CITING health reasons, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality Administrator Eliceo Diaz Cabrera is no longer running for Saipan mayor.
Cabrera announced his intent to run for Saipan mayor in 2022 in May last year. In October, he sustained a minor injury in a vehicular accident, but days after the incident, he had to see the doctor due to chest pain.
After a series of tests, he said, the doctor advised him to undergo treatment because he was diagnosed with a “heart problem.”
Cabrera said he has decided to reconsider his political plan. He will not run this time, but he may be a candidate in future elections, he added.
A former speaker of the House of Representatives, Cabrera also served as director of the Division of Parks and Recreation and was the budget officer during Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio’s administration.
His father, Juan LG Cabrera was a member of the Marianas District Legislature, while his grandfather, Prudencio Cabrera was a Saipan commissioner from San Vicente.
Eliceo Cabrera belongs to the Prudencio family of the Cabrera clan, which also includes the Ti’an and the Potu families.
On his mother’s side, Eliceo Cabrera is a nephew of Saipan’s fourth mayor, Vicente “Kilili” Diaz Sablan. His mother is a cousin of Saipan’s sixth mayor, Francisco Manibusan Diaz. On the Diaz side, he is related to former Gov. Benigno R. Fitial whose mother belongs to the Diaz clan of Saipan.
With Eliceo D. Cabrera dropping out of the mayoral race, the remaining candidates are Rep. Joseph Leepan T. Guerrero, Republican; Rep. Richard T. Lizama, Democrat; and former Saipan and Northern Islands Municipal Council Chairman, Ramon “RB” Blas Camacho, independent.
The current mayor, David M. Apatang, who was elected in 2014 and 2018, is constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third term.
Eliceo D. Cabrera
