Fact 1: The balance of the original lease was terminated by the Legislature on the same day it approved the new lease. It wasn’t the Department of Public Lands that did this given the constitutional mandate that leaves this authority solely to the legislative branch involving public land beyond five hectares.
Fact 2: The qualifying certificate is PUBLIC LAW designed to encourage investments at a time when the likes of JAL left taking with it about $700 million out of the economy and the apparel industry that is basically history.
Fact 3: It is a given that defendants (though they have lost in the original lawsuit) can appeal their case. No qualms, it’s their rights.
Fact 4: You have no standing to be waving a paper tiger given the fact that you are not, by any stretch of the imagination, indigenous to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Fact 5: You’re mixing apples and oranges between the appraised value of the entire property and what the DPL can levy that is strictly limited to public land. Reason? The facilities belong to Kumho, not the DPL, an issue that is easily misconstrued by any layman.
Fact 6. Your so-called “injustice” and assertion of giving public land away is far from the truth. The public land at issue is under lease. The “injustice” is shortsighted given that the announcement on this lease was widely published by a local newspaper. It was the appropriate time to submit comments if you felt strongly against it. You didn’t and please don’t blame others for your failure.
Fact 6: Ilegña i man-amkota: “Maulegña mamaisen ke linaisen!” Gi pago na biahe un` laisen maisa hao sa` un` atrebi hao gi ti fafayimu.
JOHN S. DEL ROSARIO JR.
Secretary
Department of Public Lands
