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GRAHAM: And we’ll be carrying this in our minds when we next meet in
<br />Hilo. So I think we took all our public testimony. I don’t think we need to take any action on
<br />this agenda item so -.
<br />DOMINGO: Mr. Chair.
<br />GRAHAM: Yes, Commissioner Domingo? Would you like to give testimony,
<br />sir?
<br />ESTEBON: Yes, please.
<br />GRAHAM: Yes, come forward.
<br />ESTEBON: Gentlemen, thank you for giving me the opportunity. I came in
<br />late, so I wasn’t here this morning. But -.
<br />GRAHAM: Okay. Could you -? Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth before
<br />the Commission on this matter today?
<br />ESTEBON: I do.
<br />GRAHAM: Thank you. And could you give your name and address?
<br />ESTEBON: Okay. My name is Rolando Estebon. I live over here in Kailua-
<br />Kona, 75-6164 Hoomama Street, Kailua-Kona. I’m here and I heard your testimony, and then I
<br />really support what the County Council, as well the Planning Commission, have been doing.
<br />And I’ve been all over, and I may not say all my past experiences, but I swear to God, I just want
<br />to give some comments why I oppose these superstores. First of all, we will have to think, yeah,
<br />corporation. Do you think that they think about, or they see about the picture of the island or
<br />they see the picture of the community? No. They only see the figure, number, nothing else.
<br />They will tell you, of course, that they will benefit the whole community.Yeah? But try to say,
<br />I’ve got 75,000 items, and they said, oh, we’ll get it from the local companies or the local
<br />farmers. But try to take a look. How many percent in a big store they get in their store? Does it
<br />even have 5 percent? Of course not. As the others have testified, most of them are from the
<br />mainland, from China, or whatever. The question is, right, do you expect any tourists to come
<br />down here to see the same old products that came from, and they can see, from the mainland and
<br />all over? They want to see the one that we have here locally. Ninety-five percent or five
<br />percent – it’s a big difference.
<br />Secondly, we will have to think, yeah, the question is how much is too much. It is just like we’re
<br />building; if you go let it go, you’re going to build a mansion in a 10,000-square foot lot. Simple
<br />as that. It will all come to waste.
<br />Thirdly, we will have to think monopolizing. Okay? I’ll be true, as I said, I do some research
<br />and everything. There’s been research. Yeah? These big companies, big corporations, their
<br />intent is to pull their competitors. And after they kill them all, they can ask their price whatever
<br />they have. And that’s going to happen, the same thing over here. And of course we’ve got to
<br />think how can with the population of the Big Island or the State? We already get K-Mart, we
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