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The program allows renovation and construction of military housing units to be constructed by private developers using private capital and private land.

The Senator, in a release, says he has exchanged letters about the program with Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo and the Congresswoman has committed to raising the issue with Senior DoD officials.

The release quotes the Senator as saying that the program "will provide many opportunities for local businesses and contractors and may lessen if not eliminate the controversial plans for the need to acquire private properties. The Initiative will also expand the local tax base and allow the local government to deal with the needs of our local community that is impacted by the buildup.”

READ Senator Pangelinan's release in FULL below:

CONGRESSWOMAN BORDALLO AGREES WITH PANGELINAN; MILITARY HOUSING PRIVATIZATION INITIATIVE TO BE DISCUSSED

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE (May 16, 2012 – Hagåtña) – Senator Vicente (ben) Cabrera Pangelinan, in a letter to Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo, continues to point out Department of Defense policies and programs that are beneficial to local host communities and governments. In his letter, the Senator is advocating that the Military Housing Privatization Initiative be implemented in other areas to be used for Guam in relation to the military buildup.

This program allows renovation and construction of military housing units to be constructed by private developers using private capital and private lands.

In the Congresswoman’s response to Senator Pangelinan, she stated she believes that the MHPI program could be effective on Guam and that she would raise the issue with senior DoD officials as discussions surrounding the military buildup continue.

The original military buildup agreement saw a similar arrangement to the MHPI but with the Japanese government (through Special Purpose Entities) gaining from the construction of military housing projects. Pangelinan was staunchly against this type of arrangement, because it did not benefit the people and businesses of Guam.

“The MHPI will provide many opportunities for local businesses and contractors and may lessen if not eliminate the controversial plans for the need to acquire private properties. The Initiative will also expand the local tax base and allow the local government to deal with the needs of our local community that is impacted by the buildup,” stated Pangelinan (D-Barrigada).

The senator is also communicating with Governor Calvo as well as the offices of U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Arizona), Jim Webb (D-Virginia), Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawai’i), Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawai’i), and Carl Levin (D-Michigan), requesting their support for the MHPI to be utilized on Guam and pointing out the advantages over DoD’s current housing policy. Over the last several years, thousands of housing units have been provided to military families on military bases in Kentucky, New York, and Hawai’i.

“For the Congress, the MHPI program can and will reduce the large appropriation on the front end needed for housing construction and remove the need for the military to devote resources to deal with housing matters for its personnel,” stated Pangelinan.