Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, in his capacity as acting governor, signed on Friday House Bill 17-76 which requires the Department of Public Lands to complete an environmental impact assessment before giving out available homestead lots.
Introduced by Rep. Teresita A. Santos, Ind.-Rota, the bill is now Public Law 17-26.
The intent of the bill, Santos said, is to make sure qualified homesteaders fulfill their dreams of owning and building a safe, decent dwelling.
The Village Homestead Act of 1979 allows residents to own a parcel of public lands by participating in a lottery conducted by DPL.
The homesteaders, however, were not issued homestead permits because the lotteries were conducted without a complete environmental impact assessment.
Qualified homesteaders could not use and improve their lots due to the lack of the required environmental impact assessment, Santos said.
“Homesteaders were given high hopes of receiving their homestead lots by having them participate in lottery only to later diminish their dreams,” she added.
This, she said, is “extremely disturbing.”
DPL Secretary Oscar M. Babauta, in a separate interview, said the bill was not necessary because an environmental impact assessment has always been a requirement for homestead lots.
“It is just like a repetition of what DPL has been doing now,” he added.
Babauta said the problem at the Finafa homestead project on Rota must have prompted Santos to introduce such legislation.
That issue, he said, has already been addressed.
“But with due respect to the Legislature, DPL still welcomes such action,” he added.
Aside from the Finafa homestead project which involves 150 lots for qualified Rota residents, DPL is also in the process of issuing over 300 homestead lots for the west San Jose subdivision on Tinian, he said.
The lottery was done years ago and the contract for architectural design has been awarded and this includes the environmental impact study, Babauta said.
