U.S. asked to increase annual aid to $100-M

Retired Supreme Court Justice Ramon G. Villagomez yesterday asked Edward B. Cohen, President Clinton’s special representative to the 902 Consultations, to recommend an increase in the annual financial assistance to the Northern Marianas from $11 million to $100 million as well as the removal of the matching requirement.

Saying the United States has received a lot of benefits when the CNMI signed the Covenant, Mr. Villagomez said Mr. Cohen should recommend to the President to stop the bombing exercises on Farallon de Mendinilla, return all leased lands and rescind the U.S. power of eminent domain.

In his letter to Mr. Cohen, the former justice emphasized that the people of the CNMI gave up their sovereignty to the United States — complete control over a vast area of lands, sea and air which strengthens the U.S. strategic positioning in Asia and the Pacific.

Mr. Villagomez sent his letter to Mr. Cohen after he read the report to President Clinton detailing the 902 consultations. In the report, Mr. Cohen stressed the financial assistance now totaling more than $500 million which was twice extended by the federal government.

Aside from this, the Covenant provided access to federal grant programs which have provided about $500 million in aid for a total of $1 billion over 20 years.

However, Mr. Villagomez said that the people of the CNMI received the least amount of federal aid when compared to each of the 50 states and the four territories.

In addition, Mr. Cohen failed to inform the President that the Covenant is an agreement in which the U.S. must extend financial assistance in exchange for huge benefits it received from 12,000 indigenous people of the CNMI.

The people of the CNMI have sacrificed the preservation of rich coral reefs, wildlife and marine life when they gave the authority to drop live bombs in Mendinilla, he said.

A 100-year lease on the two-thirds of the island of Tinian, the main dock and harbor on Saipan and the island of Mendinilla, for an estimated 26 cents per square meter totaling $19 million.

Fifteen years later, the equivalent lands were going for about $100 per square meter, for a 55-year lease. Furthermore, the U.S. can take control of more land if the leasehold area is inadequate for national defense and security.

“The indigenous people agreed to such cheap lease in order to contribute to the maintenance of U.S. global military power. You forgot to tell the President that these leasehold interests are worth hundreds of millions more than what the U.S. has actually paid,” he said.