PIC’s blog

NYE 2009 Poster_

Make reservations at PIC to celebrate the departure of 2009 with a bang of a time! The countdown includes spectacular dinner packages, live music & dancing in addition to a midnight champagne toast!  Please call 237-5130 to reserve your table today!

New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner

Dom Perignon Package

$360 per adult couple, $35 per child

Gold Card Surcharge:  $290 per adult couple, $35 per child

Cold Canapés

Oysters with Crème Fraiche and Caviar

Smoked Salmon Roses on melba toast

Prawns and Avocado in honey dew boat

Watermelon Gazpacho Shooter

Sea Scallop Ceviche in cucumber

Tea Smoke Shrimps with red wine Vinaigrette

Brochettes of Melon Prosciutto and Mozzarella

Cold Appetizer Platter and Salad Section:

Pastrami and Asparagus Bundles

Vegetable Crudities with Gorgonzola Dip

Heart of Palm and Scallop Salad

Potato Salad Molly Malone

“Gravlax” Swedish Style Cured Salmon

Smoked Fish Platter

 Duck Terrine with Ginger Cranberry sauce

Medley of Imported Cheese Platter with crackers and melba toasts

Glass of Crudities, Spiced Nuts and Bolts

Spicy Cajun Pecan Nuts

Honey Roasted Walnuts

Candied Cashew Nuts

Assorted Salted Nuts

Assorted Bread Sticks

Frizzles

Chef’s Live Hand Roll Sushi & Sashimi by: Chef Akira Saito

Yellow Fin, Cuttlefish, Wahoo Sashimi, Chirasi Sushi,
 Nigiri, California Roll, Beef Teri Maki, Onigiri

Selection of Hot Appetizer

Escargot and Mushroom in Mini Patty Shell

Champagne Baked Oyster

Crispy Wonton Wrap Prawns with Honey Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Brie & Mushroom Phyllo Puffs

Honey Coconut Crust of Salmon Skewer

From the Soup Marmite

Lobster Bisque with mushroom ravioli

Russian Pelmeny with sour cream, crushed garlic and chopped parsley

Chef’s Carving Station:

Thyme Sage Roast Turkey with Pistachio Chest Nut Stuffing and cranberry sauce

Baked Salmon with Prawn Mousse, lemon butter sauce

 Garlic Roasted Lamb Leg with Rosemary reduction sauce

Chef’s Main Entrees

Flambé Action Stations with your Choice of:

Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Lobster

Lamb Cutlet with Herbed Butter Sauce

Garlic Shrimp Sauté

Hot Entrees Buffet

Maine Lobsters Mornay or Thermidor

Certified Angus Beef Tenderloin with sauce Dianne

Seared Scallop and Swordfish Steak with parsley potato

Pan Fried Smoked Duck Breast with cranberry braised red cabbage  

Crab Cakes with coconut, chillies and coriander

Potato Croquette

Wild Mushroom Risotto with grilled asparagus

Balsamic Glazed Roasted Vegetables

Coconut Pandan Steamed White Rice

To Finish with Sweet New Year Extravaganza

Selection of Fresh Fruits Dip Chocolate Fountain and Marshmallows

Chef’s Fruit Crepes Flambé Station

Selection of Miniature French Pastries

Assorted Platter of Petit Fours

Selection of Fresh Fruit Carvings

Pastry Chef Cakes and Pastry Display

Yule Log

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Island

The reverse design features a latte stone on an island with a Carolinian canoe under sail in the lagoon. 

Two white Fairy Terns (native birds) are depicted in flight together overhead with a Carolinian Mwar (head lei) comprised of plumeria, langilang (ylang ylang), angagha (peacock flower) and teibwo (pacific basil), framing the design. 

CNMI Quarter

Designer and Sculptor

The Northern Mariana Islands quarter reverse was designed by United States Mint AIP Master Designer Richard Masters and sculpted by United States Mint Sculptor-Engraver Phebe Hemphill.

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All week long prior to the race, buckets of rain had seemingly hampered the race, but on Saturday morning, the clouds dissipated and clear skies gave way to shower the competitors with a relief of sunshine.  Race check-in commenced promptly at 5:15 am with cyclists displaying their race numbers on their helmets and on the back of their shirts for the organizers.  Two new registrants arrived to tackle the 100km course, one male on a road bike and one female on a mountain bike. Although race day registration is highly discouraged, the organizers accepted these two late comers as they had cash on hand and were ready to ride.

The management and staff at Pacific Islands Club Saipan transitioned from their usual hotel responsibilities to race directors, counters, timers, aid station volunteers, media van drivers, registration organizers and spotters.  The 3^rd Hell of the Marianas, dubbed “The Toughest Race in Micronesia”, has grown steadily in its short span of three years.  First, the sales teams at PIC Korea, PIC Japan and Saipan attracted media and participants from Korea, Russia, Australia and Japan.  Last year, the race hosted only two Korean pro cyclists. This year, the field of international participants leaped to twenty-four and a total 108 competitors undertook the grueling 100km (62.5 miles) mountainous course encompassing the picturesque perimeter of the island. 

While 100km sounds intimidating to most, the Hell of the Marianas is certainly doable for the average cyclists. Those who choose to race 100km solo definitely have the daunting feat of riding continuously for an average of four to five hours but for others, team categories make the race much more palatable.  This year, there were nine tandem teams, each riding 50km each and seven quad teams, each riding 25km each.

Alexander Bagenov and Eugeniy Smarchkov dominated the Men’s race, leading the entire time by a margin of 3 to 10 minutes.  Bagenov, age 28, races professionally for an Italian cycling team and strategically took turns drafting with Smarchkov, age 21, to maintain that decisive lead.  Right before the finish line, the two slowed to a complete halt, picked up their bikes and walked through the finish line with Smarchkov bowing to Bagenov as the champion.  Their times were 3 hours 3 minutes 25 seconds and 3 hours 3 minutes 26 seconds respectively. In third place was another newcomer, Hwan Geol Lee, a 24 year old Korean trailed just behind Amber Halliday, the Aussie Beijing Olympian (Rowing) with a time of 3 hours 14 minutes.

Halliday switched to cycling only a year ago and shattered the women’s record set by Mieko Carey (3:28:05) with a third place overall time of 3 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds.  The Women’s race almost seemed like a reverse déjà vu as Guam’s Chiyo Lombard drafted with cohort Jazy Garcia to maintain a steady pace while Saipan’s Mieko Carey was out on her own for the majority of the race, ranking fifth place for approximately 90km.  Perhaps it felt like justice to Lombard as Carey was the one last year who was assisted by five of her friends to win by only one second.  In the end, Lombard placed second behind Halliday with a time of 3 hours 22 minutes 24 seconds while Carey slipped to 3 hours 22 minutes 27 seconds. The 3 second deficit cost $250.

If there was a sportsmanship award, it would have gone to Dhan Heo, who during a portion of the race, drafted off Tyce Mister.  After Mister cramped near the Microl intersection, Heo captured the lead and proceeded to the finish line. There, he stopped and waited until Mister caught up and allowed him to precede him at the goal.

At 11:58am, the last rider of a quad team, 71 yr old, Jerry Facey, crossed the finish line in 5 hours 43 minutes 17 seconds. With the exception of a few scrapes, the racers escaped any major injuries.  

Cash awards were given to the first three finishers in the Men’s and Women’s Open divisions with $1000 for 1^st, $500 for 2^nd and $250 for 3^rd.  Other prizes were awarded to the top finalists in the age group divisions including a Specialized carbon fiber frame, a roundtrip ticket to anywhere in Asia where Delta flies, room accommodations at PIC Guam, PIC Saipan and Niseko, and other various gifts.

PIC wishes to thank Aon Insurance, Deloitte, Delta, DFS Galleria, Hertz, IT&E, KL Carr Enterprises, MVA, Pacific Subsea, PTC (Miller, Gatorade, Pepsi, Monster), PIC Boutiki, PIC Guam, Rare International and Shell for their generous contributions and support.

2009 Results:

·         1^st Place Male Individual Road Open Division: Alexander Bagenov – 3 hrs. 3 min. 25 sec.

·         1^st Place Female Individual Road Open Division: Amber Halliday – 3 hrs. 13 min. 20 sec.

·         1^st Place Male Individual Mountain Age Group Division: Gary Bandoja – 4 hrs. 01 min. 29 sec.

·         1^st Place Female Individual Mountain Age Group Division: Maricel Mahlum – 5 hrs. 04 min. 31 sec.

·         1^st Place Two-person (Jake & Jackie Van Dam) Road Relay Team – 4 hrs. 09 min. 59 sec.

·         1^st Place Two-person (Harold Ralang & Romeo Villa) Mountain Relay Team: – 3 hrs. 54 min. 53 sec.

·         1^st Place Four-person Relay Team: “Dog Lovers” – 4 hrs. 07 min. 24 sec.            

At 12:01am today, the U.S. federal government officially took control of CNMI immigration, marking another chapter in the islands' 34-year relationship with the United States.

The so-called federalization of local immigration took decades of political, social and economic wrangling between Washington, D.C. and the CNMI.

The last U.S. territory to control its own immigration, the CNMI is now officially subject to the same immigration laws as all U.S. states and territories, like its neighbor Guam.

Among other things, this means U.S. visas are now required of foreigners entering the CNMI, just like Guam, Hawaii, and the rest of the United States, except for those from countries included in visa waiver programs or exempted through a parole program.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its agencies now administer immigration in the Commonwealth, pursuant to Public Law 110-2209, which President Bush signed in May 2008.

The same law gave the CNMI its first non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (D-MP), who was elected by CNMI voters in November 2008.

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial's lawsuit against the U.S. government was not able to persuade a federal court judge that the so-called federalization violates the Covenant between the United States and the Northern Marianas.

But Fitial, in an interview with Saipan Tribune this week, concedes that the CNMI does not have the necessary resources to control its own borders amid the U.S. war against terrorism.

He, however, insists that the federal government should back off from controlling the CNMI's labor system.

“I am sad,” Fitial said, referring to the fact that the CNMI is treated differently among other U.S. territories that control their own labor.

The CNMI, a commonwealth in political union with the United States, has some 50,000 residents and foreign laborers, mostly from the Philippines and China.

Fitial, who is likely to become the first governor to be re-elected in three decades, said federalization would restrict access to foreign labor and tourists, and result in the collapse of the economy, which this year completely lost its once mighty garment industry.

But Fitial didn't lose everything in his federalization lawsuit. Judge Paul Friedman issued on Nov. 25 a preliminary injunction to prevent DHS from implementing its interim final rule on the CNMI transitional worker program effective today.

Under the interim final rule, foreign workers need to obtain a CW-1 visa from a U.S. embassy, after securing a CW-1 status in the CNMI. “CW” stands for “Commonwealth transitional workers.”

As of yesterday, however, key DHS officials involved in the CNMI federalization could not say how the federal judge's ruling would impact their policies.

All set

Edward H. Low, public affairs liaison at the Customs and Border Protection-San Francisco office, said CBP is all set to take over immigration in the CNMI.

“We have 42 CBP staff onsite. Equipment is up and running, and has tested okay,” he said yesterday.

The first flight that CBP officers were set to process was due in at 1:20am today, involving a Northwest Airlines flight from Japan.

CBP fingerprinting and eye scan will also become main fixtures at the airport, just like anywhere in the U.S.

Jerry Aevermann, CBP’s current assistant port director in Guam, is now the CBP's interim port director for the CNMI. Included in the 40 to 50 CBP temporary duty personnel in the CNMI are those from Guam.

'Where do we go from here?'

For the 30-plus CNMI immigration officers, federalization means either losing their job or being transferred to other local agencies.

One of them is Adela Capati, 49, who has been a CNMI immigration officer since 1991.

In her 18 years with immigration, she has held several assignments, from airport inspector to immigration paper processing.

“This job is my bread and butter and this takeover has caused me a lot of stress. I cannot even argue. I was offered a job at the Department of Corrections and I don't have a choice,” Capati said in an interview yesterday.

The governor earlier said the administration has been trying to re-assign immigration officers to other agencies like Labor and Immigration Identification System and the Division of Customs so that they won't completely lose jobs.

Capati, a single mother, said the remaining immigration officers have been asked to continue reporting work to the Division of Immigration office in San Antonio, at least until Dec. 31 to finish all the needed work.

Capati was among the 37 of over 70 CNMI immigration officers automatically disqualified from being hired by CBP because of the federal agency's 37-year-old age cutoff.

“I'm already 49 years old but I have been working as immigration officer since 1991 and I believe I will be a big help. Just when we already reached this age, we have to either lose or transfer jobs,” she added.

After World War II, the Northern Marianas was administered by the United States as part of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; thus, defense and foreign affairs were the responsibility of the United States.

In the 1970s, the people of the Northern Marianas decided not to seek independence, but instead to forge closer links with the United States. Negotiations for territorial status began in 1972 and, in 1975, a covenant to establish a commonwealth in political union with the U.S. was approved. A new government and constitution went into effect in 1978. The CNMI's residents are U.S. citizens.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Carrier Liaison Program - 2009 CLP Bulletin

IMPORTANT UPDATE IN ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

PAROLE FOR CITIZENS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND

THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA FOR THE CNMI ONLY

On October 21, 2009, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that she will exercise her discretionary

authority to parole into the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) visitors for business or

pleasure who are nationals of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. Parole will be

authorized only for entry into the CNMI and will not extend to other areas of the United States.

What are the requirements for the carriers?

To be eligible to transport eligible nonimmigrant nationals from the Russian Federation and the People’s

Republic of China into the United States, the carrier must:

o Already be signatory to the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program*

o Ensure that travelers meet the eligibility requirements for the CNMI-Only Parole

*Carriers that are not currently signatory must complete CBP Form I-760 and initiate the process with CBP no

later than November 23, 2009 to be eligible by the November 28, 2009 implementation date.

CBP will not initiate fines against the carrier under Section 273 of the INA for boarding such

nonimmigrant aliens without a valid U.S. visa, provided the carrier is signatory to the Guam-CNMI Visa

Waiver Agreement and the carrier acknowledges its responsibility for the removal of such aliens if they

are determined to be inadmissible to the United States on grounds other than INA 212(a)(7)(B)(i)(II).

What are the eligibility requirements for visitors from the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic

of China for the CNMI-Only Parole?

To be eligible for the parole provision, prior to embarking on a carrier for travel to the CNMI, each

nonimmigrant alien must:

o Be a national of the People’s Republic of China or the Russian Federation;

o Be solely entering and staying in the CNMI for a period not to exceed forty-five days;

o Be in possession of a round trip ticket that is nonrefundable and nontransferable and bears a confirmed

departure date not exceeding forty-five days from the date of entry to the CNMI;

o Be in possession of a completed and signed Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Information form (CBP Form I-736);

o Be in possession of a completed I-94, Arrival-Departure Record (CBP Form I-94); and

o Be in possession of a valid unexpired ICAO-compliant, machine readable passport.

For additional information on CNMI related matters, please contact CBP’s primary point of contact (POC) at Cheryl.C.Peters@dhs.gov.

On Sunday, October 18th, 85 cyclists participated in the PIC 50km Pre-HOM Fun Ride. The course started and ended at PIC with a loop encircling part of the island. Racers climbed to the Airport up Isa Drive past the Botanical Gardens and down to Kingfisher Golf Links and back, followed by a speedy downhill from Capitol Hill to Sadog Tasi.  At the bottom of the hill, the course veered north to Aqua Resort for the turnaround.  Then, it was a straight shot back to PIC on Chalan Pale Arnold Road, a right turn at the American Memorial Park Tennis Courts and south down Beach Road back to PIC.

The top finihers are:

Road Bike Male                                Road Bike Female

1. Nate Hawley: 1 hr39min18sec        1. Mieko Carey:  1 hr39min22sec

2. Ariel Garcia: 1hr39min19sec          2. Kimiko Hasegawa: 1 hr59min26sec

3. Kieran Daly: 1hr39min19sec          3. Heather Kennedy:2hr2min17sec

Mountain Bike Male                           Mountain Bike Female

1. Gary Bandoja: 1hr47min14sec        1. Jackie Van Dam: 2hr17min09sec

2. Antonee Aguilar: 1hr47min16sec

3. Mario Galang: 1hr52min22sec

Congratulations to all!

The 100km Hell of the Marianas (HOM) is scheduled for Saturday, December 5th at PIC Saipan. The race starts at 6:15am.

For more information, please check the HOM website http://www.hom.picsaipan.com/