HE is not a quitter. Saipan Mayor-elect Ramon “RB” Camacho has experienced several rejections in his life, but he never stopped pursuing his goals.
Ramon “RB” Camacho
He experienced his first rejection when he tried to join the U.S. armed forces in 1977.
“They rejected me because I was not yet a U.S. citizen back then,” Camacho told Variety in an interview on Wednesday.
At the time, the NMI was not yet an American Commonwealth but was part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands which was administered by the U.S.
Camacho recalled that his TT passport bore the image of a coconut.
The rejection was “an unfortunate event since it was my dream to be part of the U.S. Marines,” he added.
He said he found a job in the private sector where he diligently worked until he landed a new job as a law enforcement officer.
He graduated from the 3rd Cycle Police Academy and served the Department of Public Safety for 20 years. He was the assistant chief of police when he retired.
As a retiree, Camacho said he still yearned to serve the community and so he became a member of the Board of Parole and was also elected as president of the farmers association.
“I am not rich, I am poor financially, but my heart is true to its desire to serve the community,” he added.
As a farmer himself, Camacho said he is aware of the hardships faced by local farmers, and these include expenses they must incur to insure their farms and crops.
Camacho, along with other local farmers and with the support of the CNMI and Guam legislatures, successfully lobbied the federal government to exempt the islands from the 2008 Farm Bill which raised the crop insurance rate.
“Our farmers here do not produce the same revenue as the farmers in the mainland. We are poorer,” he added.
He said he wants to do more for the local community.
“It is not about the salary or about pride,” Camacho added, “I want to have the responsibility to be able to do something that will better the lives of our community members.”
A family man
For Camacho, behind every successful man is a supportive woman.
“I am grateful to have a very supportive wife,” he said when asked to name one person who motivates and inspires him.
He said he is lucky to be the husband of Delia M. Camacho.
“She has been there for me throughout my life’s journey — during the campaign season and in all my successes and failures,” he added.
Camacho and his wife have four children, but they lost their only daughter a few years ago. Now, he is the father figure of the two children that his daughter left behind.
“I love them — we raised them,” Camacho said.
When not serving the government, Camacho is on his farm. He said he loves the farm, and he will always love farming for the rest of his life.
He said today’s generation should learn to love farming as well as fishing because these could help sustain the island economy.
“We have land, and we have water. Our children have to learn how to depend on our natural resources,” he said.
Service
On Tuesday last week, in his third attempt, Camacho was elected Saipan mayor. Since then, he has already met with officials and personnel of various government agencies and private entities as well as community members to discuss the implementation of his platform.
This includes the reestablishment of a Neighborhood Task Force and the “Adopt-a-Place” program.
“I want our villages to be clean and safe,” Camacho said.
He also wants to hand out “Safest Village,” “Cleanest Residence” or “Cleanest Village” awards to those who deserve them.
“I believe that for programs to be effective, everybody must work together,” he said.
Asked about dogs that attack community members, Camacho said: “When your dog bites someone, there are many lawyers on island and a civil case is waiting for you. So be responsible. If you cannot afford to raise a dog, give it to someone who can or to the authorities.”
He said he plans to continue educating pet owners about the dog control regulations implemented by the mayor’s office.
“Education and prevention are the key. Let us be responsible community members,” he added.
