VOL. 57 ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER 2016 • GUAM CONTRACTORSʼ ASSOCIATION
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SHAKING UP THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
By John M. Robertson
The U.S. pivot to the Pacific took a strange twist when newly elected President Rodrigo Duterte visited Beijing in October. Long standing policies of the U.S. suddenly came into question when President Duterte appears to have embraced China as a new ally at the expense of treaties with the United States. Plans for beefing up Philippine military bases for use by rotational U.S forces may now have to be redrawn. Recall that “Guam Military Build Up Two” reduced the number of Marines to be based in Guam predicated on a new concept that some of those Marines would rotate in and out of Australia and the Philippines instead of receiving training on Guam, Tinian and Pagan islands. Is this a big OOPS for U.S. diplomacy or is this just another bump in the road?
A populist leader sends mixed messages in Asia On Thursday 20 October, Chinese warships were conducted military exercises in the South China Sea, the contested waterway through which flows roughly one-third of global maritime commerce. Announcing on Wednesday that the exercises would take place the next day, Beijing warned all other ships to stay away from a section of sea not far from the Paracels, a collection of islets, reefs and rocks controlled by Beijing. Also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, the Paracels have been transformed by Chinese engineering ingenuity and dredging into de-facto military bases, complete with surface-to-air missiles and a runway long enough to 6 | NOVEMBER2016
Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte (L) and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping shake hands after a signing ceremony in Beijing on October 20, 2016. (Photo credit should read /AFP/Getty Images) welcome fighter jets. Less than a week before those Chinese military drills, a U.S. navy guided-missile destroyer also ventured into waters near the Paracels. The USS Decatur‘s sail-by on Friday 21 October was described by the U.S. defense establishment as a freedom of navigation operation,” or FONOP, designed to challenge what the U.S. calls China’s “excessive maritime claims” in the South China Sea. (It’s worth noting, though, that an orthodox reading of a FONOP would require a vessel to enter within 12 nautical miles of a maritime feature, and the USS Decatur did not veer that close to the Chinese-controlled Paracels.) The U.S. says it has conducted four FONOPS in the South China Sea over the past year in order to keep the peace in the Pacific. Beijing quickly deemed the USS Decatur’s route “illegal” and sent Chinese warships to tail the American destroyer, while the state-run media ramped up its criticism. “The U.S. does not want the South China Sea and regional situation to calm down and stabilize,” went an editorial in the Chinese Communist Party’s mouthpiece People’s Daily. “If no one else helps it to make a fuss here, Washington will stir up trouble by itself.” The Chinese and American military maneuvers in the South China Sea formed
a threatening backdrop to South China Sea geopolitics, even as tensions have eased dramatically between two key players: China and the Philippines. Then, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visited Beijing, lavishly praised his hosts and proclaimed his nation’s “separation” from the U.S., a longtime ally of the Philippines. Agreeing to bilateral talks on the South China Sea dispute, which Beijing had been urging for years, Duterte also played down an international tribunal’s July ruling in favor of the Philippines, which dismissed China’s historic claims over the South China Sea. Upon returning to Manila, Duterte promptly walked back his remarks—as he’s done in the past. But the Philippine President then embarked on a trip to Japan, where he said on Wednesday 27 October that he wanted “maybe in the next two years” to remove all foreign troops from Philippine soil. “I want them out,” he said of American soldiers, who have access to Philippine bases. This despite the fact that the U.S. is bound to the Philippines by a decades-old military treaty. Access to Philippine bases gives the U.S. Pacific Command a strategic point from which to counter a more assertive China in the South China Sea. To confuse matters further, Duterte said in Tokyo that the Philippines might want to conduct military exercises with China’s arch-rival, Japan. He continued to fulminate against the U.S., which once colonized the Philippines, www.guamcontractors.org
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saying that the Americans were “treating us like dogs on a leash.” Duterte, who took office in June, has a habit of throwing verbal grenades into halls of international diplomacy, only to stroll away later, seemingly oblivious to the explosion. But even if he does dial back his America-bashing to please a largely pro-U.S. electorate at home—according to opinion polls, no country like the U.S. more than the Philippines does—his foreign policy has to please Beijing. After the international tribunal ruling went against China this summer, the Chinese government accused the Philippines of being an American lackey that always did the bidding of an arrogant superpower. Then Duterte arrived in town. “If Duterte says what he means, China has basically achieved most of what it wants in the South China Sea without doing anything,” says Ian Storey, a South China Sea expert at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. “Of course, the Chinese are also a bit unsure because they can’t trust this guy since he’s all over the place.” For its part, the U.S. says that it has received no formal instructions from the Philippines to alter their long-standing military alliance. Beijing, too, may be adopting a wait-and-see approach. “No one expected in less than four months that Duterte would make such a big bang,” says Zhu Feng, executive director of the China Center for Collaborative Studies of the South China Sea at Nanjing University. “But we also don’t know how serious he is and how far he will go.” Notably, when Duterte’s predecessor Benigno Aquino III came to office, he spoke of bettering ties with China and snubbed the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo to placate Beijing. But it was under Aquino that the Philippines lodged its successful case against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague. Relations between the two nations plummeted. In the meantime, China has engaged in regular military exercises in the South China Sea, roughly 90% of which it continues to claim as its inalienable territory. The drills were characterized as normal search-and-rescue efforts but last month the Chinese and Russian navies conducted live-fire war games in its waters. Soldiers even practiced seizing islands, according to Western military analysts, surely a worrisome sight for smaller nations that are holding onto bits of South China Sea turf that China claims. After the USS Decatur sailed near the Paracels’ Woody www.guamcontractors.org
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and Triton islands, Chinese military media announced that the nation’s South Sea Fleet had recently conducted live-fire drills in the South China Sea. Military exercises are one thing. A true escalation by China would involve either building on Scarborough Shoal, in the way that China has expanded seven other South China Sea outcroppings into military features, or creating an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) over the South China Sea. Such a zone, which Beijing has already declared over the disputed East China Sea, would require foreign aircraft to notify Chinese aviation authorities as they fly through airspace that five other governments claim, in part or in whole, as their own. But Chinese experts on the South China Sea say it’s unlikely that Beijing will pursue game-changing moves in the short term, especially when Duterte has proven so conciliatory. “My view is that such actions will fuel tensions and will totally contradict the new momentum in China-Philippine relations in a truly harmful way,” says Zhu. “The basic tactic for Beijing should be to take a ride-off of rapprochement to seek some sort of settlement that will benefit China and the region.”
After patrolling Asia-Pacific waters for 160 years, the U.S. has a historic interest in the region's security. Beijing couldn't see things more differently The U.S.S. John C. Stennis, a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, plowed through the azure waters of the South China Sea in late April, as implacable as one of the world’s largest warships ought to be. Escorting the supercarrier, which was carrying more than 3,000 military personnel on a route some 125 nautical miles east of Malaysia, were a trio of guided-missile destroyers and an Aegis cruiser. Overhead, F-18 strike fighters, Seahawk helicopters and Hawkeye early-warning radar aircraft swooped through the sky. “We’re committed to security at sea,” said Rear Admiral Marcus Hitchcock, who commands the Stennis Strike Group. “We are very invested in the economic development and building of commerce in the region.” An air show for a group of visitors flown out to the carrier served as a potent reminder of America’s projection of power. A formation of F-18 Hornets soared. A Seahawk helicopter probed the waters for submarines. Aircraft strafed the sea
INSIDER NEWS with bombs, sending white spray into the tropical air. Around 100 sorties take off from the Stennis’ flight deck each day, each plane’s pilot executing a catapult takeoff and arrested landing in which the velocity decreases from 105 m.p.h. to 0 m.p.h. in two seconds. The roar of aircraft shakes the 24-story carrier every few minutes. The Stennis’ permanent mission is to “protect American interests on the waters of the world” and visitors are reminded that the 1,092-ft. carrier is “4.5 acres of sovereign U.S. territory capable of traveling to the furthest reaches of the globe.” Before a port call in Singapore on April 19, the Stennis had participated in joint patrols with the Philippines, one of the U.S.’s treaty partners in collective defense arrangements. (The U.S. has seven treaty partners in the world; five are in the Asia-Pacific.) It was while aboard the Stennis that U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter announced earlier in April that the U.S. and the Philippines would conduct future patrols together. The U.S. has also sailed warships within 12 nautical miles of a Chinese-controlled island and reclaimed reef, in exercises the Pentagon says are designed to underline the importance of freedom of navigation in such a vital waterway for global commerce. “This is not a challenge to sovereignty,” says Hitchcock. “These are challenges to excessive territorial claims. And we take no position on sovereignty other than to say we hope there is a peaceful and diplomatic resolution to sovereignty challenges here in this region.”
Duterte deal with China over Scarborough Shoal exposes US failure By cozying up to China and trash-talking America, Duterte has achieved something that Washington couldn't deliver: a peaceful resolution to the Scarborough Shoal standoff. The significance of this can't be overstated. Back in 2012, China seized the Scarborough Shoal by deploying powerful coastguard cutters to evict the Philippine navy. Wary, not unjustly, of being drawn into a conflict with China over uninhabited rocks, Washington chose not to clarify whether its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines would trigger an American military response. Beijing sensed Washington's lack of resolve. So when the US brokered a deal in
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blockade is a positive development. Duterte's victory, in fact, has potentially removed a major headache for Washington.
A lookout watches from the bridge of the U.S.S. John C. Stennis aircraft carrier in the South China Sea on April 25, 2016
which the Philippines and China agreed to withdraw their ships, Beijing simply reneged on its part. China kept the blockade intact, which its coastguard enforced by chasing and firing water cannons at approaching Filipino vessels. For the next four years, Washington failed to craft an effective strategy to get Chinese ships out of the shoal. Washington's failed strategy Despite all America's military might, threatening to use it at Scarborough just wouldn't have been credible -- a dilemma that still lies at the heart of Washington's inability to rollback Beijing's South China Sea outposts. Duterte, by contrast, appears to have used the one form of leverage Washington didn't have: the allure of close relations with a US ally. His explosive talk of "separation" with America, realignment with China, and an "independent" foreign policy struck exactly the tone Beijing wanted to hear. His readiness to enter into bilateral negotiations with Beijing over the South China Sea also brought Manila in line with a core Chinese demand. Lifting the Scarborough blockade, then, is China's gift to Duterte for his sustained attack on America. While it's not clear what concessions, if any, Duterte has granted in the process, for now this is overwhelmingly good news for most Filipinos. China's diplomatic masterstroke Beijing, in all this, has pulled off a diplomatic masterstroke. It has earned goodwill from Manila and wedged US-Philippines relations simply by ending its illegal activities. What's more, it hasn't really given much away. Beijing hasn't dropped its claims to the Scarborough Shoal, nor have 8 | NOVEMBER2016
its own fishermen been forced to leave. It hasn't even withdrawn its coastguard vessels which, though well-behaved, continue to patrol the shoal. In fact, by sharing fishing access at the shoal, Beijing has surreptitiously brought itself in line with the Permanent Court of Arbitration's July 12 ruling on the South China Sea, even as it continues to reject the legality of the verdict. China has nevertheless granted some concessions. Having reopened Scarborough to Filipino vessels, it will be very difficult for Chinese dredgers to undertake land reclamation. To do so would undercut the political rapprochement that China is trying so hard to foster with the Philippines. Accordingly, Beijing's purported aim of turning the shoal into a military airstrip within missile range of Manila has, in effect, been put on ice. China's ability to coerce the Philippines has also been reduced. Although Beijing can easily reinstate the blockade, this would similarly undercut its political objectives. In other words: the one-off lifting of the blockade has removed an ongoing source of Chinese leverage over Manila. This suggests Beijing is serious about making actual compromises to improve its ties with Manila at Washington's expense. Damage to US Diplomacy How much this hurts America is a mixed bag. A fishing deal between Beijing and Manila doesn't necessarily undercut Washington's bottom line that disputes be resolved peacefully in accordance with international law. Unless President Duterte has compromised on the Philippines' sovereign rights at Scarborough -- an impeachable offence under Filipino law -- any accord on the lifting of China's
Over the past few months, Scarborough Shoal had again been shaping up as a pivotal test of wills for the US and China, with Washington deploying sophisticated military hardware to the Philippines in a quiet attempt to deter Beijing from militarizing the reef. Given America's track record of weakness and warming China-Philippines ties, Beijing may well have called Washington's bluff once again. It's thus a lucky save for US policy that a Scarborough deal has put off Chinese militarization for now. Washington's hesitancy to stand up to Beijing Even so, America has sustained considerable geopolitical losses. The significance of a Chinese compromise at Scarborough is likely to add momentum to political rapprochement between Beijing and Manila. While more Filipinos view the US favorably than they do China -- 92% to 54% in a Pew survey last year -these numbers may well shift in response to Chinese concessions like this. Such trends could make it easier for Duterte to allay popular concerns about his pro-China foreign policy. This doesn't mean he will necessarily evict the US military as he's recently threatened. But if cooperation with China continues smoothly, US-Philippines ties could become even more frosty, possible neutralizing the strategic value of a key American ally in Southeast Asia. More broadly, the way that Duterte, not Washington, brought the four-year Scarborough Shoal standoff to a close exposes a central failure in America's South China Sea policy: Washington's hesitancy to stand up to Beijing lest it spark a military crisis leaves regional partners vulnerable and open to China's entreaties. The danger is that other countries will follow the Philippines' lead: distancing themselves from the United States and making deals with China that chip away at the regional order. If this comes to pass America's position will be truly weakened. The foregoing is adapted from 28 April and 27 October articles by Hannah Beach of Time Magazine. Also, the opinions of Ashley Townsend, a Research Fellow of the United States Studies Center at the University of Sydney, Australia for CNN. www.guamcontractors.org
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Excellence in Construction Overall winner the model for others to follow. That is excellence – surpassing ordinary standards. That’s what the Excellence in Construction Award is all about!
That’s Excellence How do people measure ‘excellence’? Wait. Don’t answer that just yet. It is relative after all. But, we can all agree on good work. We can all agree organizations, businesses, and people demonstrate varying levels of amazing, good, even excellent work. In school, we’re taught that excellence is completing something difficult to achieve. It’s the same thing everywhere – in any industry, business, or classroom. But, what’s the baseline? What’s the benchmark? What’s the standard? Sometimes people create that; more often than not they set the standard and create
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When we talk about Excellence in Construction, sometimes it’s difficult to decipher what the basis of the reward is. Is the building really tall? Is it well designed? Were the best materials used? Every project is different after all. But, it is usually because the contractor has proven continuously their abilities, their commitment to outstanding work, and achieving something what some might scoff, roll their eyes at, or run away from. But, think about where all of our wildest dreams would disappear to if we always did that. This year, we celebrate Black Construction Corporation with the Excellence in Construction award for their repairs to the C-Site Standby Generator Building, FAC. 261 Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory (B.I.O.T.). Black Construction Corporation’s excellence is based on many things: an incredible record of
safety and an expansive, diverse, and ever-growing clientele. Their submission packet listed accolade after achievement after award, and one thing remains true for their being recognized, and we can all agree: it’s deserved. The details of this project are expansive and it was an incredible undertaking. However, it is important to note that many of us may never see the project itself, at least not in person. Even, if you were mistakenly assigned to Diego Garcia, one of you who would have to, so-to-speak, abandon ship. That situation, and of course, your mere U.S. citizenship status, will not (normally) get you on to the island; that regulation is per the Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC); who’s kind of fussy about stuff like that. Naval Support Facility, Diego Garcia (NSFDG) is located in the Indian Ocean, south of the equator about 2,900 kilometers from Bombay, India, and some 4,723 kilometers West-Northwest of Australia, and 8,908 kilometers southwest of Guam. Military approval and access aside, the
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Excellence in Construction Overall Winner project is remote to say the least. Someone try Google Earth! But, we digress. Regarding scope of work, the project called for the complete renovation of NSFDG’s Facility 261, C-Site Standby Generator Building. The renovation provides uninterrupted power supply to the Communication Center Building vital to NSFDG’s mission: provide continuous, effective and efficient communications operations. Further, structural demolition work and asbestos removal, expansion of the CMU block and concrete roof building structure, installation of a new a government-supplied
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500KW generator, a new Contractor-supplied 800KW generator, related fuel system and switchgear modifications, fire protection and alarm systems, and building utility services and lighting, were all a part of a tall order that BCC delivered effortlessly and flawlessly. The coolest part about all of this: this isn’t the first time they’ve received the Excellence in Construction Award. They received the Excellence in Construction award from 2000-2007, 2009, 2012, and 2013! It just demonstrates BCC’s consistency in breaking down construction barriers, their
ability and desire to take on bigger project, their tenacity and their ‘can-do’ work ethic. It shows contractors the kind of work that is within our grasps. This is a significant accomplishment. Moreover, it is a reminder of the impact of a company can make throughout the region and possibly beyond. It motivates us to raise or break the standard. That, in every sense of the word, is excellence. Congratulations to Black Construction Company!
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Contractor of the YEar Overall winner
High Visibility for Core Tech at the Epicenter Hollywood is full of artists trying to make it. They struggle audition to audition. They put in the work, take the classes, practice their craft, and sometimes with a little bit of luck, they come out on top! It’s like that for any other industry. Not everybody is blessed, and they’re left to build from the foundation and create something magnificent. The Guam Contractors Association membership know this probably better than anyone, which is why we celebrate the celebrities and stars of our annual Guam Contractors Association Contractor of the Year. But, there’s a price you pay for celebrity. Ask them. It’s called privacy; or the lack thereof. A name that denotes foundational development from the bottom up, and also a keen eye toward the future of almost every industry. Ladies and gentlemen of the Guam Contractors Association, your GCA
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They’re busy doing what construction companies are supposed to do building. Building what? They’re building up a community. They’re We’ve heard of Core Tech visualizing a community with and for International just in recent years, but all of us. Whether it’s a 21st century the organization has been working government building, renovations for almost 25 years. At 25, some are still facing student loans, learning that for an educational institution, or a great night out might not prove for affordable housing, Core Tech International is making it a priority to the best morning after, as well as a existential, quarter life crisis. However, build. Core Tech International has grown But, it was no accident. “Core Tech into a solid, construction company has a long history of excellence committed to our community. Just take a look at Tiyan High School and in safety, innovation and diversity, exceeding expectations and quality the central office of the Guam for the valued clients,” reads their Department of Education, among COY application form. It continues others! They’ve made a name for themselves working so effortlessly with by saying, “As one of the largest employers and one of the fastest government agencies, but also growing companies on (sic) Guam, working toward innovative ways to build our community. Their mantle of Core Tech is a champion of diversity with exceptional safety programs trophies shows a diverse account of their projects, but also that they do that provide employees with the skills they need to work safely and excellent work. productively to meet the various Contractor of the Year is Core Tech International.
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Contractor of the Year Overall Winner needs of the clients.” It always comes back to investment in ourselves. Remember how Hollywood artists take the classes, go to the auditions and such; Core Tech has consistently invested in its employees, its safety programs, and the community in which it lives – an extension of itself if you will. “From humble beginnings as a family owned and operated general contractor back in 1991, Core Tech has expanded into a full service construction and engineering company,” Core Tech explains. And it has grown, especially with an ever-growing list of repeat clients. “The greatest testament to Core Tech’s sustained success is evident in the volume of repeat business from satisfied customers who believe in the company’s firm commitment and ability to successfully deliver a quality product on time and within budget.” Its continuously growing portfolio of federal, military, private, and government clients has contributed greatly to not just its physical growth,
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but its financial as well – citing an 80-percent growth in revenues over the last few years.
what they do, they have touched the lives of many community organizations such as Island Girl Power, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Core Tech is committed to doing the First Lady Christine Calvo’s Rigålu job right and has an uncompromised Foundation, the Rotary Club record of quality, safety and of Guam, the Salvation Army, efficiency. In addition to focusing Soroptimist International, the Guam on quality and safety, the company War Memorial Survivors Foundation, focuses on developing people the University of Guam, Notre Dame and doing all it can to give others High School, the Guahan Academy a better life whether through Charter, the Department of Parks and employment at Core Tech, building Recreation, and they played a role in affordable homes for the community, this year’s Festival of the Pacific Arts. corporate social responsibility, or It’s this commitment to community giving back with resources, time that of course puts companies like and talent. By focusing on people, Core Tech in the front running of Core Tech is committed to giving awards like Contractor of the Year. It its employee vision to imagine the doesn’t matter how big you get, but potential of all we can do; providing how much you give back. a wealth of experience to develop creative options to build a better At the heart of this recognition, is their Guam; and giving customers the commitment to visualizing the future, expertise to develop what might investing in their company and its seem impossible. employees, and continuously working toward greatness. The soul of Core Tech is its Sometimes all it takes is visualization, employees, staff and management, not the kind you find in crystal balls, and their commitment to our but that of seeing what you can do, community. By instilling this pulling together your resources, and commitment into every aspect of making it happen.
NOVEMBER2016 | 19
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October 19, 2016 Westin Resort Guam Guest Speaker Robert Bigtas
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to all the winners of the
excellence in construction And to
black construction
&
core tech international
From your friends at 142 Seaton Boulevard, Suite 102 - HagĂĽtĂąa, Guam 96910 telephone (671) 477-1239 or (671) 477-2239 | facsimile (671) 477-3339 email adztech@teleguam.net | www.adztechguam.com
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Guam Insurance Continuing Education Symposium by Orlene Arriola Known mostly for stability and consistency, we rarely consider the insurance industry as a beacon for change or innovation. But that may soon be changing. On a Thursday morning last month, forty leaders and operators from Guam’s insurance industry gathered to participate in Guam’s first Continuing Education Insurance Symposium. The Insurance Association of Guam and AXS Insurance a local brokerage firm lead by Orlene Arriola CPCU, collaborated to bring in a leader of the CPCU Society to make an instructional semi-
nar on innovative insurance related solutions. The CPCU Society and its Educational parent known as the Institutes, now over 100 years old, is the oldest and most respected Insurance educational institution in the world. Based out of Malvern, Pennsylvania the Institutes has chapters all over the world. The CPCU is the premier insurance designation in the US and globally. Less than 3% of the insurance professionals in the US achieve the highly coveted designation.
About The Institutes CPCU Society The Institutes CPCU Society is a community of credentialed insurance professionals who promote excellence through ethical behavior and continuing education. The CPCU Society’s members who number more than 22,000, hold the CPCU designation, which requires passing rigorous undergraduate- and graduate-level examinations, meeting experience requirements, and agreeing to be bound by a strict code of professional ethics. Guam which currently does not have a CPCU Society Chapter, hosted one of the founders of the CPCU Society European Chapter, Mr. Anthony Fienberg.
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Anthony Fienberg ARe, CPCU, RPLU, ARM Anthony Fienberg, ARe, CPCU, RPLU, ARM is an Associate Partner with Singularis Solutions, a boutique affinity consultant, intermediary and underwriting agency for the automotive, retail and travel industries, as well as financial institutions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, numerous professional designations and has 25 years of experience in the insurance and reinsurance industries, both in the U.S. and Europe, but also stretching into Africa and Asia-Pacific. Speaking several languages, he is very active in promoting insurance knowledge within the insurance industry and beyond, including authoring published works in specialized journals. He was a founding member of the Europe chapter, its first president, currently a chapter director and a past chairman of the International Insurance Interest Group. Currently, he heads the CPCU Society International Ambassador committee. Most recently, Fienberg was Managing Director for France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland at The Warranty Group. He has previously worked for Prudential Re (now Everest Re), Ace Europe, Chubb Insurance and Nassau www.guamcontractors.org
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assurances (now HDI-Gerling). Originally from the US, he currently resides in France with his family. Anthony was also the founder of the CPCU Society International Ambassador program which selects a CPCU from the international community to represent the Society at the CPCU Annual meeting. As it happens, Anthony is the Chair of the committee that selected Guamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own ORLENE ARRIOLA CPCU AINS CRIS as the 2015 CPCU Society International Ambassador. A longtime supporter of insurance knowledge and education, Anthony took up an invitation from Orlene to visit Guam and make a presentation to the eager minds of the insurance professionals here. With topics ranging from value add supply chain solutions involving insurance, to credit insurance, purchase protection insurance, and extended warranty there was much to absorb in
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the one-hour presentation. A skillful presenter, Anthony interacted with the quiet group and kept the audience engaged including the Guam regulators present, Mr. Art Illagan (Insurance and Banking Commissioner) and Ms. Alice Sebastian-Cruz (Regulatory Supervisor). Although much of the subject matter was outside of the typical lines of business for most of the audience, the topics and concepts were intriguing and thought provoking. It was hard to gauge the reaction from the stoic group, but pens were jotting down notes signaling interest in retaining the information presented. Who knew that insurance topics could actually be interesting? Judging from the positive feedback of the attendees, the event was well received and there is interest for additional educational seminars. We plan to arrange more seminars and educational symposiums with insurance subject matter experts visiting Guam. Continuing education in all
MEMBER BENEFITS professions is important, but in particular with regard to the insurance industry it is critical to ensuring the best interests of the public. Given the success of this event, you can expect more industry training and education for our local risk and insurance professionals. This is welcome news to the construction industry, who manage risk daily and will be better served by knowledgeable insurance professionals. Construction techniques, methods, and materials are evolving at unprecedented levels creating new and unexpected exposures to contractors and owners. To enable our economy to grow, the insurance industry must educate and innovate, just as quickly to address the evolving risk exposures that contractors are potentially faced with in the course of building Guam. Successful risk management of these potential exposures can be the game changer when it comes to long term success and continuity in business.
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SMALL BUSINESS NOTES
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Guam Registered Apprenticeship Industry Forum “Engaging Diversity: A Regional Approach” November 17 - 18 (Thursday & Friday) 8:00 a.m - 5:00 p.m. Hilton Guam Resort & Spa Telephone: (671) 475-7000/1 • Facsimile: (671) 475-6811• Website: dol.guam.gov • hireguam.com
GUAM PTAC
FREE
PUBLIC
WORKSHOPS The Guam Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is offering FREE workshops to the public for November 2016. Workshops run from 9am-10am in the Jesus and Eugenia Leon Guerrero Business and Public Administration Building, Margarita Duenas Perez & Jaime Felipe Tuquero IT&E Lecture Hall, 131 (unless otherwise specified):
• Walk-ins are welcome!
November 2016 11/17/16 - USASpending.gov This website is a great resource for government contractors. Learn how to make the most of it.
11/23/16 - All Small Mentor-Protégé Program SBA’s Area VI Acting Director, Nicholas Manalisay will discuss how a Procurement Center Representative (PCR) assists small business.
11/29/16 - I'm Certified. Now, What? Learn what to do after certification in one of the four Federal set-aside programs. 9am - 10:30am. Room 129.
NEWS & EVENTS If you want to be in the know about Government contracting, visit and LIKE our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/guamptac). Current stories include: SBA finalizes “Universal” Small Business Mentor-Protégé program Bye-bye to populated JV’s, SBA changes JV rules Army assessments of contractors’ past performance fall short GSA wastes millions due to pricing problems
OPPORTUNITIES – Posted at www.fbo.gov or www.neco.navy.mil. NOTE: The Guam PTAC does not list “unfunded” opportunities.
Source: Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) and Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS).
Please register on our website • www.guamptac.com • or call 735-2552 /admin@guamptac.com.
30 | NOVEMBER 2016
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Welder
Assistant Solar (PV) Installer
Other Construction Occupations
10
18
2
Landscape Gardener
Laundry Maintenance Technician
1
5
2
1
10
Market Research Analyst
Massage Therapist
Motor Repairer
MRI Technologist
Pipefitter
3
17
Wedding Service Attendant
Welder/Fitter
Total Non-Construction H2-B Workers
2
Ultrasound Technician
Quality Control Inspector
9
Marine Maintenance Mechanic
Maintenance Machinery Worker
Machinist
2
1
HVAC Technician
Les Mills Group Exercise Instructor
1
Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Guest Host/Hostess
TOTAL Construction H-2B Workers
368
1 1
Crew Leader
Total OTHER Construction
Total Common Const.
20
Cook
1
4
Camp Cook
1
Chef
1
42
Electrician
1
Biomedical Equipment Specialist
Figaro Coffee Shop Supervisor
14
Heavy Equip. Operator
1
Bakery Equipment Mechanic
Diving Instructor ER Registered Nurse
1
490 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 496
4500
0
500
1000
Total U.S. Workers
Grand Total H2B Workers
Korea Thailand 0.00% 0.00%
7.82%
0.00%
0.56%
0.28%
32.40%
3.91%
11.73% 1.12%
Other 0.00%
Peru 0.00%
Prepared By: Paul Miyasaki Contact information: Greg Massey, ALPCD Administrator P.O. Box 9970 Tamuning, Guam 96931 (671)475-8005/8003
Camp Cook
Heavy Equip. Operator Electrician
Sheetmetal Worker
Reinforcing Metalworker Structural Steelworker Plumber
Carpenter
Cement Mason
Other
Thailand
Peru
Italy
Australia
United Kingdom
Kiribati
Japan
Korea
Philippines
United Kingdom 0.00%
Kiribati 0.40%
42.18%
Common Construction Occupations
Philippines 98.79%
Japan 0.81%
Australia 0.00%
Italy 0.00%
H-2B Population by Nationality
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1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
US Workers vs. H-2B
496 Grand Total H-2B Workers
5000
2798
30 59
Total H-2B Employers
Total U.S. Workers
29
Construction Non-Construction
Employers By Industry
Philippines Korea Japan Kiribati United Kingdom Australia Italy Peru Thailand Other Total by Nationality
Workers by Nationality
358
2
Sheetmetal Worker
6
Baker
0
28
116
Plumber
Reinforcing Metalworker
Carpenter
151
Common Construction Occupations Cement Mason
Structural Steelworker
1
4
5
Automotive Repairer
Construction Equipment Mechanic
Heavy Equipment Mechanic
A/C and Refrigeration Mechanic
MONTH ENDING: October 2016
Automotive Mechanic
8
128
4
Maintenance Technician
3
AC Maintenance Technician
AC Maintenance Mechanic
1
Employers Workplace Monthly Report Statistics
Mechanic
Other Non-Construction Occupations
GUAM DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Alien Labor Processing Certification Division
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