Commerce chief issues caution on land-lease change

A legislative initiative requiring approval of the CNMI Legislature on any transfer of public lands for commercial use would add another bureaucratic layer to the current review process of the Division of Public Lands.

It might also mean that legislators have no confidence in the function of DPL which is the authority on the lease of public lands interest to property investors establishing their businesses on the island.

This was the comment of the newly designated Commerce Secretary Frankie B. Villanueva on House Legislative Initiative 11-4 which seeks to change a constitutional provision restricting Marianas Public Land Trust Corporation from transferring interest on lands that exceeds five hectares.

In the proposed amendment pending before the House of Representatives, MPLTC will be prohibited from leasing any public lands for commercial use without approval of the Legislature in a joint session.

The initiative is likely to draw controversy following opposition on a new law giving preference to individuals or corporations of Northern Marianas descent over foreign investors on a piece of land deemed historical to the indigenous people.

According to Villanueva, any legislative proposal on the use of scarce public lands will be “both sensitive and controversial” in light of the debate sparked by the law which came on the heels of intense bidding on Managaha Island operations.

While he agreed that the initiative will put foremost consideration on the interest of the CNMI people, Villanueva maintained requiring legislative approval on the lease of any public lands could prove detrimental to the intent of the existing law.

“(W)e should be careful not to create inefficiency in the system by making the review process lengthy and cumbersome,” the Commerce secretary said in a letter to Rep. Manuel A. Tenorio, chair of the House Natural Resources Committee.

“It would appear that requiring the Legislature’s input for any transfer of interest in public lands would add another ‘layer’ of bureaucracy to the existing review process,” Villanueva explained to the committee evaluating the proposal.

He also pointed out that since DPL is screening all the land leases, the amendment may “send an underlying message to the board… that their functions and responsibilities in this area do not have the vote of confidence of our elected leaders or the public.”

Villanueva recommended that the proposal should set clear-cut goal that it will not “impede the process but to help make it less of an obstacle.”

Proposed by House Vice Speaker Jesus T. Attao, the initiative will need two-thirds vote of each the House and the Senate before it heads to a special referendum.