(a) The first Monday of March in each year shall be known as Guam History and CHamoru Heritage Day and is hereby made a legal holiday in Guam in commemoration of the discovery of Guam by Europeans. I Maga’håga/Maga’låhi is authorized and requested to issue annually a proclamation calling upon the people of Guam to observe Guam History and CHamoru Heritage Day by displaying their flag at their homes or other suitable places. (b) The month of March is hereby designated as Mes CHamoru, a month to examine and reflect upon Guam’s beautiful but fast disappearing culture and to review and assess the trials and tribulations behind the creation and development of Guam’s civil government and political system, and to renew commitment of the people of Guam to the ideas of a free political system. The first Monday of Mes CHamoru shall be set aside for commemoration activities of Guam History and CHamoru Heritage Day. I Maga’håga/Maga’låhi is authorized and requested to issue annually a proclamation calling upon the people of Guam to observe Mes CHamoru with appropriate cultural and civic activities expressive of the public sentiment befitting the occasion. (c) I Maga’håga/Maga’låhi is further authorized and requested to appoint annually a committee to plan and make appropriate arrangements for the observation of Mes CHamoru. Said committee shall be composed of members of patriotic, educational, religious and other civic organizations joining together to plan appropriate cultural and civic activities that will demonstrate continuing interest in the study and preservation of the CHamoru culture and continuing commitment of the people of Guam to the ideals of a free political system. In lieu of such committee, I Maga’håga/Maga’låhi may designate one or more such civic organizations as sponsors to plan and make arrangements. Any net proceeds shall be donated to a worthy public cause or causes as the committee and sponsoring civic organization, as the case may be, shall
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determine. The government of Guam may furnish a suitable site, if needed, but shall not otherwise participate. SOURCE: GC § 229, 230 and § 231. Amended by P.L. 38-030:3 (June 17, 2025). 2024 NOTE: Reference to the “Governor” replaced with I Maga’håga/Maga’låhi pursuant to 5 GCA § 1510. Reference to “territory” omitted pursuant to 1 GCA § 420. 2021 NOTE: P.L. 32-145:1 (Apr. 28, 2014) amended 1 GCA § 1000 to designate the first Monday of March of each year as Guam History and Chamorro Heritage Day. P.L. 32-145 did not address this provision, specifically, subsection (a) which designates the first Monday in March as Guam Discovery Day. NOTE: Prior publications of the GCA included the following comment from the previous Compiler of Laws: COMMENT: Two duplicate sections relative to Discovery Day exist. Former Govt. Code § 229 merely established the Day. Former Govt. Code § 230 enacted by the same P.L. 12-071 (Jan. 15, 1974), created both the Guam Discovery Day and Chamorro Week. There is no need for two such sections to exist simultaneously and, therefore, the two have been merged into this one Section. Further, the Law Revision Commission has added the words “by Europeans” after “... Discovery of Guam...” as a fair description of whose discovery is celebrated. Obviously, Discovery Day is not celebrating the discovery of Guam by the original inhabitants, who were present to greet Magellan upon his arrival at (discovery of) Umatac Bay.