AT the time that the tourism industry was flourishing in the CNMI, we saw a lot of imported arts and crafts that were similar if not replicas of our local arts and crafts. Eventually, we saw our local arts and crafts drop out of our local tourist markets, and one of those arts and crafts that fell victim to this was the arts and crafts created from “Bayogo,” known in English as St. Thomas (large seed) and Sea Bean (small seed). During the 13th Rota Legislative Delegation, the members found it necessary to protect their raw “Bayogo” resources from exploitation and were quick to enact a local law banning the exportation of raw “Bayogo” from Rota.
However, following several economic declines, Rep. Julie A. Ogo from Rota has recognized that the ban has outlived its usefulness and the law has become an obstacle to home economic development or small businesses and farmers who have wild “bayogos” growing in abundance in their farm fields or nearby jungle.
“Rota has been hit hard the most in every economic downturn, because of its distance from the rest of the Northern Mariana Islands and prohibitive travel costs, and instead of waiting for tourist arrivals on Rota to buy arts and crafts, the people can export raw ‘Bayogos’ and earn a living subsistence or start creating arts and crafts for export to where the tourists are or take advantage of the technology and market their products online,” Representative Ogo said.
For these reasons, she has drafted a Rota local bill repealing P.L. 13-22 that bans “Bayogo” export so the Rota people can begin engaging in the “Bayogo” exporting business, and is currently working on a proposal to ban the importation of raw “Bayogo,” or any of its processed form, for 15 years until the local arts and crafts or hand or machine manufactured goods from “Bayogo” is comfortably nestled in the market. “I hope that this will work in tandem with the Investment Incentive Reform Act of 2023 (H.B 23-53) that I introduced and P.L. 20-86 establishing the CNMI Product Seal and begin to see a budding exporting industry come to fruition,” she said.
For anyone interested in contributing ideas, please reach out to Representative Ogo’s team at her office at kuentosmarianas@gmail.com/.
