Written by Jeff Marchesseault, Guam News Factor Staff Writer
GUAM - The Philippine government's optimism about Guam's massive military buildup and the island's arguable 'need' for qualified Filipino labor is refreshing. But the reality among the powers that be says it'll be awhile before Washington, the Department of Defense, and the government of Japan -- much less the Government of Guam -- will know when housing and other construction can start in order to begin accommodating the arrival of U.S. troops eventually to be resettled here from Okinawa.
Let's Not Jump The Gun
This morning's edition of the Philippine Star reports:
At least 50,000 Filipino construction and other skilled workers are set to be hired in Guam to construct a large military base in that US territory, the government said yesterday.
Augusto Syjuco, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director general, said Guam will hire carpenters, welders, masons, heavy equipment operators, and cooks and waiters who will serve those construction workers.
While more than 50,000 may stand willing, ready and able for hire from across the Philippine Sea, several key issues must be settled within Washington and between the U.S. and Japan before labor can be identified and construction can begin.
A Seismic Undulation
Over the weekend Japan experienced a major power shift after a nationwide election ended the more than five-decade reign of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to make way for the much-favored Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in a landslide victory that may only embolden the DPJ's resolve to carry through on its scrutinous intentions with regard to traditional U.S.-Japanese relations. Chief among sticking points in these relations is the Guam buildup.
Still On The Table
If the DPJ carries through on its stated resolve to stop following the U.S. lead in foreign affairs and start implementing cost controls on Japan's investment in American protection, then the Guam buildup could conceivably receive less than the $6.09 billion in financing earlier promised by the LDP for Japan's part of the deal. And an LDP-brokered deal to move a Marine air base from metropolitan to remote Okinawa to help relieve military congestion as part of the Okinawa-to-Guam transfer will be reexamined. Furthermore, the U.S. Congress has yet to settle on a bicameral version of the 2010 Defense Authorization Act, which means foreign labor quotas and wages for Guam's buildup remain unknown, right along with other defense spending on Guam.
As Guam News Factor reported on August 23, independent news sources had found that, owing to various delays including a lack of clarity on when (and how many) troops will leave Okinawa for Guam, Guam's military housing construction timetables were already six months behind schedule.
Buildup Terms Depend On America And Japan
The Republic of the Philippines is doing the right thing by remaining vigilant about vouchsafing Guam jobs for its skilled workers. However, along with this vigilance must come an appreciation for the U.S.-to-Japan bilateral relations guiding the Guam buildup, outside the control of the governments of Guam and the Philippines.
Today's Philippine Star also states:
Syjuco said two senators from Guam are arriving in Manila this week for the preparatory hiring of Filipino skilled workers.
"The two senators will be staying from Sept. 2 to 4 to discuss preparations for the deployment of Filipino workers, and soon afterwards we expect the interviews and recruitment to start," he said.
Syjuco said TESDA has now sufficient manpower to fill up the requirement in Guam.
Even if two senators from Guam are planning to visit Manila to help ease the way for the hire of Filipino workers, it must be realized that, ultimately, both houses of the U.S. Congress and the President of the United States must agree on the terms and makeup of Guam's buildup labor before any hiring can begin. And it also must be expected that a victorious DPJ might also have something to say about it.
Read the Philippine Star story,"50,000 OFWs set to be hired in Guam", August 31, 2009.
Read the Guam News Factor analysis, "Guam Buildup Housing Delays: There's A Much Bigger Picture At Play", August 23, 2009.
Read the Guam News Factor analysis, "Guam Better Brace For New Buildup Hurdles: Exit Poll Shows New Leadership In Japan", August 30, 2009.
Read the Guam News Factor analysis, "Guam's Fall-2010 Buildup Launch Could Hinge On Japan's Election This Sunday", August 29, 2009.
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