IF they win the runoff election, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres and his running mate Senate Floor Leader Vinnie F. Sablan said their first 100 days in office would be a continuance of the work that they are currently doing.
Senate Floor Leader Vinnie F. Sablan, left, and Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.
“We’re given these resources,” Torres said. “I think in the next 30 to 90 days, or 100 days, we are going to see these coming into fruition, and we’re going to see our economy really ready for tourism.”
He said he hopes to continue the vision of transforming the CNMI into a world-class destination.
Sablan, for his part, said, “I think in the first 100 days, or even the first day, is just to continue the work. It doesn’t have to take 100 days, but the work has been continuing right now, with new airlines, a lot of new infrastructure projects, and trying to get our tourism industry back in, trying to be proponents of small businesses and young entrepreneurs through the [Building Optimism, Opportunities, and Stability Together, or] BOOST program. These are all programs…that any government should provide, not just the CNMI.”
“That’s what your government leaders are here for,” Sablan said. “That’s what your government is here for, to provide for your constituents, to provide for your communities. When people say that the community is struggling, then this is it, we give these resources to them, and that’s what helps them.”
He added, “It’s unfortunate that there are other spins to it, but I feel good when people receive a resource from our government. There’s some stress off of their shoulders and all that, so we’re just going to move forward with really just a lot of hard work, and that’s what we have to put in: focus and hard work. Focus on what we have to do.”
“We’re not going to be here for an eternity,” Sablan said. “There are going to be new sets of leaders that are going to come in, but right now, it’s our time to do what we need to do. That’s what the Torres-Sablan tandem will do: just continue the work. [That’s the] bottom line. Provide for our community members, provide for our families, a greater quality of life for our people. We’ll do it on the first day, we’ll do it on the last day, and we’ll keep doing it as long as the people give us the blessing to do that. That’s what we’re here for. That’s what all the elected officials are here for, just to do the work. That’s the bottom line.”
Torres said, “We have this BOOST program that we have been working on. Because of the election year, should I hold off on it and say to wait until the election [is over] and then decide whether to do it or not? Our term doesn’t end until January. I am governor of the CNMI all the way until January. We’re in this process whether or not we get another four-year blessing from our community…and until January, I am obligated to make sure that I try everything I can to provide you the resources and opportunities.”
He added, “And I believe that we’ve done that, and we will continue to do that. Whether it’s an election year or not, we are bound to make sure that we work as hard from the first day until the last day. That is something that Senator Vinnie and I have continued to show our Commonwealth.”
In a gubernatorial forum hosted virtually by the Marianas Agupa radio talk show earlier this year, Independent gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios said he and his running mate, Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, would focus on fiscal responsibility and infrastructure recovery in their first 100 days in office.
