David Apatang
GOVERNOR David M. Apatang on Wednesday activated the Commonwealth Economic Incentive Authority by appointing eight members to its board of directors.
Formerly known as the Commonwealth Free Trade Zone Authority, which was created by Public Law 12-20, the authority’s goal is to “aggressively market and promote the CNMI free trade zones internationally to businesses of the type determined by the board by regulation to be desirable for the future economic development and diversification of the CNMI.”
However, the CFTZA remained inactive for 20 years, as no member of the CNMI business community submitted a list of proposed board members.
In February, Trade Council of the Marianas President Vin Armani, a Saipan-based technology entrepreneur, recommended 10 individuals from the private sector and six from the public sector to the authority’s board of directors.
On July 22, 2025, then-Gov. Arnold I. Palacios signed House Bill 24-17 into Public Law 24-5, renaming the CFTZA as CEIA. It was the last measure that Governor Palacios enacted into law before he passed away on July 23, 2025. H.B. 24-17 was authored by Senate Vice President Corina Magofna.
Governor Apatang nominated eight individuals to the CEIA board of directors. They are former Sen. Jose M. Dela Cruz to represent Tinian; Rota Police Officer Noel Calvo to represent Rota; Department of Corrections Commissioner Anthony C. Torres and Department of Commerce Secretary Remedio Mafnas to represent the public sector; and tax lawyer Tina Azarvand, Lyanna C. Mafnas, Erick Vander Maas, and David Burger to represent the private sector.
In separate letters to Senate President Karl King-Nabors, the governor said that he and Lt. Gov. Dennis James Mendiola are confident the nominees are qualified and will be assets to the important board.
