The Guam Legislature on Nov. 25 paused consideration of Bill 49-38 CR, a proposal to transfer Lot 258 to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to expand the Vicente A. Limtiaco Memorial Park, commonly referred to in testimony as Tigua Cemetery.

Sen. Manana Ciduos, the bill’s sponsor, told colleagues the transfer would allow DPR to expand burial capacity and that the agency estimates the parcel could secure roughly 20 more years of interment capacity. “This bill uses land the government already owns to provide dignity, certainty, and compassion for our people,” Ciduos said during floor remarks.

The pause followed floor objections and questions about whether the land transfer language in the bill is necessary. A letter dated Nov. 25, 2025 from DPR Director Angel R. Sablan was read into the record; the letter (submitted by the sponsor) stated that Lot 258 had been surveyed, cleared in part, and “has been officially conveyed to DPR,” and described a phased expansion (phase 1 and phase 2) that DPR said would provide additional burial capacity for about 20 years.

Other senators pressed for more detail. One lawmaker on the floor (identified in the transcript as Senator (S5)) said the letter’s assertion that Lot 258 already had been conveyed made parts of the bill redundant and asked that section 6 — which would allow DPR to substitute other adjacent government lots up to a total of 12 acres — be struck from the act. “It says the Lot 258 has been officially conveyed to DPR,” that senator said, and questioned why the bill would then transfer the same lot.

Supporters of the measure, including the committee chair, said the bill’s flexibility was intended to address topography and environmental constraints on the parcel and to ensure DPR could accept usable acreage for grants and federal funding. The committee chair noted there had been interagency efforts and, according to information from the deputy director, the legislature had received a proposed plan and property map on June 30, 2025.

Because members disagreed about the current legal status of Lot 258 and about whether the committee and the Legislature had received and reviewed DPR’s development plans, the chamber voted to suspend further consideration of Bill 49-38 so officials from the Department of Land Management and DPR could confirm the conveyance status and provide the documentation requested by members. No formal final action on the bill was taken before the pause.

The bill’s fiscal note, prepared by the Bureau of Budget and Management Research (BBMR) and cited during debate, states that issuance of a certificate of title and any required land work (clearing, excavation, construction) would incur administrative and development costs but that a more detailed fiscal impact could not be determined without DPR’s specifications.

What’s next: The Legislature suspended discussion on Bill 49-38 to obtain confirmation from the Department of Land Management and DPR about conveyance and plans; the measure can be brought back once members receive that documentation.