PM Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi with Tufuga Valoaga Faafoi Palepua during the company dinner Saturday night at the Moana o Sina Restaurant, American Samoa

 

By Tupuola Terry Tavita

Faafo’i Palepua was only 18 when he left for American Samoa in 1975.

“We left on the Lady Lata cargo barge with six other young men from my village. They were coming here to teach piano lessons and I just tagged along.

“I stayed at my auntie’s house at Fagaitua and attended the American Samoa Community College. After over two years there, I was told that I could no longer attend the college because I was not a US national. I called up my father in Samoa and he told me to go look for a job. There was nothing for me back home. In 1979, I started as a floor labourer at Starkist. I was paid US$1.56 an hour. Again, my father told me to stay in American Samoa. This is where my future is.

Life was hard in Samoa back then, he says.

“I was the fourth of 11 children. Growing up at Moata’a, my family was very poor. My father kept a small talo plantation but he was mainly a fisherman. My job was to sell strings of fish along the road at Moata’a. Back then, it only cost 50 sene a string of fish.

From those humble beginnings, Faafoi, 56 – who now holds the titles Valoaga from Moata’a and Tufuga from his wife’s family in Aloau – is now the supply chain manager at Starkist. Previously, he was production manager for 10 years.

“If it wasn’t for Starkist, there would be no future here for people like me. I got married to a local girl from Aloau and we have eight grown-up children. Bar a son who is a Policeman here, the other seven are all residing in the United States. Two served in the military and another two went to college.

“I also was able to put my other younger siblings through school in Samoa and send some to New Zealand. I’ve worked for the company for nearly 34 years now. Through it, I’ve visited countries such as Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Ghana and Korea. Opportunities that I would never get if I stayed in Samoa.

Starkist has been good to me. Life has been good to me.

“Through the years, I’ve also seen many changes in American Samoa. Back then, goods were cheap, people were fewer and there was a lot of money going around. Today, life is more expensive and there’s a lot less money.

People are forced to live by their means. Which is good.�?

Tufuga plans to retire in a few years and return to Samoa.

“Eventually, I want to return to Moata’a and serve my village. But I’m still healthy, I’m still strong and I’m not in a rush. There’s yet still some productive years for me here at Starkist. Now if only I can convince one of my children to move to Samoa and start up a business there. But I guess they have their own lives now.�?

A younger sister of Tufuga is currently, the Assistant CEO corporate services at Ministry of Women and Social Development, Ms Faauiga Mulitalo.

“My brother is a good man,�? she said.

“He was the first to leave Samoa and has been a pillar for our family over the years. Despite the many layoffs Starkist undertook over the years, they kept him on. In fact, he was always promoted. He must be doing a very good job there.�?

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