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Another ‘cease and desist’ order for meat company at the public market
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Posted on Nov 13 2015
The Department of Lands and Natural Resources has issued another “cease and desist” order to the operator of the meat section at the public market building in Garapan.
“I issued another cease and desist,” DLNR Secretary Richard Seman told Saipan Tribune last Tuesday.
He said the letter, signed Tuesday and addressed to the owner of the Marianas Meat Harvesting, was given at the advice of the Office of the Attorney General.
DLNR first issued a cease-and-desist for the meat section in an Oct. 27 letter to the CNMI Farmers Cooperative Association. In that letter, DLNR said it has not authorized their use and operations at the market.
Seman said an OAG lawyer witnessed Marianas Meat operating at the public market, prompting the initial issuance of the cease and desist.
The company, which sells fresh meat, has been operating in the market building for almost a year now.
Then co-op president and manager Maria Frica Pangelinan earlier said the meat company approached her about setting up shop next to the market “and I really needed the cash. We are actually supposed to complement each other. It’s not even a formal agreement. It’s just that we agreed to do this, we agreed to share this. They helped with the expenses. It kind of assisted us in our cash flow.”
Until yesterday, Marianas Meat was still operating at the building.
“The only next thing to do is to file [a case] in court and let the court decide because we cannot force them out,” Seman said.
Seman again pointed out that the Marianas Meat may be able to continue their operations at the market once an agreement is set in place between DLNR and the co-op, which are the ones that should be operating in the building.
“First things first, we need the co-op to agree with the condition that we drafted up. Then we can negotiate with other lease consistent to our condition,” Seman said.
“If they sign the agreement with DLNR, then they can start a discussion with the third party,” he added.
Marianas Meat declined to comment on the issue.
