Pohnpei and FSM Cultural day celebrated in Pohnpei
Pohnpei, FSM—This year’s Pohnpei and FSM Cultural Day kicked off with a musical competition for youth groups held at the Spanish Wall stage on March 30. On March 31, the official date for the cultural day holiday the celebration lasted all day long. Highlights of the day were the many performances by young people enrolled in the Early Childhood Education programs throughout Pohnpei. They performed in the morning and older aged groups performed during the late afternoon.
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Improved “Telecom Bill” now a law
By Bill Jaynes
The Kaselehlie Press
April 3, 2014
Pohnpei, FSM—On April 1 the FSM Congress passed Congressional Bill number 18-145 popularly known as the “Telecom Bill”. The bill deals with the liberalization of telecommunications services in the FSM primarily by eliminating the legal monopoly that FSM Telecommunications Corporation has held since it was established over 30 years ago, even before the birth of the nation itself.
“It also establishes an independent regulatory authority, and sets up an ‘Open Access Entity’ for the purpose of owning assets related to a future fiber optic project connecting Palau, Yap, and Guam,” the committee report on the bill says.
FSM PMU says report on Weno road contract flawed
By Bill Jaynes
The Kaselehlie Press
April 2, 2014
Pohnpei, FSM—An article in the Marshall Islands Journal (MIJ) proclaims, “PII found blameless in Chuuk project snafu”. The headline and the article comes from a report by J.M. Robertson Inc. commissioned by Century Insurance Incorporated, the company that issued a surety bond for Pacific International, Inc. the construction company based in the Marshall Islands that had been hired for the Weno Road project in Chuuk. But the FSM’s Project Management Unit says the Robertson report is seriously flawed and has demanded its retraction.
Bribery charges against Genesis owner and management in RMI
By Bill Jaynes
The Kaselehlie Press
and Giff Johnson
with permission of the Marshall Islands Journal
April 2, 2014
Majuro, RMI—On March 20, Marshall Islands’ Attorney General Jack Jorbon filed 52 criminal charges against the owner and the manager of Genesis Island Enterprises RMI according to an article in the Marshall Islands Journal (MIJ) that was published on March 28. The charges allege that Owner Herminio Alfonso, and Manager Ariane Jay Demayo bribed Majuro hospital officials on multiple occasions in order to win bids for medical equipment, supplies, and maintenance.
Read more: Bribery charges against Genesis owner and management in RMI
Chuukese woman awarded the Next Generation Youth Leadership Award
Tumon Bay, GUAM
On April 1st 2014, Payuta Inc., (umbrella organization for non profit organizations in Guam) at its 4th Non Profit Congress, awarded the Next Generation Youth Leadership Award to Ms. Nedine Songeni, a young Chuukese woman working for the Humanities Council in Guam. The Congress was held at the Westin Hotel in Guam. In attendance at the conference were other non profit partners from Marshall Islands (ALson Kelen), Kosrae (AG Johnson-Asher), Pohnpei (Pohnpei Women’s Council), Chuuk (Cindy Mori of Chuuk Chamber of Commerce) Yap (Yap Women’s Association and WAAGEY), Palau (Anne Singeo) and CNMI.
Huge congratulations go to Ms. Songeni who showed that Chuukese in Guam are law abiding and productive members of the community.
Happy Faces = Go Local!
By April Turner
Island Food Community of Pohnpei
Island Food Community of Pohnpei has been delivering a series of fun lessons on local food benefits with preschool students at United Church of Christ Preschool (UCCP) in Kolonia.
The lessons have been targeted to the learning styles of young children by including games, animation stories and lots of movement. The 3-5 year old children enjoyed playing games to identify which foods are local and which have been brought by ship from far, far away and guessing the type by listening and feeling the food items.
