Reps. Fredrick P. Deleon Gurrero, Ind.-Saipan, and Ramon S. Basa, Covenant-Saipan, who did not get anything from the developer infrastructure tax monies that Rep. Ralph S. Demapan, Covenant-Saipan, identified for Precinct 2 a few months ago, are now getting something for their own precinct.
With a vote of 17 to 1, House Bill 17-83, which appropriates $107,000 for the improvement of roads and the baseball field in Kagman, passed the House yesterday.
Of the 18 House members present, only House Minority Leader Diego T. Benavente, R-Saipan voted no, saying the money belonged to Precinct 1, which he represents.
The money, he added, was a portion of the $376,000 developer infrastructure tax collection that the 16th Legislature originally earmarked for improvement projects on Saipan but remained untouched because the projects turned out to be too costly.
In December last year, the House passed H.L.B. 17-11 appropriating $238,726 in developer infrastructure tax collections for Precinct 2 projects.
The discussions heated up when other House members insisted that the money should be divided equally among the different precincts.
Demapan insisted that his own precinct was in dire need of funds for road projects.
With the support of lawmakers from Precincts 1 and 3, Demapan’s Precinct 2 got the biggest chunk of the money, $143,235, while Precincts 1 and 3 got $47,745 each. Precincts 4 and Precinct 5 got nothing.
H.B. 17-83, which Deleon Guerrero authored, originally alloted the money for the improvement of Tangantangan Road in Papago. But he offered an amendment, striking out the provision because the project was too costly.
In an interview after yesterday’s session, Deleon Guerrero said the funds were needed by his constituents in Precinct 5.
Precinct 5, he added, needs to have a right-turn shoulder at the intersection of Kagman and Chacha Roads because it always turns into a bottleneck during rush hours.
The baseball field in Kagman also needs to be leveled because the ground is inclined, he said.
The intersection at Kagman and Lalangita Roads also needs a non-skid feature to protect the students of Kagman High School and Chacha Junior High School who cross the roads there, he added.
He said Benavente was wrong to say that the money belonged only to Precinct 1.
He said Precinct 5 already existed during the 16th Legislature so it deserved a chunk of the funds.
