(PAMC) — On Monday, Dec. 5, 2022 the Pacific Alliance of Municipal Councils convened for its 18th meeting on Saipan, at the Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council Office, to discuss and adopt, among other items on its agenda, PAMC Resolution No. 005-2022 to protest against and condemn the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant and the Japanese government 30-years plan to release approximately 1.1 million tons (43,965 gallons per month or 527,578 gallons per year for 30 years) of treated nuclear waste water into the Pacific Ocean. This plan is likely to begin by the summer of next year (2023).
The resolution passed is similar to the one introduced by PAMC and adopted by the Association of Mayors of the Mariana Islands on Nov. 18, 2022.
Both resolutions will be forwarded to the U.S. congressional delegates from Guam and CNMI, all members of Guam and CNMI leadership, Japanese Embassy in the United States, Japanese Consuls on Guam and CNMI and the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The CNMI municipal council member-elects were invited to join the meeting for orientation, but due to technical difficulties, the Rota and Tinian council member-elects were not able to join the meeting and two of those from Saipan had prior commitments.
“Hopefully, they will be able to join us in our 19th meeting scheduled for Dec. 15th, because we still have pending matters to address before the new members of the municipal councils are sworn into office in January next year,” PAMC President Jim Atalig stated.
The discussion on the outreach schedules on the popular initiative to empower the municipalities was tabled and added to the Dec. 15th meeting agenda where all council members elect will, again, be invited. “We hope that the new members will agree to continue forth in pursuing this issue and make it a reality,” said Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council Chairperson Ana Demapan-Castro. “We wanted to impress upon the new members the importance of having authority over our immediate and unique jurisdictions and implore them to continue fighting for it,” she added.
Members of PAMC are PAMC President Jim Atalig, PAMC Secretary/Treasurer Jonovan Lizama and William Taitano of the Rota Municipal Council; Ana Demapan Castro, Antonia Tudela and Daniel Aquino of the Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council; PAMC Vice President Juanita M. Mendiola, Joseph E. Santos and Thomas P. Mendiola of the Tinian & Aguiguan Municipal Council.
PAMC members, standing, from left: Jonovan Lizama, secretary/treasurer; Thomasa P. Mendiola; and Jim Atalig, president. Seated, from left: Ana Demapan-Castro; Antonia Tudela; and Juanita M. Mendiola, vice president. Members not in photo: Councilman Joseph E. Santos, Councilman William Taitano, and Councilman Danny Aquino.
From left, Ana Demapan-Castro, PAMC member; Rota council clerk Daniella Jae Rangamar; Jonovan Lizama, PAMC secretary/treasurer; Jim Atalig, PAMC president; Thomasa P. Mendiola, PAMC member; Antonia Tudela, PAMC member; and Juanita M. Mendiola, PAMC vice president. PAMC members not in attendance: Councilman Joseph E. Santos, Councilman William Taitano, and Councilman Danny Aquino.
