Northern Marianas Governor invites public to pay tribute to Arnold Palacios
Photo:
123rf
The body of the former Northern Marianas Governor Arnold Palacios will arrive in the Commonwealth today from Guam.
Mr Palacios was medivacced to Guam after collapsing in his office on Wednesday
morning - he died that night.
He was 69 years-old.
In a statement, the CNMI Offices' of the Governor, and Lieutenant Governor
announced the scheduled arrival of Mr Palacios
at 10:30am local time.
Photo:
Mark Rabago
"In honor of his lifelong public service and lifetime legacy, I hereby request all members of the Cabinet to join us accordingly to welcome our late governor, accompanied by first lady Wella and their children and family.
Only the immediate families and authorized personnel are allowed at the designated arrival tarmac area," a statement from the offices of Governor David M. Apatang and Lt. Governor Dennis C. Mendiola read.
Following the arrival of Palacios' body, a motorcade will proceed to Cabrera Funeral Home, located at the Cabrera Center along Beach Road, Garapan.
"All members of the public are also respectfully invited to join us at the airport along the motorcade route as we honor and receive our late Governor Palacios with dignity, respect, and lasting gratitude," the statement continued.
The route will begin along the road from the Commuter Terminal, right along Chalan Tun Herman Pan, left along Chalan Monsignor Guerrero, and right on Beach Road traffic light.
"Your presence would be a meaningful and heartfelt gesture of deep respect and unity during this solemn moment as we pay tribute and join his family in grief and mourn for our late governor Palacios," the statement ended.
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First lady Wella Palacios and family members accompanied the governor's body, which received a ceremonial water salute on arrival at Francisco C Ada/Saipan International Airport. Photo: Marianas Press Residents of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands braved the rain on Saturday to pay their respects to the late govenror Arnold Palacios as his remains returned home aboard a US military C-130 aircraft. First lady Wella Palacios and family members accompanied the governor's body, which received a ceremonial water salute on arrival at Francisco C Ada/Saipan International Airport. Palacios, who served the CNMI in multiple leadership roles over decades-from cabinet secretary to legislator, lieutenant governor, and finally governor-died last week while receiving treatment in Guam. CNMI governor David Apatang personally greeted the family at the tarmac before joining the motorcade to the ONRA Life Memorials (formerly Cabrera Funeral Home). Dozens of residents lined the route, many waving CNMI flags or bowing their heads as the hearse passed. Apatang, who ran alongside Palacios on the 2023 winning ticket, called him "a good friend and a relative." "He has a long history of service to the people of the Commonwealth," Apatang said, noting Palacios' willingness to assist municipal governments and community projects throughout his career. "He was a hard worker who often skipped lunch and stayed late at the office, focused on helping our people." The late governor's family released a statement expressing "profound gratitude and deep appreciation to friends, colleagues, and community members-from across the CNMI and beyond-who have offered their prayers and shared stories of his meaningful impact." The Palacios family also thanked Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, Lt Gov Josh Tenorio, US Indo-Pacific Command, Joint Region Marianas, and the medical teams at Guam Regional Medical City and the Commonwealth Health Center Corporation for their support. During the procession, public and private entities such as the American Red Cross NMI Chapter, Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, Saipan Mayor's Office, Commonwealth Utilities Corp (CUC), and the Carolinian Affairs Office honored Palacios' memory. CUC staff formed an archway with two bucket trucks, while members of the Carolinian community performed a traditional atiwa ritual, meant to honor leaders as they transition to the next life. Funeral arrangements are pending, with more details expected in the coming days.
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The flag of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Photo: 123rf The body of the former Northern Marianas Governor Arnold Palacios will arrive in the Commonwealth today from Guam. Mr Palacios was medivacced to Guam after collapsing in his office on Wednesday morning - he died that night. He was 69 years-old. In a statement, the CNMI Offices' of the Governor, and Lieutenant Governor announced the scheduled arrival of Mr Palacios at 10:30am local time. Photo: Mark Rabago "In honor of his lifelong public service and lifetime legacy, I hereby request all members of the Cabinet to join us accordingly to welcome our late governor, accompanied by first lady Wella and their children and family. Only the immediate families and authorized personnel are allowed at the designated arrival tarmac area," a statement from the offices of Governor David M. Apatang and Lt. Governor Dennis C. Mendiola read. Following the arrival of Palacios' body, a motorcade will proceed to Cabrera Funeral Home, located at the Cabrera Center along Beach Road, Garapan. "All members of the public are also respectfully invited to join us at the airport along the motorcade route as we honor and receive our late Governor Palacios with dignity, respect, and lasting gratitude," the statement continued. The route will begin along the road from the Commuter Terminal, right along Chalan Tun Herman Pan, left along Chalan Monsignor Guerrero, and right on Beach Road traffic light. "Your presence would be a meaningful and heartfelt gesture of deep respect and unity during this solemn moment as we pay tribute and join his family in grief and mourn for our late governor Palacios," the statement ended.
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Apatang paused a few seconds and struggled to say "governor" after Castro asked him to repeat the words, "I will faithfully and honestly discharge my duties as the governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to the best of my ability, so help me God." Castro then hugged Apatang after the oath-taking with tears and sorrow palpable in both their faces. Apatang then addressed the assembled crowd at the packed Governor's Office conference room that now he commands. "Today (Thursday) is a very sad day. It's really hard to express what happened. Actually, you know, when we started this journey, we weren't expecting it to be like this," he said. Apatang said, like many in the Commonwealth over a rainy evening and early morning, he wasn't able to sleep. Commenting on his relationship with his predecessor, Apatang said he and Palacios didn't always see eye to eye, but there was always mutual respect and admiration. 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So, I'm going to go ahead and take this responsibility and, you know, work with the governor to ensure that we push a lot of these, you know, this situation that the CNMI is facing forward in the best interest of our people." In a light moment, Mendiola said he doesn't mind being scolded by Apatang since the latter earlier said that he would often scold Palacios when they had arguments because he was older by eight years. Apatang also said he has requested Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero to expedite the death certificate for Palacios so the CNMI community can pay their respects to the late governor. As per the CNMI Constitution, the Senate presidency now goes to Karl King-Nabors, the former Senate vice president. King-Nabors said despite their differences, he always respects Palacios and extended his heartfelt condolences to first lady Wella and the rest of the family. "These are difficult times. We're a small community. Regardless of the difficulties or whatever perceived misunderstandings we might have, or misalignments, unalignment with our political agendas, we feel the loss of our community." He said, for now, Senator Donald Manglona remains floor leader with the Senate reorganisation awaiting the return of senators Celina Babauta and Corina Magofna, who are both off-island. King-Nabors added that former senator Paul Manglona is expected to take over the vacated seat of Mendiola. "My understanding of it is that it is the last, most recent election's highest vote getter, so that would be senator Paul [will be returning] to the Senate," he said.
