HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The iconic donne’, or hot pepper, stolen from Mangliao earlier this week has returned home, although the person or people who took the statue have not been identified.
Three days after the fiberglass donne’ was reported missing from the grounds of the village’s Thursday night market, Mayor Allan Ungacta said a social media post led to its discovery on Chalan Kareta in Yigo.
“I saw on Facebook the individual found it and then I guess put it on social media,” Ungacta told The Guam Daily Post.
The person who found the pepper and posted about it was Jenessa Paulino, who said she was on her way to work with her cousin when they encountered the stolen figure.
“We decided to take (the) back road from our house to head to work (and) not even five minutes from our house we noticed something from our dirt road,” Paulino wrote in a message to The Guam Daily Post. She explained her cousin thought it was an umbrella, however, as they got closer Paulino knew it was the donne’ from Mangilao.
“I was shocked and I didn’t even know it was missing,” said Paulino, who explained her father notified the police.
“I am happy that now it’s back where it belongs,” Paulino added.
After seeing the social media post and receiving phone calls made to Ungacta directly regarding the discovery, the mayor went to the reported location and brought the donne’ back to Mangilao.
Ungacta said the iconic figure was “scuffed up” and will need to undergo refurbishing before it can be placed back in the village site. As that’s being done, it will remain behind the mayor’s office. On Friday, the statue was being guarded by two individuals.
“There was no sufficient damage, all minor. God bless for that; we’re very fortunate,” Ungacta said before confirming he intends to secure the pepper to ensure it does not get stolen again.
“We’re thinking about putting a concrete pad and base on top of it,” the mayor said of the plans to further protect the 600- to 700-pound pepper.
He said he believes it took six or seven people to take it, and also a specialized truck or trailer to transport the heavy load.
Guam Police Department spokesperson Officer Berlyn Savella said, after the recovery, the police investigation was “suspended” pending further developments.
Ungacta, however, is not concerned about finding the perpetrators and is more grateful to have the pepper in its rightful home.
“For us, it’s back in its hometown and it’s in one piece and if (the police) do find them that’d be good. But at the same token, we have it back here in its proper place. Our iconic figure is back in the village,” Ungacta said.
Earlier this week, Ungacta explained the pepper has significance to the village as it attracts tourists visiting Mangilao to take pictures with it and is a staple of the Thursday night market and the annual Donne’ Festival held in the village every September.
A statue of a large chili pepper, which was stolen from the grounds of the Mangilao night market, was found on a Yigo road and brought back to the Mangilao mayor’s office, as seen Friday.
