Decolonization Registry at the Island Fair

12:59 PM, Oct. 14, 2011 Written by

Pacific Daily News

Senator Vicente Cabrera Pangelinan and the Guam Election Commission will have certified

registrars at the Micronesian Island Fair this weekend to register eligible Chamorros to the

Decolonization Registry. This will be the second year that Pangelinan will provide this public

service for the registry.

This year, Ron Acfalle of TASA has offered us to use its site, the Guma Sakman Latte,
which is located on the beach side of Ypao Park. Registrars will be set up and ask that
if you register, that you bring a photo ID. The registrars will be available during most of the time

the fair is open.

For further information, contact the Pangelinan at 473-4236 or email at senbenp@guam.net

Commission on Decolonization Office Still Closed

Commission on Decolonization Office Still Closed



Guam - The commission on decolonization is still closed. Since Monday PNC news has made attempts to get in contact with staff at the commission.

Yesterday we paid a visit to the office which is actually located right next to the Ancestral Lands Commission and found that it was closed up behind these aluminum shutters. The door had a closed sign on the front and the lights in the office were off. We eventually made contact with a full-time staffer via cell phone. She informed us that she was at a Doctors appointment and would be in today however we again found the office was closed. We also discovered that the commisssion's director Jim Underwood had resigned since September of 2009 and has yet to be replaced. Speaker Wonpat even sent a letter to the governor's office requesting a new appointment however she has yet to receive a response. Commission member Jose Garrido also told PNC news in an interview that the commission hasn't even had a meeting due to a lack of a quorum since 2003. Meanwhile we made repeated checks to the office today found that it again remained closed.

Written by :
Clynt Ridgell

2010 plebiscite?

2010 plebiscite?

Retired decolonization director says voters ready for political status vote

Thursday, 24 December 2009 05:47 by Mar-Vic Cagurangan | Variety News Staff



SAYING that Guam has waited long enough to resolve the political status issue, former Decolonization Commission executive director James Underwood has recommended that the legislature amend the local statute to set the self-determination plebiscite in time for next year’s general election.

Underwood also said scheduling the plebiscite for next year would also entail the removal of the requirement for a “native inhabitants” registry that accounts for 70 percent of eligible voters.

Under the local statute, only those who fall in the category of “native inhabitants” as defined by law are qualified to vote in the self-determination process.

Extremely high

“Seventy percent is extremely high; it’s equivalent to 30,000. That’s an extreme burden on the people to have to wait; I don’t think that’s necessary. People should be allowed to vote in the plebiscite now,” Underwood told Variety.

“The legislature has this opportunity to amend the law to set the date for the plebiscite and delete the 70 percent threshold at the same time,” said Underwood, who retired from public service on Sept. 30. “I made the recommendation to the governor to direct the legislature to hold the plebiscite next year.”

Not too fast

Senator Ben Pangelinan, on the other hand, said it would not be fair to push the people of Guam into making a hasty decision just because the registry requisite has not been met soon enough.

“Just because we waited so long doesn’t justify that action. It would be a big disservice to the people of Guam,” the senator said.

“It is important that we get the widest participation as possible and that we have well-planned and well thought-out education program to allow the people to make an honest and informed decision,” Pangelinan said, stressing that the self-determination plebiscite requires a comprehensive preparatory work.

Federal grant

Pangelinan noted that Guam stands receive $2 million under Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo’s bill that provides technical assistance grants and other forms of help to facilitate the political status public education programs on Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the Bordallo’s H.R. 3940 on Dec. 8.

“Once we find out what kinds of resources we can count on, then we develop the process for the education campaign and set the plebiscite date when we’re ready,” Pangelinan said.

Eligible voters

Eligible voters are allowed to redesign Guam’s political relationship with the U.S. government by choosing one of the three identified options: free association, statehood and independence.

The Decolonization Commission is subdivided into three task forces assigned to conduct an education campaign that correspond to each option.

“I think the people are ready to make a decision and there’s ample time for the commission and that task forces to continue the education campaign between now and next year,” Underwood said.

The local law defines “native inhabitants of Guam” as those “who became U.S. citizens by virtue of the authority and enactment of the 1950 Organic Act of Guam and descendants of those persons.”

When asked about his opinion on the possibility of expanding the voting eligibility criteria, Underwood replied, “I’d like to see that but the law is clear on who can vote. That is a very delicate issue.”

Chamorro registry

To expedite the registration process, Pangelinan has introduced a bill that requires the inclusion of those whose names are listed in Chamorro Land Trust registry into the roster of “native inhabitants.”

“That will take us close to 50 percent of eligible voters,” Pangelinan said. The bill has been public heard and is awaiting committee action.

Pangelinan, who is one of the vocal advocates of self-determination for Guam is not eligible to vote. He is a native of Saipan.

“I have no personal agenda here. I am not even qualified to vote. I just want to see the people of Guam,” he said.

Inactive

Underwood acknowledged that the commission, which receives an annual appropriation of $100,000, has been dormant.

Governor Felix P. Camacho, who chairs the commission, has never convened the body since its creation.

“I cannot speak for the governor. I don’t know why he never called a meeting,” Underwood said.

Things We Must Remember

ben’s Pen: The things we remember today
Tuesday, 21 July 2009 03:14 by Sen. Ben Pangelinan
Marianas Variety


EACH year, for the past 65 years, this day rolls around and we remember.

At Sumay, we remember the place where our parents made their homes and buried their parents, brothers, sisters and family. We mark this with a mass at the Sumay cemetery; not for those buried there who died during the war, but those buried there before they took the land away and now need permission to return to honor and pay respect at that hallowed place.

At Fena, we remember the pain and the memories, and for some the unspeakable guilt they carry with them for surviving, while others did not, the brutality and atrocity of the enemy-- an enemy not of our own making.

At Manengon, we remember the suffering of the children left to the care of young new mothers with babies exposed to the risk of disease and sickness, because a fire could not be built to boil water from the river, the same river they used to wash clothes and bathe in.

We remember mothers, wives and children who watched husbands, brothers and fathers, walk away from the camp, obedient to the enemy’s order to come with them. And they never looked back. The wives, mothers and children watched never knowing; if the husbands, brothers and fathers did not obey, it would be they who would be beaten or killed.

At Tinta and Faha, we remember the deaths and the fact that our people knew their fate as they were forced into the caves. The explosion of the grenades and the sound of bayonets piercing flesh, looking for the kill left unfinished by the force of the explosion and the shrapnel as clear today as it was 65 years ago.

And we remember the brave men of the Malesso rebellion, those who knew that no amount of cooperation or compliance with the enemy’s orders would spare their innocent loved ones pain or death, who summoned the courage, and who rose up to overpower the enemy. Facing death, they fought and some lost their lives, and their sacrifice and gallantry saved the lives of countless loved ones.

And we remember, the over 45 strong young Chamorro men found at Chi gi’an, with their hands tied behind their backs and be-headed, after they carried the enemy’s provisions to Yigo for their last stand.

Each year, for the past 65 years, this day rolls around and we celebrate.

We celebrate liberation from the hands of a brutal enemy. We celebrate the return of the Americans, who say they gave us democracy and self-government. And they stayed, a kind and generous occupier, but an occupier nonetheless.

Last year, this day rolled around and amidst the remembrance and the celebration we chose to actively embrace a full democracy and freedom as a people. We chose to act to bring about decolonization, move forward our destiny, and fulfill our human right to self-determination.

It is a right that a liberator does not bestow to the liberated. It is a right that a just and moral authority recognizes belongs to those peoples denied such right.

It is a right that can, only by the action of those who have yet to exercise such right, bring about real freedoms and true liberation.

Abiba self-determination! Biba Liberation!

Military Buildup and Political Status

Guthertz wants to return to discussions of Guam's political status
by Jean Hudson, KUAM News
http://www.kuam.com
Sunday, May 27, 2007

Guam's quest to change its political status hasn't made headlines, and it may be because the island community is more focused on the relocation of thousands of Marines and their dependents years from now. One senator suggests its all the more reason to bring political status talks back on the table.

Senator Judi Guthertz (D) said, "Here we are, we're going to face the relocation of 8,000 Marines, probably 35,000 other people that will be coming here to support the Marine mission, which include federal employees and their dependents, H-2 workers (some of whom who may be able to bring their dependents if their engineers or technical folks), folks who will be coming from the other islands looking for jobs, and we haven't done anything on political status."

The freshman policymaker says a member of the Military/Civilian Task Force, the group that's in the know about the anticipated military buildup was disappointed to learn that the final draft provided to the Navy for consideration in the environmental impact statement did not mention Guam's future political status, self determination, and self-government. "Our indigenous people are going to be overrun by a completely new population and they're desire for an improved political status will just disappear. They'll never have a voice again," she continued. "They'll be out voted, as soon as these folks gain residency and are able to vote on Guam, They'll be out voted!"

Guthertz says with all the talk and planning centering the relocation, this is the opportune time for the territory to make a case for political status change. Last week Guthertz sent a letter to Governor Felix Camacho urging him to include a section on political status. Recalling the intent of the correspondence, she said, "I basically said this is the time. There will not be another opportunity to do this. This is the most opportune time to begin this discussion and you must include it in your report and you must be aggressive about it."