BUREAU of Environmental and Coastal Quality Administrator Eliceo Diaz Cabrera will run for Saipan mayor in 2022.
A former House speaker and director of the Division of Parks and Recreation, Cabrera is the third individual to have announced an intent to succeed Republican Mayor David M. Apatang who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.
The other two candidates for mayor are Board of Parole Chairman Ramon Blas Camacho and Rep. Joseph Leepan T. Guerrero.
Camacho is seeking the NMI Democratic Party’s endorsement while Guerrero and Cabrera are both Republicans.
In an interview on Saturday, Cabrera said he already mentioned to his family his desire to be the next Saipan mayor, adding that he has been planning for it for about the past five or six months.
He said he has also approached his uncle, Lorenzo LG Cabrera, to inform him of his plan. He remembered his father telling him, “Someday when I’m gone, you check on uncle Larry.”
Lorenzo LG Cabrera is the only surviving sibling of Eli Cabrera’s father, Juan LG Cabrera, a former member of the Marianas District Legislature.
Prudencio Cabrera, Eli’s grandfather, served as the village commissioner of San Vicente.
Eli belongs to the Prudencio family of the Cabrera clan, which also includes the Ti’an and the Potu families.
On his mother side, Eli Cabrera is the nephew of Saipan’s fourth mayor, Vicente Kilili Diaz Sablan. His mother is the cousin of Saipan’s sixth mayor, Francisco Manibusan Diaz. In the Diaz side, Eli is related to former Gov. Benigno R. Fitial whose mother belonged to the Diaz clan of Saipan.
Eli Cabrera served as budget officer under the administration of Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio before he became the special assistant for management and budget.
He was a member of the 17th House and became the speaker when Tenorio, who was then the speaker, stepped down.
Eli Cabrera later served as Parks and Recreation director in Gov. Eloy S. Inos’ administration, and was appointed by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres as BECQ administrator.
He has not submitted his letter of intent to the NMI Republican Party, but when asked if he would like the party to endorse him, he said, “I hope so.”
Eli Cabrera said believes Mayor Apatang is a hardworking public official.
In everything that he does right now, Eli Cabrera said, the present mayor is giving his 110%.
So his plan is to continue what Mayor Apatang is doing, “because he has been doing a lot, even assisting other departments. I am very happy with him doing that.”
He said when he was still the Parks and Recreation director, he and the mayor worked together following the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Soudelor.
Because his father was an agriculturist, Cabrera said he grew up learning to plant, clean and maintain the surroundings.
Cabrera said in able to serve the community better, “we just need to bring back the economy, the tourism industry.” He said he believes a bigger economy brings more money for community projects and services.
“We need to focus on improving our economy,” he added.
Eli Cabrera
