By Mabel Doge Luhan for Kandit News & Views
With only two weeks to go before the Feast of the Circumcision, MVA sure is “working hard” to avoid getting its own trimming!
MVA submitted a ridiculous press release to the Daily Hawk Tuah, otherwise known as the Marianas Variety, and the Variety of course printed it without comment.
Apparently “Saipan among ‘favorite destinations’” is the important news MVA wants to impart on us, and the MV thought it newsworthy enough to print. Hhhhhhhhawk tuuaaaah!
Whose favorite destinations?
Oh, the favorite destinations of a marketing agency called Beautiful Destinations. Why, this is just like the National Society of High School Scholars, Who’s Who, and the Best Editorial Writer Award!
Except whoever is writing MVA’s press releases still hasn’t mastered plural nouns, so it’s Beautiful Destinations at the beginning, but Beautiful Destination at the end of the release — maybe that’s where they obtained the extra s for referring to the “award” as “Your Favorites Destinations.”
Oh, but who cares about grammar and spelling? What does that have to do with writing ads, just between you and I?
Indeed, whoever wrote this seems to have given up on making sense! Because we learn that Saipan “is listed alongside” a bunch of random places, including “the prefectures of Japan.”
The prefectures of Japan? That’s a destination? You realize that’s all of Japan? Not Czechoslovakia!
But anyway. Sure, a bunch of other tourism marketing boards paid this Beautiful Destination(s) outfit however much money to be on their list. Either that or being put on the list is a sales pitch for the marketing outfit’s further services. It will be interesting to find out how much public funds we paid for it, and how hard MVA negotiated for a good deal on our behalf, and whether there were any travels to any vacation spots by the ten MVA people who are definitely necessary to sign the contract.
And then the press release goes on — “social media is one of the best ways our residents can partner with the MVA in promoting The Marianas.”
I HAVE REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO “PARTNER” WITH THE MVA, FIRST OF ALL.
How and why are we supposed to “partner,” for free, with the MVA, which already sucks up millions of our dollars, and is dominated by corporate hotel interests? Is this one of those Tom Sawyer tricks, where MVA is trying to get us to paint a fence for free? (RUSH WOULD BE BETTER IF THEY WEREN’T CANADIAN)
Interestingly, “We’re pleased to see the name of The Marianas continuing to gain international recognition.” But didn’t the article just say that it’s Saipan that got this paid award? Can MVA go back and check what they wrote on the order form please?
And while The Marianas is what MVA’s political leash-holders in Tinian, Rota, and maybe Guam want them to call it, those tourists are going to have a bit of difficulty trying to book a flight to “The Marianas.” Not that MVA cares about any actual tourists coming here, of course. The arrivals keep dropping (23% drop last time in your own press release, was it?) and MVA keeps asking us for more money.
Oh, that’s right. Money. We’re going to submit an OGA request to ask how much MVA paid for this Beautiful Destinations award. Send over the info now if you want to pre-empt our request!
Your response to our December 2nd (or as you write, “December 02”) OGA request was a doozy. It took you only ten days to answer, and the answer came from George Sablan, who is now apparently “Procurement Officer (Acting),” because we made fun of him too much for the “tour guide licensing” scam. (By the way: MVA admitted in another OGA response to us that zero tour guides have been licensed, while Mr. Sablan continues collecting a fulltime salary and benefits for supposedly forty hours of work a week.)
Speaking of getting paid, we asked how much you paid in subsidies to United Airlines in 2024. George Sablan replied by saying that MVA “did not engage in a subsidy agreement with any airline.”
Immediately followed by saying that MVA “engaged in an Expansion of Airlines Services from Narita, Japan to Saipan, CNMI with United Airlines in the amount of…”
How is “an Expansion of Airlines Services” not a subsidy? You really do need to work on your plural noun game, by the by. You might also want to look up what a subsidy is. Also, what’s with the capitalization? This isn’t German.
So how much of our public funds did MVA give as a gift to United Airlines in 2024, while our hospitals, schools, electric utility, and public services were teetering on the verge of collapse?
Are you ready for this, my dear ferrets? You think they gave them maybe a hundred thousand buckaroos? Maybe a few hundred thousand?
Oh, you underestimate MVA!
In FY 2024, MVA gave United Airlines… $3,550,000. Yes, that’s over three and a half million dollars. That’s about a hundred bucks from every man, woman, and child in the CNMI, going right into the pocket of United Airlines.
What would you rather have: a hundred bucks in your pocket for every person in your family, or three and a half million dollars sent to United Airlines?
Well, you’re getting the latter. If you want the former, speak up: to the governor, to the legislature, maybe even to MVA itself. MVA employees and HANMI have already spoken up. They want all the public money in their pockets. Now it’s your turn.
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Mabel Doge Luhan is a woman of loose morals. She resides in Kagman V, where she pursues her passions of crocheting, beatboxing, and falconry.
3 Comments
Concerned Citizen
12/14/2024 at 1:37 PM
The recent revelation of the Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA) providing $3,550,000 to United Airlines in 2024 for what they term an “Expansion of Airline Services from Narita, Japan, to Saipan” is deeply troubling. While marketed as an effort to bolster tourism, this subsidy raises serious concerns about its actual impact on the CNMI economy, tourism industry, and aviation market.
Let’s break this down:
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CPA’s Inflated Budgets Are Driving This Subsidy
The Commonwealth Ports Authority (CPA) has long operated with inflated budgets and excessive operational costs, far beyond what is justified by the volume of traffic and scale of operations in the CNMI. Instead of addressing these inefficiencies, the CPA continues to pass its financial burdens onto others—this time using MVA funds funneled through United Airlines. Essentially, this $3.5 million payment is an indirect subsidy for CPA’s bloated operations, ensuring it doesn’t have to make the tough decisions to streamline costs or improve operational efficiency.
CPA’s reliance on these indirect subsidies only reinforces its inefficiencies. Projects like the international terminal in Tinian—far too large for actual needs—demonstrate CPA’s focus on overbuilt, underutilized infrastructure, which local taxpayers and funds like this subsidy end up covering.
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The Payment Entrenches United Airlines’ Monopoly
Subsidies like this should ideally lower barriers for multiple airlines to enter or expand their services, fostering competition, reducing airfare, and creating more travel options for consumers. Instead, the MVA’s payment has entrenched United Airlines as the sole operator for the Japan-Saipan route, discouraging other airlines from entering the market.
Why would any other carrier invest in routes to Saipan when they know United Airlines is propped up by millions in public funds? This subsidy effectively kills competition and locks the Japan market under United’s monopoly, guaranteeing high fares, limited seat availability, and stagnation in route development. This is the opposite of what an airline incentive program is intended to achieve.
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Negative Consequences for the CNMI Tourism Industry
The Japan market has been critical to the CNMI’s tourism industry for decades, yet arrivals from Japan have dropped by 23% recently. This payment does nothing to address the underlying issues driving this decline—like poor marketing, high airport fees, and limited carrier diversity. Instead, it artificially props up a single airline without offering a sustainable solution.
Compare this to Guam, where a competitive and transparent incentive program has attracted multiple airlines, diversified the market, and driven growth. While Guam flourishes, the CNMI loses out, with airlines, tourists, and economic benefits shifting to Guam because of MVA and CPA’s failure to foster a competitive environment.
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Misuse of Public Funds
At a time when the CNMI struggles to fund basic public services—such as hospitals, schools, and utilities—this $3.5 million payment raises serious questions about priorities. This money represents approximately $100 from every man, woman, and child in the CNMI, redirected into United Airlines’ pockets without measurable accountability or guaranteed benefits. The funds could have been far better spent on:
• Infrastructure improvements.
• A competitive airline incentive program open to all carriers.
• Revamping marketing efforts to reignite Japanese tourism.
Instead, MVA chose to support United Airlines—a global carrier with significant financial resources—while neglecting the long-term needs of the CNMI’s tourism and aviation industries.
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How CPA, MVA, and United Airlines Are Keeping the Japan Market Under Monopoly
The relationship between CPA, MVA, and United Airlines is emblematic of a larger issue: poor policy decisions that prioritize short-term convenience over long-term growth. CPA’s inflated costs and MVA’s misguided use of public funds ensure that:
1. CPA can continue its inefficient and bloated operations without reform.
2. United Airlines remains the sole beneficiary of subsidies, discouraging any other airline from competing on the Japan-Saipan route.
3. The CNMI tourism industry suffers as travelers, airlines, and agents shift their focus to Guam, where the market is competitive and open.
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The CNMI’s Economic Future Is at Stake
This payment isn’t just about one airline—it reflects a systemic failure to prioritize the economic health of the CNMI. By propping up United Airlines at the expense of competition, MVA and CPA are eroding the CNMI’s ability to attract tourists, airlines, and investment. Every dollar funneled into United Airlines undercuts the CNMI’s tourism potential and strengthens Guam’s position as the dominant regional destination.
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What Needs to Change
1. Reform Airline Incentive Programs: Replace exclusive subsidies with a competitive and transparent incentive program open to all carriers, designed to encourage market participation and increase capacity to Saipan.
2. Enforce Accountability at CPA: Demand that CPA reduce costs, improve efficiency, and ensure its budgets align with operational realities. Independent audits of CPA’s spending are critical.
3. Diversify Airline Partnerships: Actively court other Japanese carriers and regional airlines to provide service to Saipan, fostering competition and reducing reliance on United Airlines.
4. Improve Marketing and Infrastructure: Invest in addressing the real barriers to tourism growth, such as poor marketing and inadequate infrastructure, rather than subsidizing a monopoly.
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Conclusion
The MVA’s $3.5 million payment to United Airlines is not an “Expansion of Airline Services”—it is a subsidy disguised as an incentive, one that entrenches United’s monopoly and keeps other airlines out of the Japan market. It props up CPA’s inefficient operations while failing to deliver meaningful benefits to the CNMI. Worse, it shifts economic opportunities away from the CNMI to Guam, leaving CNMI residents to bear the costs of this ill-conceived initiative.
The CNMI deserves better. Its tourism industry, economy, and residents need policies that foster competition, ensure transparency, and deliver sustainable growth—not backroom deals that funnel millions to a single airline at everyone else’s expense.
Signed,
A Concerned Advocate for the CNMI Economy
Mabel Doge Luhan
12/15/2024 at 2:02 PM
BRB GETTING MY BIFOCALS
Joaquin Romolor
12/14/2024 at 2:09 PM
United Airline is totally corrupt a one-way ticket in US that supposed to be $200.00 or less is pumped up to a staggering price of $550.00 to $650.00 one-way ticket in the USA, your $25.00 carry on handbag is pumped up to $45 to $55 dollars. Thanks to MVA criminals who got their boosters money from the Bankrupt Torres Corrupt Administration years ago and never been investigated for their part in the millions of booster’s corruptions wrong doings MVA & Saipan Tribune is a mouthpiece of Chinese People not the American People.