GWA says the outage will begin at 7am Tuesday and last until 5am Wednesday, May 22nd.

The outage is necessary so that GWA crews can replace a water pump at one of GWA's Wells.

For more information on the outage contact GWA's 24/7 phone line at 646-4211 or visit GWA's website at guamwaterwork.org

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Flores' mother and sister attended the short service, but it is not known when his body will return to Guam.

Sinajana Mayor Robert Hofmann says he knows the Flores family and was shocked to learn of Dwayne's passing. He mentions his village has 32 members that are deployed and their photos, including Dwayne's, are up in their parish church.

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“It was a shock to us when we found out,” said Hofmann. “There's really no words that can express this. Our community grieves together and we're trying our best to help the family with whatever needs they have.”

Dwayne was an altar server at Hagatna Cathedral Basilica since his childhood. He enlisted in the Army right before he graduated from George Washington High School in 2008. This was his first deployment. In fact, he was just promoted on March 15.

Although Hofmann was closer to Dwayne's siblings, Stephanie and Steven, he remembers the fallen Guam National Guard soldier as someone that loved being outside.

“He was quiet and I know he loved the outdoors a lot,” said Hofmann. “I know that's one thing...actually that whole family is the same way. They're very outdoorsy and so they like the challenges of off-roading...stuff like that. He was a good kid. Everything that I've known about him and everybody I've talked to once I've gotten word of his death also remembered him, either from school or even growing up as neighbors in the Afame area.”

Sergeant Eugene Michael Aguon, who was also killed with Flores by a suicide car bomber in Kabul last Thursday, is also remembered by his uncle, Senator Frank Aguon Jr. He says Eugene's nickname was "Mikey" and he grew up with his son.

“You know what’s very interesting is, not only is “Mikey” Aguon a nephew of mine, really he played baseball with my son when they were growing up and they also attended Agueda Johnston Middle School together, so we’ve always been close, we’ve always had some close relationships with the family members,” said Aguon.

The 23 year old also played in the Guam Little League back in 2001 and is also a graduate of George Washington High School.

Senator Aguon visited the family and attended a rosary for his nephew yesterday. He admires how Eugene's mother continues to be proud and supportive of her children during this sensitive time.

“If there’s one thing that really comes to mind in terms of Mikey’s mom, there was a conversation the first day my wife and I visited the family was their older son would like to join the Air Force shortly and one of the comments that the mother, despite the existing circumstances shared with us that she is not gonna stop him,” said Aguon. “And that says a lot. It says a lot about allowing I guess your children to be able to reach out even more and pursue their dreams.”

Eugene and Dwayne's deaths also greatly impacted Mary Garvilles. She was their 8^th grade teacher at Agueda Johnston Middle School. The news of their deaths hit her hard when she saw their pictures all over facebook. She remembers them as respectful young men.

“They were just really both the island respectful type of boys,” said Garvilles. “Eugene was more on the quiet side, but very polite. I remember just having to go up to him and said, 'Are you ok?' and he just gives me a bright smile. I just knew he was ok. Dwayne, on the other hand, was more bubbly, but also very polite. Just very well mannered. They both come from very good families as well.”

Garvilles mentions she didn't picture them joining the military because they were just 8th graders at the time. as an educator, she says she just wanted them to become productive citizens of society and find success.

“You just never think that the sacrifice of their life is what they'll have one day,” said Garvilles. “That they're going to end up doing one day for their island. Although it saddens...it's hard at home of course. I'm just not going to forget them.”

Garvilles says she is grateful that she was Dwayne and Eugene's teacher and sends this special message to their families.

“My heart and condolences go out to the Aguon and Flores family,” said Garvilles. “We're very proud as an island for the sacrifice of your sons. We know it is not an easy time, but I pray nothing more that the Lord will give you all comforts and bring a special meaning, out of all this, in the end for you and for the family.”

Rosaries for Eugene Aguon are being said at his family's home in Mangilao at 8 p.m.. Meanwhile, mass for Dwayne Flores is being said nightly at the Hagatna Cathedral Chapel starting at 6 p.m. tonight through Friday.

The Governor's Office Sunday night announced that that the body of Corporal Dwayne W. Flores was turned over to family members during a "Dignified Transfer of Remains" ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday morning.

CPL Flores’ mother and sister attended the brief ceremony.  It has not yet been announced when his body will be returned to Guam.

Flores and another Guam solider, SGT Eugene M. Aguon of Mangilao, were both killed by a suicide car bomber in Kabul last Thursday. No word either on when the remains of SGT Aguon will be returned.

This past Saturday, Governor Calvo declared Guam in a State of  Mourning for the two fallen Guam soldiers. 

[A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Cpl. Dwayne W. Flores of Sinajana, Guam, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. on May 18, 2013. Flores was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry, Fort Juan Muna, Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo/David Tucker)]

READ the statement from Congresswoman Bordallo below:

Statement on the Passing of Guam National Guardsmen SGT Eugene Aguon, SPC Dwayne Flores
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 18, 2013 – Washington, D.C. –

Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo today issued the following statement on the passing of two Guam National Guardsmen, Sergeant (SGT) Eugene Aguon of Mangilao, and Specialist (SPC) Dwayne Flores of Sinajana, who died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

“I am deeply saddened at the loss of SGT Eugene Aguon and SPC Dwayne Flores,” said Congresswoman Bordallo. “These brave men made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and for our entire nation while serving in Afghanistan. We will be forever grateful for their service. My heart goes out to their family and friends, and I ask that our island community surround them with prayers and sympathy during this difficult time. This is a very sad day for our island.”

READ the statement from Governor Calvo below:

“Christine and I, Ray and Notch ask for the prayers of every Guamanian for the families and friends of Sgt. Eugene M. Aguon, and Specialist Dwayne W. Flores. There are no words to describe the overwhelming grief of our island on this tragic day. May the Lord be with their parents and loved ones to give them strength,” Governor Calvo said.

Maj. General Benny Paulino, The Adjutant General of the Guam National Guard, has committed all resources necessary to take care of the families as they go through this most difficult time.

In all, the explosion claimed 15 lives, 6 of them Americans, including Flores and Aguon. The other 4 Americans killed were civilian contractors.

Guam Governor Eddie Calvo confirmed the deaths in a message to the media Saturday evening declaring a "State of Mourning" on Guam for the deaths of  Flores and Aguon.

In his statement the Governor said:

“Christine and I, Ray and Notch ask for the prayers of every Guamanian for the families and friends of Sgt. Eugene M. Aguon, and Specialist Dwayne W. Flores. There are no words to describe the overwhelming grief of our island on this tragic day. May the Lord be with their parents and loved ones to give them strength,” Governor Calvo said.

Aguon and Flores were part of the nearly 600 Guam guardsmen in the 1^st Battalion, 294^th Infantry Regiment. They left island on March 2 for a month of pre-deployment training at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. They arrived in Afghanistan in the first weeks of April.

The 23 year old Aguon is from Mangilao. He was a graduate of George Washington High School. Flores is from Sinajana.

[Eugene Michael Aguon, FaceBook photo]

[Dwayne W. Flores, FaceBook Photo]

Mass for Dwayne Flores will be said nightly at the Hagatna Cathedral Chapel from 6pm Monday to Saturday and from 7pm on Sunday.

ABC News reported that the blast was "so powerful it rattled the other side of the Afghan capital."

READ the report of the suicide bombing on the ABC News website HERE

A Muslim militant group, "Hezb-e-Islami," claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the report. 

The militant group said it had formed a new suicide unit in response to reports that the U.S. plans to keep bases and troops in Afghanistan, after the scheduled pull-out in 2014. ABC News also reports that "Hezb-e-Islami" claimed their fighters had been stalking the Americans for a week to learn their routine, before they attacked.

        Guam Service Members Killed in Action in Afghanistan   [source: icasulties.org ]

            DATE                       NAME                     AGE       RANK                                  CAUSE            VILLAGE

11. May 16, 2013            Eugune M. Aguon         23          National Guard Sgt.               car bomber       Mangilao

10. May 16, 2013            Dwayne W. Flores                      National Guard SPC              car bomber       Sinajana

9. Sept. 24, 2010:            Jaysine Petree                19       Army Private 1st Class          IED attack         Yigo  

8. June 7, 2010:               Joshua Lukeala               23       Army Reserve Sgt.                 IED attack         Yigo

7. August 8, 2009:            Jose S.N. Crisostomo     59       Army 1st Sergeant                 IED attack         Inarajan 

6. August 8, 2008:            Anthony M. Carbullido  25       Navy Petty Off. 2nd Class     IED attack         Agat

5. July 10, 2008:               Samson A. Mora            28      National Guard , Specialist      IED attack         Dededo

4. July 10, 2008                Biran S. Leon Guerero    34      National Guard, Specialist       IED attack         Hagatna

3. August 29, 2007            Henry S. Ofeciar           37       Army Major                           hostile fire         Barrigada

2. March 5,  2007             Gregory D. Fejeran        28       National Guard Sgt.                vehicle ax          Barrigada

1. March 3, 2007              Chris J.C. Fernandez      28       National Guard Sgt                 vehicle ax          Dededo  

[A U.S. Army carry team transfers the remains of Army Cpl. Dwayne W. Flores of Sinajana, Guam, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. on May 18, 2013. Flores was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry, Fort Juan Muna, Guam. (U.S. Air Force photo/David Tucker)]

In addition, DFS says their "offer to the airport was an  annual guarantee of $16 million dollars,"  which would be $600-thousand more than the $15.4 million that Lotte agreed to in the contract they signed Saturday with the Guam International Airport Authority [GIAA].

DFS also says they are looking " forward to Airport revealing the original financial proposal of Lotte which would have been the basis for the initial ranking determinations."

 These are the most serious allegations to date in the ongoing saga over the duty free concession contract at the airport.

The claims are made in a release issued late Monday by DFS in response to the rejection of their protest by GIAA last Friday, and news of the subsequent signing by GIAA of a contract with Lotte.

 However the DFS release does not reveal what the company's next move will be.

They have the option of taking their protest to the Office of Public Accountability or to Court. But the release only states that "DFS is currently reviewing the response of GIA relative to the facts we have acquired regarding the RFP process. We will make a determination on what, if any, further actions we will take in the coming days."

READ the release from DFS below: 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DFS GROUP REVIEWS GIAA RESPONSE TO PROTEST

DFS received GIA's response to our protest after close of business on Friday. This is the first time since we raised this issue in October that we have been provided with information relative to the internal investigation conducted. Unfortunately, the response we received raised more questions than it answered.

The investigation determined that gifts were provided to the members of the delegation that visited Lotte and that they were given pre-planned tours of their facilities by Lotte senior management. After a series of contradictory and partially misleading statements in the press, it appears now that those gifts were not just nominal in value, but were in fact high value branded products as DFS has alleged. In addition, some of the central figures involved in these violations appear to be now changing their accounts of what transpired. We are greatly concerned about the circumstances surrounding these events, as we have always believed that these issues are not only clear violations of the RFP, but also a violation of the integrity of the process. The delegation contained several officials who were in a position to directly and indirectly influence the process. The visit to Lotte, the tour of their facilities and the transmission of these valuable gifts was part of a continued, coordinated effort to exclusively benefit one of 4 bidders in the process – all of which was clearly prohibited during the RFP process.

We also note from GIA's press release that Lotte was apparently given the opportunity to revise their financial offer to the Airport following their selection as the first ranked proposer. This would be another advantage that other proposers have not been offered. DFS notes that it's original annual guarantee offered to GIA was $16.0 Million per year, with additional spaces, and looks forward to Airport revealing the original financial proposal of Lotte which would have been the basis for the initial ranking determinations.

DFS is currently reviewing the response of GIA relative to the facts we have acquired regarding the RFP process. We will make a determination on what, if any, further actions we will take in the coming days.

About DFS Group
Founded in 1960 in Hong Kong, DFS Group (DFS) is the world’s leading luxury travel retailer. Today, it operates in 10 countries and across three continents. Employing more than 8,000 associates, the company provides a seamless retail experience and presents the world’s leading brands to over 35 million world travelers each year at its 14 downtown Gallerias and in 18 international airports. DFS is majority owned by LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), with the balance of shares held by companies associated with DFS co-founder Robert Miller. Its headquarters are in Hong Kong and Singapore and DFS has significant offices in Hawaii, Los Angeles, Shanghai and other key locations.

For more information, visit www.dfsgalleria.com

READ the statement from LOTTE Guam Transition Director Gerry Perez below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

"Gerry Perez, the Lotte Guam Transition Director made the following statement, “On behalf of the entire Lotte Team we wish to thank the Guam International Airport Authority for being awarded the retail concession.” 

"He went on to say that Lotte is  looking forward to a long term partnership with the GIAA in improving the visitor experience at the airport.  He further stated, “It has been a long and challenging bid process, but we are very excited to get to work for the Guam International Airport, and the people of Guam.”  

He also indicated that the company was excited about moving forward and the innovation and investment Lotte will be providing will help Guam improve its competitiveness as one of the most successful visitor destinations in Asia.  He concluded by saying that Lotte will be discussing in more detail what it plans for the airport in the coming weeks."

According to a release, the 5 year agreement requires Lotte to pay GIAA an annual rent of $15.4 million for a total of $77 million dollars. In addition Lotte will invest $23 million in capital improvements at the Airport.

GIAA Executive Director Chuck Ada said the contract was signed Saturday, but he adds that it was not a rushed decision.

The Lotte contract he said had been thoroughly reviewed during the 2 weeks following the GIAA Board's vote to open negotiations with Lotte on Friday April 12, and the DFS protest which was filed on Tuesday April 23rd.

READ GIAA's FRIDAY denial of DFS' protest HERE

GIAA says they were also able to negotiate additional revenue of 1% of all non-Airport sales made by Lotte on Guam, pushing the total value of the contract above $100-million dollars over the 5 years. The contract includes an option for a 5 year renewal after that.

The Airport Authority says the new contract represents a 242% increase in rent over the $4.5 million that DFS now pays.

DFS is expected to take its complaint to the Guam Office of Public Accountability, although  DFS Senior Vice-President James Beighley on Friday, after GIAA rejected its protest, declined comment on his companies next move.

READ the MONDAY release from GIAA below:

The A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority (the “Airport”) announced today that it has entered into a specialty retail concession agreement with Lotte Duty Free Guam, LLC for the operation of the duty free retail concession at the Main Terminal of the Airport (the “Agreement”).

The signing of the Agreement follows a competitive process for the first time in over 30 years. The recent RFP resulted in proposals from four (4) international duty free retailers. The Airport evaluation committee charged with reviewing and recommending the most qualified proposer unanimously ranked Lotte Duty Free number one. On April 12, 2013 the Airport Board of Directors unanimously approved the evaluation committee’s recommendation and Lotte was selected as the best proposer. Shortly thereafter, the Airport began the negotiation process with Lotte Duty Free, Guam.

On April 23, 2013, DFS Guam L.P., which had held the lucrative Airport duty free concession exclusively for over 30 years, protested the Airport’s selection of Lotte. Upon receipt of the protest, the Airport decided to delay the negotiations with Lotte while the protest was being addressed. On May 17, after a thorough investigation, the Airport denied DFS’s protest.

After the Airport denied the DFS protest, the Airport resumed negotiating the terms of the new concession Agreement with Lotte. Airport Executive Manager Chuck Ada explained that it was very important for the Airport to finalize its negotiations and consummate the Agreement as soon as possible.

Ada stated that “the delay in entering into the new Agreement was preventing the Airport from receiving over $900,000 a month in additional minimum annual guarantee revenue. So it was in the best interest of the Airport and its stakeholders to expedite negotiations and execute the duty free contract, and that’s what we did.”

The Agreement is for an exclusive term of five years with an additional five-year term on a non-exclusive basis. The Agreement increases the Airport’s specialty retail concession guaranteed rental revenues from $4.5 million under the DFS contract to $15.4 million in minimum annual guaranteed rent to be paid by Lotte. The Agreement with Lotte represents a 242% increase in minimum annual guaranteed rent with
the potential for further increased revenues based on percentage rent, which the Airport expects to be substantial. Moreover, the Airport was able to negotiate additional revenue of 1% of all non-Airport sales made by Lotte on Guam.

Airport Executive Manager Chuck Ada stated, “This is an exciting time for the Airport and we are eager to move forward with our agreement with Lotte. The Airport will realize tremendous additional value from this contract with Lotte which will undoubtedly contribute to significant increased revenues for the Airport.”

Lotte has committed to making substantial improvements to the Airport’s retail concession space. The Agreement requires Lotte to invest no less than $23 million in capital improvements. Ada went on to say, “These changes at the Airport will not only allow the travelling public to enjoy world-class shopping at the Airport, to improve their overall Airport experience and increase the Airport’s revenues from retail sales.” Ada further indicated that under the Agreement, Lotte also committed to make additional renovations to the Airport food court and restroom facilities at no additional cost to the Airport.

Over the last few months the Guam Airport has seen record-breaking passenger traffic and is working hard with its public and private partners to continue that upward trend. According to Executive Manager Ada, “In recent years retail sales at the Airport have not kept pace with the increased enplanement numbers. This is a trend we would like to change and the Lotte Agreement is a big step in that direction.”

Lotte has committed to provide the People of Guam with world-class products and customer service at the Airport. The Guam Airport is excited to begin this new partnership and is confident that the travelling public and People of Guam will benefit tremendously from the Airport - Lotte Agreement.