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MPLA tackles MPLT chair’s land claim
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Posted on Feb 14 2006
The Marianas Public Land Authority board is set to hold today on Tinian its aborted special meeting that was scheduled for Rota last Monday. The meeting will tackle, among others, the land claim issue of Marianas Public Lands Trust chair Juan S. Torres.
Based on its published agenda, the MPLA board will tackle “land exchange” involving Torres, who spoke openly in support of MPLA during a public hearing last week on a proposed measure abolishing the autonomous land authority. This, amid allegations of abuse of public funds and authority by MPLA officials.
Meantime, sources said that some MPLA board members had flown to Rota as early as Sunday for the 8am Monday meeting.
MPLA said in its public notice that the meeting had to be re-scheduled for a lack of quorum “because of a family medical emergency.”
“But they already knew there’s no quorum since the chair was going to Hawaii [because of a brother’s medical situation]. Yet they went ahead with the Rota meeting. Were they paid their per diem by going?” asked a source.
MPLA public information officer Ed Arriola said he could not answer this since he has not spoken with the board assistant yet.
MPLA pays a board member $300 for a day’s meeting.
Those who went to Rota were members Nick Nekai and Felix Sasamoto.
Board chair Ana Demapan-Castro was supposed to join via phone but her flight time reportedly made it impossible for her to do so.
Today, the MPLA board is set to hold the meeting at 11am at Tinian Dynasty Hotel.
The public notice listed the following agenda: land compensation matters, Tinian homestead, Tinian leaseback, and land claim issues with Torres and Saipan Short Conveyance.
