(Press Release) — “We are shocked with disbelief,” stated Ana Demapan-Castro, chairwoman of the 16th Saipan & Northern Islands Municipal Council, on behalf of her colleagues, Vice Chairwoman Antonia M. Tudela, and Member Danny Aquino, upon learning about the sudden passing of the late Rep. Ivan A. Blanco on Friday, July 23, 2021.
The council acknowledges the immense loss of Representative Blanco and the enormous void he left behind.
He was a well-respected, humble, affable, and gracious public servant, the council said.
“Congressman Blanco personified a true statesman worthy of the admiration and respect of all of us — his elected colleagues — devoid of party lines. His soft-spoken and enviable people skills no matter where he was and who he was with, made him an exceptional diplomat who brought leaders and people together not just here in the Marianas, but in the broader Micronesia,” the council said.
“Representative Blanco taught us all what a true, authentic leader is and shall be: a servant-leader, a listener, congenial and friendly, communicative, and hands-down humble and pleasant all around. He will be sorely missed now and for years to come,” the council added.
The council “joins the entire leadership of our Commonwealth, and especially our people, in mourning the sudden, untimely passing of a great leader. We lift our prayers of healing and utmost condolences to his lovely wife, Carmen, their children, their parents, family, and close loved ones during their time of grief and loss.”
Ivan Blanco
