Administered by Carmen Iglesias Lizama, the estate of Cresencio P. Manglona turned down the offer of DPL Secretary John Del Rosario for a land exchange involving the 30,000-square meter land now used by Northern Marianas College on Rota.
In May last year, the estate sued DPL, NMC and the CNMI government and asked the Superior Court to declare that it is the rightful holder of title to all affected property.
In a separate interview, Del Rosario said their offer was based on the appraisal of the property in question.
If it is rejected, the claimant must appeal with DPL’s hearing officer.
Whatever the recommendation of the hearing officer, the DPL secretary will make the final determination.
Del Rosario said since the matter has already been brought to court, he cannot discuss it further.
It’s now up to the court, he added.
The latest status conference regarding the case was held earlier this month. The next conference was scheduled for October.
In a letter to Manglona estate counsel,Timothy T. Bellas last December, the DPL secretary said they had identified public lands “as options to settle your client’s claim.”
Attached to the letter were three maps of public lands being offered for land exchange.
The offer, however, did not satisfy the heirs who preferred monetary compensation based on the fair market value in 1991 when the land was taken from them.
