DPL decision to stop Tuesday Market ‘misinterpreted’

The decision of the Department of Public Lands to deny a request from the Department of Lands and Natural Resources to resume the Tuesday Night Market in Garapan was “misinterpreted.”

DPL Secretary Pedro A. Tenorio, in an interview, said the decision was made “not because we want to deny farmers their right to earn, but because the permit expired, and that they never renewed it.”

According to Tenorio, “all they [farmers] have to do is renew it.”

Tenorio added that there are two groups debating whether the Tuesday Market will compete with Thursday Market. One group wants to stop the Tuesday event, because they want to promote the growth of the Garapan Public Market.

“It is not for me to decide who is right or who is wrong. It is a policy decision, and that they’re going to have to get together. If their decision is to continue the Tuesday Market, we’re going to issue the permit, but if there is a continuing fight, I don’t want to be in it,” Tenorio said.

He added that it is the responsibility of the groups to renew their permits and not the DPL’s.

Tenorio also said Rep. Joseph “Lee Pan” Guerrero (R-Saipan) “was wrong and misinterpreted the letter.”

Guerrero earlier denounced the decision of the DPL to stop the Tuesday Market as it might negatively affect tourism. Guerrero also said the DPL chief “might be anti-tourism.”

“[That is] so irrelevant. I don’t know what the Tuesday Market has do to with tourism He’s confused about the facts,” Tenorio said, adding that the reason for the decision was clearly written in the letter.

On May 5, DPL issued a letter to the DLNR. It said DLNR “requested to resume the Tuesday Night Market at the Garapan Fishing Base compound and to waive any permit fee.”

In its response, DPL said the temporary authorization issued to DLNR on Sept. 19, 2011, expired on Sept. 20, 2013.

The TA was not renewed, the DPL said.

“The DPL assigned a portion of the Garapan Fishing Base public land to DLNR to operate a public market. Representatives from the Garapan Public Market have eventually registered their concerns regarding the resumption of the Tuesday Market activities even at night,” the letter reads.

“Therefore, for this and other reasons stated above, we regret to inform you of DPL’s decision denying the DLNR’s request to continue the Tuesday Market at Garapan.”

According to Tenorio, the decision was clearly stated in the letter.