Democrat Speaker Therese Terlaje, the chairperson of the Legislative Committee on Health, Land, Justice and Culture, held an oversight hearing, on May 17, for possible sites for a new Guam hospital.
During that oversight hearing, Joseph Borja, the director of Department of Land Management, appeared before the 37th Guam Legislature, providing information about Ypao Point also known as Oca, Oka, Satpon, and Saupon, which is a prospective property for a medical complex.
In his testimony, he noted several issues with the mentioned site, which are: the property is now too small; it sits on geologic fault lines which means there is a high risk of the ground breaking in an earthquake; the property would require installation of new water and sewer infrastructure; and it is in such horrible environmental condition that it will take three years to improve the condition of the property before construction can even begin.”
Meanwhile, the CHamoru Land Trust Commission is looking to lease property to generate revenue for the land trust.
According to the Office of the Governor of Guam, CLTC Executive Director Alice Taijeron was opposed to removing the Ypao Point property from the CHamoru Land Trust homelands as the Board of Commissioners intend to issue an Request for Proposal or RFP for a lease for commercial development to generate revenue to put infrastructure into land trust properties.
Of all the sites considered for a medical complex, Adelup said in its press release, “the property is the only lot that the legislature can return to its original landowners.”
Moreover, Democrat Sen. Chris Barnett said that the Governor and Lt Governor’s release on building a new hospital in Tamuning is confusing and contradictory.
He said, “They claim ants, earthquakes and beetles prevent us from building a new hospital at Ypao point, but then they say they have been planning to use the property for a business venture. That’s news to us.”
Once again, Barnett said that this administration reveals its plans for properties that involve little to no public input. The land they want to lease to a business was given to the People of Guam for a new hospital.
“If Lou and Josh think that land is good enough to make money for a business, then it makes sense that it is also good enough to use meaningfully for our island and our people.”
The healthcare needs of our people must be prioritized in a transparent and truthful way. We learned that lesson from the Eagles Field debacle. The people of Guam deserve a state of the art hospital, not some pie in the sky medical complex that is neither practical nor prudent.
Barnett said, while the Leon Guerrero Tenorio administration continues to engage in a war of words waged via press release, the time has come for Adelup to come back down to reality and sit at the table with Senators for an open and honest dialogue free of pettiness and politics.
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