Manggagawang Pinoy mas pinapaboran sa Guam - recruiter

Dahil sa husay sa trabaho at kaalaman sa wikang English, higit umanong elaboration's ang mga Pinoy construction workers para magtrabaho sa mga kumpanya sa Guam na gagawa ng $15-bilyong relocation project ng base military ng US.

Ang base militar ng US sa Okinawa, Japan ang ililipat sa Guam. Inaasahan na sisimulan ang proyekto sa susunod na taon.

Sa pahayag nitong Martes, sinabi ni Victor Fernandez, presidente ng Philippine Association Services Exporters Inc. ( Pasei), mas nais ng mga kumpanya sa Guam ang mga Pinoy dahil na rin sa malaking papulasyon ng mga Filipino ang naninirahan sa teritoryong ito ng US.

Ilang taon ng nakikipag-ugnayan ang Pasei sa Guam Economic and Commerce Authority upang magpadala ng 20,000 Filipino construction workers na magtatrabaho sa itatayong base militar ng US.

Upang maiwasan ang paglipat ng mga foreign construction workers sa Guam papunta sa US mainland, lahat ng mga dayuhang manggagawa ay bibigyan ng H-2b work visa o special "Guam only" work visa.

Sa pamamagitan nito, hindi kikilalanin ang hawak nilang visa sakaling magtungo sila sa Hawaii at US mainland kapag natapos na ang kanilang kontrata sa December 2014.

Kailangan ng Guam ang maraming dayuhang manggagawa dahil limitado lamang ang bilang ng mga kwalipikadong construction workers sa Guam. Tinatayang 9,000 kilometro ang layo ng Guam sa US mainland.

Inaasahan na magiging kakumpitensya ng mga Pinoy sa trabaho sa Guam ang mga manggagawa mula sa Japan.

Sinabi ni Fernandez na nakipag-ugnayan ang kanilang grupo sa Technical Education and Skills Development Authority para sa pagsasanay ng mga Pinoy na ipadadala sa Guam.

Kailangan umanong magkaroon ng sapat na kaalaman ang mga Pinoy construction workers sa paggamit ng tinatawag na “power tools." - Fidel Jimenez, GMANews.TV

Planned US military buildup in Guam means jobs for Pinoys - envoy

JUDE O MARFIL-SCHWALBACH, GMANews.TV

The US House of Representatives' subcommittee on insular affairs will hold a field hearing in Guam on Monday to tackle the impact of the planned military buildup in this American territory.
"The hearing will provide (us) with a unique opportunity to hear from a diverse array of voices and gain a better understanding into efforts currently underway to prepare the community for the approaching military buildup on the island," said Rep. Donna M. Christensen of Virgin Islands, who chairs the subcommittee.

The hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at the University of Guam's College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences Lecture Hall. It is open to the public.

By 2010, some 8,000 US military and their some 9,000 relatives are moving to Guam from Okinawa, Japan. Military estimates showed the transfer means an infusion of $10.27 billion in defense-related projects for the island.

Philippine Consul General in Guam Bayani S. Mercado viewed this as a "positive development for it presents numerous employment opportunities for the Filipino workers and the Filipino-American community."

The military expansion is expected to boost Guam's economy. In the construction sector alone, income is seen to triple to $3 billion from the $800 million, which is the highest figure Guam has posted.

The relocation of soldiers and their families and the deployment of additional military materiel to Guam calls for the construction of housing facilities and other basic infrastructure.

This means between 12,000 to 30,000 additional workers are needed.

"Considering its geographical proximity to the island, the Philippines with its English-speaking, highly trained professionals and skilled workers presents a viable source of manpower for Guam," Mercado said.

However, Mercado pointed out: "One of the concerns is the question of how to bring additional Filipino workers to Guam with the existing visa cap on H-2 workers."

Under the present setup, the US government only grants 66,000 in H-2b workers visa annually.

H-2b visa is a working visa which allows one to enter the US in a temporary basis and work in non-agricultural employment. It is usually given to skilled and unskilled workers. "Unless a new legislation will be passed or a new policy will be declared increasing the said quota, Guam cannot expect to be allocated its full visa requirement for the needed workers," the consul general said.

Mercado said there are discussions about the proposed issuance of "Guam-only visas." This could be similar to what the US Department of Interior has suggested to happen in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

"The administration is examining what policy changes, if any, will be necessary to ensure that there is an adequate supply of labor for the Guam buildup," said US Department of Interior's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs David B. Cohen.

Cohen's office months ago drafted a CNMI federalized immigration bill which calls for a CNMI-only guest worker program.

Currently, there is no special labor arrangement between Guam and the Philippines, although Mercado said, discussions have been made on this subject when officials of Philippine Overseas Employment Agency visited in November 2006.

Based on the Consulate's estimates, there are about 14,000 Filipino workers in Guam, 70 percent of whom are engaged in health and medicine, engineering, accountancy, information technology as well as hotel services and construction-related work.

Filipino-Americans in Guam comprise around 42,000 or 26 percent of Guam's total population. - GMANews.TV

Guam Shipyard

by Sonya Artero, KUAM News

The Defense Base Realignment and Closure Act of 1990 was the impetus behind the closure of Guam's former Ship Repair Facility. But just as SRF was scheduled for the BRAC chopping block, on September 30, 1997, a public private partnership was struck and today, the Guam Shipyard is one of the island's largest employers. We give you a tour of the Guam Shipyard to learn more about its operations, and the significant role it will play during our time of military expansion.

Because it's tucked deep inside the Navy base, we don't hear much about the Guam Shipyard. But with the increasing military buildup on Guam, the Guam Shipyard anticipates their expertise will mean a great deal. Their goal is to beef up operations to better meet the United States Navy's ship repair needs. Doing business for nearly a decade on Guam, Guam Shipyard's president and CEO Mathews Pothen says with the work of 300 skilled industrial workers, the shipyard has pumped approximately $100 million into Guam's economy. With 8,000 U.S. more Marines expected, Pothen equates Guam's military expansion to a rising tide that will benefit all local companies.

This is why Pothen constantly lobbies the Navy, with the help of Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, to send more ships Guam's way. Saying "you're only as good as your employees", Pothen credits his success to his skilled workforce. He told KUAM News, "We can have the best of machinery, the 110' lathe and water blaster machines, but if our employees are not trained to operate those, than we are nothing. So we can have the best of tools, but the training the Navy provided here in the SRF, we have been able to take advantage of that training and rehired those folks back as our employees and that what makes this a great team."

To better understand the challenges that face the workers, we turn to shipyard manager Keith Carter, who describes working on ships like working on small cities. "On a ship, everything has to fit into a much smaller box. It takes power, it takes cooling, it takes electrical and it takes propulsion. Everything you have outside, we put into a little box and it works out very well, so everyone is equally important here," he explained.

And in order to run that small city, production manager Greg Calvo says you need the skilled labor that the Guam Shipyard maintains by way of its fifteen shops and specialized trades. "Everything from electrical, transportation, rigging, welding, ship-fitting, sheet metal, painting, mechanical, machinery," he said.

While touring the facilities, we also noticed considerable upgrades and renovations being conducted to the property, which Guam Shipyard leases from the Government of Guam.

During its first five years on Guam, the Guam Shipyard rode some rough waves, but since the island's economy picked up, it's been full steam ahead. And had it not been for the former Ship Repair Facility's highly-specialized apprentice graduates, the Guam Shipyard would have floundered, which is why the company's president and CEO has heavily invested in establishing their very own apprenticeship program.

We present a tour of the facilities to better understand Guam Shipyard's need to train a readily-available workforce now, before it's too late. Back in the day, the Navy trained its SRF workforce via an apprenticeship program that accepted only the best and brightest. So when the Base Realignment and Closure Act closure threatened their jobs, the Guam Shipyard hired every one of them, except those who retired. And although the these apprentices may have aged, Guam Shipyard chief Mathews Pothen says they stand ready and willing to pass on their knowledge to Guam's future generation.

"Our workforce's average age is 47-48 years old. So you're looking at in the next 10-to-15 years half the workforce will walk out of this place. We need to get our apprentices trained so that these folks can impart their knowledge, what they have learned over the last 25 years to those younger generations so they can continue earning a good wage and continue servicing the military," explained Pothen.

As a former SRF apprentice himself, Greg Calvo, who is now the company's production manager, says being selected for their apprenticeship program has its benefits. He told KUAM News, "Not only do you learn a trade that you can take with you elsewhere or to another yard, but even while you're here, you make a decent salary. So in terms of livelihood, it's pretty good for us." But with glory also comes the challenges that shipyard manager Keith Carter says apprentices should be well aware of before fully committing themselves to the program.

A program he feels will pave the way for a brighter future. "This business is a tough business," he began.

"It's hard, you have to use your hands, you've got to think a lot about what you're doing when you're dealing with a lot of different customers and sometimes it's very critical about what we do," Carter continued. "But all in all, the company has a good management and has a good vision about what's going on so they are always planning for the future on what's happening here."

So backed with a U.S. Department of Labor-approved registered apprenticeship program, Pothen says much like the Navy's program, out of 500 people screened, the Guam Shipyard will choose the top thirty candidates to continue the skilled workforce legacy their current apprentices are eager to pass on. He said, "We have done the initial screening and we're going through the second set of screening. So we are hoping to get the best and the brightest out of those folks to start approximately 30 employees and out of those employees, it's going to be a four-year program. After training they can make some good wages working here."

After all, Pothen says the success of the Guam Shipyard's future lies in its apprenticeship program, which he hopes will result in Guam gaining a reputation for having a readily available skilled industrial workforce, which to the military, speaks volumes.

Plan for Guam buildup will be presented to PACOM July 11

By Teri Weaver
Stars and Stripes
Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho, right, shakes hands with Capt. Kenneth Freeman, commanding officer of Naval Base Guam, at a Guam Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday. Also pictured is Capt. Janice Wynn, U.S. Naval Forces Marianas chief of staff.

TUMON BAY, Guam — Military officials here will submit a comprehensive plan on the armed forces buildup on Guam to U.S. Pacific Command leaders on July 11, according to Guam Gov. Felix P. Camacho.

The plan will go to Admiral William J. Fallon, commander of the Pacific Command in Hawaii, according to the governor’s staff.

Local leaders hope that will mean more details about the planning for a $10 billion military buildup that’s to bring 8,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam.

Camacho reviewed projections for Guam’s infrastructure needs — an estimated $2.6 billion in improvements — at a Guam Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Wednesday. Camacho said local leaders must work closely with the military to take advantage of the billions of dollars of Pentagon investment as Guam becomes home to the Marines, their families and their staff by 2014.

“These are exciting and critical times for our island,” Camacho, a Republican who is running for reelection, told about 200 chamber members at the Guam Holiday Resort hotel. “We have one opportunity and only one opportunity to do it right. … The growth must be mutually beneficial.”

Camacho, like many other elected officials on Guam, supports the Marines’ move from Okinawa, which is scheduled to start in 2008. It calls for at least $10 billion in spending, a mix of U.S. and Japanese funding.

Currently, about 6,500 servicemembers are stationed in Guam. By 2014, Guam’s military population could reach 35,000, counting servicemembers, family members, Department of Defense workers and other staff needed on base, according to the governor’s office.

On Wednesday, the governor and his directors of utilities, public works and economic development explained their estimates for Guam’s needs as the military increases.

Larry Perez, Guam’s head of public works, told the group that local military officials have been meeting with Guam government to discuss needs and how they can be met.

“We’ve been working behind the scenes,” Perez said.

Ultimately, local officials would like to improve their own systems while attracting the military as a customer to buy more power, water and even trash storage, according to Simon A. Sanchez II, chairman of Guam’s Consolidated Commission on Utilities.

“We’re looking for opportunities to share costs,” Sanchez said before the meeting.

To do that, Guam must improve the reliability and capability of many services, local officials have acknowledged.

But Guam also faces challenges from the influx of construction workers, merchants and other investors expected to precede and follow the Marines here. Guam’s current population of 169,000 could reach 180,000 by 2010 even without the military expansion, according to the governor’s office.

To prepare for that growth, Camacho said Wednesday that the following spending is needed:

* $100 million for the island’s trash system.
* $87 million for schools.
* $25 million for Guam’s Museum of Culture and History.
* $26.6 million for roads and pothole repairs.
* $300 million in deficit bonds.

Camacho said Guam must look either to the Pentagon or other federal agencies to meet the needs. “The government of Guam, can’t go it alone,” he said.

U.S. Navy and Raytheon Sign $328.4 million Guam Base Operations Support Contract

HONOLULU, Jan. 10, 2000 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTNA; RTNB) announced today that the U.S. Navy has finalized its Nov. 11, 1999 selection of Raytheon as the successful bidder on the A-76 conversion by signing a $328.4 million contract for Raytheon to provide base operations support for the U.S. Naval Facilities, Guam.

"Raytheon is very pleased to have this opportunity to work with the U.S. Navy to meet present and future challenges on Guam. It is our goal to support the government in achieving cost savings, maintaining the quality of its operations and utilizing the valuable expertise of government employees," said Phil LePore, a vice president of Raytheon Company and president of Training and Services. "Raytheon is committed to enhancing the communities in which we have a presence and we look forward to becoming a part of this community."

Under the contract, which will have an eight-month base period followed by seven one-year options, Raytheon will provide base operations support services including administration; facilities engineering and maintenance; utilities operation and maintenance; supply and transportation; waterfront and harbor operations; ordnance handling and storage; morale, welfare and recreation services; housing; food and family services; and surge support for storms and military contingencies. Work is scheduled to begin in February 2000.

Raytheon will hold an open house for affected civilian employees. The open house is designed to explain the employment process and give prospective employees an opportunity to ask questions of Raytheon human resources representatives. In accordance with A-76 guidelines, once staffing begins, current affected civil service employees on Guam will be given first right of refusal for job openings. It is Raytheon's intent to hire as many qualified incumbent government personnel as possible.

As part of the implementation of this contract Raytheon plans to offer seminars to local business on the certification process required to meet government and Raytheon procurement standards. It is Raytheon's intent to maximize use of on-island subcontractors.

Raytheon Company, based in Lexington, Mass., is a global technology leader that provides products and services in the areas of commercial and defense electronics, engineering and construction, and business and special mission aircraft. Raytheon has operations throughout the United States and serves customers in more than 80 countries around the world.
Contact: Bob Valentine 703.918.6922
http://www.raytheon.com/