DEMOCRATIC Majority Leader Sen. Rory Respicio, delivering the Speaker’s Address yesterday, defended his earlier criticism of the lobby group Guam United States Asia Security Alliance (GUASA).
Respicio said although the group has a right to hire a lobbyist, “they must realize that their voices are combined with others from our community, and the things they say can have a direct impact on our lives.”
Respicio criticized the stand of Gov. Eddie Calvo and Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio on the issue and stressed that since the governor is also the chairman of the Guam First Commission, an invitation should be extended to GUASA and other groups to the GFC meetings so they “can reconcile differences locally, before sending mixed signals to Washington.”
“The goal is not to regulate their activities, but to determine the kind of buildup they are advocating in Congress. If we don’t work together, the Chamber could help some while unintentionally hurting others, as one half is seeking a greater military presence to protect us from 'threats' posed by China (as GUASA has stated), and the other half is working to secure a China visa waiver for Guam,” Respicio said.
GUASA spokesman and advocate Carl Peterson, meanwhile, responded that if the island wants “a bigger piece of the pie, we need to help [Delegate Madeleine Bordallo] advocate for Guam, to tell them about our attributes, our wonderful friendly people, and the great Petri dish of Americana. This is a huge job and it needs full-time attention.”
Peterson also stated a majority of the individuals involved with GUASA have been conducting similar situations since 2001 when the first effort was made to promote Guam in Washington D.C.
“It was signed and endorsed by Gov. Carl Gutierrez, Congressman Robert Underwood, and Speaker Tony Unpingco. They did not have a problem with business helping to promote Guam in their own way,” he said.
