Gregorio Sablan

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1480) commending the University of Southern California Trojan men's tennis team for its victory in the 2010 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Tennis Championship.

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, I also urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1480.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H. RES. 1548.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, before there was GPS, before there were compasses, the people of the Pacific navigated over thousands of miles of open ocean, including Hawaii and Samoa and Tahiti and New Zealand and hundreds of tiny islands and atolls in between. Yet in our lifetime, this ancient knowledge of navigation was all but lost until one man on the island of Satawal, who may have been the sole remaining practitioner, made it his mission to spread the Pacific art of navigation once again from island to island and keep it alive. Mau Piailug succeeded in preserving thousands of years of accumulated understanding of how to sail using the stars and the rhythm, taste, and temperature of the oceans. He trained others to distinguish each region of the sea by the life it harbors, when to the untrained eye these ocean reaches seem uniform, even empty of life. He reawakened pride in the unimaginable competence and courage of our ancestors, who over the course of so many generations populated the Pacific. Mau Piailug died on his home island of Satawal yesterday. As a fellow Pacific Islander, I thank him for all he gave us. I wish him well on his final journey. I rise to pay special tribute to the life of a remarkable man, a hero of the Micronesian Islands and the entire Pacific, Master Navigator Pius Mau Piailug. Piailug was the best-known modern practitioner of the ancient art of navigating over thousands of miles of ocean without the need for maps or instruments. He died on July 18. Pius Mau Piailug began life on the atoll island of Satawal, one of the outer islands of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia. His grandfather first began training Mau in the traditional arts of navigation. He fashioned his grandson a star chart of palm and coral and sat with him to watch the stars traverse the sky each night, learning their paths and the times they rose and fell on the horizon. As he grew, Mau was allowed to spend time in the canoe house with other elders, who taught him about the many signs needed to sail the sea. He learned to read the rhythm and temperature of the waves, to understand the significance of the flight of birds, to know where he was in the ocean by the kinds of sea life to be found there. And when he had learned all that he could from the canoe house elders, Mau was sent to a master navigator, a ``Paliuw,'' who lived on a nearby island, to complete his education. Finally, at the age of 18, Mau was christened a master navigator in the Weriyeng School of Navigation during a sacred ceremony called ``Pwo.'' Throughout his adult life, Mau Piailug honed his mastery of the ocean navigation and knowledge of the seas, sailing his canoe and living his life in the traditional way. He could see, though, that life in Satawal and across Micronesia was changing. Children were relying more on books and schools for their education rather than learning from their elders as they always had. Children were no longer interested in learning about navigation. The Pwo ceremony was no longer celebrated, because no new navigators were being trained. On islands across the Pacific, the old navigators were dying without passing on their knowledge. Piailug started to fear that that this would also happen on his home of Satawal. It happened, however, that a group of men in Hawaii had also sensed that that ancient arts of the sea were in danger. So, they determined to build a traditional double-hulled, ocean-going canoe and retrace the voyages of their ancestors. For that, they would need a navigator, however; and no one in Hawai'i still had this skill. Thus, it was that Mau Piailug became master navigator of Hokule'a on its maiden voyage from Hawai'i to Tahiti. And that thirty-three day sail, proving that the ancient technologies of ship craft and navigation persisted, ignited a fervor for the old ways and a new pride in the Micronesian and Polynesian cultures that has revitalized voyaging, canoe building, and non-instrument navigation throughout the Pacific. The voyage of Hokule'a was just a beginning. In the years that followed, Mau began to pass on his knowledge of navigation. He took numerous others on voyages throughout the Pacific. He sailed from the Hawaiian Islands to the Northern Mariana Islands, a feat no one known had ever before been known to accomplish. He made frequent trips sailing from Yap to the shores of Tanapag Village on the island of Saipan, where he had relatives. Piailug felt compelled to pass on what he had received, and he gave freely the gift of his ancestors. He taught all who would listen, and peoples all over the Pacific began building canoes and rediscovering their past. With much determination and patience, Mau Piailug created a new generation of navigators. Now Pius Mau Piailug has embarked on his last voyage. I call upon my colleagues to join me in honoring this master of navigation, this mentor of navigators.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. I would like to thank the distinguished Member from Guam, Chairwoman Bordallo, for assisting us and managing the bill through today's session. I also want to thank Congressman Raul Grijalva, chairman on the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, and his staff for helping him bring this bill to the floor, and thank Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall for moving this bill through the committee. Mr. Speaker, this legislation means a lot to my constituents on Rota. I would like to add to the Record a letter of support for H.R. 4686 from the mayor of Rota, the Honorable Melchor A. Mendiola. Mr. Speaker, it was residents of Rota who first asked me to explore the possibility of a national park on their island. H.R. 4686 does just that. It authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to determine whether the cultural, archaeological, historical, and natural resources of Rota are of national significance. If they are of national significance, the bill asks the Secretary to report to Congress on the feasibility and suitability of designating parts of Rota as a unit of our great national parks system. At the hearing on this bill before Chairman Grijalva's subcommittee, Rota was represented by Teresita A. Santos, who is also Rota's representative in the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives. She described her island to the subcommittee. She spoke of the ancient Latte Stone Culture of the original Chamorro people at Mochan Village and Alaguan Bay Village and of the Taga quarry, where the ancients carved out the massive stones that held up their houses. She spoke of the Chugai Pictorial Cave where these same people left their drawings. She spoke of the remnant structures from the Japanese era of colonialism in the early 20th century, and she spoke of the unique limestone forests, home to rare and endangered bird and plant life which remain intact on parts of Rota; whereas, on other islands in the Northern Marianas, volcanic activity and the impact of modern-day humans have largely removed those forests. Representative Santos also showed the subcommittee photographs of the places she was describing. The presentation was so powerful that one of the subcommittee members called Rota ``a jewel.'' I could not agree more. But this jewel needs protection. As the Interior Department witness at the hearing noted, Rota is today at a crossroads. Development is bearing down. Just a few miles across the ocean, a massive buildup of U.S. military forces is about to commence on the island of Guam. That growth is bound to spill over to Rota as military families look for weekend getaways and the waters and beaches of Rota beckon. The national park study offers the people of Rota an opportunity, I believe, to make some thoughtful decisions about what is truly important to preserve. The process of public input and discussion--that will be as much a part of the study as the cataloguing of natural and cultural resources--will help the people of Rota make these determinations. And if a park is recommended and one day designated by Congress, that clear definition of what most needs to be formally preserved will also allow development on the rest of Rota to proceed with more freedom. It is the acknowledged goal of Rota to be a site for ecotourism, so no development there will be conducted in a way that would spoil the very character of the island that draws the ecotourist. In fact, the presence of a national park, which underscores the rarity and importance of the archaeological, historical, and natural resources I have described on Rota, would itself complement and enhance this goal of becoming an ecotourism destination. It's a win-win. We can spur economic growth, create jobs, and increase protection of significant national treasures. But for any of this to occur requires, first, the study authorized by my bill. So let us take the first step today, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 4686. Northern Mariana Islands June 22, 2010. Office of the Mayor, Municipality of Rota, Hon. Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC Dear Congressman Sablan: Congratulations for getting the Rota National Park Study (H.R. 4686) approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee. It is an important step towards approval by the U.S. House of Representatives. It is very important that a National Park in Rota be established as it would greatly enhance Rota's attraction as a tourist destination. It would also contribute significantly towards our overall economic development. As you pointed out, eco-tourism has been targeted as a most favorable type of tourism for Rota. A well planned and well structured national park would be the best avenue to develop Rota's eco-tourism potential. Please convey to the member of the U.S. Congress that the people of Rota support the establishment of a National Park in Rota. On behalf of the people of Rota, I wish to thank you for your efforts and please do not hesitate to contact me should you need my assistance. Sincerely, Melchor A. Mendiola, Mayor of Rota.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man truly blessed by his Creator: a man who is religious, honest, faithful, devoted, and obedient to his calling. The man to whom I refer is the Reverend Monsignor Louis Antonelli, the pastor of San Isidro Church on the island of Rota. Monsignor Antonelli was born on September 23, 1918, in Sheppron, Pennsylvania. He began his studies for the priesthood at the Stigmatine Minor Seminary in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1931, at the tender age of 13 years. He continued his studies at the Stigmatine Major Seminary in Wellesley, Massachusetts until he was ordained a priest on June 11, 1949, and immediately became an assistant pastor at the Sacred Heart Church, in Milford, Massachusetts. Four years later in 1953, he was assigned to the U.S. territory of Guam, where he taught at Father Duenas Memorial School, a Catholic high school, until being reassigned to the mainland United States in 1959. In 1970 he returned to Guam, this time as Assistant Pastor at the Agana Cathedral and San Vicente Church. He also served as Director of the Permanent Diaconate Program on Guam. In 1973, he was sent to the Northern Mariana Islands, first for two weeks on Tinian, then to the permanent position of Pastor of San Francisco De Borja Church in Songsong, Rota. There he served until 1991, when he initiated and built the Rota San Isidro Mission at Sinapalu on Rota, becoming its Pastor and serving at the Mission up to the present day. In his ministry, Monsignor Antonelli presided over countless masses, baptisms, catechism classes, counseling sessions, weddings and funerals. His daily work involves administering communion to hospital patients, prison inmates, the sick and the elderly. In partnership with the Sisters of Mercy from Guam, he established the Escuelan San Francisco De Borja on Rota in 1985. Today, the school continues to provide grade school education to children on Rota. He is also directly responsible for the beautification and maintenance of the San Pedro Cemetery on Rota, which some have referred as a mini Arlington National Cemetery because of the care Pale Antonelli has given this ground. While ministering to his flock, Monsignor Antonelli also has found time to breed and raise cattle and to experiment with a variety of grasses to use as feed. He has a herd of nearly 100 head of cattle on his small Rota ranch. Many would say that the Monsignor has bred the best cattle and maintains the best grazing lands on Rota. Monsignor Antonelli's service and activities have won wide recognition. Among the honors he has received during his service on Rota is recognition as the ``Conservationist of the Year'' in 1990 by the Luta Soil and Water Conservation District; and in 1996, Pope John Paul II named him ``Prelate of Honor'', which gave him the title of Monsignor. Monsignor Antonelli has been a priest for 61 years, 37 of which he ministered to the spiritual health of the people of Rota, volunteered as a high school teacher and assisted farmers and cattle ranchers. He has declared and affirmed that Rota is his home for the rest of his life and also where he wants to rest in peace. On behalf of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, I wish to express my gratitude to Monsignor Antonelli for all his exceptional service and wish him good health and much happiness as he continues his ministry to our people: We look forward to his 92nd birthday in September!

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, God's blessings come to us in many forms. One of the ways the people of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands have been most blessed by God is through His minister, the Reverend Monsignor Louis Antonelli. In September, Pale Antonelli will celebrate his 92nd birthday. For 37 of those years, he has served on the island of Rota, first as pastor of San Francisco De Borja Church in Songsong Village, then as pastor of San Isidro Church in Sinapalu. Throughout these years, Monsignor Antonelli has presided over countless masses, baptisms, catechism classes, counseling sessions, weddings, and funerals. He has ministered to hospital patients, prison inmates, the sick, and the elderly. But in addition to being a man of the spirit, the beloved Pale Antonelli is a man of the Earth. His herd of cattle, about 100 head, and the grazing lands he has cultivated for them are widely recognized among Rota's finest, a product of nurture and careful breeding. It is a long way from Sheppton, Pennsylvania, where Pale Antonelli was born, to the island of Rota. God's ways are unfathomable. But we are all grateful that God's ways brought Pale Antonelli to the Northern Mariana Islands.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, some families have an out-size influence in their community. With 12 children, 40 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren, Manuel Seman and Luise Pangelinan Villagomez have clearly had an impact. But their influence was more than numerical. The Villagomezes were among the first great entrepreneurs to emerge from the ashes of World War II in the Northern Mariana Islands. Manny's family had farmed and fished, selling their produce to Japanese retail stores before the war. But afterwards Manny and Luise became business people themselves. They began with a small grocery store in Chalan Kanoa, then added a second in Garapan. They invested in real estate, went into construction, sold scrap and grew their fortunes. They invested, too, in their children's education, though they had only a sixth grade and third grade education between them. And they taught their children business, bringing them into the stores at an early age. Luise passed away, surrounded by loved ones, at the Kiyu compound in Fina Sisu a few years ago. But Manny Villagomez lives on, farming as he did as a child, still traveling occasionally, satisfied with the fruits of a life of hard work and devotion to family and faith.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, 86-year-old Manuel Seman Villagomez's kempt silver hair, easy smile and gregarious personality belie his years of hard work and difficult childhood. He came from a large family with meager possessions, but over time, intense work and unwavering devotion to his faith and family have made him a contented man. Manuel, or Manny, Villagomez was born on January 24, 1924 on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands during the Japanese occupation. He is the youngest of ten children. His Chamorro father was born on Guam, but, at the age of 18, he moved to Saipan with his siblings. Manny's mother, half Chamorro and half Carolinian, was from Saipan. Manny received a sixth grade level education, the maximum allowable for Chamorro children under Japanese law at the time. After he graduated from school, he worked at the family farm and sold produce to the Japanese stores to support the large family. He fished with his father to supplement the family income. His father's love of fishing for kichu, or sergeant fish, was the reason for his family being affectionately called ``Kiyu.'' During World War II, as American forces started their approach to the Mariana Islands, the Japanese government restricted Manny and his family, as well as the rest of the Chamorros, to their respective family farms. When the Americans landed on Saipan on June 14, 1944, Manny was one of the many Chamorros forced to flee to the jungle, hiding out in caves, trying to avoid the fierce battle that engulfed the island. On July 4, 1944, U.S. Marines found Manny and others hiding in a cave in Talofofo and led them out to Camp Susupe, where civilians were confined until after the war. After Japan surrendered in 1945, the U.S. Marines recruited Manny and 63 other Chamorro and Carolinian men to serve as marine scouts and search for Japanese snipers and holdouts on Saipan and in the Northern Islands. It was not until January 31, 2000--55 years later--that U.S. Armed Forces formally recognized Manny and the other marine scouts for their service. They were officially sworn in, and on the same day, formally discharged from the Marine Corps. Right after the war, Manny was attracted to a young woman who would later become his wife for 58 years. She was Luise Pangelinan Villagomez, born on November 14, 1929 on Saipan. She grew up in a family of eight children. Luise only had a third grade education but she learned to speak three languages, Chamorro, Japanese, and after World War II, English. After two years of courtship, the young couple married on February 26, 1949. A month later, they moved into their new, albeit tiny house, which Manny had built with the earnings from his job as a police officer. Their marriage produced six daughters and six sons: Linda, Patricia, Thomas, Barbara, Manuel Jr., Joseph, Edward, David, Nora, John, Ramona, and Antonia. Manny's first job after World War II had been as a mess boy for the American enlisted personnel, which is how he learned to speak English. Thereafter, he served as a policeman for 12 years under the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands' Insular Constabulary. He rose to the rank of sergeant and became an administrator. Manny quickly learned how the U.S. Naval and local governments procured goods. In 1955, he used his knowledge and experience to start a small grocery store, M.S. Villagomez Store, in Chalan Kanoa. It was the third locally owned grocery store in operation. Initially, Luise, by then a mother of four, handled the store's daily operations. Realizing that his wife needed help and that the family business presented a better opportunity, Manny left his police job. In 1960, Manny and Luise relocated the store to a corner lot on Beach Road near the Chalan Kanoa post office. Six years later, in 1966, the couple built a large, two-story building to accommodate the expanding grocery and department store as well as provide office rental space. As the business grew, so did the family, which by 1968, had increased to twelve children, most of whom were old enough to work in the business. Manny and Luise then built a second store in Garapan which they later leased to Duty Free Shoppers, now DFS Galleria. During this time, the family business expanded to the export of scrap and recycled materials to Japan. The couple also entered into a joint venture with Luise's brother and opened a store on the island of Chuuk, one of the other islands in Micronesia, from 1969 to 1977. In December 1976, the family suffered a major setback when fire engulfed their department store building. Manny and Luise salvaged what they could from the fire and quickly reopened a small store across the street. As they accumulated some assets, they invested in real properties and gradually developed and rented them out. They resisted any loan offers from banks and were extremely cautious and conservative in their investments. In 1978, Saipan began to see the influx of foreign investments particularly from Japan. Manny and Luise leased their prime properties to investors for large scale developments. They reinvested their new capital in other real properties by again self-financing the construction of commercial space and apartment buildings. They also purchased some undeveloped real properties in the United States for investment and security. Having survived World War II and seen his own father go through changes in sovereign control in Guam and then in Saipan, Manny felt the need to own real property in the continental United States in the event the family had to flee or relocate from Saipan. In 1979, the Villagomez family joined several other Chamorro families in purchasing houses in San Leandro, California. Manny and Luise then moved their younger children to San Leandro to further their education. In the 1990s, Manny and Luise shifted the focus of their business from retail to the construction business, and to commercial and apartment rental. So that they could pursue their love of traveling, they also decided to transfer the management and operation of the business to their children. Manny and Luise were able to visit many cities in Europe, traveled extensively throughout Asia and the U.S., and spent considerable time at their San Leandro home. While Manny is widely known for his business accomplishments, he is most proud of his service as the first Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (CASA) for the Northern Mariana Islands, a position he held from 1988 to 2000. As the NMI's CASA, Manny enjoyed the time he spent supporting the generals, veterans and active soldiers. Manny and Luise never lost sight of their civic duties. In 1990, they made a sizeable donation for the construction of the first major public library, the Joeten-Kiyu Library, in Susupe, Saipan. They were generous benefactors to schools, churches and charitable organizations. Manny and his children continue the tradition of giving and assisting others in the community. It was always the couple's dream to have their children reunited on Saipan. During the 1990s, Manny and Luise subdivided their large Fina Sisu property purchased in the 1950s and helped their children build their own homes there. Today, the lake and ocean view property, known as the MSV Kiyu compound, is a quaint, friendly place where all the twelve children have homes and where a majority of the 40 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren can be seen visiting throughout the year. It is also where Luise peacefully passed away surrounded by her loving family in September 2007 at the age of 77 years. Today, Manny lives in the family compound with ten of his children and their families. He still travels but spends most of his time in the compound tending to his mini-farm, fruit trees, and other plants, and living a quiet and peaceful life.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. The people of the Northern Mariana Islands love rice. Pre-contact with the West, the Marianas were the easternmost extent of the cultivation of rice. For us, a meal without rice is no meal. Yet, ironically, one of our most cherished local businesses processes that great competitor of rice: Wheat bread. Pan mamis and Pan toasta. These baked goods bring back mouthwatering memories for all of us in the Marianas. And the source of this goodness we most recall is Herman's Modern Bakery. Perhaps, our devotion to Herman's has to do with the roots of that business in the ashes of war. Like the people of Israel beset by the Babylonians, as the people of the Marianas emerged from the trauma of World War II, ``the famine was sore, so that there was no bread.'' We were starving and stored together in an internment camp in the days and months following the U.S. victory over the Japanese in 1944. But the U.S. forces quickly began reorganizing society and reestablishing the ability of our community to care for itself. The occupying forces tapped the young Herman Reyes Guerrero to bake. Herman had previously apprenticed as a baker during the Japanese administration of the Northern Marianas, and he quickly agreed to return to this calling. He began baking bread for the U.S. troops, for Japanese prisoners of war, and for the Chamorro and Carolinian people of Saipan housed by the military in Camp Susupe. As often happens after war, much materiel is left behind, cheaper to abandon than to return home. So it was at the close of World War II in the Pacific that the United States Navy simply gave Herman Guerrero the baking equipment the military had supplied for him to use. With those ovens and mixers and the customer base he had already established, Herman opened Herman's Bakery. Not only was this the first bakery, this was the very first company founded in our postwar economy. As the years went by, from that base of bread and baked goods, Herman's business grew. He opened the first hotel on the island of Saipan, a retail store, a laundromat, and a travel agency. In the early 1980s, following extensive expansion and upgrading, the bakery became known as Herman's Modern Bakery, and its products became ubiquitous throughout Micronesia. Today, the company's distribution chain includes several international franchises. You can even find Herman's cookies for sale on the Internet. One of Herman Guerrero's fondest memories of his early baking career was a visit to the shop by Admiral Chester Nimitz, and throughout the following 65-plus years of growth, the close relationship between the United States military and the bakery continued. Today, as the U.S. build-up commences on Guam, Herman's has contracted as an authorized supplier, opening up a distribution facility and considering a bakery there. Herman's also regularly supplies the U.S. naval vessels that dock in Saipan for R&R. For just as many residents like to make Herman's our last stop on the drive to the airport--to take pan mamis, guzuria and crocks of cookies away as gifts and comfort foods from home--so, too, the sailors of the U.S. fleet enjoy pulling away from the dock with Herman's sweets stocked in the galley. From a humble one-man beginning, today, Herman provides jobs for over 110 individuals. A leading corporate citizen, Herman's is a strong supporter of civic, charitable, educational, and religious organizations, including the American Red Cross, the Commonwealth Health Center, the Rotary Club, the Northern Marianas College Foundation, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, and nearly every school, church, and village fiesta on the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. The company piloted our school lunch program and has provided technical expertise to individuals on other islands in Micronesia who are opening or improving their own bakeries. With the recent establishment of the distribution center on Guam, the company has begun to expand its charitable support to that island, too. Always, the bakery remains the heart of the family of companies and of the family of Herman Guerrero himself. All of the surviving children of Herman and his wife, Maria Tenorio Guerrero--Jesus, Agnes, Herman Jr., Juan, Florencio, Margarita, Anna, Rudolfo, Joseph, and Leonora-- have worked at the bakery during significant portions of their adult lives. Herman was so identified with the bakery business that he came to be called by the nickname ``Pan,'' which in the Chamorro language means ``bread.'' Indeed, to this day, many of his children carry the ``Pan'' honorific as part of their own everyday names. For most of us in the Northern Mariana Islands, when we hear the word ``pan,'' it's a tossup which comes first to mind: Herman Reyes Guerrero--Herman ``Pan''--and his wonderful bakery, or just the wonderful baked goods that ``Pan'' produced. Dangkulo na si yu`us ma`ase.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, most of us know how the build-up of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is causing global temperatures to rise. Less well known is how the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide is changing the chemistry of the oceans. Because the oceans absorb atmospheric CO2. In a way, this is beneficial: reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide slows down the global warming effect. But as the oceans absorb CO2, the oceans themselves become increasingly acidic. And the increasingly acid ocean waters can actually eat away the carbon shells of corals and a myriad of other sea life. The people I represent live on islands surrounded by coral reefs. Coral reefs protect us from storms and provide habitat for fish and shelled animals that are a traditional source of food. The existence of coral reefs attract hundreds of thousands of tourists to the Northern Mariana Islands each year. Economists have valued our coral reefs at up to $70 million annually. Yet each year the oceans grow more acidic that economic value is being eroded. I thank Mr. Inslee for focusing on this issue. I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 989 and national and international policies to prevent ocean acidification.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, once again, the students of Mount Carmel School have won the honor to represent the Northern Mariana Islands in the annual ``We the People'' competition. Mount Carmel has a tradition of excellence in speech and debate and this year's group of orators continued that tradition with distinction. The competition is directed by the Center for Civic Education and funded by Congress through the Education for Democracy Act. This is a program we should continue to support. I watched the Mount Carmel students testify in a simulated congressional hearing on constitutional issues they had studied in the We the People: The Citizen and The Constitution textbook. The students are nothing short of impressive in their knowledge and their understanding of the historical bases and the philosophical concepts underlying the document that established our national government. Eleven hundred students from around our nation earned the right to come to Washington for the final competition over the weekend of April 24th by competing against other schools in their congressional district and States. This is but a fraction of the students who participate and benefit. In its 23-year history the We the People: The Citizen and The Constitution program has reached more than 30 million students. A survey of program alumni demonstrates that students take to heart what they learn. Ninety-five percent of the respondents voted in the November 2008 election. Additionally, 76 percent voted in all previous elections for which they were eligible, and 56 percent had contacted a government official regarding a public issue during the previous 12 months. As in years past the We the People program honored a member of Congress with the Dale E. Kildee Civitas Award. Chairman David Obey was this year's recipient for his contribution to the field of civic education. I congratulate the Chairman for this recognition; and, again, I urge my colleagues to support this worthwhile program. Now I'd like to recognize the Mount Carmel team members by name: Matthew Aquino, Geza Baka, III, Maria Balajadia, Ryanne Camacho, Ericka Celestino, John Edward Elenzano, Ji Yeon Kim, Min Seong Kim, Savana Manglona, Ivan Matala, Nicoli Matala, Anthony Sablan, Nicolas Sablan, Troy Villafuerte, Brittany Yamagata, Calvin Yang, Joseph Yoon; and their coaches: Keolester Buenpacifico, Rosiky Camacho, Justice John Manglona, Judge Ramona Manglona; and chaperones, Maggie Sablan, Velma Palacios.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, once again the students of Mount Carmel School have won the honor to represent the Northern Mariana Islands in the annual We the People competition. Mount Carmel has a tradition of excellence in speech and debate and this year's group of orators continued that tradition with distinction. The competition is directed by the Center for Civic Education and funded by Congress through the Education for Democracy Act. This is a program we should continue to support. I watched the Mount Carmel students testify in a simulated congressional hearing on constitutional issues they had studied in the We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution textbook. They are nothing short of impressive in their knowledge and their understanding of the historical basis and the philosophical concepts underlying the document that established our national government. Let me acknowledge each student by name: Matthew Aquino Geza Baka III Maria Balajadia Ryanne Camacho Ericka Celestino John Edward Elenzano Ji Yeon Kim Min Seong Kim Savana Manglona Ivan Matala Nicoli Matala Anthony Sablan Nicolas Sablan Troy Villafuerte Brittany Yamagata Calvin Yang Joseph Yoon.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, in 1914, a young Chamorro by the name of Jose Diaz Torres began his training in medicine at a small hospital opened by the German colonial administration on the island of Saipan. Chamorro people had their own healing and medicinal traditions from ancient times, but Spanish colonizers introduced the indigenous people to Western medicine, and the Germans continued this practice upon taking control of the Northern Mariana Islands at the end of the 19th century. The Germans had a commitment to training local people, and Jose Torres, or Dr. Torres as he came to be called, thus became the islands' first local doctor. When Japan supplanted Germany, Dr. Torres continued his practice in a hospital the Japanese constructed. There too, the careers of Saipan's first Chamorro dentists, Dr. Manuel Manibusan Aldan and Dr. Juan Charfauros Reyes, began. Victory over the Japanese in World War II brought the United States to control of the Northern Mariana Islands. After the war, the islands were administered under a United Nations trusteeship arrangement that required the United States to improve the standard of living. This responsibility was carried out by the U.S. Department of the Navy during the 1950s. The Navy built temporary hospitals on Saipan for the treatment of both military and civilian personnel. In recognition that the local population needed access to permanent medical care, the Navy also expanded the colonial practice of training promising individuals in dentistry and medicine. The Navy sent Dr. Juan Charfauros Reyes for further education to the School of Dental Assistants, Navy Hospital, Guam. Doctors Jose Lujan Chong, Francisco Taman Palacios, Benusto Rogolifoi Kaipat, Jose Tenorio Villagomez, and Calistro Camacho Cabrera were sent for medical training first to the Naval Medical School on Guam and then to the Central Medical School at Suva, Fiji, in the early 1950s. Dr. Carlos Sablan Camacho similarly trained in Fiji later in the decade and in Hawaii in the 1970s. In 1962, two important events took place in the Northern Mariana Islands. First, the U.S. Department of the Interior took over the United States' trusteeship responsibilities from the Navy, inaugurating the establishment of the Government of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the capital of which was eventually located on Saipan. Second, the residents of Saipan witnessed the grand opening of a modern, civilian-staffed hospital built on As Terlaje hill, christened Dr. Torres Hospital in honor of Saipan's first local doctor. The 1960s and 1970s brought opportunities for the aforementioned local doctors to obtain advanced training in Guam and in Hawaii. Joining the ranks of the Northern Marianas' first doctors and dentists in 1972 were Dr. Manuel Quitano Sablan and Dr. Helen Taro, who earned their degree in dentistry and medicine, respectively, from the Fiji School of Medicine. Like their faithful colleagues before them, Dr. Sablan and Dr. Taro returned after their schooling to be of service to the people of the Northern Marianas, taking care of the dental and medical needs of the island community. The people of the Northern Mariana Islands have the deepest appreciation, admiration, and respect for our pioneer doctors and dentists--to those still living today and to the memory of those that have passed on. May their compassion and dedication always be an example and inspire more of our young people to pursue a career in health care.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, the National High School Mock Trial Competition is the premier national law-related academic tournament for high school students. Mock trial programs are designed to give students an inside perspective on our legal system, providing them with an understanding of the mechanism through which society chooses to resolve many of its disputes. Participation in a performance-based, hands-on program of this nature provides students with a practical knowledge about how our legal system operates and who the major players are in that system. Mock trial programs help develop young citizens who can sustain and build our Nation by making a reasoned and informed commitment to democracy. Students of Mount Carmel High School have earned the right to represent the Northern Mariana Islands in this year's national competition in Philadelphia. They will compete with teams from around the country. Mount Carmel students have a tradition of excellence in oratory. The school represented the Northern Mariana Islands in the National We the People program 2 years in a row. Mr. Ryan Ortizo, one of the members of this year's competition in Philadelphia, just won first place in the CNMI Attorney General's Cup competition. One has to admire and be proud of the dedication of the students and the commitment of the teaching staff at Mount Carmel School for instilling the passion for debate and public speaking year after year.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, the National High School Mock Trial Competition is the premier national law related academic tournament for high school students. Mock trial programs are designed to give students an inside perspective on the legal system, providing them with an understanding of the mechanism through which society chooses to resolve many of its disputes. Participation in a performance-based, hands-on program of this nature provides students with a practical knowledge about how our legal system operates and who the major players are in that system. Mock trial programs help develop young citizens who can sustain and build our nation by making a reasoned and informed commitment to democracy. Students of Mount Carmel High School have earned the right to represent the Northern Mariana Islands in this year's national competition in Philadelphia. They will compete with teams from around the country. Mount Carmel students have a tradition of excellence in oratory. The school represented the Northern Mariana Islands in the National We the People program two years in a row. Mr. Ryan Ortizo, one of the members of this year's competition in Philadelphia just won first place in the CNMI Attorney General's Cup competition. One has to admire and be proud of the dedication of the students and the commitment of the teaching staff at Mount Carmel School for instilling the passion for debate and public speaking year after year. Proudly representing the Northern Mariana Islands in this year's National Mock Trial Competitions, are: Geza Baka III, Maria Balajadia, Kevin Bautista, Hazel Doctor, Ryan Ortizo, Keno San Pablo, Janela Revilla, Anastasia Schweiger, and the team's advisor Lourdes T. Mendiola, their attorney coaches Edward Buckingham and Joseph Taijeron, and their teacher coaches, Galvin S. Deleon Guerrero and Rosiky F. Camacho.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of H.R. 2499. As the newest member of the American family just 35 years ago, on a plebiscite called an act of free political self-determination, we went to the ballot and had one choice only--Commonwealth. For us to say that Congress can give Puerto Rico the options it has in H.R. 2499, because it appears as if it's only statehood, we do this all the time, Mr. Chairman. We're not doing it now. We go to war. We are trying to give people free will and freedom. Yet we tell them it is freedom in association with the United States. It took Puerto Rico 100 years of being part of the United States. Only in the past 12 years has this discussion started. It's about time. Let's put the question to the people of Puerto Rico. Give them an option. They could choose statehood; they could choose to remain a Commonwealth. Let's pass H.R. 2499. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the shareholders, management, and employees of a very special family-owned business in the Northern Mariana Islands as they celebrate their company's 60th anniversary. Joeten Enterprises, Inc., or simply Joeten as it is known to local residents, began with Jose Camacho Tenorio and his wife Soledad Duenas Takai selling beer and soft drinks to soldiers and sailors from Saipan right after World War II. Joeten and Daidai, as everyone called the Tenorios, gradually grew their quintessential mom and pop operation into a diversified, multimillion-dollar corporation. Today Joeten Enterprises encompasses not only retail shopping outlets but also wholesale, shipping and stevedoring, car dealership and auto service, hotel, real estate, construction and material supply, hardware, insurance, bakery and deli businesses. They have hundreds of employees, including many that have been a part of the company for decades. It is difficult to imagine our principal island of Saipan 60 years ago. The war had destroyed virtually all of the physical and commercial infrastructure. Residents found some work with the U.S. military or lived on government handouts. So for newlyweds Joeten and Daidai to take the great entrepreneurial leap of faith and open a corner grocery store in the village of Chalan Kanoa was a significant step not only in their own lives but in the reconstruction of the island economy. Joeten and Daidai sacrificed much and worked long hours to build their small business. Joeten was lucky enough to have a government job, but he was constantly networking, planning, and then carefully executing a variety of adaptations and expansions to grow the business. Daidai supervised the store during the day, balancing the books, while caring for and feeding the couple's growing family. The four daughters and two sons of Joeten and Daidai--Annie, Clarence, Norman, Patricia, Frances, and Priscilla--began their own education in business at an early age right there in the store. Their parents' example and tough but caring attitude taught the children to work hard to get what they wanted from life. They learned that personal discipline was key to success. And as each of the children grew, they took on their own increasingly important roles in the burgeoning Joeten Enterprises. Joeten passed on in 1993, Daidai in 2008. But their six children continue to run the many businesses their parents began. The children of Joeten and Daidai share their parents' values with their own children, so the lessons Joeten and Daidai imparted continue to be practiced by a third generation of entrepreneurs. As retold by the Tenorio children and grandchildren, one of the most important of these lessons was that to a large degree the company's success is the result of the teamwork of the company's loyal and dedicated managers and employees. In that spirit, we salute them all--owners, managers, employees. Hand in hand, may they continue to prosper in the next decade, guided by the vision and spirit of the company's founding couple, Joeten and Daidai.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, Angel Ray Tudela Guerrero is a teenager in the Northern Mariana Islands, who, despite facing extraordinary health problems in his own life, found ways to improve the lives of other young people. At age 12 Angel Ray was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He spent a year and a half in a Hawaii hospital battling cancer. But Angel Ray did not let his disease control his life. Instead, he used his experience to empower himself to help others. During his long hospital stay, Angel Ray found that time passed more comfortably because of a playroom in the pediatric ward. It was filled with games and toys, computers and a TV well stocked with DVDs, all of which helped take the young patients' minds away from their illness and from the reality of being in the hospital. In the playroom, Angel Ray told a reporter from the Saipan Tribune, kids ``don't feel like they're sick. They feel like they're at home.'' But Angel Ray knew--from personal experience--that kids back home at the Commonwealth Health Center in the Northern Marianas had no playroom. Though the average stay is only two-and-a-half days, some patients are there for six weeks or more. And they have no toys or books, no refuge from the psychological toll of being sick. So Angel Ray partnered with Hawaii state representative Glenn Wakai and with Reach Out Pacific, a non-profit organization that takes surplus medical and educational supplies from Hawaii to the Pacific islands, including the Marianas, Guam, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Chuuk, Yap, Kosrae, Pohnpei and the Philippines. Together, they organized donations of toys and books to create a playroom at the Commonwealth Health Center. The Shriner's Hospital in Honolulu was being renovated and needed to clear out toys in its pediatric area. Moanalua High School gave hundreds of books. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court donated shelving. And Matson Navigation offered to ship the 20-foot container stuffed with 50 boxes of books, 19 bookshelves, and 60 bags of toys from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands. Madam Speaker, Angel Ray Guerrero is an inspiration to us all: an individual who took the adversity in his own life and turned it into a benefit for others.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, Angel Ray Tudela Guerrero is a teenager in the Northern Mariana Islands who, despite facing health problems in his own life, has found ways to improve the lives of other young people. At age 12, Angel Ray was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. But Angel Ray did not let his disease control his life. Instead, he used his experience to empower himself to help others. During his year-and-a-half long stay in a Hawaii hospital battling cancer, Angel Ray found that time passed more comfortably because of the playroom there. But Angel Ray knew that kids back home in the Commonwealth Health Center in the Northern Mariana Islands had no playroom. So Angel Ray partnered with Hawaii Representative Glenn Wakai and with Reach Out Pacific, a nonprofit organization. Together, they organized donations of toys and books to create a playroom at the Marianas Hospital. Angel Ray Guerrero is an inspiration to us all, an individual who took the adversity of his own life and turned it into a benefit for others.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to recognize the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Inslee) for 1 minute.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1270, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. SABLAN

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1276) recognizing the continued importance of volunteerism and national service and the anniversary of the signing of the landmark service legislation, the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which Members may revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on House Resolution 1276 into the Record.