Additional flights and regs announced for Palau; other routes confirmed

According to the A.B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam, two United Airlines flights a week are planned for June (actually from Sunday, May 30) – from Guam on a Sunday and Thursday on UA 157, departing Guam 10.50 p.m., and arriving in Guam from Koror on a Monday and Friday at 3.55 a.m. on UA 155. About 150 passengers will be on the May 30 flight, including returning residents.

The flights are designed to connect with the United flight on the Honolulu route.

Leisure travelers could leave Guam on a Thursday and come back Monday.

If you are going to Palau on business – whether as U.S. military or as an essential worker, you can leave Guam on a Sunday and come back Friday, which allows for almost a whole working week.

Different entry regulations will apply. Effective May 22, Palau’s new directive stated that all travelers “entering the Republic from High-Risk COVID-19 areas must submit proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination with the final dose administered at least14 days prior to departure to Palau.” Guam is considered a high-risk area. The vaccine must be approved or have been granted Emergency Use Authorizations from either the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or the World Health Organization, which would include the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

Travelers are required to complete a 14-day period of self-restriction of movement before departure for Palau.

Fully vaccinated visitors need not quarantine upon entry to Palau but must undergo a restriction of movement/self-monitoring period of seven days upon arrival. Restriction of movement allows only essential travel such as from residence to workplace or worksite, or to a bank or grocery store and accessing medical care. This does not allow for attending large gatherings or public events or visiting public places. 

Visitors can contact the Palau Ministry of Health at (680) 488-2552 or 2553  email [email protected] website: www.palauhealth.org. A negative PCR test will be required 72 hours prior to departure for Palau.

(See other unique Palau tourism news in “Tourism Talks,” on www.mbjguam.com)

Other routes planned for June include United between Guam and the Federated States of Micronesia, United on the Guam-Honolulu, Guam-Narita, Guam-Manila route and Guam-Saipan routes; Philippine Airlines on the Guam-Manila route, and Jin Air on the Guam-Inchon route, as well as various cargo flights.

 

Navy will pay something for Ordort Dump cleanup

The U.S. Supreme Court in a unanimous 9-0 decision, ruled in favor of Guam, stating that the U.S. Navy can be held accountable and pay for its share of the cleanup costs at the Ordot Dump. This is believed to be the first case involving the Government of Guam that SCOTUS has agreed to hear in over 15 years and is part of the less than 1% of cases heard every year, according to a May 25 release from the Office of the Attorney General in Guam. Attorney General Leevin T. Camacho said, “The Navy and the federal government must finally admit to us, the People of Guam, that they contributed to the toxic damage to our environment. We will put our best case forward and seek accountability for their fair share. We look forward to our day in court.”

A status update is due in 30 days. (See various background stories on www.mbjguam.com)

 

UOG steps back on tuition increases

The University of Guam issued a release on May 25 announcing it will cancel a projected tuition increase for the Fañomnåkan (January to May, or Spring) 2022 semester. “On Monday [May 24], the university received guidelines on the use of American Rescue Plan funds and made the decision to delay the tuition increase until 2023,” the release said.

This came a day after the Youth Congress protested increases in the Fanuchånan (August to December, or Fall) 2021 Semester, following a 5% increase in 2020.

Through its $12 million in ARP Act funds, UOG said it “will provide $6 million in direct aid to eligible students throughout academic year 2021–2022 and will also provide additional financial support to students from the institution’s $6 million portion of the funds.”

The release further said, in the last year “students received nearly $9 million in federal funds from the university in direct grant aid, tuition rebates, waived fees, and other support through its UOG Cares initiative. Of the total amount, $4 million came from the university’s institutional share.” 

 

 

What’s new:

The Guam Visitors Bureau is seeking marketing representation in Taiwan, with responses to the Request for Proposals due June 14. GVB has also reached out to members requesting donations for a raffle to be held on July 21, Guam’s Liberation Day, to encourage vaccination.

United Airlines will raffle tickets to encourage vaccination among the airline’s MileagePlus existing or new members who upload their vaccination records. A May 24 release from the airline said the raffle will include roundtrip tickets and also a year of travel, drawn through June and on July 1 respectively. See United.com/YourShotToFly, for details and to enter.

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced May 25 it is accepting applications for its Community Navigator Pilot Program which is open to applications from “nonprofit organizations, state, local, and tribal governments,” funded through the ARP Act. The program is aimed at a “socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, as well as women and veterans.” SBA will accept applications through July 12 and anticipates making award decisions by August. Awards will range from $1 million to $5 million for a two-year performance period, and applications can be found at www.grants.gov.

SBA is also seeking public comments on a proposed rule that would revise the small business size standards for businesses in two North American Industrial Classification System sectors to increase small business eligibility for SBA’s loan programs.  The sectors are wholesale trade and retail trade. SBA proposes to increase size standards for 49 industries in those sectors. For more information visit “announcements about updating size standards” at http://www.sba.gov/size. Comments can be submitted on or before July 26 at www.regulations.gov.

The Consolidated Commission on Utilities approved May 25 an increase to the Guam Power Authority’s fuel surcharge from 11¢.per kilowatt hour to 16.75¢ per kwh The CUC recognized in a release that date that the move would prove unpopular as it raises s a residential bill with a monthly power consumption of 1000 kWh by $57.56. The CUC said rates would increase Aug. 1 until Jan. 31, 2022, blaming the high cost of worldwide fuel prices.

“Minari,” the movie about a Korean American family settling in Arkinsas, will be show at the Tango Theater at the Micronesia Mall for a week from May 29. Head of Mission In Kook Kim and the Korean Consulate General will host a Korean Movie night on May 28. The annual movie night was suspended in 2020.

Bernadette H. Carreon, Palau Correspondent for the Journal, will be featured on May 28 in the Asian American Journalists Association’s Pacific Islander Journalist Profiles: Reporting in Oceania. mbj