Some individuals whose names appeared on the petition in favor of the monument are denying they signed it, while some members of the Manamko’ Advisory Council are disowning the anti-monument resolution it adopted.
Jonathan Cabrera and his friend Raymond Sablan said their names were on the petition that the monument proponents published in a newspaper advertisement.
In an interview, Cabrera, a 21-year-old graduate of the Universal Technical Institute in Arizona, said when one of the proponents approached him to sign a petition, he checked the box in the form to indicate that he disagreed with the proposal.
Cabrera said he did not know that his name would still be included on the list of monument supporters.
“I checked the box that says I disagree,” he said. “Why would they have to include my name on their petition?”
Cabrera said he is opposed to the marine monument proposal because he does not want the federal government “to just come over and tell us what to do.”
He said his friend Raymond had the same experience but just chose not to be interviewed.
In a separate interview, John Gourley said he spoke with four guest workers who were also complaining about their names being listed in the marine monument advertisement.
The guest workers said they didn’t remember signing any petition.
For her part, Teresita Sorroza, the secretary of the manamko’ council, said it is not true that all of them are against the proposal.
Most of them support it, she said in an e-mail yesterday.
According to Sorroza, it was the governor’s office that drafted the resolution.
A copy of the resolution indicated that of the eight council members, only chairman Francisco Reyes, vice chairwoman, Carmen O. Taitano, treasurer Ana T. Nakatsukasa and member Siyau Muna signed it.
Sorroza and three other members, Mary Allan Conrad, Mila Garin and Christy Michael, did not.
Sorroza said if four of the eight members did not sign, “common sense will tell you that it is not a majority.”
She said the people who oppose the marine monument already had the resolution prepared when they approached the senior citizens.
Some of their members, she added, felt harassed and were even threatened.
“I swear to God this is the truth,” she said adding that some told them if they would not sign, it was because they’re not local.
She believes there are more senior citizens who signed the petition in favor of the proposal than those who signed the resolution against it.
“They came and lied and disrespected us,” Sorroza said. “They tried to brainwash us but I am a retired teacher and I am not stupid.”
