Residents speak out against military buildup

A public hearing on a resolution that asks the governor to ask for a pause on firing range construction received overwhelming support during hours-long testimony.

Resolution 164 asks the governor to ask the military to pause all construction-related activities, and while the governor has said publicly she will do no such thing, that didn't stop testimony in support of the measure.

Dozens turned out to sound off on what they say is a litany of issues with the military buildup - from treatment of ancestral sites, environmental concerns and socioeconomic impacts.

Cara Flores of Dukduk Goose Inc spoke on how Department of Defense itself - through its socioeconomic impact statement - says Guam will be impacted.

"The SEIS states that the poor will get poorer, the cost of goods and services will rise, homelessness will increase, among other things and these are things that affect the children and the families we serve, the most at risk in our community," she said.

Lovelle Castro, board president of the Guam chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, expressed frustration about how the group submitted 40 pages of testimony opposing the buildup in 2009. She also read excerpts from DOD documents that said the buildup could achieve "maximum flexibility", citing Guam's status as a territory of the U.S.

"None of our concerns about the negative impacts to the environment, our fragile social service system and our cultural resources and practices were addressed," she said. "Clearly our current political status has undermined our right as people to influence and effectuate plans in our community."

Testimony also centered on ancestral sites. According to initial DOD reviewing the impact of construction on CHAmoru historical sites, it's estimated there are over 100 ancestral sites on buildup construction sites. 14 sites have since been cleared and the military awaits an archeological contract to begin clearing nine new sites that were "inadvertently discovered."

Legislative chair on historic preservation Sen. Therese Terlaje said there has been a consensus on how significant ancestral sites on the firing range grounds are.

"All the archeologists describe it as one of the most important sites on Guam," she said.

Independence activist Dr. Ken Kuper spoke about the military's "compromises." 

"The military has tried to reason with us that they have listened to our concerns," he said. "We have reached the level and point of the military metaphorically telling us how good they are for occupying the guest bedroom of our house rather than the master bedroom. We have reached the level of debating if it is better for the robber to steal $20 from us or $50 from us."

In a 12-page written testimony, Rear Admiral Shoshanna Chatfield of Joint Region Marianas said Joint Region "seeks to understand the sentiments and sensitivities of our community" she added that "overwhelming public feedback at the time of the decision" to relocate the firing range from Pagat to Litekyan demanded "no land acquisition, avoidance of Pagat, and minimizing noise and traffic impacts to the broader community."