Moments worthy of an Emmy

Taking their cue from TV soap operas, the Marianas Public Lands Authority’s board of directors yesterday built up the suspense on the Pagan mining issue—and then ended the discussion with a cliffhanger, leaving the audience on tenterhooks as to what comes next on Tuesday.

The drama started as early as 10am, when members of the public started arriving at the MPLA office in Chalan Piao. The meeting was scheduled to start at 10:30am but for unknown reasons, the board did not begin until shortly before noon.

Then, various additions and changes were made to the published agenda, pushing the item on Azmar International’s proposal to conduct mining on Pagan to the bottom of the list.

The board took a lunch break at about 1:15pm and reconvened at 2:30pm. MPLA chair Ana Demapan-Castro again called for a five-minute recess at about 3:15pm. The meeting resumed at 3:40pm.

Shortly after 4pm, the board of directors finally got around to discussing Azmar’s proposal, with MPLA property management chief Franz Reksid reporting on the staff’s recommendations. However, before any determination could be made on how the members would swing on the issue, Demapan-Castro suspended the meeting—to be continued at 1:30pm, Tuesday.

“It’s unfortunate,” Azmar spokesperson Don Farrell said of the meeting’s suspension. “I was enthusiastic this morning even though it’s Friday the 13th, but maybe I should have paid more attention to that superstition.”

Farrell also expressed disappointment about the staff’s recommendations. He noted that Azmar president Ken Moore has written to the board repeatedly, asking the officials if they have any questions on the company’s permit application.

“We have not received even any acknowledgement to any of these messages, much less a response, much less any questions about our proposal. So this staff report is a complete surprise to us,” Farrell said.

J.G. Sablan, who currently holds the permit to mine on Pagan, said he hopes the board will decide in favor of his party, when the meeting resumes on Tuesday. He refused to elaborate.

For her part, Cinta Kaipat, one of the outspoken members of Pagan Watch—a community-based organization opposing Azmar’s application—said she was surprised with the way the meeting ended.

But unlike Farrell, she expressed full support for the MPLA staff’s recommendations. “I can’t be happier if the board approves the staff report next week. It’s going to be a victory for the people. It will ensure that the rights of the people are protected and everyone is given a fair process,” Kaipat said.