GLICERIO “Eli” Del Mundo Arago, honorary Philippine consul to the CNMI and Tan Holdings senior vice president, passed away Wednesday morning at the Guam Regional Medical City due to complications after a stroke. He was 69.
Eli Arago
“Diann and I join the Commonwealth in mourning the passing of our honorary Philippine consul…who committed his life to advancing the needs of others, most especially the Filipino community of the Northern Mariana Islands,” Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said in a statement.
“Consul Eli was a great friend and a true partner in building a stronger and closely knit Commonwealth with the help of our Filipino community. He and I personally collaborated on improving the lives of our ‘kababayans’ because they have contributed to building a better community for our children and grandchildren to thrive.
“He performed his duties as honorary consul since 2015 with dignity and respect. He was humble, intelligent, and passionate, and he held a deep love for these islands he called home for 35 years. He was well-respected across the Asia-Pacific region and leveraged his expertise to be the leading voice for the CNMI Filipino community. He lived his life with immense joy, helping others outside work through volunteer efforts with the Lions Club and providing guidance to the next generation through his actions.
“We extend our deepest heartfelt condolences to Consul Eli’s family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Office of the Philippine Honorary Consulate for the CNMI, the Philippine Consulate General in Guam, and Tan Holdings Corporation.”
As a mark of solemn respect for the honorary consul’s life and service, the governor ordered that the flags of the Commonwealth and the U.S. “be flown at half-staff at the [administration] building and upon all public buildings, instrumentalities, and grounds within the Commonwealth until the day of his interment.”
Similar messages of condolences were issued by Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang and House Minority Leader Angel A. Demapan.
According to the Office of the Philippine Honorary Consulate, Arago first arrived on Saipan in 1986 to work for Tan Holdings as an internal auditor.
In 2015, three years after the closure of the Philippine Consulate General’s Office on Saipan, he accepted the appointment to serve as honorary consul of the Philippine government. In September 2021, he was reappointed to a second term that would have expired in 2024.
“It has been an honor to serve alongside Honorary Consul Eli Arago,” his team members said in a joint statement. They are Ulysses Torres Sabuco, Ariel Mariano, Annamae Adaza and Mario Mayuga.
“We accepted his invitation to work with him because we felt his genuine love to serve and help others,” they added.
Arago was an active officer and member of numerous community organizations in the CNMI. He was the president and founder of the Tan Holdings Football Club, which currently has over 100 active players and coaches.
Family members, friends and colleagues said Arago was selfless.
They said when Saipan was struck by two destructive natural disasters, Super Typhoons Soudelor and Yutu in 2015 and 2018, Arago used his own personal resources to provide food and other assistance to affected community members.
Bishop Ryan Jimenez of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa said Arago was “sensitive to the needs of others — he was a man who genuinely cared for everyone…. Eli centered his life on the Eucharist, and he lived out his faith concretely through his genuine concern and love for those in need.”
