Gregorio S. Cruz Jr., Taotao Tano president, said they have been asking DPL Secretary John Del Rosario about the “indiscriminate issuance of homesteads” despite the moratorium enforced by the Fitial administration, but has received no reply from the department.
Early this week, Rep. Ramon A. Tebuteb, R-Saipan and the committee chairman, asked Marianas Public Land Trust Chairman Alvaro Santos to explain about the propriety of MPLT’s acquiring private land for its office building.
Cruz said Tebuteb should also include DPL in the lawmaker’s inquiry.
There’s a “serious issue” that is taking place involving DPL officials and employees, said Cruz, but he didn’t elaborate.
“Our research and investigation led to the sudden or forced resignations of DPL’s eight employees,” he added.
Despite the homestead moratorium, Cruz said DPL issued 61 active permits and 111 from Jan. 1, 2006 to Oct. 31, 2007.
He accused Del Rosario of converting public land into a homestead lot and awarding it to a “favored individual.”
“We are urging your office to demand an immediate oversight hearing on the matter for the accountability of public lands is in question, including the integrity of DPL which has been compromised by internal cover-ups,” Cruz said in a letter to Tebuteb.
According to Cruz, DPL converted public land in San Vicente with lot numbers 030- J 05 and 030 J03 and awarded them to “favored” individual. The lots have an area of 936 sq. m. and 937 sq. m.
Cruz said based on the map of DPL’s planning division, the area is indicated as public land and not for homestead.
He said this conversion should be investigated since it involved a ponding basin that was cut into three parcels and turned into homesteads.
