Senate vows to continue DPL probe

A Senate committee has vowed to look deeper into the distribution of homestead lots following allegations that the Department of Public Lands has unfairly issued quitclaim deeds to favored applicants.

The Senate Committee on Resources, Economic Development and Programs will conduct a public hearing on public land issues on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 10am in the Senate Chamber. DPL Secretary John S. DelRosario was invited to answer questions from the committee.

Sen. Jude U. Hofschneider, chairman of the committee, during a Senate session on Friday said the hearing will be held to gather information on all homestead-related issues, and not only on allegations that DelRosario’s brother-in-law, Raynaldo Cing, gained a large piece of homestead land through nepotism.

“While the committee takes no position on this issue at this time, it is disturbing that there may be other homestead applicants similarly situated that have not yet been awarded deeds,” Hofschneider said in a letter to Del Rosario.

The letter also urged DelRosario to provide a requested listing of all qualified homestead applicants and an accounting of all public land that has been deeded out as agricultural short conveyance over the last five years.

Hofschneider told DelRosario that the information “should make clear the status of all applicants and I am certain that you too would like this matter resolved so that there may be no appearance of impropriety at DPL.”

DelRosario last week blasted Taotao Tano for what he called the “moronically baseless” allegations of impropriety when it came to the homestead allotment granted to Cing. The allegations have prompted Cing’s brother, former senator David Cing, to suspend his campaign for congressional delegate.

The allotment of the homestead land, DelRosario said in a statement, was granted long before he took on the role as DPL’s secretary. He said a memorandum prepared by the former director of the Homestead Division shows that Raynaldo Cing had applied for an agricultural homestead in 1976 when the NMI was still under the old Trust Territory Government. The former Marianas Public Lands Authority approved Raynaldo Cing’s claim shortly before it was abolished in 2006.

In light of this approval, DelRosario said, “[m]y decision was basically ceremonial, honoring the former agency’s approved disposition.”