Hafa Adai!
Here on Guahan, the US military is proposing to take Pagat (whether through monetary settlements or eminent domain), which is one of the oldest villages on the island, containing latte stones, lusong, and pottery that are thousands of years old. Despite local opposition from the landowners of the area, leaders (including the Legislature, Gov. Camacho, and Congresswoman Bordallo), and many other residents of the island, the Department of Defense (DoD) stated that the Pagat village site is an essential area, the "preferred alternative," for its live-firing ranges.
Just yesterday (Tuesday, July 13, 2010, Guahan time) the Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO)presented its reasons for why Pagat was a necessity for the US military via conference call and video conference from Washington, DC (residents of Guahan and elsewhere were encouraged to participate in the conference calls and video conference; it has been concluded that the many people were and are offended by the phone conference process and the basic fact that plans regarding the military buildup--and by consequence, the people of Guahan--were being discussed on the other side of the US). Transparency and accountability seemed to not be of the utmost importance to the DoD officials.
At any rate, other lands near Pagat are also at risk of being taken and used by the military. These lands include the Marbo Cave area, the Guam Raceway Track, and other areas along Route 15. The marines would conduct trainings 39 weeks out of the year and would allow limited access to the Pagat area to residents of the island. According to DoD, it would construct better roads and paths and would provide restrooms and trash canisters; so, in their eyes, even though residents might have to wait until shooting/training was completed later in the afternoon to visit Pagat, at least it would look nicer and have better accommodations.
Since the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) came out in November 2009, people have been expressing their dissatisfaction with DoD's proposed use of the Pagat area for a live-firing range. The cultural, environmental, and health degradation (not to mention noise pollution) would be devastating to the people of the area as well as the overall island community. During the DEIS hearings and comment period, residents voiced their concerns and anger over even just the mere thought of losing Pagat to such a devastating and irreparable fate.
With the release of the Final EIS (FEIS) fast approaching--it comes out next Friday, July 23, 2010, just two days after "Liberation Day," which should actually be dubbed as Re-Occupation Day (Anghet Santos)--we must all come together as a community to fight against the plans that DoD is attempting to achieve. We have to protect Pagat and all the lands surrounding the village. We have to protect the lands for our Chamoru people, culture, and history. We have to protect our lands for our future generations.
If you would like to take action against the DoD decision to condemn Pagat, We Are Guahan is hosting a meeting next week Monday, July 19, 6-8pm, at the Legislature Public Hearing Room. Please come to this meeting. Bring other people, ideas, respect, and hope.
As DoD believes that Pagat is essential to its trainings, we must remember that the village is essential to our survival.
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