five months after American troops wrested control of the Northern Marianas from the Japanese in the 1944 Battle for Saipan.

In December of that year, Chamorro and Carolinian survivors of the war, interned at Camp Chalan Kanoa, elected a high chief in their first exercise of American democracy. The office of high chief was later renamed chief commissioner, after the United States naval government implemented a municipal charter for Saipan during the post-war years. Municipal governments developed in similar fashion on the Northern Islands, Tinian and Aguiguan, and Rota. During the early days of an emerging democracy in the islands, the chief commissioner served as the principal liaison between the local political structure that was being established and the U.S. naval administration, and in a role now more identified with the office of the governor. The chief commissioner was responsible for overseeing the work of the several departments which comprised the executive branch: the treasury, economics, public works, education, public health, and public safety. This official was also responsible for preparing the municipality's annual budget; proposing legislation to the legislature, which at that time was made up of commissioners and councilmen; and serving as the judge of the municipal court.

With the adoption of the Covenant and the formation of a constitutional government, each of the island municipalities has continued to elect a local executive. These mayors are charged with advising the governor on government operations and matters concerning their respective municipalities. They also administer government programs, public services, and appropriations provided by law; conduct public hearings with respect to government operations and local matters; coordinate any provision of federal programs extended to their respective municipalities; act as the principal local official for mobilizing resources and coordinating response and recovery efforts in the face of emergencies; in consultation with the Municipal Council, submit items for inclusion in the proposed budgets for both government operations and capital improvement projects; and, in the case of Rota, and Tinian and Aguiguan, appoint, in consultation with the head of the respective executive branch department, all resident department heads.

In recent years, mayors of the Northern Islands, Saipan, Tinian and Aguiguan, and Rota have contributed greatly to the quality of life in the Northern Mariana Islands. The mayors have participated in the Commonwealth-wide street naming project, they have hosted cultural and educational symposia, they have spearheaded the development of public lands and coordinated infrastructure improvements, and, on a daily basis, they coordinate the provision of public services to the residents of their islands.

I ask you to join me today in honoring the past and present mayors of the local municipalities that comprise the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The mayors of Saipan, from the dark days of the war to the present include: Gregorio San Nicolas Sablan, Elias Parong Sablan, Ignacio Villagomez Benavente, Vicente Diaz Sablan, Luis Arriola Benavente, Francisco Manibusan Diaz, Jose Santos Rios, Gilbert Castro Ada, Jose Mettao Taitano, Jesus Sablan Guerrero, Jose Camacho Sablan, Juan Borja Tudela, and Donald Glenn Flores.

The mayors of the Northern Islands: Daniel Pangelinan Castro, Vicente Matagolai Aldan, Ambrosio Satur Ruben, Joseph Taman Ogumoro, Valentin Igisaiar Taisakan, and Tobias Dela Cruz Aldan; and before, the District Administrator Representatives Juan Mettao and the long-serving Francisco Borja Kaipat.

The atkadi, commissioners, and mayors of Rota: Carlos Songsong Calvo, Andres Camacho Atalig, Tomas Camacho Mendiola, Melchor Songsong Mendiola, Juan Camacho Diaz, Manuel Ada Manglona, Antonio Camacho Atalig, Prudencio Taisacan Manglona, Joseph Songao Inos, Benjamin Taisacan Manglona, and Melchor Atalig Mendiola.

The commissioners and mayors of Tinian and Aguiguan: Jose Manglona Hocog, Juan Cruz Villagomez, Jose Reyes Cruz, Antonio Simabukuru Borja, Henry Gikibai Hofschneider, William Villagomez Hofschneider, Felipe Camacho Mendiola, Herman Muna Manglona, Ignacio King Quichocho, James Masga Mendiola, Francisco Manglona Borja, Jose Pangelinan San Nicolas, and Ramon Muna Dela Cruz.

Mr. Speaker, today I am re-introducing the Rota Cultural and Natural Resources Study Act. The bill authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating certain areas of prehistoric, historic, and natural significance on the island of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands as a unit of the National Park System.

Rota is truly a ``jewel,'' as the gentlewoman from California, Ms. Napolitano, called the island at last year's hearing on this same bill. National Park Service representatives who conducted a reconnaissance survey there in 2004 reported that Rota has the best-preserved village sites of the ancient Chamorro people and that Rota's native limestone forests provide habitat to locally and federally protected, rare bird species.

The House of Representatives approved the Rota Park study under suspension of the rules in July last year. There was no objection or controversy. But, unfortunately, the other body did not have time on its agenda to act before the 111th Congress ended.

Now, I ask that we quickly restart the process of having the Park Service study the suitability and feasibility of designating parts of Rota for a national park.

There are time pressures involved. Rota is at a crossroads. Major land use changes are possible resulting from development by the U.S. military on the neighboring island of Guam. We have to know which areas on Rota can be and need to be protected, so that the people of Rota can maintain the important cultural and natural features of their island while at the same time taking advantage of opportunities for economic development.

For these reasons the leaders of Rota support the study. The Honorable Teresita Santos, Rota's representative in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, flew to Washington, DC to speak in support of the bill at the hearing by Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oceans, Wildlife and Insular Affairs last year.

The Mayor of Rota, the Honorable Melchor Mendiola, submitted his letter for the record during last year's consideration of the bill in the House. He, too, supported passage.

Today, I am including another letter of support for the study bill. This letter is from the Honorable Paul S. Manglona, President of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, who represents Rota in the Senate.

And, of course, the National Park Service reconnaissance survey also recommended that the cultural and natural resources are truly of national significance and that the appropriate next step is a suitability and feasibility study.

The people of Rota have done a tremendous job over the millennia in protecting the treasures of their remarkable island. Let us support their efforts. Let us determine whether this ``jewel'' should be considered by Congress for inclusion in the National Park System.

I ask that my colleagues support the Rota Cultural and Natural Resources Study Act.

The Senate,

Northern Marianas Commonwealth Legislature,

Saipan, MP, March 15, 2011.

Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,

Delegate, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,

Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Congressman, I am writing to support the Rota Cultural

and Natural Resources Study Act (Act). The Act authorizes the

Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability of

designating prehistoric, historic and limestone forest sites

on Rota as a unit of the National Park System.

As testified to by Commonwealth Legislator Representative

Teresita Santos for the Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife,

Oceans, and Insular Affairs, the Island of Rota is unique in

the Marianas as the only primarily inhabited island spared

fighting during World War II. Consequently, plant and animal

life was spared the near total destruction similar on Saipan

and Tinian.

Archaeologists describe Rota as having the most intact and

numerous historic sites of any island in the Mariana

Archipelago. Rota has the best examples in the Marianas of

Latte houses, the ancient stone houses of the Chamorro

culture. Four prehistoric sites on Rota are included in the

Register of Historic Places, Monchon Archeological District,

Taga Latte Stone Quarry, the Dugi Archeological Site, and the

Chugai Pictograph Cave containing examples of ancient

Chamorro rock art.

In addition to prehistoric sites, historic relics from the

Japanese period--on the Historic Register of Historic

Places--include Kohatsu Kabushiki Kaisha Sugar Mill, Japanese

Coastal Defense Gun and the Japanese Hospital.

Natural resources are prevalent on Rota primarily due to

its native limestone forests that provide habitat for

federally endangered listed species including the Mariana

crow and the Rota bridled white-eye birds, in addition to two

(2) plant species endemic to Rota.

The National Park Service completed a preliminary resource

assessment regarding Rota in 2005, concluding designating

Rota as part of the national park system appeared to be the

best way to ensure the long term protection of Rota's pre-

historic and historic natural and man-made habitat and

structures. I strongly encourage you, along with the Rota

Legislative Delegation, to authorize the Secretary of the

Interior to study the suitability of designating prehistoric,

historic and limestone forest sites on Rota as a unit of the

National Park System.

Sincerely,

Paul A. Manglona,

Senate President.

Mr. Speaker, today I am re-introducing the American Memorial Park Annex in Tinian Act at the request of Senators Jude U. Hofschneider and Francisco Cruz, and many of the people of Tinian, one of the Northern Mariana Islands I represent.

The bill, which I also introduced late in the last Congress, authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the National Park Service, to establish an annex of the American Memorial Park, located on the island of Saipan, on the adjacent island of Tinian.

Tinian is only 39 square miles in area. But the island played an outsize role in ending World War II.

While a military lease of two-thirds of Tinian precludes any set- aside of the historical land on Tinian, creating an annex of the American Memorial Park, a repository for artifacts to be displayed, and a locus for the interest of visitors to Tinian and locals alike, would be appropriate.

I am submitting for the record the letter of request from Senators Hofschneider and Cruz. I am also submitting NMI Senate Resolution No. 17-37 that supports the establishment of annex. The Resolution refers to H.R. 6380, the bill number from the 111th Congress. But the language of today's bill is essentially the same as H.R. 6380.

I ask that my colleagues support the American Memorial Park Annex in Tinian Act.

Northern Marianas

Commonwealth Legislature,

Saipan, MP, March 14, 2011.

Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan,

Delegate, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,

Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Congressman: I am writing to request your

reintroduction of legislation authorizing the Secretary of

the Interior to establish an annex of the American Memorial

Park in Saipan, on the Island of Tinian.

The North Field on Tinian has been designated as one of the

most important World War II (WWII) sites in the Pacific. The

North Field was used as the launching point for the dropping

of two atomic bombs on Japan during WWII, in addition to the

strategic bombing of Japan. Many historians believe use of

the Atomic bomb ended America's war with the Japanese

expeditiously, saving the lives hundreds of thousands, if not

millions of lives had the U.S. naval and ground forces

invaded Japan.

On June 18, 2009, I wrote you regarding adding Tinian's

North Field to the national park system. However, as I stated

in that letter, the U.S. military leases approximately two

thirds of Tinian, and their training needs preclude

inclusion. On December 23, 2009, the National Park Service

suggested several options to recognize the North Field such

as brochures, an interpretive film and providing interpretive

tours on Saipan. While these suggestions are a good start,

the people of Tinian feel a permanent memorial, the Tinian

Annex of the American Memorial Park, will appropriately

recognize the historic role of Tinian in WWII.

The Tinian Delegation of the Commonwealth Legislature,

Senator Cruz and me, and the Mayor and Municipal Council of

Tinian and Aguiguan humbly encourage you to assist us with

this legislation to obtain the Tinian Annex to the American

Memorial Park. Such a memorial appropriately recognizes the

historic role of Tinian in WWII.

Thank you for your consideration,

Sincerely,

Jude U. Hofschneider,

Senator, CNMI Legislature.

Francisco Q. Cruz,

Senator, CNMI Legislature.

Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate American Red Cross Month, I would like to pay particular tribute to the Northern Mariana Islands Chapter of the American Red Cross for the leading role it plays in responding to disasters large and small and in providing vital health and safety services in our islands.

Our small community has been blessed since 1978 with an exceptionally active and effective local Red Cross chapter. With just four staff members and 150 volunteers, the Northern Mariana Islands chapter last year provided financial assistance to 26 families who suffered house fires or localized flooding, facilitated emergency communications between 154 servicemembers and their families, provided community disaster preparedness materials to over 3,700 individuals, and trained over 2,300 students in courses on CPR, first aid, lifeguarding, and swimming.

The Northern Mariana Islands Chapter of the American Red Cross is an integral part of the Commonwealth community, a leader in health and safety training, and an invaluable partner in helping people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. We thank them for their work.

Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

Madam Chair, people in the Northern Mariana Islands pay up to 40 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity. That's four times the national average because we're dependent on diesel oil shipped long distances.

A technical assistance grant for the Department of the Interior's Office of Insular Affairs, however, has helped identify a possible source of geothermal energy on one of the islands. Further exploration and more investments are needed to be sure that this alternative source will work for us; but without the technical assistance grant from Interior, we wouldn't even know that we have this possibility of getting off our dependence on expensive foreign oil.

And now, H.R. 1 proposes to cut the funds that Interior uses to help the Northern Marianas and the other insular areas in this way. That kind of thinking is penny wise and pound foolish.

But helping us get free of foreign oil is only one example of how this Interior Department funding helps us. These cuts threaten the brown tree snake program. I know this may sound like a joke to some, but on Guam there are literally 500,000 or more of these snakes. A few came in on military aircraft and spread quickly. They have caused millions of dollars in damage to electrical distribution systems and destroyed the rare indigenous bird life.

And we don't want to see these pests spread to the Northern Mariana Islands or Hawaii or mainland United States. And the Interior Department funding is keeping these snakes in check. Do away with this funding and these unwanted immigrants will break through our borders.

The Interior Department funding that H.R. 1 cuts supports training programs for high school and college students in the islands. It supports training for our professional people in financial management, accounting and auditing to help us manage our money to U.S. standards. Take away that training money and you will make it even more difficult for us to build capacity and become fully integrated into the American family.

Our economy is based on tourism. Tourists come to enjoy our warm oceans and beautiful coral reefs there, but these reefs are at risk. Run-off from development on land kills the coral. Funding that H.R. 1 cuts is helping us to protect the coral that underpins our tourism economy. Take away the funding and you hit our already fragile tourism industry.

We all know that the Federal Government has to cut spending. There is no disagreement there. We need to weed out wasteful programs. We have to get more efficient and effective with our own spending.

But the money that goes to the Interior Department to help the insular areas is not wasted. It is effective. It is targeted on precisely the problems that the insular areas confront. It will be a mistake, it is a mistake, to cut this tiny amount of money that has a large positive effect in the Northern Mariana Islands and all of the U.S. insular areas.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing H.R. 670, a bill that will give back to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands three miles of submerged lands surrounding our islands.

Exactly two years ago, I introduced the same bill, which was H.R. 934. The bill was lauded by the leaders of the Commonwealth Government and the Legislature. The bill received wide support from both sides of the aisle and in fact was unanimously passed by the House on July 15, 2009. The bill was also approved by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in May 2010. The bill was made part of Senate Majority Leader Reid's The America's Great Outdoors Act of 2010, which was introduced in the closing days of the 111th Congress. However, the Senate did not act on Senator Reid's omnibus lands bill because of many competing priorities.

But allow me to explain why this bill is crucial to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands and why it has received such wide support. The Northern Mariana Islands is the only U.S. jurisdiction that does not have ownership of the submerged lands three miles off its shores. We have been a Commonwealth under a permanent Covenant with the United States since 1976. For thousands of years, the Chamorro and Refaluuwasch people farmed the land and fished the seas. However on February 25, 2005 the people of the Mariana Islands were shocked to discover that the waters and the submerged lands below them did not belong to them. But that they were the property of the United States of America, as concluded by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In the same breath, the Court recognized the integral connection between the land, water and my people. The Court pointed out that Congress can return these lands back to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands. H.R. 670 does exactly that.

I want to thank all those Members who are original cosponsors of this bill and I ask that my colleagues support H.R. 670.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 5493, authorizing the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands each to display a statue here in the Capitol.

I thank the gentleman from American Samoa, Eni Faleomavaega, who has championed this idea to include the territories for many years. And I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who support the non- state areas of our country each having one statue of a distinguished person they regard as worthy of praise and commemoration displayed here.

Currently, the National Statuary Hall Collection holds statues from all 50 states. Each has produced native sons or daughters who exemplify the state's sense of itself or who have played a significant role in the history of this great United States of America. H.R. 5493 will recognize that the non-state areas of our Nation have also contributed and sacrificed for America. As Americans, we, too, would like to share our experience and our pride, as embodied in one individual, with the rest of the American people here in our Capitol.

I ask that my colleagues support H.R. 5493.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5012) to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch to establish a weekend and holiday feeding program to provide nutritious food to at-risk school children on weekends and during extended school holidays during the school year, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on H.R. 5012 into the Record.

I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5012, the Weekends Without Hunger Act, legislation to help us prevent school-aged children from having to go hungry during weekends and breaks when they are not in school.

The Weekends Without Hunger Act helps prevent children from going hungry when they are not in school. The bill responds to the growing challenge of children coming to school hungry on Mondays and after extended holidays. It establishes a 5-year pilot program to provide commodities to schools and food banks in low-income areas, to provide nutritious food to at-risk school children to take home on weekends and during school holidays.

Nearly one in four of our Nation's children are at risk of going hungry every day. No child should go hungry, yet millions of families struggle to make ends meet and put healthy food on the table at home.

More than 19 million school-age children eat a free or reduced-price meal at school every day and many of them depend on the school meals as their main source of food throughout the week. During days that school is in session, school breakfasts and lunches help keep children healthy and prepared to learn in the classroom. Children who experience hunger get sick more often and exhibit decreased attention and test scores.

Even with the child nutrition safety net already in place, there is still a significant gap in children's access to nutrition during weekends and breaks from school. For many children, this gap means going without nutritious meals--or any meals at all over the weekend and when school is out.

The organization Feeding America has been at the forefront of public- private partnerships to ensure children and families have access to healthy meals. Their BackPack Program is one in a number of innovative programs they operate to meet the needs of families who experience hunger.

This program provides backpacks filled with nutritious food that is child friendly, nonperishable and easily consumed. These backpacks are discreetly distributed to children on the last day before the weekend or holiday vacation. Currently, more than 3,800 BackPack Programs serve nearly 190,000 children in 46 States and the District of Columbia.

The BackPack Program has been very successful and in much demand. Many programs have begun waiting lists because they are unable to fulfill every request for service.

Earlier this year, the Committee on Education and Labor reported the bipartisan bill improving nutrition for America's Children Act, H.R. 5504, to the House by a vote of 32-13. The Weekends Without Hunger provision was included in this bill.

Last week, the House approved S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, to reauthorize and improve the child nutrition programs to increase children's access to these critical programs and to improve nutrition quality. While we were unable to include H.R. 5012 in that bill, the committee strongly believes this initiative deserves consideration and supplements what was included in the Healthy, Hunger- Free Kids Act.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Representative Titus for her leadership in bringing this bill to the floor and once again express my support for H.R. 5012, the Weekends Without Hunger Act.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley).

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I ask for support on H.R. 5012, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 3817) to amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978, and the Abandoned Infants Assistance Act of 1988 to reauthorize the Acts, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on Senate bill 3817 into the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of Senate bill 3817, as amended, which reauthorizes and improves the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, the Adoption Opportunities Act, and the Abandoned Infants Assistance Act. These programs are critical to our Nation's effort to help some of the Nation's most vulnerable children.

Child abuse and neglect continues to be a significant problem in this country. In 2008, approximately 772,000 children were determined to be victims of child abuse and neglect, and an estimated 1,740 children died in 2009 as a result of child abuse. A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds in the United States.

In addition to suffering physical and emotional harm, children who experience abuse or neglect are more likely to have developmental delays, have difficulties in school, be arrested as juveniles and later as adults, experience depression, anxiety or other mental health problems, engage in more health-risk behaviors as adults, and have poor health outcomes as adults.

In 1974, Congress enacted the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, or CAPTA, to create a single Federal focus for preventing and responding to child abuse and neglect. That landmark legislation helped establish minimum standards for specific reporting and response practices for States to include in their child protection laws. CAPTA remains the only Federal legislation exclusively dedicated to preventing, assessing, identifying, and treating child abuse and neglect.

In order to receive grant funds under the act, States are required to have procedures in place for receiving and responding to allegations of abuse or neglect and for ensuring children's safety. Since its enactment, CAPTA has been reauthorized numerous times, more recently by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003. Currently, it authorizes three critical programs. These include formula grants to States to help improve their child protective services, competitive grants to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect, and formula grants to States for

support of community-based prevention services. In addition, CAPTA authorizes formula State grants, commonly referred to as the Children's Justice Act grants, to improve the prosecution and handling of child abuse and neglect cases.

This CAPTA reauthorization works to support and expand the use of evidence-based best practices in the field of child welfare, and makes changes to encourage States to adopt a differential response model in working with at-risk families and in preventing and intervening in cases of child abuse or neglect. Differential response allows child welfare agencies to intervene with families in more supportive ways, often by focusing or assessing families' strengths and needs and providing services. Research shows this approach can be less disruptive and more supportive to families, leading to safer and stronger homes for children.

The bill improves the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, CBCAP, program to encourage a greater child and family voice in planning efforts. Additionally, the bill takes steps to improve research on how to prevent child abuse and neglect in tribal families, enhance access to grants for tribes and tribal organizations, and expands the involvement of tribal leaders in advisory roles.

Thanks to Subcommittee Chair Mrs. McCarthy's leadership on the issue, the bill before us also ensures fewer children will fall through the cracks by improving services when there are cross-jurisdictional complications.

Also included in this legislation is a reauthorization of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act. FVPSA is the primary Federal funding stream for domestic violence shelters and direct services to victims of domestic violence and their children. Over 2,000 shelters and programs receive grant funding under this statute.

With this reauthorization, FVPSA will better meet the needs of children exposed to domestic violence, including those exposed to teen dating violence or abuse. The bill also expands capacity for the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which provides a toll-free 24-hour hotline to offer assistance and referrals to victims of domestic violence and their families.

This bill reflects some of the language from H.R. 4116 reauthorizing FVPSA, of which I am an original cosponsor. It will strengthen the Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence in the Northern Mariana Islands and similar groups working to help victims in the other U.S. insular areas.

These nongovernmental organizations provide shelter, counseling, and intervention and prevention services. But for island jurisdictions like the Northern Marianas, providing this help can be difficult. We have three main inhabited islands, and services available on one are not readily available on the others. Passage of S. 3817 will allow for establishment of shelters on each of the three islands to provide temporary protection for victims. Currently, the single shelter on the island of Saipan is inaccessible to victims who are living on the islands of Tinian and Rota.

I want to thank Representative Gwen Moore and her staff for working closely with me to help ensure that insular areas are able to provide protection to victims of domestic violence, as we do in the rest of the United States. Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller has also been a strong supporter. I also want to thank the sponsor of the Senate bill, Senator Chris Dodd, for his leadership in bringing this important legislation to the House, as well as Senators Daniel Inouye, Daniel Akaka and Jeff Bingaman, and Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin for working to ensure that help is available for victims of sexual and domestic assault anywhere in America.

Finally, I want to thank Mr. Kline for working with us to complete this important reauthorization.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting Senate bill 3817 to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and Family Violence Prevention and Services Act.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield at this time 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. McCarthy), the chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families.

I yield the gentlewoman 30 additional seconds.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. Speaker, I yield another 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I am pleased to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller).

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Senate bill 3817, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3353, the bill I introduced to improve the effectiveness of the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program in the Northern Mariana Islands and in American Samoa.

I want to thank Chairman John Conyers, Chairman Bobby Scott, and their staff for their help in bringing this bill to the House floor. I also want to thank my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for their support for my bill under a suspension of the rules.

Approval of H.R. 3353 would further our national policy to support a broad range of activities carried out by State and territorial governments to prevent and control crime, as well as to improve their criminal justice systems. Program funds are allocated using a formula that provides a minimum amount for each jurisdiction to accomplish these goals. The sole exceptions

are the Northern Marianas and American Samoa, which are funded as the equivalent of a single jurisdiction despite that these two are two separate jurisdictions with entirely separate local governments, and each of those governments has responsibility for the same basic criminal justice system as any other State or territory.

In the Northern Mariana Islands, this includes a system of district, superior, and supreme courts, a probation system, a prison for long- term incarceration, a juvenile detention facility, and programs to assist the victims of crimes. This is the same range of activities as is found in any other jurisdiction in America. Yet, as currently structured, the Byrne JAG Program only provides one-third of the base level of support for these activities that is provided everywhere else in our country. H.R. 3353 rectifies that difference.

The result will be a more robust criminal justice system. For example, law enforcement officers have described to me the lack of resources or outdated equipment they possess for many years. In particular, one Captain explained that, ``[p]atrol vehicles are breaking down faster than we can get them out of the auto shops.'' It is my hope that law enforcement officers in Saipan, Tinian and Rota can have the necessary resources to carry out their duties without having to worry about what they do not have when they respond to a shooting, a robbery, or a domestic violence dispute. Adequately providing for our law enforcement officers is one example of improving our criminal justice system.

Since its inception in 1988, the Byrne JAG Program has supported law enforcement officers, corrections and community corrections programs, crime victim initiatives, and prosecution and court programs in all States and Territories, but not to the same degree. H.R. 3353 will finally bridge that gap for the Northern Marianas and for American Samoa, helping to create safer and more just communities for all.

I ask my colleagues to support H.R. 3353.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1055, a bill to grant the Congressional gold medal, collectively, to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, United States Army, in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.

The grant of the Congressional gold medal to this very distinguished ``Go for Broke'' unit is well deserved and the award is long overdue. The unit is the most decorated military unit in our Nation's history. In World War II this was known as the ``Purple Heart Battalion.''

I must admit that I have a personal attachment to the ``Go for Broke'' unit. Company E, 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, is now stationed in the Northern Mariana Islands and I was once a member. A further point of pride is that Echo Company was once under the command of the distinguished Senator from Hawaii, Senator Daniel K. Inouye.

I support passage of S. 1055 and I say again that the grant of the Congressional gold medal to the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team is long overdue and well deserved.

I encourage my colleagues to support S. 1055 and I thank Senator Barbara Boxer for bringing this legislation forth.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to David Mangarero Sablan, who has served the Northern Mariana Islands with honor and distinction as a business leader, a community leader, and in numerous appointed positions for both the Commonwealth and the Federal Government.

Mr. Sablan is of the generation born during Japanese times. But it was the coming of the Americans that coincided with his rise to leadership. At the age of 13, he was already chief telephone operator for the American military government, and by 30 in charge of Atkins Kroll company expansions throughout Micronesia, selling automobiles, insurance, and shipping services.

In government service, David Sablan was designated by President Ronald Reagan to serve on the Northern Mariana Islands Commission on Federal Laws and by governors of our Commonwealth as head of the Planning and Budget Office.

His commitment to the community is evidenced in his work with the Chamber, the Rotary, Make-a-Wish, and Boy Scouts of America.

The Northern Mariana Islands salute David Mangarero Sablan.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to David Mangarero Sablan, who has served the Northern Mariana Islands with honor and distinction as a business leader, a community leader, and in numerous appointed positions for both the Commonwealth and United States governments.

The son of Elias Parong and Carmen Mangarero Sablan, David was born in Garapan, Saipan on April 2, 1932, during the Japanese occupation of the Northern Mariana Islands. He attended the Japanese public elementary school from 1937 to 1944, when his life was disrupted by the invasion of American forces. David's family, along with much of the native Chamorro and Carolinian population of Saipan, fled to caves in the hills for protection from artillery bombardment and the battles being waged across the island. The family lived packed in a cave with 50 other civilians for three weeks with only sugarcane to eat.

Once the fighting ended in September 1944, the twelve-year-old David was hired to be a messenger for the Supply Department of the United States Naval Civil Affairs. Barely a year later the teenager became chief telephone operator for the military government. And the young David got back to school, attending the Navy Dependent School on Saipan until it closed in 1951, then moving to Guam to complete his education at George Washington High School.

David's first private-sector employment was with the Atkins Kroll group in Guam, where he was hired as a traffic clerk in the steamship department in 1952. He subsequently worked in the company's merchandising department and automotive department, rising to be sales manager. In 1961, David was hired by Bank of Hawaii as a loan administrator and was eventually appointed assistant branch manager of the bank's Guam office.

In 1965, Atkins Kroll offered David a challenge that would lead to his return home: establish an Atkins Kroll operations base in Saipan with jurisdictional responsibilities for the Micronesian market. David successfully established the company's Saipan office, later branded as Microl Corporation in Saipan, and led the company's growth through the acquisition of exclusive Toyota distribution rights for Saipan, Guam, and Micronesia, and the further diversification of the company's business to include insurance and shipping.

David remained with Atkins Kroll/Microl Corporation until 1979, when he accepted a job as an economic consultant to the Commonwealth legislature. In 1982, the Commonwealth governor appointed him Special Assistant for Planning and Budget. Later that year, David was tapped once again to return to Microl Corporation, where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer until 1986, when he retired after a total of 31 years of service. Also in 1986, David was designated by President Ronald Reagan to serve on the Northern Mariana Islands Commission on Federal Laws.

After leaving Atkins Kroll/Microl, David moved to Modesto, California and established his own trading company to serve the Micronesian market. In 1990, the newly-elected governor of the Commonwealth appointed David to head the Planning and Budget Office, where he served until 1993, when he was hired to run a subsidiary of Tan Holdings Corporation, one of the largest privately-owned companies in the Asia- Pacific Region. David continues to represent Tan Holdings as the president of Century Insurance Company, Century Tours, and Century Travel; the vice-president of CTSI Logistics, Asia-Pacific Airlines, and Cosmos Distributing; and the vice-chairman of the board of Asia Pacific Hotels.

Since 1968, David has also been a leader of the Commonwealth's tourism industry. He was a founder, president, and part owner of Pacific Micronesia Corporation, which owned the Saipan Beach Inter- Continental Hotel; a founder, president, and part owner of Tasi Tours and Transportation; a board member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, and a long-time board member of the Marianas Visitors Authority.

David's commitment to the development of the regional economies and business communities is similarly extensive. He was a long-time member and director of the Guam Chamber of Commerce; a long-time member, three-time president, and current board member of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce; and a long-time member of the Commonwealth's Strategic Economic Development Council. David is also a former member of the Rotary Club of Guam, a former president of the Guam Chapter of the Navy League of the United States, a founder and current member of the Rotary Club of Saipan, a director of the Make-A-Wish Foundation for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, state chairman for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and district chairman for the Boy Scouts of America.

His deep commitment to the Commonwealth and Guam communities has been recognized repeatedly over the years. Mr. Sablan has been named the Saipan Chamber of Commerce Businessperson of the Year, the Guam Business Executive of the Year, and the Rotary Club of Saipan Citizen of the Year.

David and his wife of 27 years, Rita C. Sablan, are the parents of five children: David Jr., Victoria, Patricia, Stephen, and Deanna.

Madam Speaker, as early as the tiempon Hapones, the Japanese times, in the Marianas our local women began to train as nurses. Nursing was one of the few professions open to women. But the realities of the work meant that only those whose hearts, minds and bodies were strong could meet the arduous challenges and discipline required.

World War II opened the door wider. With thousands of military and civilian casualties littering our islands, the U.S. forces had to recruit nurses from the local population. After the war, the Navy, then the civilian administration, set up the hospitals and clinics; and these facilities, too, demanded nursing staff.

Training was made available at a series of schools through Micronesia, raising the skills of our native nurses. From 1944 to 1978, some 250 of our local people found work in nursing.

We, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, salute these nurses and thank them for their professionalism, courage and service.

Madam Speaker, to begin the story of the pioneer, native nurses of the Northern Mariana Islands, one must go back to the late 1930s and early 1940s, to the tiempon Hapones or Japanese times in the Marianas. In those days nursing was one of the few professions open to our local women and so attracted attention. But the realities of the work meant that only those whose hearts, minds, and bodies were strong could meet the arduous challenges and strict discipline required. It is believed that Mrs. Rosa Blanco Camacho, now almost ninety, is the only one of these pre-war nurses alive today.

World War II changed everything. The Marianas were the site of some of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific. After the invasion, the island of Saipan was a wasteland, littered with thousands of military and civilian casualties. Makeshift field hospitals were hastily erected, and young native women--and men--were quickly enlisted to assist military medical personnel in caring for the wounded and dying. On-the- job field training for these native nurses and corpsmen was the order of the day. Besides the challenge of learning how to take care of the wounded, these native recruits faced a more basic obstacle: they had to learn how to communicate in English. Few American servicemen spoke or understood Japanese, and few, if any, knew the native Chamorro or Carolinian languages.

They faced tasks unlike anything they had seen before; and the hours were grueling. From Monday to Sunday the nurses worked on at the hospital sites. Only on Sundays were they packed onto trucks and allowed to return to spend time with their families and the rest of the civilian population, which had been gathered up by the military and encamped at Camp Susupe.

When the war ended in 1945, the U.S. Navy built a permanent hospital on Maturana Hill, Saipan, where the native nurses were employed and which served both the military and civilian population. The Navy also built a leprosarium on Tinian with three native nurses. The U.S. also began to offer more formal training for the nurses from the Northern Marianas. Some of those from Saipan and Rota were sent to the U.S. Naval Hospital School of Nursing in Guam. When this training facility closed in 1952, those nurses who were in the middle of their studies were sent to the Trust Territory School of Nursing in Chuuk. Later, that school was relocated to Pohnpei, then to Palau, and then in the late 1960s to Saipan. The final move was to the Marshall Islands in 1986. Despite these frequent moves, over the years the Trust Territory School of Nursing graduated many students from all the Trust Territory districts, including the Marianas District.

When the U.S. Department of the Interior assumed administration of the Northern Mariana Islands in 1962, the U.S. Navy closed its hospital on Maturana Hill and the native nurses who worked at the aging naval hospital gladly transferred to the brand new Dr. Torres Hospital on As Terlaje Hill on Saipan. Dr. Torres Hospital was a civilian-run, eighty- four bed inpatient and outpatient care facility where nurses could, with seniority and patience, develop a specialized practice, in surgery or obstetrics for example.

The population in the Northern Mariana Islands was growing now and there was a corresponding growth in the demand for nurses. Health centers on Tinian and Rota had been built and were expanding. And public health dispensaries were opened in some villages on Saipan, all of them staffed by nurses.

Nursing remained one of the few professions open to women. It still had its attractions: a regular salary, the status that the nurse's uniform conveyed. But at its heart nursing also remained--and remains-- grueling work that demanded strength of mind and body, an attention to detail and self-discipline.

We, the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, appreciate and salute the following nurses, who served from 1944 to 1978, for their professionalism, courage, and service:

Dolores Reyes Agulto, Joaquin Santos Aguon, Jesus Castro

Aldan, Jose Palacios Aldan, Josepha Castro Aldan, Merced

Deleon Guerrero Aldan, Vicente Matagolai Aldan, Estefania

Rabauliman Amirez, Dionisia Taitano Apatang, Lucia Villagomez

Arizapa, Elena Camacho Arriola, Jesus Saimon Arriola,

Magdalena Demapan Arriola, Maria Kokure Arriola, Maria

Benavente Atalig, Maria Hocog Atalig, Rosina Ayuyu Atalig,

Rosario Imamura Atlaig, Rosario Cabrera Attao, Teresita San

Nicolas Attao, Rosa Litulumar Ayuyu, Carmen Nekai Babauta,

Maria Lizama Babauta, Roberto San Nicolas Babauta, Urbano

Crisostimo Babauta, Teresita Atalig Barcinas, Lucia Castro

Barcinas, Sylvia Barcinas, Felisa Chargualaf Basa, Trinidad

Arriola Benavente, Maria Attao Bermudes, Maria Pura Tagabuel

Billy, Olympia Selepeo Borja, Petra Hoashi Borja;

Rosita San Nicolas Borja, Alejandro Reyes Cabrera, Ana

Torres Cabrera, Angelica Muna Cabrera, Anita Torres Cabrera,

Herminia Pangelinan Cabrera, Jose Manibusan Cabrera,

Magdalena Brel Cabrera, Maria Duenas Cabrera, Dela Cruz

Cabrera, Victorina Bias Cabrera, Salomae Hocog Calvo, Dolores

Benavente Camacho, Estefania Flores Camacho, Fermina Mendiola

Camacho, Lucia Leon Guerrero Camacho, Namiko Ketebengang

Camacho, Rita Duenas Camacho, Rosa Ada Camacho, Rosa Blanco

Camacho, Ana Songsong Castro, Carmen Moses Castro, Daniel

Pangelinan Castro, Loretta Mesngon Castro, Maria Manibusan

Castro, Ruth Albert Castro, Taeko Elizabeth Kumangai Castro,

Antonia Taimanao Celis, Maria Muna Celis, Rita Sablan Celis,

Antonio Santos Cepeda, Juan Cruz Cepeda, Rosa Manibusan

Cepeda, Ana Maria Gogue Charfauros;

Ramona Seman Chong, Carmen Attao Concepcion, Irminia

Benavente Cox, Conrado Deleon Guerrero Crisostomo, Ana Kokure

Dela Cruz, Jesus Ogo Dela Cruz, Francisco Palacios Deleon

Guerrero, Gustav Acosta Deleon Guerrero, Mariana Camacho

Deleon Guerrero, Anunciasion Cruz Demapan, Justina Rdiall

Demapan, Luis Cepeda Demapan, Micaela Sablan Demapan, Juanita

Duenas Diaz, Maria Mendiola Diaz, Elisa Maratita Dim,

Elizabeth Naputi Dudley, Ines Cruz Duenas, Margarita Attao

Duenas, Monica Camacho Duenas, Estefania Atalig Dumale, Luis

Osomai Elameto, Amania Mechaet Elidechedong, Vicenta Lizama

Evangelista, Mary Farley, Rosa Tenorio Fejeran, Rosa Maliti

Fejeran, Rita Castro

Flawau, Lorenza Mendiola Garcia, Ramon Guerrero, Vicente

Guerrero, Maria Esteves Halstead, Carmen Wesley Hamilton,

Hasmid Haro;

Ana Ogo Hocog, Felisisima Ada Hocog, Maria Ayuyu Hocog,

Guadalupe Reyes Hofschneider, Maria Manibusan Igibara, Andres

Taisacan Igisaiar, Lucia Seman Iriarte, Carmina Weilbacher

Jack, Berthilia Camacho John, Ensel John, Engracia Aldan

Johnson, Carmen Olopai Kaipat, Damiana Olkeriil Kaipat, Diego

Litulumar Kaipat, Isaac Borja Kaipat, Natividad Dela Cruz

Kaneshi, Ana Igisaiar Kileleman, Neiar Kolios, Violet Laird,

Consolacion Limes Laniyo, Lourdes Olopai Laniyo, Mariano

Repeki Laniyo, Maria Taitano Lieto, Teresita Pialur Limes,

Hermana Ling, Daniel Mettao Lisua, Dionicio Mendiola Lizama;

Joaquin Reyes Lizama, Juana Hocog Lizama, Maria Ada Lizama,

Soledad Mesngon Lizama, Vicente Lizama, Carmen Mendiola

Lizama-Torres, Susana Rogopes Macaranas, Vivian Nee Adamson

Malmstrom, Magdalena Sablan Manahane, Milagro Hocog Manglona,

Magdalena Manglona Manglona, Delfina Villagomez Manibusan,

Donicia Rasiang Marciano-Hosono, Francisco Acosta Masga,

Maria Cruz Masga, Nathania Maui, Martha Muna Mendiola,

Bernadita Reyes Mercado, Juan Itibus Mettao, Likiak Kun

Mongkeya, Lorenza Ilo Mongkeya, Carmen Santos Muna, Isidro

Camacho Muna;

Vicenta Santos Muna, Jose Naog, Isidro Nekai, Rosa San

Nicolas Norita, Dominina Fitial Olopai, Gregoria Fitial Omar,

Elizabeth Atalig Paeda, Maria Indalecio Palacios, Maria Taman

Palacios, Milagro Sablan Palacios, Rita Taman Palacios,

Dolores Cepeda Pangelinan, Jose Basa Pangelinan, Juan Basa

Pangelinan, Magdalena Terlaje Pangelinan, Maria Aldan

Pangelinan, Maxima Cruz Pangelinan, Paul William Perry,

Rafaela Odoshi Perry, Maria Toves Quitugua, Remedio Naog

Quitugua, Viviana Osomai Rabauliman, Casimira Manglona Ramos,

Lourdes Maliti Rangamar, Dolores Cruz Rasa, Consolacion

Sablan Rasiang, Fuana Remeliik;

Angelina Sablan Reyes, Joaquina Pangelinan Reyes, Rosario

Taman Rios, Maria Borja Roberto, Angela Muleta Romolor, Pedro

San Nicolas Rosario, Rosa Benavente Royal, Takeshi Aloka

Royal, Juan Satur Ruben, Vicente Faibar Rubuenog, Ana Ayuyu

Sablan, Daniel Magofna Sablan, Dolores Reyes Sablan,

Margarita Mendiola Sablan, Olympia Reyes Sablan, Ramona

Cabrera Sablan, Rita Diaz Sablan, Rosalia Tenorio Sablan,

Fidelia Sablan Salas, Margarita Villagomez Salas, Rosa

Manibusan Salas, Isabel Manibusan San Nicolas, Juana

Manibusan San Nicolas;

Dolores Apatang Santos, Isabel Esteves Santos, Maria

Camacho Santos, Maria Arriola Santos, Maria Luisa Duenas

Santos, Martha Cabrera Santos, Carlos Rapagau Satur, Esteban

Nepaial Satur, Guillermo Litulumar Saures, Lourdes Mettao

Saures, Maria Benavente Sedmik, Antonia Rabauliman Seman,

Isabel Jones Seman, Margarita Benavente Seman, John Frank

Skilling, Teresita Wabol Skilling, Cresencia Maratita Songao,

Francisco Maratita Songao, Mary Grace Lejjena Songsong, Maria

Asuncion Stoll, Carmen Maratita Suzuki, Margarita Somol

Tagabuel, Gisina Songao Taimanao, Gloria Ramos Taimanao,

Marcelina Atalig Taitano, Sabina Rivera Taro;

Lino Pangelinan Tenorio, Maria Hattori Tenorio, Natividad

Cruz Tenorio, Rita Sablan Tenorio, Soledad Takai Tenorio,

Elena Litulumar Teregeyo, Enriquetta Peter Teregeyo, Maria

Reyes Thompson, Dirruchei Terry Tmakiung, Jovita Blanco

Tomokane, Francisco Ada Torres, Maria Jones Torres, Elizabeth

Sablan Torres-Untalan, Rita Songao Toves, Sophia Olopai

Towai, Consolacion Faisao Tudela, Margarita Cabrera Tudela,

Remedio Bermudes Tudela, Maria Salii Udui, Isabel Camacho

Villagomez, Margarita Aquininog Villagomez, Josepha Arriola

Weilbacher, Donicia Pialur Ythemar, Paul Joseph Ythemar.

Madam Speaker, Senora Escolastica Tudela Cabrera, more popularly and lovingly known as Tan Esco, is an icon to the people of the Northern Mariana Islands for her enduring entrepreneurial spirit and tenacity in overcoming adversity.

Born on February 10, 1930, Tan Esco grew up during the difficult days of the Japanese Administration of the Northern Mariana Islands. Her father had to leave his young family and go to Palau, working in the phosphate mines there to earn money for his family back home in Saipan.

Tan Esco attended a private, Catholic school, but later had to transfer to a Japanese school, where Chamorro and Carolinian children were taught the Japanese language and customs. Tan Esco remembered her Japanese teachers for their harsh manner in dealing with errant students and for the corporal punishment, which they meted out unsparingly. Despite such treatment, Tan Esco excelled at school. She was among the top ten in her class and was even put in charge of classes, when the teacher was summoned away.

The attitude of the Japanese Administration towards the local Chamorros and Carolinians hardened even farther, Tan Esco recalls, with the onset of World War II. And when American forces invaded Saipan, the Japanese military treated the local people almost as if they, too, were the enemy. Tan Esco hid in a small cave with over 40 natives for 19 days, while gunfire and bombs raged around them night and day. It was a nightmare for the 14-year-old Escolastica; and the memories of the war remain fresh to this day, memories she hopes no one in her family will ever have to experience.

After the war ended, Tan Esco worked hard to help her family rebuild their lives. With the knowledge of hairdressing she learned from an American lady and $500 borrowed from her father, Tan Esco opened Saipan's first beauty shop in the village of Susupe. The budding entrepreneur was only 19 years of age. Then her business interests grew. Within a few short years, she expanded into retail, becoming the first post-war shopkeeper to sell shoes and clothing. Tan Esco and her husband, the late Gregorio Camacho Cabrera or Tun Guru, next opened a gasoline station, began manufacturing charcoal, processing tapioca, and much to everyone's delight dishing up dessert at Saipan's first soft- serve ice cream shop.

Tan Esco's lasting legacy to her island community, however, and the business that would even make her name abroad, was the bakery. She did not even know how to make bread, when she started. But with a little advice from her mother to get things going, and lots of help from the rest of the family, Escolastica plunged into baking.

As always, Tun Goru was there by her side, nurturing his wife's enthusiasms and executing the business plans that she never seemed to run out of. The two would wake at 2 a.m. to bake and prepare food. They sold their goods from their snackmobile to the several hundred hungry students at Mt. Carmel School and Hopwood Junior High, who in those days had no school cafeteria. Tan Esco and Tun Goru also had a snack shop at the Saipan airport, which they would open when flights were arriving or departing. They baked 500 loaves of bread daily, delivering it Tanapag and San Roque in the north, often running out because of demand, but always assuring customers there would be more fresh bread tomorrow.

And in the midst of all this activity, Tan Esco and Tun Goru managed to raise a family--13 children in all, who themselves quickly learned the lessons of hard work and sacrifice needed to ensure the survival of the family. All the children's tasks were either directly or indirectly related to running the family business, Escolastica's Enterprises.

Admired for her work ethic and drive to succeed, Tan Esco also became involved in local politics and civic organizations. She was the first woman ever to serve on the municipal council of Saipan. She held key positions in the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, with the Saipan Farmer's Market Association, the Micronesian Arts and Crafts Association, the PTA committees of Mt. Carmel School, the Kristo Rai Church parish council, the Vocational Education State Advisory Council and other organizations. She participated in the White House Conference on Aging. And in 1991, Tan Esco accepted the honor of being the first woman grand marshal in Saipan's Liberation Day parade and festivities.

Today, Tan Esco enjoys her days in full retirement, having handed over the reins of the business to her youngest daughter. Tan Esco reached the milestone of 80 years of life earlier this year. Her years of work have left her as vigorous and she could easily pass for a woman of 60. Tan Esco says she can hardly believe that she has lived for eight decades, marveling that time has flown so fast. Her husband Tun Goru passed away in 2006, but their 13 children, and many grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were on hand to celebrate Tan Esco's 80th birthday.

Biba, Tan Esco, and dangkulo na si Yuus Maase. You are a living lesson to the younger generations of the Northern Mariana Islands. God bless.