‘Lee Pan’ calls for stricter laws vs vandalism

Rep. Joseph “Lee Pan” Guerrero (R-Saipan) will introduce a bill that he hopes will finally address the perennial problem of vandalism of tourist sites on Saipan following the desecration of the Katori Jingu Shrine at Sugar King Park last Oct. 22.

The Katori Jingu Shrine was desecrated by unknown suspect or suspects, which fortunately was found just days before the important Katori Jingu Shrine Ceremony.

Guerrero said he is already looking at introducing a bill to address that problem, and one of the proposed solutions is holding parents accountable for their children’s misdeeds.

“We need to stiffen the law itself. We’ve got to hold accountable the perpetrators that are doing this. If it’s the kids, I think that we should punish the parents, because the parents are responsible for their actions,” he said. “I don’t see any reason to continue to allow this to happen. We see this vandalism happening all around the island. We need to be diligent in addressing these concerns because we can’t continue to let this thing happen in the CNMI.”

Saipan Mayor’s Office special assistant Henry Hofschneider agrees with the call to hold parents of minors accountable in the event that they are found guilty of vandalism.

“Parents are responsible for their minor children. If they do anything that harms the public property, personal property, or private property, then the parents should answer for that. There are a lot of things that we can do to let children understand that vandalism does not help us. It’s costing us a lot of money,” he said.

Hofschneider said that vandalism also affects how others see the CNMI.

“It makes us look like we are not educated, not well behaved, or raised in a good family, and that is not who we are,” he said.

Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Chris Concepcion agrees that there should be stricter laws, but prefers to steer clear when it comes to who should be held accountable.

“[The MVA is] in support of stricter laws and penalties or punishment for vandalism and other crimes directed at tourists or tourist sites. Whether or not the minors or the parents themselves are to be held accountable, I will leave that to the Executive Branch to decide what path forward to take when it comes to law making,” he said.

Concepcion reiterated the importance of these tourist attractions to the economy of the CNMI.

“On our side, a message needs to be sent out to the community that tourist sites need to be protected and that vandalism of tourist sites cannot be tolerated because tourism is the lifeblood of the economy,” he added.