by Nick Delgado

Guam - Committee on Land chairman Senator Ben Pangelinan is set to hold an oversight hearing for the Department of Land Management on February 2. Agency director Monte Mafnas says since the merger with the Chamorro Land Trust Commission and Ancestral Lands Commission occurred last year, he expects to update the Committee on policies, plans and projects the department has both achieved and is challenged by today.

He said, "And two things bear in mind with CLTC is assisting the people of Guam who were bypassed and a number of 4,600-some people and we have reduced that by a couple of hundred thereabout in many requests such as leases, addendums to leases, utility authorization, survey authorization."

Mafnas adds in late-March, land management will go live with providing e-government capacity to help those identify lot numbers, land owners, zoning, topographical conditions and access to utilities via the Internet. He hopes to meet with the Department of Public Works and federal highways to identify possible income streams in order to maintain the program.