HPO: Sinlaku caused latte stone displacement, but says lusong missing from clearing operation

The CNMI Historic Preservation Office revealed that the displaced latte stone at the Obyan Latte Site was caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, while acknowledging that clearing operations by the Division of Parks & Recreation resulted in the loss of some lusong in the area.

State Historic Preservation officer Francisco Rabauliman said Parks & Rec director Mike Cruz confirmed that his office, in collaboration with Rep. Daniel Aquino’s team, began debris cleanup operations at the Obyan Latte Site during the weekend of May 9-10, 2026.

“The weekend work consisted of just green waste cuttings and pilings. On Monday, May 11th, Parks & Recreation employees were activated to utilize their heavy equipment to clear, gather, and stockpile the debris for removal. Parks and Recreation takes full responsibility as it was their heavy equipment and men that were detailed to clear debris on Monday, May 11th,” Rabauliman, who is also the secretary of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, under which HPO falls, responded in an email to Marianas Press.

Rabauliman also asserted that despite the clearing operations by Parks & Rec and Aquino’s team, the Obyan Latte Site itself remains undisturbed.

“The one latte stone that has fallen was caused by the disaster from [Super Typhoon] Sinlaku as [an] HPO team previously conducted a site assessment on April 30, 2026 and have gathered photo evidence prior to this clearing. Debris was pushed and stockpiled near the latte site without any disturbance to the actual site,” he said.

Rabauliman did acknowledge that the cleanup operation affected the lusong near the pavilions, which are now missing from the area.

“[Parks & Rec] director does acknowledge that he is aware of the lusong's presence from previous cleanups done by his department as they maintain and beautify the area.”

A lusong is a traditional Chamorro mortar, usually carved from basalt or limestone, used by ancient and pre-war Chamorros to grind food, process herbs, and husk rice.

The CNMI Historic Preservation officer then offered possible solutions regarding what indigenous activists are now calling the Obyan Latte Site incident.

“For the fallen latte stone structure, HPO needs to record and update the site information with this new development and then possibly hope it can be restored back to its standing position or just to leave as is. As for the lusongs, [Parks & Rec] director Mr. Mike Cruz vows to search the stockpiled debris in hopes of finding the artifacts still intact and returning them to their designated area.”

As for mitigation efforts moving forward to prevent similar incidents from happening again, Rabauliman said the issue largely comes down to a lack of funding.

“[We] hope to seek funding/assistance to build and secure sites with marked perimeter fences/retaining walls to prevent further destruction from natural disasters or from unexpected clearings such as this. And to continue educating the communities of the site’s existence with proper visual protections and signage,” he said.