I have been increasingly alarmed at how little I know about the management of public lands in the Commonwealth. Other citizens have raised similar concerns with me in email and conversation. Difficult questions have been asked, and few (myself included) have answers — questions like:

• - Whatever happened to the investigations of the former Marianas Public Lands Authority, and why has no one yet been charged with any crime — or, at the very least, why hasn’t the public been informed of any decision to not charge anyone with any crime?
• - How much public land has been given away as homesteads, and to whom? 
• - Who decides which individuals and families should get homesteads, and how are those decisions made?
• - How much public land has been leased to private firms and individuals in the CNMI, and to which firms?
• - Who decides which private firms and individuals should be allowed to lease public land, and how are those decisions made?
• - What is each private firm and individual leasing public land actually paying for the land, and who sets the price?
• - Are public hearings held for each proposed lease of public land — and if so, why don’t we ever hear about them?
• - What happens to the revenues the government collects from those leases?
• - How much public land is actually left in the CNMI?
• - Why is the CNMI in the business of leasing public land for private use in the first place?
• - Why don’t private firms negotiate leases (or sales) with private landowners, like they do in most communities?

Public lands in other places are generally reserved for public use — they are set aside for conservation areas, parks, public facilities, and so forth. Communities that do lease public lands generally do so for agricultural and aquacultural purposes. Interested firms must bid for the land, and there is often intense public scrutiny of the proposed leases, not to mention intense controversy.

Here in the Commonwealth, public land is managed with far less scrutiny, and with an apparently greater concern for accommodating private and political interests, rather than for protecting the public welfare.

This quote from the Department of Public Lands website, www.dpl.gov.mp says it all:

“The DPL partners with its lessees, which include worldwide brands such as the Hyatt, Shimizu Corporation, Mobil Oil, Shell Oil, and Pacific Telecom Inc., and others to maximize the mutual benefits that are derived from public land leasing. Such partnerships fuel a significant part of the local economy, so the NMI Government continuously endeavors to make its local regulations more business-friendly.”

“When it comes to public lands, size does not matter. No matter how big or small of an investment, the DPL works to customize its leases to fit the needs of its clients, which comprise of small businesses like batting cage facilities to multi-million dollar companies that cater to thousands of customers year round.”

http://www.dpl.gov.mp/new/Investor_Info/WhosLeasingPublicLands.php

Does this sound more like a clip from the website of a realty company, rather than a government agency? What exactly are those “mutual benefits” that were derived from these public land leases to private “partners?” How big or small are these investments, and who exactly benefited, and how? Who are the clients of the Department of Public Lands, if not the public?

DPL provides a list of its long-term clients on its website. Here they are:

American International Knitters Corp.
Automotion Inc.
Bank of Guam
Bird Island Development Inc.
Brilliant Star Montessori School
Broadcasting Board of Governors
C&H Saipan, Inc.
C&S Concrete & Block Prod.
Castro, Jesus M.
CMS Quarry
Commercial Trading of Saipan
Commonwealth Maritime
Coral Ocean Point
D&W Saipan, Incorporation
Dai Ichi Hotel
Far East Broadcasting Company, Inc.
Galaxy
Grace Christian Academy
Guerrero Brothers, Inc.
Haas & Haynie Corp.
Hawaiian Rock Prod.
Hitters Batting Cage
Hong Kong Entertainment Investment, Ltd.
Hyatt Regency Hotel
I-Connect Choice Phone, LLC
JRS Enterprises Corporation
K & M Development Corp.
Kan Pacific
Kautz Glass Co.
Kim Enterprises Inc.
L&T Group of Companies, Ltd.
M.S. Villagomez Enterprises
Marianas Baptist Church
Microl Corporation
Micronesian Development Company, Inc.
Micronesian Telecommunication Corporation
Mike’s Manufacturing, Inc.
Mobil Oil Micronesia
Niizeki International Saipan Company, Ltd.
Pacific Development Contractors
Pacific Islands Club
Palacios, Arnold
PKS Planning & Land Resources
Rainbow Construction Company
REM International, Corporation
Sablan Corporation
Saipan Cellular and Paging
Saipan Community Church
Saipan Fitness Club, Inc.
Saipan Grand Hotel
Saipan Ice, Inc.
Saipan Laulau Development, Incorporation
Saipan Sanitation Services
Saipan Travel Resort, Inc.
Saipan Unicorn Corp.
Saipan World Resort
Saipan-Palau Evangelical Church
Silk Road Corporation
SNM Corporation
Summer Holiday Hotel
Sun Inn Motel
Tano Group Corp.
The Repair Shop
Time-Saver Launderette
Torres, Juan S.
Triple J Saipan, Incorporation
United States of America
United States Postal Service
Unity Trade Services, Incorporation
V.C. Enterprises
Whispering Palms School

The vast majority of DPL’s long-term lessees are private firms — garment factories, hotels, golf courses, auto shops, auto dealers, construction companies, developers, many companies I haven’t even heard of. Public land is even leased to private individuals. What are the terms of agreement for each of these leases? How much public land has already been leased, and how much land is left? Were there public hearings for any of these leases? And is this really the best way to manage scarce public lands in the Commonwealth?

I would like to hear from you.

– Tina

P.S. I recently received this email from a concerned citizen:

“What is happening right now [with public lands] is very frightening and much more important than Article XII. [in the 1980s] Japanese investors were asking for public land for hotels and golf courses and letting it be known to our leaders that if they didn’t get what they wanted, they would invest in Hawaii. Our unsophisticated and corrupt politicians didn’t call their bluffs and gave them what they wanted while promising us that by doing this we would be rich from the golf courses and many, many locals would have high-paying jobs at the hotels. As you know, it didn’t happen. Didn’t happen with the garment industry and won’t happen with casinos either…”

This citizen went on to say that s/he saw the same problem of mismanagement of public lands happening today.

“Take a look at the Laulau Golf course. Recently, the new lessees are talking about building high end condos. No doubt, some will “sell” for millions. Others will be time-shares generating a huge income. What will we get? Our paltry lease payment. We lack the ability (or we are so corrupt) that we can’t even make a good deal for our own public land…”

“Even worse, is the fact that these leases are being completed without any public hearings or publicity at all. We hear about them after the fact… The local people should be up in arms about this, but they are not because they are too busy just trying to survive and if one works for the gov’t, job terrorism is alive and well and mouths stay shut… This is a big issue and no one is addressing it. Look at how riled up locals get about Article XII when most of the local land is already tied up for at least another 30-35 years…”

“If this generation doesn’t know how to handle public land for the public benefit, then let tangantangan grow on it and let the next generation decide. You are the next generation. The previous generations have not done well.”