Hagåtña, Guam – The Office of the Governor responds to Senator Chris Barnett’s misleading statements regarding the proposed legislation to return the Ypao Point property to the Perez family:
“Chris Malafunkshun Barnett blocked the no cost lease of the Eagles Field in Mangilao under the guise of wanting to return that land back to its original landowners even though he was told that federal law prevented the federal government from returning the land. Now the hospital can’t be built there and original landowners still won’t be getting back their land. Now GovGuam has within its power the ability to return the Ypao Point land to its original landowners, but Barnett is flip-flopping on his previous advocacy for land returns to original landowners and trying to block the Perez family from benefitting from the land their grandfather and great-grandfather worked hard to earn. Why would Barnett reverse himself on an issue he championed, impose a double-standard, and force the Perez family to sacrifice their land for a hospital when he criticized this same action at Eagles Field? What is his true motivation? It seems his true motivation is to block the Governor from building a new hospital at all costs, and curry favor with his wealthy doctor benefactors–even if it costs original landowners the rights to their property. That’s truly Malafunkshun.
Barnett falsely accuses the Governor of wanting to give the land back for financial gain which makes no sense. There is nothing for her to gain. Building a hospital at Ypao Point would have raised the value of her nearby property. The Governor is focused on what’s best for our people and after reviewing all of the potential sites, an independent third party contractor determined Eagles Field to be the best choice. Since senators like Barnett blocked the Eagles Field lease, the Governor looked to its adjacent property. This area in Mangilao is centrally located and when combined with the Guam Regional Medical City (GRMC) in Dededo and the Naval Hospital in Agana Heights, will create a triangle of emergency health care that gives greater medical access to all of the people of Guam.”
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