Calvo Pushes Political Status Vote in Annual Address

Published on April 1, 2006 by Pacific Daily News

By Shawn Raymundo

Standing at the entrance of the nearly completed Guam Museum in Hagåtña on Thursday evening, Gov. Eddie Calvo delivered his annual State of the Island address.

The location of this year’s address symbolized the theme of Calvo’s speech. With the past behind him — a building that will soon be filled with artifacts from another time — Calvo spoke of the island’s future.

The Republican governor, now midway through his second term, made several announcements in his speech, including a strong, immediate push for a political status vote, the release of $40 million in tax refunds this month and a proposal to help the financially strapped Guam Memorial Hospital.

Toward the end of his more than 6,000-word speech, Calvo announced Guam’s native inhabitants might “finally” be able to vote in a plebiscite to determine the island’s political status.

The governor said on Friday morning, he will “submit a draft measure to petition for the referendum of the political status plebiscite.”

Calvo said he’s already organized a campaign to secure the required number of signatures to get the referendum on the November ballot.

“We will aggressively seek the required number of signatures, making this a grassroots decolonization effort,” he said.

If, by mid-July, depending on how an education campaign to inform the native inhabitants of their political status options is going, Calvo said he would file the petitions.

On the topic of tax refunds, Calvo announced that residents could look forward to roughly $40 million in tax refunds being released this month, covering 13,000 checks.

The state of the island is confident partly because the state of your government is strong,” Calvo said. “It is a government that manages its resources and finances responsibly, values its employees, and delivers services better as a result.”

The governor’s tax refund announcement was met with criticism from the Democratic Party of Guam, which issued several press releases to the media Thursday night, responding to Calvo’s speech. The party pointed out that the Calvo administration’s pace to pay out tax refunds has slowed substantially in the past couple of years.

Referring to the government’s bank account used to set aside income tax revenue for tax refunds, the party stated that the government hasn’t kept up with the mandatory amount of deposits that should have been collected by now.

“The truth is that the tax refunds are $26 million behind; he is fighting our taxpayers in the U.S. Supreme Court, and we owe millions of dollars to our people just as we did before he started,” the Democratic Party wrote.

Touching on the financial burdens facing the government-run hospital, Calvo noted the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority is “bleeding cash and needs a transfusion right away.”

Earlier this year, amid bickering between the Guam Legislature and the governor’s office, Adelup submitted a measure to lawmakers that would use $1.3 million in legislative lapsed budgetary funds to assist the hospital.

Legislative officials, however, said that money already had been adopted into the senator’s operating budgets.

During his address, Calvo said he’s now withdrawing the bill and urging the lawmakers to back a partnership between Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr. and Adelup in financing $120 million capital improvements. The endeavor, he explained, would yield $30 million.

“This is on top of revenue-generating programs we are implementing. We can secure a low interest rate if we do this now, and we identified the repayment source,” he said. “If we do this, along with Sen. Rodriguez’s bill that authorizes public-private partnerships, we will stabilize GMH for the foreseeable future.”

Rodriguez said he’s happy to work with the governor to find solutions that would address the hospital’s outstanding vendor payables, which are around $26 million.

“I’m glad that was part of his speech. And I’m going to work together to really develop a long term sustainably plan,” Rodriguez said. “He talked about financing for the immediate needs and I want to see the details on that and based on that we need to move forward, even if we look at the long term plan for the hospital we have these needs now.”

As for other plans, Calvo said, over the next few days he will introduce a bill to assess fees from major real estate transactions, which in turn will be used to infuse the Guam Housing Corporation so it can issue more mortgages to families who have been denied by the banks.

The governor also plans to improve the health and wellness of the island by pushing more resources toward programs and facilities that encourage fitness. Along those same lines, Calvo said he would work with Guam lawmakers to construct more athletic facilities and get more streets paved throughout the villages.

Editor's Note: Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr. did not issue a media release following Gov. Calvo's State of the Island address Thursday night. The quotes in the story came from an interview Rodriguez had with Pacific Daily News following the address. The senator was also misquoted as saying he was happy the governor mentioned him in the address. The senator actually said he was happy the governor spoke about the financial troubles of GMH. This article has been corrected and updated.

University of Guam Tuition Fee Increase Averted

TUESDAY, 20 SEPTEMBER 2011 00:47 BY THERESE HART | VARIETY NEWS STAFF

ANSWERING the pleas from University of Guam students who protested against a 5 percent tuition rate hike during a public hearing held at the Mangilao campus, lawmakers quickly passed emergency Bill 308 during the last day of session yesterday, waiving the requirement of a public hearing and appropriating $1.36 million from the Supplemental Appropriations Revenue Fund.

The bill’s sponsor, appropriations chairman Senator Ben Pangelinan, yesterday said the funds should avert a tuition fee increase. The Board of Regents will meet next Thursday, Sept. 29 to decide on the tuition increase proposal.

UOG officials said a tuition increase was necessary because although they requested $29 million for Fiscal Year 2012, Governor Eddie Baza Calvo only identified $26 million. UOG current funding level is $27 million. Some of the shortfall, said UOG officials, needed to be captured, hence the proposed 5 percent tuition increase. Calvo’s funding cut to the university would not have been able to operate at its current funding level next year. Although the $1.36 million would stave off a tuition increase, UOG would still need to cut $1.9 million and is working toward financial belt-tightening measures.

The bill also identifies $1.5 million to pay for tax year 2010 A-status returns. A-status returns are income tax returns certified by the Department of Revenue and Taxation as ready for payment.

The $2.8 million will come from anticipated additional Section 30 funds requested from Gov. Calvo for Fiscal Year 2012, which, Pangelinan said, his office discovered only after sending a Freedom Of Information Act request to the Bureau of Budget and Management Research. Pangelinan’s request was made Sept. 6. Director John Rios responded to the FOIA request on Sept. 16.

Pangelinan blasted Calvo, saying he was less than transparent when he submitted the budget bill which included $50 million in Section 30 funds to lawmakers, not disclosing to lawmakers the additional $3 million. These funds are part of the revenue stream and included in the General Fund.

The actual Section 30 advance request amount Calvo requested from the Department of Interior was $53 million, according to a Sept. 1 letter from Calvo to Assistant Secretary of the Interior Tony Babauta.

Public Law 30-219 mandates that no later than 15 days after the end of the third quarter of each fiscal year, the governor must provide the Speaker and the Office of Finance and Budget a report of all correspondence with the United States Treasury, Department of Interior, Office of Insular Affairs and other entities of the U.S. government related to prior and future fiscal year estimates and reconciliation of duties, fees, and taxes (referred to as Section 30 funds), remitted prior to the beginning of the next fiscal year.

During session, Pangelinan said in spite of the law, Governor Calvo continues to circumvent it by not submitting information to the Legislature.

Adelup officials violate Mini-Hatch Act

FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER 2011 08:25 BY THERESE HART | VARIETY NEWS STAFF

AN EMAIL sent by Governor Eddie Baza Calvo’s Chief of Staff Franklin Arriola and Special Assistant Jadeen Tuncap on Sept. 14 urging political appointees of the governor and Cabinet members to attend Republican Senator Chris Duenas’ lunch fundraiser and a Guam War Survivors Memorial Foundation fundraiser sponsored by Senator Frank Blas Jr., yesterday, is in violation of the Mini-Hatch Act.

The message was sent by Arriola and Tuncap using their government of Guam email account, and was sent to GovGuam email accounts of Cabinet members and Executive appointees.

The email message read: “Cabinet Members and Senior Staff: Senator (Frank) Blas and Senator (Chris) Duenas were staunch supporters of Governor Calvo’s budget and bond proposals. They were intimately involved and engaged with Governor Calvo throughout this difficult, but hugely successful, endeavor. It is imperative that all of us reciprocate the support, Governor Calvo, Lt. Governor Tenorio and I look forward to seeing all of you at these two fine events. Frank.”
Arriola spoke to Variety and said he was very apologetic and it was a mistake.

“As far as the issue at hand, I wanted to make a comment on that. I’m a good guy. When I did this, it did not dawn on me at all. As I looked and I thought about it, I made a mistake, no question about it. For the public, I apologize. I’m sorry. The people of Guam deserve the truth. I made a mistake and if I offended anyone, I’m sorry.”

Troy Torres, the governor’s director of communications, said: “After looking at the law, it appears this is a Mini-Hatch violation and it’s something that was an honest mistake Frank made. Frank thought that because he was sending this only to political appointees and Cabinet members, that he was following the Mini-Hatch Act.”

Torres added: “He used his personal computer to send this out, he didn’t realize that sending it from his email account that he used was in violation of the Mini-Hatch Act. He is very apologetic for that.”

The law

Under 4 Guam Code Annotated, Chapter 5, prohibited activity, specific activity in which employees are prohibited from participating include, but are not limited to: organizing, selling tickets to, seeking support for or actively participating in a fund-raising activity of a political party, partisan political organization or candidate.

Another section of the law states it is illegal for employees to use government supplies or government facilities for the benefit of any political party, partisan political organization or candidate, and this includes the government of Guam’s email system.

The law further reads that whether a GovGuam employee or not, no person can solicit or receive a contribution or distribute literature for any political purpose in any room or building occupied in the discharge of official duties by any person employed by the Executive, Legislative or Judicial Branches of the government. Soliciting a contribution includes solicitation by letter or circular address to and delivered to an employee in said room or building. Any person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Anyone who believes an employee has violated the Mini-Hatch Act should report the matter to the Civil Service Commission, who will decide whether the alleged violation warrants an investigation.

Democrats defend budget bill, $180M bond

MONDAY, 29 AUGUST 2011 00:38 BY THERESE HART | VARIETY NEWS STAFF

SPEAKER Judi Won Pat said it’s unfortunate Governor Eddie Baza Calvo would say she and her Democratic colleagues are not paying attention to the “working poor,’ since the budget the Legislature passed includes a $180 million bond, of which $120 million will be used to pay out 2010 and prior-year tax refunds to “our residents who are suffering daily.”

The $180 million bond borrowing does not allow the governor to borrow to pay for corporate taxes.

Last week, after the Legislature passed the budget bill in a narrow 8 to 7 vote, Calvo said he would likely veto an “incomplete and disastrous budget.”

“I’d like the governor to explain exactly what he means by ‘disastrous and incomplete,’” said Won Pat, stressing the Legislature passed a fiscally responsible budget that would weather any unpredictable outcome the U.S. Congress might enact that would affect Guam in terms of federal funding for the island.

“The budget that passed was reasonable. We didn’t raise the debt ceiling, so there is a $45 million cushion that we can borrow if anything unpredictable comes out of Congress. We’re seeing what’s happening in the U.S. In January, we’ll know how we’re tracking. If the governor passes this budget, there is the opportunity for him to borrow another $160 million,” said Won Pat.

Calvo said he was concerned about the lawsuit filed against the government for unpaid tax refunds.

“Senator Pangelinan has said time and again what measure the government is making to show good faith efforts that we’re paying out the tax refunds. We as lawmakers understand our role and we will remain firm in moving this government forward with fiscal responsibility,” said Won Pat.

“There is uncertainty over what cuts the U.S. Congress will make and how it will affect us. We need to prepare for this. Cautious optimism prevailed during our budget session and I hope the governor rethinks his immediate reaction to veto this budget.”

She said Congress’ intentions for Guam will be clearer in January, and the budget bill wasn’t just about the borrowing of the bond, but a durable bill with clauses that would displease the governor.

One such provision is the $8 million insurance rebate Calvo’s SelectCare would have to pay back to the government and GovGuam employees. “By signing the bill, he is agreeing that a rebate is owed. That’s one reason why I think he’s going to veto it,” said Won Pat.

Shutdown

Won Pat said if a budget fails to pass, a shutdown in government services is possible. In reaction to those lawmakers who voted against the budget bill, Won Pat asked: “Do they want to shut down this government?”

Senator Ben Pangelinan said he didn’t know why the governor would not sign the bill into law since it includes the authority to borrow the money to pay prior-year tax refunds to individuals.

Last week, the governor targeted Won Pat, Vice Speaker Benjamin J.F. Cruz, Senator Rory Respicio and Pangelinan, saying they were keeping tax refunds from the people.

“The Legislature, led by Speaker Won Pat, Vice Speaker Cruz, Majority Leader Respicio and Budget Chairman Pangelinan, unfortunately passed a budget that will leave Guam further in debt, and keep hundreds of millions of dollars of your money away from you,” said Calvo’s press secretary, Troy Torres.

Torres said the governor will continue fighting for all the tax refunds for every person owed a refund.

“We cannot believe Sens. Won Pat, Cruz, Respicio and Pangelinan can just ignore people who are suffering, struggling and begging for their own money. The most disturbing part about this is the government has not been able to pay tax refunds because of the budget deficits the past three years these senators created. Yet, when they had a chance to right this wrong, they just shut people out and threw the cries and pleas of the working poor to the side,” said Torres.

“The $120 million bond would pay only 30 percent of the tax refunds owed. What about everyone else,” according to Torres.

Won Pat said the $120 million from the bond borrowing plus the $105 million in the budget bill, both for tax refunds, is enough to pay 2010 and prior-year tax refunds to Guam’s working families.

Sen. Dennis Rodriguez Jr. was the only Democrat who voted against substituted Bill 145, along with the six Republican lawmakers: Senators Tony Ada, Frank Blas Jr., Chris Duenas, Sam Mabini, Mana Silva Taijeron and Aline Yamashita.
“The governor cannot, in good conscience, enact a law that will leave people behind. He will likely veto this disastrous budget proposal,” said Torres.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce last week joined Guam’s mayors and vice mayors in endorsing Calvo’s plan to borrow $344 million.

The Chamber’s executive board members are expected to formally sign an endorsement at their board meeting this week, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office.

The budget bill was engrossed last Friday and will be transmitted to the governor.

Self-Determination is Liberation

Self Determination is Liberation

Governor Eddie Baza Calvo
The Pacific Daily News
June 17, 2011

Editor's note: The following remarks will be delivered on Gov. Eddie Calvo's behalf to the United Nation's Special Committee on Decolonization.

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the United Nations, the people of Guam need your help. We are bearing a great burden. Colonialism has weighed down upon our people for nearly 500 years. This half millennium of external rule has taken its toll.

Our Chamorro ancestors came to Guam centuries before the Polynesians arrived in Hawaii. Our chiefs held law over the land before the kings of Europe. Our latte stones were built as the Mayans built their pyramids. Yet the only written history of this advanced and unique people are the accounts of foreigners -- of Spanish conquistadors and priests.

Our island suffered over 230 years of Spanish colonial rule. Chamorros were devastated by new diseases, war and oppression. After the Spanish-American War, the United States claimed Guam, and rule began under the naval government. Once again, Chamorros had no representation, and no say in their future.
Japan's foray into imperialism during World War II was especially brutal for Guam, when Chamorros suffered atrocities from the Japanese army. Our women were raped. Our men were beheaded. Chamorro families were marched into caves and exterminated like vermin.

After three years of pain and suffering, America finally stormed the beaches of our island on July 1944 to take back the island. The occasion is known as Liberation Day, but while we were liberated from slavery and war, the Chamorros were still suppressed under colonialism. One of Guam's liberators, a brave American, Darrell Doss, said it best:
"Fifty-nine years ago, on July 21, 1944, I and more than 57,000 Marines, soldiers and sailors came ashore on the beaches of Asan and Agat, and were honored to be referred to as 'liberators.' But in the end, we failed to accomplish what we had come to do -- liberate you. More correctly, our government failed both of us by not granting the people of Guam full citizenship. Another injustice is not allowing Guam to have equal say, as we in the states do, in governing your island home. Please remember, we men who landed on your shores July 21, 1944, shall never be fully satisfied until you are fully liberated."
Worse yet, the Chamorro people have yet to even receive reparations for the atrocities they suffered. The United States has already acknowledged the need to address wrongdoings during World War II, which is why Japanese-Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes during the war have been compensated. These reparations were justified.
Thousands of Japanese-Americans underwent forced internment, the motivations racist and ignorant. But what of our greatest generation on Guam? The Chamorros of World War II endured slavery, occupation, murder, and genocide. Yet the U.S. government is silent in its obligations to war reparations. Our island anxiously awaits the day when our people can receive the same amount of respect as fellow Americans who endured unimaginable evil during that time. The silence from the administering power on this issue reinforces the point that Guam can no longer remain a colony in perpetuity.

Ladies and gentlemen, for nearly half a millennium the Chamorro people have been unable to reach their full socio-economic potential because of our political status. Now, more than ever, it is important to move forward, while there are still Chamorros left to express our right to self-determination.
I am thankful our administering power, the United States, recognizes this right and need. The Obama administration has agreed to match local funding I have allocated for our decolonization efforts. The government of Guam is committed to a plebiscite. I personally would like to see a vote taken in the next General Election or the election after. What's most important is to make sure our Chamorros make an educated decision on the political status they want to move toward.
To say, "exercising this human right is long overdue" is a gross understatement. For far too long, the Chamorro people have been told to be satisfied with a political status that doesn't respect their wishes first. For far too long the native people of Guam have been dealing with inequality of government. We have been dealing with taxation without full representation, with quasi-citizenship and partial belonging.

Now it is time for us to realize our full political destiny, so we can take control and lead and live the way that is best for our people. I am urging this body to support our human rights as citizens of this world, to help us become citizens of a place -- of our place in this world.

Kao siña un ayuda ham ni' manChamoru. Siña un rikoknisa i direchon-måmi para dinitetminan maisa. Ayuda ham humago' i guinifen-måmi. Manespisiåt ham. Mambanidosu ham. ManChamoru ham.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the people of Guam.

Petition made against doctor

TUESDAY, 08 MARCH 2011 01:00 BY JANELA BUHAIN | VARIETY NEWS STAFF

* But others express support for Dr. Friedman

Dr. James Stadler, left, confers with Dr. Lee Meadows during yesterday’s meeting at the Guam Memorial Hospital, which discussed the allegations made last week by Dr. Sam Friedman. Photo by Matt Weiss

DOZENS of medical professionals and providers gathered yesterday at the Guam Memorial Hospital to discuss the allegations oncologist Dr. Sam Friedman publicly made last Friday claiming that GMH is “unsafe” and “killing patients.”

Led by obstetrician Dr. Thomas Shieh, who is also the president of the Guam Medical Association, a petition was passed around asking Gov. Eddie Calvo to withdraw his nomination of Friedman as a board member of the Guam Board of Medical Examiners.

In addition, Shieh wrote to Calvo yesterday expressing his opposition to Friedman and his public allegations against GMH.

He also conveyed his support for GMH Nursing Supervisor Cely Mangrobang’s testimony in which she claimed that Friedman is a racist because of insulting comments he made about Filipino nurses. Additionally, Mangrobang, a 33-year veteran of GMH, attached a petition signed by several GMH registered nurses opposing Friedman.

Undue fear

“I think his statements made at the confirmation hearing were irresponsible and create undue fear in the public,” wrote Shieh.

“To say that island doctors or the hospital are killing patients is very careless and simply wrong. The word kill is criminal,” he added.

Friedman neither practices at the hospital, Shieh said, nor visits his patients when they are admitted to GMH.

During the meeting, oncologist Dr. Arnold Wax pointed out that Friedman, in making those allegations in the media, violated federal law.

“He took an undiscoverable issue and made it public record,” said Wax.

Another obstetrician, Dr. Jeffrey Gable, said: “This is a guy that slandered everyone at the hospital. Obviously he doesn’t have the full story. If he does know any information, it was illegally obtained and illegally disseminated.”

Group of 8

However, an email correspondence Variety obtained between medical professionals dated March 6 corroborates Friedman’s accusations against GMH staff.

In it, horrifying details are given about the seemingly covert method of handling medical malpractice situations at the hospital.

“To cover up, diagnoses are changed, medical records are altered and in past times, the coroner ignores the fact that negligent homicides are occurring every day,” the email states.

In addition, the medical professional stated that an audit was conducted on 300 random charts at the hospital in which 136 were found to be negligent, including “one planned murder.”

“A defenseless newborn baby whose death was planned by the doctor and nurses alike! It was spelled outright in the medical record. Neither a former [attorney general] nor the FBI would do anything about it,” the email further stated.

The murder of the baby was allegedly planned by a “group of 8” medical professionals.

Lastly, the medical professional referred to a doctor who “expired” 12 patients within nine days while covering for another doctor who was off-island.

Nurses

In a bid to prove Mangrobang wrong, five Filipino nurses yesterday transmitted a letter to Committee on Health Chair Sen. Dennis Rodriguez, Jr. expressing their support for Friedman.

The five nurses noted that at the Cancer Center of Guam, where Friedman practices, there is a varying makeup of ethnicity, religion, race and sexual orientation of employees who work for Friedman.

“In brief, we never considered racial origin other than as encouraging and welcoming any addition to the incredible cross section of the Guam population and culture,” the nurses wrote.

Shieh additionally conveyed his pride and support for Guam’s medical community.

“Many of our doctors are on staff at our hospital and every day we work hard to save lives We have challenges every day as with other hospitals, but we continue to come into our island’s only hospital to take care of patients,” wrote Shieh to Calvo.

“That’s our dedication to the health of this island and we still stand to support our hospital and our patients continuously.”

4 Guam First nominees to meet Saturday

Written by

Oyaol Ngirairikl from Pacific Daily News

The four individuals nominated by Chamorro rights organizations will meet this Saturday and determine who among them will sit on the Guam First Commission.

There were 11 organizations that turned in nominations by the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline. The nominees are Trini T.Torres, Frank J. Schacher, Antonio Artero Sablan, and Michael 'Miget' Lujan Bevacqua. Bevacqua was the only person nominated by more than one organization.

Joseph Artero-Cameron, head of the Department of Chamorro Affairs, said the four will meet at the Chamorro Village Conference Room in Hagåtña 10 a.m. Saturday.

"These are all very educated individuals with the best interest of the Chamorro people at heart and I think any one of them will do very well on the commission," Artero-Cameron said.

The representative of the Chamorro rights organizations is the last seat on the 18-member commission.

Other organizations have nominated their representatives.

Gov. Eddie Calvo announced last month that he would convene the Guam First Commission, which has been dormant since its creation in 2008.

The 18-member commission was meant to be a single point of contact for the military expansion and a counterpoint to the Defense Department's Joint Guam Program Office. But the previous administration opposed the commission because former Gov. Felix Camacho said there were redundancies with his Civilian Military Task Force, which had been meeting for years, Pacific Daily News files state.

Feds return excess land

THURSDAY, 03 MARCH 2011 04:53 BY THERESE HART | VARIETY NEWS STAFF

The federal government yesterday returned 450 acres of land in South Finegayan to the government of Guam

Governor Eddie Calvo prepares to sign the proclamation returning 450 acres of excess federal property back to the Government of Guam. Photo courtesy of Delegate Bordallo’s office.

This comes 17 years after the passage of H.R. 2144 introduced by former Congressman Robert Underwood and signed into Public Law 103-339 by President Bill Clinton on Oct. 6, 1994, known as the Guam Excess Lands Act.

The turnover, held yesterday in Washington D.C., included the ancient Chamorro village of Hila’an.

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roger Natsuhara and General Services Administration Chief of Staff Michael Robertson presented Governor Eddie Baza Calvo with the deed to 450 acres in the South Finegayan property.

The land constitutes the remaining available properties identified in the public law. The General Services Administration is the repository of federally held lands.

Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Governor Eddie Baza Calvo, Senators Rory Respicio, Judi Guthertz and Frank Blas Jr. were on hand to witness the historic event.

Governor Calvo signed the Memorandum of Agreement with GSA, returning the land to the government of Guam. The signing occurred shortly before the start of the Interagency Group on Insular Areas meeting at the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Victory

“Team Guam sent a victory home today. This is a step forward in the right direction. It also demonstrates the federal government’s commitment to honor longstanding and important agreements with Guamanians. Our negotiations will continue until the promise of the shrinking of the federal footprint on Guam is met. The federal government recognizes that Team Guam is speaking with one voice. We know what we want and we have the courage to fight for our future. Our people fought for decades for this,” said Calvo.

Crown lands

Joey Leon Guerrero from the Guam Ancestral Lands Commission said yesterday that the returned lands consist of Spanish Crown Lands and lands owned by original landowners. The Commission will be the guardian of the property.

Leon Guerrero said some of the lands could be used for commercial development and some could be returned to the original landowners, depending on the policy of the current administration and the Guam Legislature.

Congresswoman Bordallo clarified that the 450 acres are not part of the Navy’s commitment to have a net negative footprint on Guam as part of the military build-up. She said this is just a transmittal of the remaining available property identified in Public Law 103-339, the Guam Excess Lands Act, to the government of Guam.

Calvo and Bordallo recognized Assistant Secretary Tony Babauta for his leadership in ensuring that the requirements of the Guam Excess Lands Act were fulfilled.

Assistant Secretary Babauta has been working with Congresswoman Bordallo in Washington, D.C. to finalize the terms of the land return.

“Today’s ceremony, which returned 450 acres of excess federal property to the people of Guam, was a meaningful and symbolic act resulting from years of hard work. Beginning with former Congressman Robert Underwood and later shepherded by Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo, the process of implementing the commitments made by the Guam Excess Lands Act, to return former Navy and Air Force property at no cost to Guam, has now been completed by the Obama Administration,” said Babauta.

In a joint statement the Guam senators said in 2006, the property was appraised at $14 million, “so clearly the return of these lands are significant.”

Today, during additional meetings with the Department of Defense, the senators will present Resolution No. 30-31 (LS), which further outlines Guam’s concerns and presents a solution for addressing these issues. The senators and the governor are in Washington D.C. to meet with the Interagency Group on Insular Areas (IGIA) regarding the Guam Military Buildup