‘Not giving homesteads to NI residents discriminatory, unlawful’

Despite the routine issuance of homestead lots to Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, no homesteads have so far been designated for the Northern Islands—a practice that Northern Islands Mayor Jerome K. Aldan described as discriminatory and “downright unlawful.”

“The local government could not lawfully continue to withhold issuance of beneficially vested rights to homesteads in the Third Senatorial District of the Northern Islands, unlike its routine practice of issuing homestead lots in the first senatorial district of Rota, second senatorial district of Tinian, and third senatorial district of Saipan, but not the Northern Islands,” Aldan said.

“This discriminatory practice is downright unlawful,” he added.

The Department of Public Lands has yet to issue homesteads for Pagan despite numerous laws requiring DPL to implement it.

Aldan went over a list of early homestead laws since 1979, which include Public Laws 1-42, P.L. 2-13, P.L. 8-9, P.L. 11-96, P.L. 14-66, P.L. 16-50, and P.L. 17-26.

“Just recently, the 18th House of Legislature passed HB 18-109 in 2013 to compel DPL to issue homesteads to residents of the Northern Islands, removing any and all administrative roadblocks to issuance of homesteads to residents of the Northern Islands,” he said.

“In 2013 Public Law 18-16 amended Public Law 12-20 [free trade zones] that included the Northern Islands in the FTZ. More than two years ago, DPL performed land surveys on the island of Pagan, which it identified as Lot No. 001 S 03,” he added.

The lot is located in Regusa, Pagan, containing an area of 731,464 square meters of land suitable for village and agricultural homesteads. Another 35 parcels of homestead lots were surveyed at the direction of the public land office back in 1980 by a private survey firm, which is the site of the present homestead in Shulmuson village in Pagan.

A little over 700 homestead parcels could be issued in Regusa compared to the 35 parcels in the present village of Shumulson. Altogether, nearly 800 homestead parcels could be issued on Pagan to its residents this year.

“While the governor [Eloy S. Inos] has indicated his opposition to live-fire training activities, the 18th House [of Representatives] has actually introduced and passed a House Joint Resolution requesting Gov. Eloy S. Inos to oppose the militarization of Pagan,” Aldan said.

Last year, Joint Resolution 18-14 requested Inos to “oppose any and all proposed military use of Pagan and oppose any increased military activities in the Northern Islands.” The resolution added that a “wholesale militarization planned for Pagan will permanently foil any meaningful chance for resettlement and result in collateral damage.”

Aldan said that people do not need to live on Pagan or the Northern Islands in order to have their ownership recognized. The people of Pagan or other Northern Islands and their descendants “could and should be recognized” as the beneficiaries of land, he said.

“On land ownership, put simply, the Department of Defense will not want to compel the acquisition of Pagan through eminent domain. It is politically risky and takes enormous time to push the matter through U.S. Congress. Even a single landowner who refuses to lease his/her interest, DOD will have to go through several procedural steps to take the land,” he said.