By Emmanuel T. Erediano
emmanuel@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
IN charting the path toward economic resilience, the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers convened on Monday to set its priorities.
Created through Executive Order 2020-11 at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the council is composed of members from both private business and government. It advises on the formulation of policy initiatives to encourage economic growth, among other responsibilities. Its members and secretariat staff serve the governor at no cost to the CNMI government or taxpayers.
Last month, Gov. David M. Apatang issued Directive 2025-5 reactivating the council, which continues to include representatives from across the private and public sectors. The executive director is Clement “CJ” Bermudes Jr.
With new members on board, the council — comprising public officials and private-sector representatives — formed the following committees:
• Tourism, Infrastructure and Sports Committee
• Labor/Workforce Development Committee
• Domestic Policy and Government Services Committee
• Economic Diversification Committee
Lt. Gov. Dennis James Mendiola and local businessman Joe C. Guerrero serve as co-chairs of the council.
In a press conference after the council’s initial meeting, Mendiola told reporters, “This year’s council is not going to re-invent the wheel. All we want to do is use the resources that are already in place, narrow down the ideas, and work from there.”
In identifying potential economic activities, he said the council doesn’t want to give people false hope. “We want to make sure that when investors, for example, express interest in putting up a business here, that investment actually materializes on the islands. So when a new investment is presented to the people, it is something they can see firsthand.”
Guerrero, an original council member, thanked Governor Apatang for re-establishing the council. He said he was fortunate to be part of the original council, which volunteered hundreds of hours to develop plans and initiatives aimed at economic diversification and streamlining government services.
“This time, the emphasis for the new council is to draw upon all the plans that are already out there,” he said.
“There are a lot of plans,” Guerrero added. “Like what the lieutenant governor has said — now is the time to execute. We can’t just keep talking about these ideas. We need to start prioritizing and pick the low-hanging fruit.”