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PARIS (Oceania Flash, Jan. 31) - French overseas radio and television network company RFO on Thursday got the green light from its board to engage a EUR223 million budget for 2003, the company said in a release.

RFO operates a global radio and television network, including the Pacific, where it has stations in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna.

While the mood this financial year was to promote the concepts of austerity, the Board managed to preserve the budget of each of the nine stations, while implementing budget cuts on the production operations, mainly at the Head Office in Malakoff (Paris suburbs).

January 31, 2003

Oceania Flash: E-mail/Courriel: padec@iname.com 

HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Jan. 31) - Developing local industries and helping local businesses could generate money and jobs here, Speaker Ben Pangelinan said yesterday during the weekly legislative radio address.

"At a time when we look outside Guam, spending tens of millions of dollars in marketing to tourists, giving away hundreds of millions more in tax rebates over 30 years to attract outside investors, we need to look inside Guam and provide the same assistance for our own local investors as they struggle to survive and provide jobs for our people," he said.

Pangelinan, D-Barrigada, gave examples of how the island can steer away from importing products and luring off-island investors, and instead, develop and invest in local industries that could provide jobs and keep the money circulating on island.

"We need to build local businesses like this and work to spin off other businesses that service them," he said.

"We look at every opportunity...

SAIPAN, CNMI (Marianas Variety, Jan. 31) - The government needs an additional $5.87 million to fund its operations in the current fiscal year, a Department of Finance report showed.

According to Finance, the government is projected to spend $219.59 million by the end of the current fiscal year, but the budget law appropriated only $213.72 million

Finance said $212.89 million is projected to be collected for the fiscal year, of which $6.7 million will be used to pay some of the government’s mounting fiscal obligations.

Of the $212.89 million, $180.02 million is the projected total tax collection.

This includes $54.5 million in business gross revenue taxes; $32.95 million in wage and salary tax; $30.44 million in garment user’s fee; $21.69 million in excise taxes; and $20.85 million in personal/corporate income tax.

According to the report, the government continues to spend more than it has appropriated.

The report stated that in fiscal year...

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (ONE News, Jan. 31) - A campaign to shame debtors is causing a stir in Auckland’s Pacific Island community.

Open a copy of the local Tongan newspaper and you can’t miss it, the page of shame: Name after name, photo after photo of those owing money to loan company Funaki Enterprises.

Among those it has exposed are some big names, including a member of the Tongan royal family.

Their home villages in Tonga and their church are also identified in the controversial campaign.

The City Mission is concerned that the families are being shamed as well as individual debtors.

"For me that’s a concern, particularly about children who bear the shame of their parents," said City Missioner Diane Robertson.

Tucked away in a South Auckland dairy, the Funaki family loans thousands of dollars each year. They require no security, but charge interest of up to 30 per cent.

Those who fail to pay up are now being exposed.

No one...