BY a vote of 16 to 3, the House of Representatives on Tuesday sent a bill pertaining to Rota and Tinian village and agricultural homesteads back to committee for review.
The House of Representatives holds a session on Tuesday in the House chamber on Capital Hill.
Photo by K-Andrea Evarose S. Limol
Senate Bill 21-63, authored by Sen. Francisco Cruz of Tinian, proposes to prohibit the Department of Public Lands from revoking a village or agricultural permit after it is approved and issued because the applicant met all requirements, including that the applicant has no interest in land at the time the permit was approved.
House Minority Leader Tina Sablan noted that there is nothing on the record that shows that comments were received from DPL, the Office of the Attorney General, or anyone who may have an interest in reviewing the bill.
She noted that DPL is mandated under the Constitution to implement the homestead program, which aims to make land available to persons of Northern Marianas descent who do not have land.
“We know, especially on Saipan, that public lands are a precious and finite resource… Not all public lands are suitable for homesteads,” she said.
“There is simply not enough land to accommodate everyone on the waiting list hoping for a lot, so DPL has a duty to carry out this program and to enforce the rules and regulations of the homestead program.”
There are conditions, she said, for securing a permit, maintaining compliance with the permit, and ultimately securing a deed.
She said homestead permits are supposed to be awarded to applicants who meet all of the eligibility requirements, including not having an interest in land, through inheritance or otherwise.
She said DPL needs to have the flexibility to review all of the facts.
“There should always be due process and there is due process for revoking any permit, but this bill would take away an important mechanism in that process…. One of the problems that we see is that we just do not have enough information about the intentions of this bill, or the impact it could have, in order to make a sound decision on a subject that is of great importance to all of us.”
She moved to send the bill back to committee so that it would be reviewed properly. She said comments should be solicited from stakeholders, especially those who may want to have a closer look at the homestead program.
Rep. Sheila Babauta agreed with Sablan.
“Not only have we not heard from DPL, the actual agency that we are taking the authority away from, [but] we haven’t heard from constituents and really, anyone else,” she said.
“Like [what the House minority leader] said, the homestead program is important to us all. I think it’s not a perfect program. I think that’s something that many of us can agree on, but it definitely deserves further attention and discussion.”
She added, “I would like to hear from the Department of Public Lands on how this will impact their operations, their funding, and what kind of issues they have run into before.”
Rep. Joseph Leepan T. Guerrero, for his part, said it has been six months since the bill was drafted. A lot has happened since then, he added.
“So what is the urgency that this piece of legislation should be passed right now without a committee report? I will not support this piece of legislation until I hear from DPL,” he said.
Rep. Richard Lizama encouraged his colleagues to “do the right thing.”
He, too, said that it would be best to receive public comments on the bill first.
The three members who voted no to sending the bill back to committee were Vice Speaker Lorenzo Deleon Guerrero, Rep. Marco Peter, and Rep. Ralph Yumul. Rep. Antonio Borja of Tinian was absent.
