THE Department of Lands and Natural Resources is grateful for the Marianas Public Lands Authority’s decision to approve 5,000 square meters of land for its proposed fishermen and farmers public market, but reiterated its original request to acquire 10,000 sq. m. for the project.
The market would be located at the Garapan fishing base.
DLNR Secretary Tom Pangelinan said the L-shaped configuration of the land parcel that MPLA designated will not accommodate the market as designed.
In a June 17 letter to MPLA Commissioner Bertha C. Deleon Guerrero, Pangelinan said the agency also disregarded the request of the Legislature in House Resolution 13-15 on the parcel of land requested for the market.
“Instead, you cut their requested parcel of land by more than half and tacked-on a narrow strip of land that cannot be developed because of the proximity to the beach,” Pangelinan told Deleon Guerrero.
He said MPLA also put in place an eight-month timeline for DLNR to secure the funding and have all the architectural and engineering plans completed.
“Can you explain why MPLA has taken these actions…without consultation with DLNR and the authors of House Resolution 13-15?” Pangelinan said.
Deleon Guerrero said that although the MPLA board of directors designated only 5,000 sq. m. of land to the market, it had “conditioned” its approval for the remaining 5,000 sq. m. on the following:
• DLNR should provide MPLA proof of financing for its entire proposed project, including the marina and other public facilities, as well as providing the final building plans and permits, no later than eight months after the date of the June 13 letter.
• DLNR should commence the actual construction of the proposed public facilities no later than 12 months after the date of the same letter.
“Failure by DLNR to fulfill all of the above conditions may result in MPLA not designating the additional 5,000 sq. m. of public land in Garapan,” said Deleon Guerrero.
