The continuing military extension of the United States on Guam makes housing inaccessible to some guamians.
Ayesha Rasko, owner:
The territory of the USA Guam is a home for two main military bases. Now thousands of marine infantrymen arrive at a new base. The goal is to strengthen the presence of the United States in the Pacific for the purpose of China. But, according to Nina RAO, local residents feel some side effects.
(Sound of a plastic clining)
Naina RAO: Plastic cutlery are associated with polystyrene, when a group of Gama veterans gathers around the cooler. They share red rice, fina'denne 'and chicken with us, the main products of Charro. Chamorros is the indigenous peoples of Guam, and most of the veterans here tonight are Chamorro. They came to a fighting friend, a weekly meeting to support mental health. But tonight is a conversation about something specific.
Roy Gamboa: What are the veterans think about building – for some people it was a find, because it created some work. For others, this may have created some problems.
RAO: This is Roy Gamboa, a veteran that facilitates the conversation. The construction that he is talking about is a military. It was announced in 2006 when the United States and Japan agreed to move about 5,000 marine infantrymen from Okinawa to GUAM. Approximately 100 of them have already been moved. The rest are expected in the next few years.
But these are not just naval infantrymen. Many others have already moved to the island to support the accumulation, such as missile defense teams, civilian contractors and construction teams. According to real estate experts, this tributary is tightened by the already stretched rent market. And Gamboa says that it makes housing more difficult for long -standing residents of the island.
Gamboa: How many people have friends or family members who have moved veterans because it was too expensive on Guam?
RAO: All 30 people raise their hands. Robert Anderwood is the chairman of the Pacific security center of the island, the research institute that provides an analysis of the military strategy tied to the point of view of the islanders. He says that since the growth was first announced, it was accepted for a new goal, counteracting the growing influence of China.
Robert Anderwood: The Military United States suggested that in the future there would be a conflict with China, and it was here that military planners said they were going to hold a line in China. Guam is the only place that cannot say no.
RAO: Because Guam is the territory of the United States, not the state – he does not have a vote in Congress. This is very different from places such as Hawaii, where senators and representatives can vote against federal expenses for military projects that they do not like, or attach conditions to their approval. People here cannot vote for the president.
Michael Bevakva: I oppose the US military building up to Guam, because we cannot say “yes” or “no”.
RAO: Michael Bevakva is an activist of Chamorro and a cultural historian with an independent guahan, a group who advocates the independence of Guam.
Bevakva: We lack this fundamental sovereignty.
RAO: In response to the counter -Admiral Brett Mietas, commander of the defense department on the Mariana Islands, including GUAM, says that the local leadership is always kept knowing everything that is happening with the accumulation.
Brett Mietas: We never walk more than about 90 days, without sitting down with the governor and her team and not to mention where we are. I think that for them the most important thing is to just know what will happen, and then be able to cooperate with how we are going to solve these problems.
RAO: Housing becomes more expensive on guam for the same reasons for which it becomes more expensive in the continental part of the United States – high demand, limited supply, inflation. Military building is part of this strong demand, but Gama experts say that the situation here is aggravated by the restriction of land on the island and the high cost of importing building materials.
Military personnel receive housing construction allowance abroad, which begins at $ 2200 a month, so they can afford to pay for the growing cost of housing here. But many locals cannot, like Tori Menli. She is 29 years old, Chamorro, was born and raised in Central Guam. She is an employee under a contract in the service of national parks. It pays her $ 19 per hour. A few years ago, she lived in a household with several generations, where 10 people shared two bedrooms.
Tori Menli: I had a full -time job. I went to school, and then it was too crowded that I really stayed in the house.
RAO: Sometimes she preferred to sleep in her car to find a place. Now she lives in the field of Fixer with two bedrooms with her boyfriend and two neighbors around the room. They pay 400 dollars a month.
Manley: There are two bathrooms, but only one works. And then, of course, there are some problems with electricity, but if the rent is so low, then everything is in order.
RAO: Admiral Mietas from the Ministry of Defense says that the military know that attracting more people in increasing housing. He says that they still find out their strategy to accommodate all the new staff expected here.
Mietas: We could simply build a new military construction, but it costs a lot of money, or we could cooperate with local enterprises and the local community to be able to find creative options.
RAO: He did not give concrete examples, but said that there may be events on guam, which are not full of full permanent or where the developers could not finish their work, and the government can help finance it until the end. They are currently accepting applications for these projects. For some people on Guam, the expansion of the military was positive, as a local business owner Jim Pinson, who owns a diving equipment store.
Jim Pinson: Our real tourism market now is the military and contractors. They are those who hold the hotels full. They are those who support most diving stores.
RAO: according to federal expenses, tourism accounted for about 6% of Gama GDP.
Pinson: All I want to do is earn enough money to pay bills, have a little extra money and continue to go.
RAO: But many people conflict. At the same time, they see good and bad, for example, Roy Gamboa, returning to Battle Buddy Talk, who says another good thing about accumulation is security provided by guam.
Gamboa: Unfortunately, you know, it hurts. Prices are rising. Yes, this is so, but there is what he is talking about, this price of freedom.
RAO: He says that the island is a goal, being so close to China, and he is glad that the United States creates funds to protect it. For NPR news, I Naina Rao in Guam.
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