College of Micronesia
CTEC Multi-Purpose Technical Building
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Wednesday, July 21. 2021 at 10am
Statement by Secretary of TC&I

Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning. Please allow me to begin bypaying my respects to our traditional community …
Iheng! Mwohn meh-karos, Re Ketin kupwure pwe I’en kak warohng
weliandi kahlapoko oh tiengki sapwelimahr depwekin-leng en wahu ohkaping ong pahn kupwuren [samatail enihlap] – Kauno Koht pwehki
Kupwur Rosoulap en Powe, me kin sansal-ohng kitail ahnsou karos.
Pwehki kasarawi en rahnwet ah pahn WAIRIHR pohn dopwekin-leng en
Pohnpei-uh – oh pahn ele lelohng pahn kupwuren Erekisohko karos en
Pohnpei-uh, oh nan FSM, I men kapatahieng ei tungol sekeren keipweni
pohn Erekisohko en Pohnpei-uh, Wahu-lap pahn kupwuren Isohko,Nahnalek-ko, Nahnkeniei-ko, oh wauneki lapalap karos en Pohnpei-uh,
patehng lapalap’en tiahk karos pohn State karos en FSM. Ah pwehki_____________ me ketin ketdier mwohn kasarawi kesempwal enrahnwet, I patowen pwelik ei tungol sekeren wahu tohror ong___________. Re ket nan kasarawi kesempwal en rahnwet.
Acknowledgements
Honorable Governor Reed Oliver, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps
Ambassador Zheng and members of the diplomatic corps, Members of
National and State Cabinet, US Charge D’ affaires Ms. Kristin Westphal,
Chairwoman of the COM Board of Regions Ms. Suzanne Gallen, Interim

1President of the College of Micronesia Ms. Karen Simion, Ladies andGentlemen, Good morning.
Apology:I have been given the honor to represent H.E President David W.
Panuelo in this Ground Breaking ceremony for the CTEC Multi-Purpose
Technical Building. The President expressed his regrets for hisunavailability due to the need to attend to official business outside ofthe Country. He nevertheless has asked me to extend his
congratulations to the College for this important project and his
appreciation to the US Government for the generous financial
assistance provided to fund it.
Remarks
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is certainly a privilege for me to join you thismorning as we plant the seed of a tree or a project that we can expect
will bear many fruits for many generations to come. With the excellent
cooperation between the College, Pohnpei State Government, theNational Government and with US financial support, I am confident that
we have created some very fertile soil for this tree to grow strong andflourish. This CTEC Multipurpose Building will play a central role in
improving the educational infrastructure in the FSM and will enable COM
to deliver a higher standard of technical and vocational training foryoung Micronesians.
This project comes at the right time.

2As we seek to improve our economy and raise living standards, weurgently need more skilled workers in the technical and vocational field.
We need more electricians, mechanics, plumbers, computer technicians,etc., who are fully trained and accredited.
There is no doubt that our human resources capacity must be upgradedin order to support the efforts of the National and State Governments toexpand basic infrastructure and services.
The demand for trained workers will also increase as a result of the new
initiatives which have been launched by President Panuelo, including the“pave the nation program” as well as a stronger focus on renewableenergy, environmental conservation, climate change and the blue
economy.
On behalf of the FSM National Government, I would like to express oursincere appreciation for the excellent collaboration and teamwork
between COM, FSM TC&I, Pohnpei State Government, the Office ofCompact Management and the Office of Insular Affairs of the US
Government. This collaboration has made it possible to complete all preconstruction activities so that we are now ready to start the constructionof this important project.
To give a brief overview of the project.
• The CTEC Multipurpose Building is part of a comprehensive
Masterplan for COM which was developed by an International
consulting firm, Beca Consultants, in 2013.
• The designs for the building were prepared by the same
Consultant, Beca International, through a design contract with FSM
TC&I that was signed in 2017. The designs were extensivelyreviewed by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that they
comply with all relevant codes and standards.
3• The contract for the construction of the building was awarded toABCOR Engineering and Construction, for a contract price of about$5.4 million, after a process of open competitive bidding.
• A grant to finance the construction contract has been approved by
OIA and the funds are now available for disbursement.
In this connection, I wish to extend special recognition and appreciation
to Charge’ Westphal and the US Government for their continued
financial assistance towards our nation building efforts. The US,
historically has been our strongest development partner and continues
to be the largest source of foreign aid to this nation. We are truly gratefulthat through your continued support, we are people to gather today tofurther enhance our investment in the most important resource in thisnation – our human resource.
Before closing, I wish to extend my utmost appreciation to Governor
Oliver and our host state of Pohnpei. We are grateful for the State’s
continued support of national projects and activities like this which
directly benefit all residents of the state and the nation. The unwaveringcommitment of Pohnpei towards the College dates back to the days ofthe old Community College of Micronesia.
In Closing, let me congratulate the COM and the Project Team for yourexcellent work and I can assure you that DTC&I will be providing allnecessary technical support and supervision to ensure that the CTEC
building is completed on time and within the budget. Thank you.

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