GCA Construction News Bulletin October 2012

Guam Contractors’ Association

CONSTRUCTIONCONSTRUCTIONNEWS BULLETIN Vol.53 Issue 10

OCTOBER2012

DISID“Helping Our Community Grow Stronger!”

C

CF

6

1016

ommittee UpdateS.A.M.E.

ommittee Update

eature StoryDISID

F

PTN

20

242830

eature StoryH.A.T.S.A.

hoto Highlights

he Happenings

AWIC News

2 | OCTOBER2012 CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN www.guamcontractors.org

The Chamorro word for “Roof; to put roof on a house” is:

brought to you by "Learn Chamorro"www.learnchamorro.com

CONTENTSOCTOBER2012

Feature Story16

Feature Story20

åtof

Building The Marianas Since 19581402 Route 15, Mangilao, Guam 96913Tel: (671) 734-2971/8 • Fax: (671) 734-0990 • www.hawaiianrock.com

2008 Business Laureate

12-HRP-020 GCA Ready to Provide Size: 7.5” X 10” - FC02/16/12

At Hawaiian Rock Products, we are always ready to meet your construction needs. We have a fleet of over 200 construction vehicles and a workforce of over 400 employees. We operate state-of-the-art facilities, strategically located throughout the island, with the capacity to fulfill any project size requirements. Our vast fleet of equipment continues to expand along with the growing needs of the industry. We are here to provide you with the quality products and services you need, when you need them.

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per hour houses two (2) of the most modern 300 Cubic

Yards per hour Concrete Batch Plants capable of producing environmentally

friendly asphalt mixes and recyclable asphalt

In Guam, we have the following list of batch plants:

Guam Contractor’s Association (GCA) in conjunction with AdzTech and Public Relations, Inc. publishes the Construction News Bulletin (CNB) monthly. Reproduction of materials appearing in this publication is strictly forbidden without written permission by GCA. While we always strive for accuracy, we will from time to time overlook mistakes. In order to help us improve the quality and accuracy of this publication, we ask that you take the time to look at the information provided and notify GCA of any correc-tions as needed. Opinions and edito-rial content of this publication may not necessarily be those of the publisher, staff, GCA members, GCA Board of Directors and advertisers. For more information about advertising in the GCA Construction News Bulletin contact the advertising department at (671) 477-1239/2239 or email at [email protected]. Distributed to GCA members or can be obtained by stopping by the Guam Contractors’ Association office located at

PUBLISHER:James Martinez

SALES & MARKETINGDIRECTOR:Geri Leon Guerrero

AD SALES:Tom MendiolaJune Maratita

PRODUCTION:Geri Leon GuerreroChristopher “Taco” RowlandTanya Robinson

PHOTOGRAPHERS:Christopher “Taco” Rowland

EDITOR:Adztech

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:John RobertsonDavid F. MacalusoJaclyn Lee QuanPatricia S.N. Mafnas

GCA STAFF:Francine ArceoDesiree Lizama

COVER:The Growing Community

THETEAMTHEDIRECTORS THEEDITORIALSPRESIDENTJames A. Martinez, GCA

PAST CHAIRMANWilliam “Bill” Beery, Tutujan Hill Group

CHAIRMANRobert Salas, Landscape Management Systems

VICE CHAIRMANTom Anderson, Black Construction

SECRETARY/TREASURERArt Chan, Hawaiian Rock

CONTRACTORS DIRECTORS:Tom Nielsen, Maeda Pacific Corporation

Juno Eun, Core Tech International

Mike Venezia, Hensel Phelps

John Robertson, AmOrient

Louis De Maria, dck pacific guam LLC

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS:Patty Lizama, Individual Assurance Company

Paul Calvo, Calvo’s Insurance

Carlo Leon Guerrero, M80 Office Systems Inc.

Ray Yanger, Matson Navigation


718 N. Marine Corps Drive,Suite 203, East West Business Center, Upper Tumon, Guam.

To find out more about how you can become a GCA member contact Guam Contractors’ Association at Tel: (671)647-4840/41 Fax: (671) 647-4866 or Email: [email protected]. Send address changes to Guam Contractors’ Association, located at 718 N. Marine Drive Corps Suite 203, East West Business Center, Upper Tumon, Guam.

OCTOBER 2012

American Military Engineers

Society of Those of us in the civilian community in Guam need to be reminded occasionally of how to read the military rank of officers we interact with. That information is in the table below.

Officer ranks in the United States military consist of commissioned officers and warrant officers. The commissioned ranks are the highest in the military. These officers hold presi-dential commissions and are confirmed at their ranks by the Senate. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps officers are called company grade officers in the pay grades of O-1 to O-3, field grade officers in pay grades O-4 to O-6 and general officers in pay grades O-7 and higher. The equivalent officer groupings in the Navy are called junior grade, mid-grade and flag.

Naval officers wear distinctively different rank devices depending upon the uniform they're wearing. The three basic uniforms and rank devices used are: khakis, collar insignia pins; whites, stripes on shoulder boards; and blues, stripes sewn on the lower coat sleeves.

THE UNITED STATES MILITARY OFFICER RANK INSIGNIA

ArmyRank Coast GuardNavy

Marines Air Force

01

02

SecondLiutenant

2LT

SecondLiutenant

2ndLt 2ndLt

EnsignENS

FirstLiutenant

1LT

FirstLiutenant

1stLt

FirstLiutenant

1stLt

Lieutenant JuniotGradeLTJG

SecondLiutenant

03

04

Captain CAP

LieutenantLT

MajorMAJ

Captain Capt

MajorMaj

Captain Capt

MajorMaj

Lieutenant Commander

LTJG


Marines Air Force

05

06

LiutenantColonel

LTC

CommanderCDR

ColonelCOL

CaptainCAPT

07

08

BrigadierGeneral

BG

Rear AdmiralLower Half

RDML

Rear AdmiralUpper Half

RADMMajor

GeneralMG

LiutenantColonelLtCol

ColonelCol

BrigadierGeneralBGen

MajorGeneralMajGen

LiutenantColonelLtCol

ColonelCol

BrigadierGeneralBGen

MajorGeneralMajGen

continued on page 8


S.A.M.E. UPDATE

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Marines Air Force

09

10

LiutenantGeneral

LTG

ViceAdmiralVADM

General

Army Chiefof Staff

GENGeneral

Commandantof the

Marine Corps

GENGeneral

Air ForceChief of Staff

GEN

Admiral

Chief of NavalOperations

andCommandant

of theCoast Guard

CAPT

Generalof the Army

(Reserved forwartime only)

Generalof the

Air Force(Reserved forwartime only)

(Reserved forwartime only)

FleetAdmiral

LiutenantColonel

LTC

LiutenantColonel

LTC


S.A.M.E. UPDATE

Healy TibbittsBuilders, Inc.

A Weeks Marine Company

General Contractor

Crane Rentals

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Marine Heavy Lifts

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HEALY TIBBITTS BUILDERS, INC. IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

By John M. Robertson

Historical Perspective of a Potential China Threat

On 27 October 1994, the U.S. aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk, conducting routine operations in the international waters of the Yellow Sea, encountered a Chinese Han-class nuclear submarine. The carrier launched an S-3 antisubmarine aircraft, which deployed sonobuoys to track the Chinese Han only to discover that it was being watched, in turn, by two Chinese F-6 fighters. For China, it was a close and serious encounter; for the United States, it was an unavoidable one. In Beijing, a U.S. attaché was informed that China "would take appropriate defensive reactions if there were violations of their airspace and territorial waters." Washington, on the other hand, downplayed the event, indicating that with China beginning to send the fleet beyond its shores into waters that have been the sole domain of the U.S. Navy, "there's inevitably going to be more and more of this kind of thing."

The Yellow Sea incident underscored the prevailing chill in U.S.-China relations. Once drawn together by a shared concern about the Soviet Union, the two countries drew apart when Washington imposed sanctions on Beijing after the attack on unarmed demon-strators in Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989. Relations have marginally improved since; however, a perception lingers in the United States that Chinese attitudes on a broad range of issues run counter to American interests. At least one congressional China expert believes that "there is a body of opinion in this country, no one knows how large, that thinks China is the enemy." In Beijing, where the leadership is busily "fanning the flames of nationalism" in order to hang on to power, the attitude is equally hostile. Hardliners believe that the United States, having disposed of the Soviet Union, will now move against China to eliminate a major barrier to global American supremacy. More significantly, the Chinese

military, aiming for expanded budgets, leads in promoting aggressive nationalism and an unyielding atmosphere in Beijing.

Is China a threat? Admiral Richard Macke, the former commander of U.S. Pacific Command (1994-1995), once observed that a combination of capabilities and intentions makes a threat. China's continuing military modernization program, started in the 1980s and including a new forward-looking maritime strategy, has already made the Chinese navy a potential regional power. However, it is more difficult to evaluate China's intentions than its military strength. Indeed, according to certain State Department officials under President George Bush, China has a policy of "calculated ambiguity to mask its ambitions."

Winston Lord, the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (1993-1997), has asserted that of all the world's regions, East Asia is "the most relevant to the President's highest priority namely his domestic agenda, the renewal of the American economy, getting the deficit down, getting more competitive, promoting jobs and exports." President William Clinton himself described the region as "the most promising and dynamic area for American foreign policy." Access to East Asia's riches has always been one of America's primary goals; it was trade that prompted the American merchant ship Empress of China to anchor off Canton more than two centuries ago. The new republic, isolated from the lucrative European markets, saw a bright future waiting across the Pacific; in today's era of global interdependence, the United States looks again to the "far west" in a quest for economic renewal.

On the surface, East Asia, preoccupied with the pursuit of wealth, appears tranquil. But under its calm surface, it is a cauldron of competing interests. From the Russia-Japan quarrel over the Kuril Islands to the Malaysia-Philippines squabble over Sabah, territorial disputes in the region abound. The dispute over the Spratly Islands (referred to by the Chinese as the Nansha Archipelago) is, possibly, the most volatile. The competing claimants include China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Brunei. Appar-ently (though not certainly) rich in oil and other natural resources, the Spratly’s straddle major sea lines of communications through the South China Sea, which gives the dispute the potential to destabilize the entire region.

In 1949, when the communists took power, China observed the internationally accepted three nautical-mile territorial limit. However, instead of using the low-water mark on the mainland coast as the baseline, China began to measure its territorial waters from a baseline connecting the outermost offshore islands,

such that all the disputed offshore islands lay within China's territorial waters. In February 1992 the National People's Congress passed a "Law of the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone" that reasserted Chinese claims and authorized the use of military force to prevent other nations from occupying the islands. Moreover, in 1993 a book entitled “Can China Win the Next War?” appeared in China. The authors, almost certainly naval officers, discussed in alarming detail the scenarios for war in the disputed areas.

The implications are worrying. Geographically, the scope of this vast area closely resembles the extent of Chinese influence during the seventeenth century, when East Asian states paid tribute to China. The chief of the Malaysia Institute of Maritime Affairs, Hamzah Ahmad, summed up fairly the foreboding felt in the region: "China should not attempt to revive the Middle Kingdom mentality and expect tribute from Southeast Asia." Strategically, the South China Sea can be considered a maritime "heartland"; domination of it would give the Chi-nese political, economic, and military influence over the "rimland" nations and other states in the region. Japanese, Taiwanese, and South Korean imports, for instance, come through the South China Sea. Beyond these security concerns lie more challenges for the United States. In the capitals of East Asia, American foreign policy resolve is being questioned; there is a growing perception that the "U.S. has become inward-looking." This may not be far from the truth. Indeed some Americans believe that the nation should go back to being, in the words of former ambassador to the United Na-tions Jeane Kirkpatrick (1981-1985), a "normal country." Voices for disengagement and protectionism, though few now, are growing louder. Further, domestic problems continue to dominate American politics. It did not help that the U.S. withdrawal from Subic Bay Naval Base and Clark Air Force Base, both in the Philippines, were accompanied by a massive downsizing of the overall military force. In addition, the budget deficit and the burden of the national debt threaten further cuts. Based on America's "long history of not understanding [its] own policy, being dislocated, sidetracked, and short-sighted," it is no wonder that allies are beginning to question the U.S. commitment to the region.

The fundamental objectives of U.S. policy in East Asia have remained basically unchanged for almost a hundred years. Today, China is challenging those interests. In February 1995, the People's Liberation Army expanded its presence in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea by taking over an island claimed by the Philippines. Washington hardly noticed the incident, but the Chinese navy's en-forcement of a territorial claim just 130 miles off the Philippine west coast sent a grim message

across East Asia. Raising the Chinese flag in the appropriately named Mischief Reef was "an act that both in symbol and substance may foreshadow a role reversal in the Pacific, with the Navy ultimately displacing the traditional U.S. Navy preeminence."

After centuries of decline, China today is an emerging maritime power, and the Navy has become a considerable factor in the strategic equation in East Asia and the Western Pacific. Although China has a naval history that goes back about two millennia, it is not a continuous or invariably proud legacy; periods of unprecedented expansion were followed by much longer stretches of almost complete neglect. Consequently, when the PLA Navy was established in 1949, it inherited no seagoing tradition. Naval forces were viewed as merely a coastal arm of the ground forces; in 1950 Xiao Jingguang, their commander, dictated that the fleet "should be a light-type navy, capable of inshore defense. Its key mission is to accompany the ground forces in war actions. The basic characteristic of this navy is fast deployment, based on its lightness." Lacking in naval warfare thought and experience, the Navy adopted the naval doctrine of its military mentor, the Soviet Union, then based on the "Young School" of naval strategy, which promoted "coastal submarines, torpedo boats, and other coastal craft, supported by naval aircraft based on shore." Over the next three decades, the PLA Navy built a virtual "wall at sea" comprising hundreds of small vessels. It was, in effect, a navy for coastal defense only. Subservient to its more influential army brethren, the PLA--as evident in its very name--Navy followed a subordinate and limited naval strategy until the latter 1970s.

In 1974 the PLA Navy forcibly took the Paracel Islands (Xisha Dao) from the Vietnamese, but in doing so it was badly bloodied by a smaller force. Alarmed by the exposed deficiencies, the Chinese leadership set in motion a plan to modernize the fleet. More importantly, its strategic focus was shifted from coastal to open-water operations. Ultimately, with the end of the Cold War, Chinese planners realized that new international conditions required new assumptions: though in the near future a world war was unlikely, limited wars were a distinct possibility. Since then, the development of naval strategy has been concentrated on what the Chinese call "active defense and inshore warfare."

The concept of "active defense" is, in reality, offensive in design and intent. Deng Xiaoping, the Party leader, explained in 1980 that active defense includes "our going out, so that if we are attacked, we will certainly counterattack." The building of a navy capable of expanding China's defense perimeter at sea is accordingly a key element of the new Chinese maritime strategy. Under the current "People's War in Modern Conditions" doctrine, which empha-sizes high technology in modern warfare, the fleet would aim to oppose the enemy "outside

the country's gates." The PLA Navy has made somewhat unclear public pronouncements about the actual distance implied by "inshore waters" or "green water." Admiral Liu Huaqing, as the commander in chief of the PLA Navy in the early 1980s, asserted that "the Chinese Navy should exert effective control of the sea within the first island chain." As defined by Admiral Liu, the "first island chain" includes the Japanese archipelago, the Ryukyus, Taiwan, the Philippine archipelago, and Indonesia. He added that "inshore" means the ocean expanse within the "second island chain" which includes the Bonins, Marianas, and Carolines. Accordingly, this new strategic interpretation extends Chinese naval operations far out into the Pacific Ocean.

Land powers react to maritime threats by going to the sea themselves to fight their enemies on the sea. Sparta built hundreds of triremes to defeat the Athenians, Carthage compelled Rome to build a navy, and Russia extended its defensive lines out into the oceans during the Cold War. Today, China is building a modern fleet and, simultaneously, pushing its defensive depth hundreds of miles from the mainland shores. Eventually, China's transformed "active defense strategy" will oppose the United States on the sea. There, on the "inshore waters" of the Pacific, as the Han incident suggests, the PLA Navy's emerging strategy of "forward de-fense" is already sailing straight across the bow of the U.S. Navy's primary mission of "forward presence." Washington has been watching, and with growing concern. In 2004, according to a Republican congressional staff member, the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment ran a simulation exercise using a scenario that showed China successfully invading Taiwan; in another, involving war between China and the United States, China won.

The foregoing is a condensation of “Eagles and Dragons at Sea: The Inevitable Strategic Collision between the United States and China”, an article published in AR15.com in October 2005 and written by then LCDR Ulysses O. Zalamea, U.S. Navy. The author is known locally as CAPT U.O. Zalamea, formerly with JGPO forward in Guam.

Senate Action on the NDAA – maybe

The Senate passed a temporary six-month government budget early Saturday morning 22 September, just before they recessed until November. They did not pass a separate Pen-tagon policy bill in time for the start of the new fiscal year. The Senators approved and sent to the White House a Continuing Resolution Agreement that will fund the Pentagon and rest of the federal government from the start of the fiscal year on 1 October through 27 March 2013. The House passed the CRA on 13 September and President Barack Obama plans to sign it into law.The CRA is generous to the Pentagon, giving it for six months the equivalent of a $519.9 billion year-long budget--more than it was slated to receive in FY ’13 in the Budget Control Act

of 2011 and in appropriations bills previously passed by the House and the Senate Appro-priations Committee. Still, the Pentagon will be in a tricky budget situation because it does little more than fund the Pentagon--not allowing it to undertake new initiatives like starting new contracts. And the Pentagon also will not have a policy law in place, because the Senate has not yet debated the wide-ranging defense authorization bill.

Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) told reporters in mid-September that the Senate could debate the policy-setting defense authorization legisla-tion for a brief period in the lame-duck session of Congress, which follows the 6 November presidential election. The bill could come to the floor for just one or two days, instead of the full week of debate it often commands in the chamber. SASC staff would have to work with senators behind the scenes to work out deals on amendments they want to offer, so that the bill is not on the Senate floor for long during the busy lame-duck legislative period. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) could support this plan, according to Levin. House and Senate aides also said they are prepared to hold preliminary conference committee talks in October to work out differences between the Senate’s authorization bill--presumably the version the SASC passed on 24 May --and the version the full House passed on 18 May.

SASC Ranking Republican Member John McCain (R-Ariz.) told reporters on 21 Septem-ber he could support that plan, where aides both address Senate floor amendments and reconcile the House and Senate bills during the recess. “I’ll do anything if it’s reasonable to get an authorization bill,” McCain said, venting that Reid has not yet brought it up for debate. Yet he said some other senators may object to having a truncated Senate floor debate. “People feel very strongly about certain issues,” McCain said. He said he had heard “conflicting reports” about whether the bill would hit the Senate floor during the lame-duck session, when Congress has to address weighty issues including sequestration budget reductions and tax cuts.

The foregoing is from the 24 September issue of Defense Daily. There is no mention of debate concerning the freeze on funds for the Guam military buildup or the July 2012 report of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Legislative Election on 6 November is important for the future of Guam and especially the business community. Please get out and vote your conscience and encourage your employees and associates to do the same.

Military, Government and Labor Relations Committee Update – October ‘12


COMMITTEEUPDATE

The Government and Labor Relations Committee is open to all members of the association. Contact the GCA office for time and place of meetings.

across East Asia. Raising the Chinese flag in the appropriately named Mischief Reef was "an act that both in symbol and substance may foreshadow a role reversal in the Pacific, with the Navy ultimately displacing the traditional U.S. Navy preeminence."

After centuries of decline, China today is an emerging maritime power, and the Navy has become a considerable factor in the strategic equation in East Asia and the Western Pacific. Although China has a naval history that goes back about two millennia, it is not a continuous or invariably proud legacy; periods of unprecedented expansion were followed by much longer stretches of almost complete neglect. Consequently, when the PLA Navy was established in 1949, it inherited no seagoing tradition. Naval forces were viewed as merely a coastal arm of the ground forces; in 1950 Xiao Jingguang, their commander, dictated that the fleet "should be a light-type navy, capable of inshore defense. Its key mission is to accompany the ground forces in war actions. The basic characteristic of this navy is fast deployment, based on its lightness." Lacking in naval warfare thought and experience, the Navy adopted the naval doctrine of its military mentor, the Soviet Union, then based on the "Young School" of naval strategy, which promoted "coastal submarines, torpedo boats, and other coastal craft, supported by naval aircraft based on shore." Over the next three decades, the PLA Navy built a virtual "wall at sea" comprising hundreds of small vessels. It was, in effect, a navy for coastal defense only. Subservient to its more influential army brethren, the PLA--as evident in its very name--Navy followed a subordinate and limited naval strategy until the latter 1970s.

In 1974 the PLA Navy forcibly took the Paracel Islands (Xisha Dao) from the Vietnamese, but in doing so it was badly bloodied by a smaller force. Alarmed by the exposed deficiencies, the Chinese leadership set in motion a plan to modernize the fleet. More importantly, its strategic focus was shifted from coastal to open-water operations. Ultimately, with the end of the Cold War, Chinese planners realized that new international conditions required new assumptions: though in the near future a world war was unlikely, limited wars were a distinct possibility. Since then, the development of naval strategy has been concentrated on what the Chinese call "active defense and inshore warfare."

The concept of "active defense" is, in reality, offensive in design and intent. Deng Xiaoping, the Party leader, explained in 1980 that active defense includes "our going out, so that if we are attacked, we will certainly counterattack." The building of a navy capable of expanding China's defense perimeter at sea is accordingly a key element of the new Chinese maritime strategy. Under the current "People's War in Modern Conditions" doctrine, which empha-sizes high technology in modern warfare, the fleet would aim to oppose the enemy "outside

the country's gates." The PLA Navy has made somewhat unclear public pronouncements about the actual distance implied by "inshore waters" or "green water." Admiral Liu Huaqing, as the commander in chief of the PLA Navy in the early 1980s, asserted that "the Chinese Navy should exert effective control of the sea within the first island chain." As defined by Admiral Liu, the "first island chain" includes the Japanese archipelago, the Ryukyus, Taiwan, the Philippine archipelago, and Indonesia. He added that "inshore" means the ocean expanse within the "second island chain" which includes the Bonins, Marianas, and Carolines. Accordingly, this new strategic interpretation extends Chinese naval operations far out into the Pacific Ocean.

Land powers react to maritime threats by going to the sea themselves to fight their enemies on the sea. Sparta built hundreds of triremes to defeat the Athenians, Carthage compelled Rome to build a navy, and Russia extended its defensive lines out into the oceans during the Cold War. Today, China is building a modern fleet and, simultaneously, pushing its defensive depth hundreds of miles from the mainland shores. Eventually, China's transformed "active defense strategy" will oppose the United States on the sea. There, on the "inshore waters" of the Pacific, as the Han incident suggests, the PLA Navy's emerging strategy of "forward de-fense" is already sailing straight across the bow of the U.S. Navy's primary mission of "forward presence." Washington has been watching, and with growing concern. In 2004, according to a Republican congressional staff member, the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment ran a simulation exercise using a scenario that showed China successfully invading Taiwan; in another, involving war between China and the United States, China won.

The foregoing is a condensation of “Eagles and Dragons at Sea: The Inevitable Strategic Collision between the United States and China”, an article published in AR15.com in October 2005 and written by then LCDR Ulysses O. Zalamea, U.S. Navy. The author is known locally as CAPT U.O. Zalamea, formerly with JGPO forward in Guam.

Senate Action on the NDAA – maybe

The Senate passed a temporary six-month government budget early Saturday morning 22 September, just before they recessed until November. They did not pass a separate Pen-tagon policy bill in time for the start of the new fiscal year. The Senators approved and sent to the White House a Continuing Resolution Agreement that will fund the Pentagon and rest of the federal government from the start of the fiscal year on 1 October through 27 March 2013. The House passed the CRA on 13 September and President Barack Obama plans to sign it into law.The CRA is generous to the Pentagon, giving it for six months the equivalent of a $519.9 billion year-long budget--more than it was slated to receive in FY ’13 in the Budget Control Act

of 2011 and in appropriations bills previously passed by the House and the Senate Appro-priations Committee. Still, the Pentagon will be in a tricky budget situation because it does little more than fund the Pentagon--not allowing it to undertake new initiatives like starting new contracts. And the Pentagon also will not have a policy law in place, because the Senate has not yet debated the wide-ranging defense authorization bill.

Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) told reporters in mid-September that the Senate could debate the policy-setting defense authorization legisla-tion for a brief period in the lame-duck session of Congress, which follows the 6 November presidential election. The bill could come to the floor for just one or two days, instead of the full week of debate it often commands in the chamber. SASC staff would have to work with senators behind the scenes to work out deals on amendments they want to offer, so that the bill is not on the Senate floor for long during the busy lame-duck legislative period. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) could support this plan, according to Levin. House and Senate aides also said they are prepared to hold preliminary conference committee talks in October to work out differences between the Senate’s authorization bill--presumably the version the SASC passed on 24 May --and the version the full House passed on 18 May.

SASC Ranking Republican Member John McCain (R-Ariz.) told reporters on 21 Septem-ber he could support that plan, where aides both address Senate floor amendments and reconcile the House and Senate bills during the recess. “I’ll do anything if it’s reasonable to get an authorization bill,” McCain said, venting that Reid has not yet brought it up for debate. Yet he said some other senators may object to having a truncated Senate floor debate. “People feel very strongly about certain issues,” McCain said. He said he had heard “conflicting reports” about whether the bill would hit the Senate floor during the lame-duck session, when Congress has to address weighty issues including sequestration budget reductions and tax cuts.

The foregoing is from the 24 September issue of Defense Daily. There is no mention of debate concerning the freeze on funds for the Guam military buildup or the July 2012 report of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Legislative Election on 6 November is important for the future of Guam and especially the business community. Please get out and vote your conscience and encourage your employees and associates to do the same.

www.guamcontractors.org CONSTRUCTION NEWS BULLETIN OCTOBER2012 | 11

COMMITTEEUPDATE

142 Seaton Boulevard, Suite 102 - Hagåtña, Guam 96910telephone (671) 477-1239 or (671) 477-2239

facsimile (671) 477-3339email

“BUILD YOUR CLIENT BASE.”

PLACE YOUR AD HERE!

FOR DETAILS PLEASECall Adztech.


FEATURESTORY

DISID HELPING OUR COMMMUNITY GROW STRONGERBy David F. Macaluso

-

-

-

-


FEATURESTORY

ensures a full continuum of lifelong programs and services for qualified individuals with disabilities and their families. “There are a number of ways people can inquire about our services we offer here,” said Servino. “They can contact our office by telephone, there are informa-tional DISID brochures, outreach presen-tations, orientation presentations, walk-In Services and a website, which is currently being updated.” Servino adds. “ DISID comprises of two Divisions, the Division of Support Services (DSS) and the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). The agency also has two Special Units, the DISID Evaluation, Enforcement, Compli-ance (DEEC) Unit and the Aging & Disability Resource Center (ADRC) Unit.” The Division of Support Services (DSS) oversees the Community Habilita-tion Program (CHP), Respite care Services Program, Health and Human Services for Medicare and Medicaid SVS and Compact Impact Program (CIP) Funds. The primary goal of the Community Habilitation Program (CHP) is to assist individuals to learn to live independently in their home and within the community. It’s a program designed to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to live a productive and meaningful life. The program also provides individualized training in self-help, daily living skills and community integration. The Respite Care Services Program is designed to assist families and caregiv-ers of an individual who has a disability, chronic or terminal illness by providing temporary, non-medical care for the individual. The program provides in-house care, light household chores, cooking and

October is the National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Many people on the island might not remember what it was like on island before the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities got its humble beginning on Guam. For over 15 years the Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities has been aiding and providing services to islanders with disabilities, allowing them to be independent and productive within our community. The agency was established when, at that time, Bill 18 was passed and signed into Guam Public Law 24-16 by Governor Carl T. C. Gutierrez on March 26, 1997. The 24th Guam Legislature found that there were agencies and organizations on island, both private and public, that had the responsibility of providing, planning, supporting employment services and implementing a wide spectrum of services for persons with disabilities. But before 1997, there was a fragmentation and lack of coordination for these services and it became difficult for these agencies, organizations, friends and families of individuals with disabilities to utilize them to its fullest potential. Problems eventually became compounded because there wasn’t a department directly responsible to address the overall issues or needs for people with disabilities. Senator Lou Leon Guerrero heard the needs of the people and drafted legislation to establish DISID as the agency to take on this responsibility for our island. According to Department of Integrated Services for Individuals with Disabilities Director Benito S. Servino, DISID serves as the designated single point of entry agency that provides, promotes and

homemaker services, cleaning, visitation, and other services depending on the needs of the individual and or their family. Health and Human Services for Medicare and Medicaid SVS is respon-sible for managing all aspects of informa-tion, assistance, referral, orientation and outreach with respect to Aging Programs such as the Guam State Health Insurance Assistance Program and the Guam Senior Medicare Patrol Program. In addition it also provides information and assistance on all Medicare related matters. The program provides education on how to protect, detect and report fraud, waste, abuse and error with Medicare/Medicaid. Compact Impact Program (CIP) assists and provides healthcare to individuals with disabilities who immigrated from Micronesia and the Marshall Islands to Guam. For more information about Division of Support Services please contact DSS Administrator Helena Kubo by either email ( [email protected] ) or telephone (475-4601). DISID second division is named the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). DVR provides any service to assist an individual with a disability in preparing for, securing, retaining, or regaining a job outcome that is qeligibility and vocational rehabilitation needs by qualified personnel, including, if appropriate, an assessment by personnel skilled in rehabilitation technol-ogy; For more information about Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) please contact DISID Director & Interim VR Administrator Ben Servino @ [email protected] or by phone 898-8695 or 476-4646. DVR also has a program orientations conducted every 3rd Tuesday of the month at 9am in


FEATURESTORY

the DVR Conference Room on the 6th floor, DNA Bldg. The first unit is named the Evaluation, Enforcement, Compliance Unit which provides training in assistive technology for computer center hardware and software; it monitors and provides technical assistance support regarding compliance to the Rehab Act; provides training and support and an awareness campaign for compliance of the accessible parking law on Guam. Questions pertain-ing to this unit can contact Program Manager Zenaida Natividad @ [email protected] or call 477-1587. DISID's second unit, the Aging & Disability resource Center (ADRC) serves as a single point of entry for all program services for people with disabilities on Guam through the Guam Get Care website (guamgetcare.org), provide access to guamgetcare.org website by installing computer hardware at locations throughout the island including the village Mayor's Offices, collect data on the incidence of disabilities, track services that are provided to people with disabilities through collaborative network providers, conduct educational outreach services within the community, Develop ID card and barcode scanner identification system for individuals with disabilities and community service providers. For additional information concerning these services please ADRC Program Manager Frank Reyes @ [email protected] or call 475-4640. Servino has been the DISID’s director since in February 2011. He’s very grateful that both the Governor and the Legislature appointed and confirmed him to this position.

“I feel that I am truly blessed to be in this position because as a former client of VR services, it provides me an opportunity to give back to our community by helping to improve the quality of life for our people with disabilities and promote their independence, productivity and inclusion within the community,” said Servino. “DISID/DVRs philosophy and mission is “to enable qualified individuals with disabilities, especially with significant disabilities, to achieve employment and community independence through quality services” What Servino loves most about his job is that he serves as an advocate for people with disabilities and creates strategies to improve services for their constituents especially when it involves looking at employment options. He also enjoys mentoring individuals with disabili-ties so that they could be an effective communicator in the community and self-advocate. Servino adds, “I was able to mentor a couple of clients with disabilities that had behavioral issues and work with our VR Counselors to place them into jobs within the community. Day in and Day out, for nearly two years, Servino has been able to collabora-tively work with their VR Counseling staff to establish a quarterly Job Placement Circle (JPC) recruitment event which provides a forum for employers to share their various job vacancies with their job ready clients with disabilities. He was also able to collaboratively work with the Department of Education to hire several VR Clients and place them into job opportunities under the 2% law. This Public Law requires each GovGuam agency to hire 2% of their workforce

comprised of individuals with disabilities. Servino is happy he to be in a position that he is able to help and aid people who have disabilities. He believes DISID has been very effective in having our community rehab and to build a strong workforce on island. According to Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathy Martinez "Employers who ensure that inclusive workplace policies and practices are woven into the fabric and culture of the organization create an environment that encourages all workers, including those of us with disabilities to work to their full capacity and contribute fully to the organization's success." To register or to learn more about the planned NDEAM Events and Activities for Guam throughout the month of October, please contact any of these following people. Terie Celes at [email protected] or 475-5740, Ben Servino at [email protected] or 898-8695Geraldine Borja at [email protected] or 475- 5741Alvin Ancheta at [email protected] Leon Guerrero at [email protected] or 689-3000Mari Blas at [email protected] 475-5744Frank Pangelinan at [email protected] or 475-4658

FPO


FEATURESTORY

PROJECT H.A.T.S.A.By: Jaclyn Lee Quan and Patricia S.N. Mafnas


FEATURESTORY

The concept was to “build” the skills or lay the foundation for TANF recipients that would increase their marketability in the private sector. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is also known as welfare. This cash assistance is given to eligible families that have limited or no income. Eligible TANF recipients can receive the assistance for a total of 60 months, which equates to 5 years, and it is mandatory that they participate in the Jobs Opportunities and Basic Skills program (JOBS) at the Work Programs Section at DPHSS. This pilot project was designed to provide educational and hands on training for TANF participants to improve or learn new skills in the construction trades industry. In addition, this “fast track” training program was created to improve employability of TANF clients by providing resources for career and technical training administered at GCC. The Guam Community College is the backdrop to providing the training these participants need in order to hopefully succeed outside of public assistance. The training consists of going through a one week Workforce Readiness Workshop training where they learn about “life-skills”: creating a resume, money matters, how to dress for success, what to expect in the workforce, and what his/her rights are as an employee. Right after, they go through a two to three month academic section where our Instructors teach them the basics of the Construction Trade. Their classes include: CT100 Introduction to Construction Trades; CT140 Industrial Safety; CT158 Heavy Equipment Operation; and AE103 Basic Blueprint Reading.Falgan recalls, “The best part of Project H.A.T.S.A. was that the teachers were really helpful and they offered hands on teaching, which is how I learn. They eased us into the class; they didn’t force us, but they made us feel at ease so we’d be comfortable in

“I never planned on being on welfare, but it was a means to provide for my son,” said Sara Falgan – who was a single parent with a four year-old son. She participated in the JOBS Program at the Department of Public Health and Social Services (DPHSS) and was offered to participate in the H.A.T.S.A Program. “I never thought I’d want to be in the construction field, but I said, ‘What the heck, give it a try.’” Project H.A.T.S.A. was the innovative idea of Social Services Supervisor Christine P. San Nicolas from the Department of Public Health and Social Services Work Programs Section: “I wanted to create a training program that prepared individuals for jobs that are in demand; to provide training for the TANF population so they may acquire skills that will increase their employability, and limit their need for public assistance. I wanted to expose our TANF participants to areas of the workforce that they may not have considered as a “career path,” to give them a new perspective on the possibilities. It has been our experience through the assessments conducted on our clients, that many of those who enter into the welfare system do not have a career goal. This program helps to change that, so that when they complete the training program, they can focus on a specific career goal such as becoming a safety officer or provides motivation to starting their own small business in any of the trades that inspired them the most.” With the support of the department’s leadership and Work Programs Section staff; and along with the partnership with the Guam Community College and Agency for Human Resources Development (AHRD); Project H.A.T.S.A. was launched in January 2012. The term H.A.T.S.A. is the acronym for Helping Achieve TANF Success through Actions - derived from the Chamorro language which means to “raise up, build or build up.”

handling the tools and the equipment.” After the completion of the academic portion, students complete a 120 non-paid internship, where they are placed in compa-nies or on actual construction sites with licensed contractors on island, to utilize the skills they learned in the classroom, both for Construction Trades and what they learned during the ¬¬Workforce Readiness Workshop: how to get to work on time, dressing appropriately for the job, and exhibiting the right attitude to his/her employer and co-workers. Of course, after all this training, what can our participants expect to get out of this program other than construction skills? For one, they will receive a Certificate of Enrich-ment with seventeen (17) college credits attach to it. Secondly, they receive a National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), which is a portable credential that demonstrates achievement in a certain level of workplace employability skills in Applied Mathematics, and Locating Information, and Reading for Information, which is designed to measure “real” world skills critical to job success. Thirdly, from completing their CT140: Industrial Safety class, they receive two certificates: Forklift Operator Trainer and USACE EM-385-1-1: Construction Safety Hazard Awareness 16-hour course for Construction. The H.A.T.S.A program was designed to have our participants walk away with the basic skills in construction and of the workforce. It is the intent that these newly acquired skills will increase their chances of becoming successful in the job market, be self-sufficient, provide for their families on their own and to no longer be dependent on public assistance. What started out as the seed of an idea grew to become a purpose in giving the TANF population the opportunity to rise above the obstacles and come out stronger.

GCA LuncheonSeptember 19th, 2012Westin Resort Guam

Protec-KoteOctober 9th, 2012Sheraton Resort Guam


PHOTOHIGHLIGHTS

GCA &Guam Chamber ofCommerce Mixer

September 20th, 2012Cars Plus Showroom


PHOTOHIGHLIGHTS


PHOTOHIGHLIGHTS

Guam Contractors AssociationGuam Contractors AssociationBOWLING LEAGUEBOWLING LEAGUE

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Black Construction Corp.Hawaiian Rock Products 2Hawaiian Rock Products 1DCK Pacific Guam, LLCKinden CorporationJ&B Modern TechAdvance Management Inc.Guam Crane ServicesCassidy’s Associated InsurSPPC/76Security Title Inc.Agbayani Air Conditioning

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Week 8

Season

Week 7

THEHAPPENINGS


The National Association of Women in Construction

Wine Tasting & Beer Garden Event

NAWICNEWS


Documents

GCA Construction News Bulletin October 2012