By Emmanuel T. Erediano
emmanuel@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
REPRESENTATIVE Denita K. Yangetai has introduced House Local Bill 24-37 to rename Isa Drive in honor of Carlos Sablan Camacho, the first governor of the CNMI.
Co-sponsored by the rest of the Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, H.L.B. 24-37 authorizes the Saipan Mayor’s Office to implement and administer the measure once enacted, including installing new street signage along the cross-island back road that stretches from San Vicente to Sadog Tasi.
The bill states that this designation will serve as a lasting tribute to Camacho’s leadership, his contributions to the Commonwealth, and the “enduring legacy of his pioneering leadership, which established the fundamental political, economic, and administrative foundations for the modern CNMI government.”
Camacho, 88, was elected as the first Commonwealth governor in Nov. 1977, two years after the signing of the Covenant on Feb. 15, 1975, which established the CNMI in political union with the United States.
A Democratic governor, Camacho, who also served as the Pacific Islands’ chief medical officer of public health, was a member of the Congress of Micronesia and the Northern Marianas Constitutional Convention.
As the CNMI’s inaugural governor, he led an administration responsible for the initial setup and functioning of the new self-governing body under the Covenant, including building public infrastructure, managing federal relations, and fostering local capacity. This included bringing home educated Chamorros who had left the islands to take on administrative and leadership roles within the new CNMI government.
H.L.B. 24-37 states that Camacho’s tenure “was pivotal in the transition of the Northern Mariana Islands from a Trust Territory to a self-governing Commonwealth in political union with the United States.”
Emmanuel “Arnold” Erediano has a bachelor of science degree in Journalism. He started his career as police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
