It was on Dec. 5, 1976 when the first NMI constitutional convention adopted the Constitution, which was ratified by 93% of NMI voters on March 6, 1977. On Oct. 22, 1977, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed that the CNMI Constitution was deemed approved. It took effect on Jan. 9, 1978 with the inauguration of the CNMI government.
In separate statements, the Torres-Palacios administration and the CNMI congressional delegate underscored the significance of Constitution Day.
This “is a day that personifies our political and religious identity as a community,” Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said. “We celebrate the creation of our government and the progress we have made as a Commonwealth in political union with the United States. We also honor our islands’ Catholic tradition of celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.”
They added, “We commemorate the beginning of a journey four decades ago in [the Mount Carmel] school auditorium where a group of 39 courageous leaders joined together under the idea of self-determination. With the words of our preamble, ‘We the People of the Northern Mariana Islands,’ they launched our story — our journey to the future we see today.”
The Commonwealth Constitution, Torres and Palacios said, “is the foundation of our government, and this ‘embodiment of our traditions and hopes’ will remain our guiding force as we work to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic, rebuild our economy, continue our typhoon recovery, ensure public safety in our villages, achieve our healthcare goals, expand educational opportunities for our students, and ensure economic prosperity for every single person who calls the Marianas home.”
“From our families to yours,” Torres and Palacios added, “may all of the CNMI have a safe and restful Constitution Day. Continue to remain vigilant during your social gatherings. The work of our Covid-19 Task Force, doctors, nurses, and first responders, as well as the cooperation of our community are why the CNMI is the safest place in the United States from Covid-19.”
Rule of law
U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan said Constitution Day “reminds us that the CNMI Constitution was approved by our people…and that as a self-governing Commonwealth, we are governed by a fundamental rule of law that is of our own making….”
Kilili said, “It is also important to remind ourselves and to have a sense of pride that we are governed by our CNMI Constitution and not an Organic Act of Congress.”
Constitution Day, moreover, reminds the people that their individual rights and individual freedoms are based on the Constitutions of the United States and the CNMI which are fundamental to the rule of law.”
