Ayuyu slams ‘lack of urgency’ after Sinlaku

A prominent Saipan businessman is criticizing what he described as a lack of urgency from government officials in restoring basic services following Super Typhoon Sinlaku, saying residents “don’t deserve” to be left without water days after the storm.

At the same time, McDonald's franchise owner/operator, and president Jose “Joe” Ayuyu said his restaurants are doing what they can to serve the community despite staffing shortages, long lines, and limited utilities.

Ayuyu did not mince words in assessing the government response.

“I’m kind of quite personally disappointed because, you know, in the past, normally second, third day, you have power already… especially water,” he said. “Three days or four days after the typhoon, no water. It’s ridiculous.”

He added, “I’m questioning the entire, you know, the government, and particularly, you know, the people that manage the water and power… I think there’s a lacking of urgency—urgency to provide water and power.”

Ayuyu said the government should have ensured backup generators were working for wells, noting that such measures were implemented in the past.

“If they cannot because the generators are not working, that’s a management dereliction of their work,” he said. “The people don’t deserve that one.”

He also called on leadership to act decisively in the aftermath of the storm.

“The leadership has to step up to the plate and do something immediate… Please, please do something. Immediately,” Ayuyu said.

Despite the challenges, Ayuyu said his McDonald’s locations have resumed limited operations, becoming a key food source for residents grappling with power and water outages.

“It’s been very challenging,” he said. “The key to our success in opening and helping the community feed them… is the welfare for employees.”

He said operations are currently dependent on staff availability, with many employees dealing with damage to their homes.

“We cannot force our employees to work because we don’t know the condition of their house,” Ayuyu said. “So we’re asking our employees if they want to volunteer and come to work… we’re very fortunate that we have a lot of volunteers right here now.”

The Garapan location reopened amid heavy demand.

“Yesterday, the line was really, really long, just like what you see at the gas station,” he said.

Ayuyu said additional operations are being rolled out gradually, including the planned reopening of the drive-thru service.

“Temporarily, it will be from 10am to 10:30am., depending again on the staff,” he said. “That plan may change if people that promised to come to work did not show up.”

Water access remains a critical factor in operations, although the main branch has an advantage.

“We don’t have any issue because they have a deep well and we process the water through a reverse osmosis,” Ayuyu said. “We’ve been able to produce water in really bad times.”

Still, staffing remains the primary constraint.

“The only key thing is really personnel here,” he said.

Ayuyu added that while supplies are currently sufficient, the situation could become more difficult if disruptions persist.

“My business is built on making sure that we accommodate unusual situations like typhoons… but we can go probably after seven days. After that, we may have to start running out.”

He reiterated that restoring utilities quickly would allow businesses like his to better assist the wider recovery.

“When you don’t have water and island power, the people have no place to eat,” Ayuyu said. “Here in McDonald’s, we can feed thousands of people at one time… help us so we can help you, the government.”