THE Senate has adopted a joint resolution to recognize and honor Edward DLG Pangelinan, a key figure in the Covenant negotiations between the NMI and the U.S. government.
Authored by Sen. Paul A. Manglona, S.J.R. 22-14 recognizes and honors Pangelinan “for his monumental service and role in shaping the history and future for the people of the [CNMI].”
Born on Saipan, Pangelinan is the son of the late Joaquin B. Pangelinan and Magdalena DLG Pangelinan.
He is husband to Dulce G. Pangelinan and father to Michael, Joseph, James, Jenny-Ann, Melissa, and Matthew.
After graduating from Tumon High School on Guam, Pangelinan earned his associate of arts degree from the University of Guam, bachelor of arts degree from George Washington University, and his juris doctorate from Howard University’s School of Law.
He was a recipient of the Trust Territory scholarship and the Government of Guam scholarship for college and law school.
Pangelinan become the first lawyer from the Marianas to be admitted to the NMI and Washington D.C. Bar.
He would later serve as assistant attorney general of the Trust Territory government.
“Pangelinan held a vision which was inspired by the people of the Marianas, that would eventually shape the history of the [NMI], a vision for a more promising future for the people, and one where the people of the [NMI] would be in a closer political relationship with the [U.S.],” the joint resolution stated.
It added that Pangelinan “knew that to accomplish his goal, he needed to associate himself with a political position… that would allow him to shape public policies.”
He “worked with great efforts to establish the political status of the Marianas in the year 1970, when he was elected as a senator of the Congress of Micronesia.”
On May 18, 1972, the Mariana Islands District Legislature approved Act No. 2-1972, to establish the Marianas Political Status Commission, or MPSC, consisting of 15 members who would then represent the NMI in negotiations regarding its political status with the U.S. government.
Two years into his term as COM senator, Pangelinan became the MPSC chairman on September 7, 1972.
The Covenant, which established the CNMI in political union with the U.S., was signed by Pangelinan, other MPSC members, and Ambassador Haydn Williams, the U.S. president’s personal representative.
The Covenant was also approved overwhelmingly by NMI voters, passed by the U.S. Congress, and signed into law by President Gerald Ford
The Covenant enabled the Commonwealth to “observe innumerable enhancement aspects, such as healthcare, the overall economy, as well as many opportunities individuals enjoy as [U.S.] citizens,” the joint resolution stated.
“Pangelinan, in addition to his hard work towards the establishment of the CNMI Covenant, has incurred various endeavors which has enhanced his work ethics, to include serving… as a board member of the Commonwealth Ports Authority, the Foreign Investment Board, and the Joint Commission on Future Status of the Congress of Micronesia.”
In 1977, he became the first elected resident representative of the NMI to the U.S.
He also worked as administrative director to Ben Blaz, the Guam delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, from 1985 to 1993.
Pangelinan likewise served as legal counsel and special advisor to former Resident Representative Juan N. Babauta, from 1994 to 2001.
He also served as advisor to former Resident Representative Pete A. Tenorio from 2002 to 2009.
Edward DLG Pangelinan
