‘Enforce regulations’

Some incidents that have been happening at the Grotto are bringing fear among locals and tourists in the CNMI alike. The Grotto is a top tourist destination; however, the recent increase in accidents is causing Grotto to lose its attraction among tourists. A few years ago, lawmakers passed laws to protect the place and to prevent tourists from getting injured. People are still getting hurt so I urge stricter regulations that would prevent future incidents from happening.

As many will remember, the Grotto previously did not have any entrance fee, lifeguards, or safety materials that would prevent people from getting injured. Nevertheless, a problem has arisen at the Grotto. It has become overcrowded, with an increase in the number of tourists getting injured and dying from either drowning or violating the safety rules. This is because some tourists and locals are not familiar with the area or are not following proper safety procedures. This cause led many tourists and locals to die either by drowning or getting hit by the rocks due to strong waves that struck them. Due to this issue, the CNMI has proposed a $5 entrance fee and going in to Grotto with professional guides. The $5 entrance fee was to prevent the overcrowding at the Grotto and also to rebuild the restroom.

Evidently, the law didn’t work out for people and wasn’t strongly enforced. Still, there aren’t any lifeguards to save people in danger or even strong safety rules that people would follow. Earlier this month, on May 8, 2018, another victim was found at the Grotto. A 61-year-old woman drowned. This tells me that law enforcement isn’t strong and lawmakers are only proposing rules, but not enforcing the plan to become an official law that citizens of Saipan and visitors must follow.

As a citizen of Saipan, I do not want to see more tourists and locals die. This issue can lower the tourism rate on Saipan, which would threaten the economy. Thus, I highly recommend lawmakers to enact stronger laws that would decrease the death rate at the Grotto. It would give people peace of mind if there are lifeguards to prevent people from doing any dangerous behaviors and also putting out safety lines such as how Managaha has lines that tourists cannot pass over. It would be nice if you would consider some of these ideas when you propose a law. This is to make the Grotto into a safe place.

HeeJoo Lee 
Koblerville, Saipan