Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David Apatang listen to a question from a reporter regarding the proposed changes to the commercial rules and regulations pertaining to Managaha.
GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang met with marine sports operators on Wednesday at the governor’s office to hear concerns regarding the proposed changes to the commercial rules and regulations pertaining to Managaha.
It was a closed-door meeting, but afterward, the governor and lt. governor fielded questions from reporters.
Palacios said there are a lot of issues that need to be clarified and resolved. “The issues stemmed from the proposed regulations the Department of Public Lands is trying to adopt, and they certainly have concerns,” Palacios said, referring to the marine sports operators.
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios with marine sports operators after a meeting at his office on Wednesday.
“Managaha is one of the most important attractions in the CNMI [and] the tourism industry. The lt. governor and I want to make sure that Managaha continues to be an attraction. It’s a marine sanctuary and a very attractive destination. We want to make sure that we protect it as such. We also want to make sure that we protect it for our culture, our traditions, and make it worth it for everybody, for the concessionaire, the marine sports operators, for our tourists, and the public as well,” the governor said.
Palacios added that the meeting was informal, but the marine sports operators had their talking points.
“We want them to succeed too, like the whole tourism industry. These are small entrepreneurs, and we encourage that — marine sports, and Managaha transfers are part of the tourism package. We can’t just have one company or two companies dominating the whole thing,” he said.
According to Apatang, the marine sports operators are trying to make a living and are paying their taxes on time.
“We are going to see what we can do so that they continue to provide services for our tourists. We are going to look at Managaha, too. The marine sports operators brought up some issues [that] we need to take care of…We also need to speak to the Department of Lands and Natural Resources secretary regarding landing fees to see if we can get everyone to pay uniform fees, not $1 on one side and $3 on the other side,” Apatang said.
Palacios said he will talk to DPL Secretary Teresita Santos and her staff today, Thursday.
“We [want] to make sure that it works for everybody — it could not just work for one party…. We can’t restrict the public [from going to] Managaha,” Palacios added.
He noted that under the CNMI Constitution, Managaha is reserved for recreational and cultural purposes.
On July 15, DPL announced its intention to amend the commercial rules and regulations for Managaha. DPL wants to prevent the consumption of outside food and beverages in its main concessionaire’s exclusive concession area; restrict certain personal floatation devices in the designated swimming zone; and “further define” the type of commercial activity that may only be conducted by the main concessionaire and authorized sub-concessionaires.
The main concessionaire for Managaha is Marianas Global Inc. According to Variety news files, the annual rent was set at $800,000.
The public has until Aug. 14 to submit written comments regarding the proposed changes to the rules and regulations.
Written comments can be sent to Teresita Santos, DPL Secretary, P.O. Box 500380, Saipan, MP, 96950 or dpl@dpl.gov.mp/. Use the subject line “Proposed Amendments to the Commercial Use of Managaha Island Rules and Regulations.”
