Quitugua introduced the bill, or the Northern Islands Agricultural Homesteading Act of 2008, upon the request of the Northern Islands Mayor’s Office.
The Department of Public Lands and Natural Resources however, is opposed to the idea, saying the former Northern Islands residents who have been staying on Saipan for many years may not want return to the islands without the needed infrastructure.
Quitugua, in an interview yesterday, said he thinks the people of the Northern Islands, especially those who resided there for a long time, deserve to be provided homestead programs just like local residents on Saipan, Rota and Tinian.
The Northern Islands people, he said, want to return and raise their family there, but they don’t have the legal means to own property.
“It is very difficult for any individual to stay in a place not his or hers,” said Quitugua, D-Saipan.
He said ideally, infrastructure should be in place.
But this requires funding which remains a problem considering the CNMI’s present economic situation, he added.
Still, he said, on Saipan, homesteads came in first prior to infrastructure development, “yet the people managed to live.”
He believes the Northern Island settlers can cope with the lack of basic facilities.
The government, however, also wants to preserve the natural environment of the Northern Island.
Henry Hofschneider, special assistant to the DLNR secretary, earlier said there are species that are almost extinct on Saipan but are still found on the Northern Islands.
These species, he said, need to be protected.
Wildlife will be affected adversely by a sudden population growth, he added.
