In her letter, Hathcock stressed her disappointment as her vacation turned out to be a disaster.
Hathcock said her vacation on island was “depressing.”
She said she was obliged to feed the stray dogs while on island because the animals were surrounding the place where she was staying.
She said she “cried” because of her helpless situation and described the people on Saipan as “indifferent” for not taking responsibility for their pets.
She also complained about “stalkers” who insisted on offering her a boat ride for a fee.
These stalkers should be banned from the beach, she stated.
Hathcock vowed to spread the news of her bad experience on Saipan to her acquaintances in Japan.
‘Sorry’
MVA said it regrets that Hathcock’s vacation was spoiled by her experiences here, Tenorio said in his reply to the tourist.
MVA at the same time is calling on local authorities to help the agency address the issue.
The letter of Hathcock was forwarded to the governor’s office.
MVA said the mayor of Saipan is developing a shelter for stray animals.
Saipan lawmakers passed an anti-stray dog law in 1995, but never fully funded it.
MVA cannot solve the problem, Tenorio admitted in a recent interview.
He said he has yet to hear of similar complaints but added that his office is willing to receive feedback from tourists.
‘Taken for granted’
The mayor’s public information officer, Tony A. Benavente, said Mayor Juan B. Tudela on July 7 appealed to the executive and legislative branch officials for funding.
Benavente said the mayor received a “negative reaction.”
He did not elaborate.
He noted that the mayor was saddened by the lack of action on his request for funds.
Tudela is hoping to get a portion of the American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009, or federal stimulus, funds alloted for the CNMI.
There is, however, no single fund pot under ARRA for the development of a stray animal shelter, Secretary of Commerce Michael Ada said in his reply to the letter of Benavente.
Ada said ARRA is not an open invitation for any and all projects, but is specific to what types of projects can be funded.
ARRA has funding for infrastructure such as roads, water and power, alternative energy, education, health and information technology, he added.
The mayor should file an appropriate ARRA funding application, Ada said.
He added that he is willing to help the mayor if ever a funding pot for the project will be made available.
