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Teno says landowners must be compensated
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Posted on Oct 29 1999
Saying the government must compensate landowners, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio threw his support behind efforts by the Legislature and his administration to seek funding to meet mounting obligations to individuals whose properties were acquired for public purpose.
“I will welcome any ways that we could generate revenues to pay those people. They deserve that,” he told reporters yesterday.
The governor was reacting on the plan by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Karl T. Reyes and finance officials to explore possibilities on how the government can reduce its huge debts owed to landowners.
Reyes estimated that between $70 to $80 million will be needed to pay these people for land acquisition dealings done as far back as early this decade, involving more than 200 properties now owned by the government.
According to Tenorio, the problem has been brought to his attention, and his administration has been trying to seek solution. “Unfortunately, the administration doesn’t have much money and we are working so hard in trying to see what we can do to find cash to compensate those people,” he said.
Reyes has proposed floating of special bonds from which funds can be raised specifically to pay the landowners. He is expected to meet with Mike Sablan, the governor’s special advisor on finance and budget, to map out a financing scheme.
“The government will have to look for it and we have to find a way to compensate them because the public is still using their properties,” said Tenorio.
While the government appropriated $2.5 million in 1997 to provide partial payment to some landowners, there was no funding budgeted in the last two years due to the financial difficulties confronting the CNMI.
