RAYMOND Quitugua is asking other local residents to join him in a protest action at the Indigenous Affairs Office on Friday, Feb. 17 at 9 a.m.
“I will be exercising my indigenous right and protected civil right,” he told Variety. “I am also protesting the termination or the graceful exit of the [IAO] employees.”
Quitugua said he personally went to the Office of the Governor and the Legislature “to beg them” to reopen the office which has been closed since Jan. 6, 2023.
He said he was advised that although the IAO building has been closed, it is still an active office under the governor’s office.
“This is a clear violation of our rights and what is written in the Covenant,” he said, referring to the closure of the IAO building.
He said while the IAO “has been locked up, the Carolinian Affairs Office is open and fully functional and has a staff working every day.”
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what’s happening,” he added.
Through Facebook, Quitugua is asking members of the indigenous community to participate in the protest action.
A local resident who declined to be identified shares Quitugua’s sentiments. “If the IAO is really open and is operating, then why did they lock the office? Who is in charge of the whole place when they have terminated the person overseeing all the programs?” the local resident asked.
Chamorro culture advocate Liana S. Hofschneider said, “We must rise up and defend our sacred heritage for us and our children — enough is enough!”
Quitugua said closing the IAO building while keeping the Carolinian Affairs Office open is “discrimination.”
“The indigenous people are not just the Carolinians — the Chamorros are also indigenous people,” he added.
The Indigenous Affairs Office, seen in this photo taken on Feb. 6, 2023, has been closed since Jan. 6, 2023.
