Fitial wishes more autonomy for CNMI

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial has expressed a yearning for increased autonomy for the Northern Marianas in a speech before the Filipino community on Saipan.

Fitial was the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony for the 110th Philippine Independence Day celebration in Garapan yesterday.

Addressing a crowd of nearly 1,000 Filipinos, the governor said the Philippines should be proud of its status as an independent nation. Meanwhile, he rued the Commonwealth’s loss of immigration and minimum wage controls.

“As we renew our commitment to CNMI-Philippine friendship and remind ourselves of our many similarities and shared experiences, let us be sure not to lose sight of our celebration of Philippine Independence Day,” Fitial said.

“Unlike the CNMI, the Philippines is an independent nation with its own democratically elected government, with its own national currency and national identity. The CNMI is still a territory of the United States, subject to many U.S. laws, including, more recently, the U.S. immigration and minimum wage legislation,” Fitial said.

He traced the shared history of the Northern Marianas and the Philippines—from Spanish colonialism to Japanese occupation, and finally “a challenging but rewarding relationship with the United States.” He noted that, while the CNMI chose close political affiliation with the United States, the Philippines chose independence from foreign rule.

“It is for this reason that we come together today to celebrate the Philippines as an independent nation in the world. Regardless of the state of the Philippine economy or politics, Filipinos should be proud of their national independence,” he said.

Fitial went on to cite two quotations from former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon. One quote is: “I prefer a country run like hell by Filipinos to a country run like heaven by Americans. Because, however bad a Filipino government might be, we can always change it.” The other is, “My loyalty to my party ends where my loyalty to my country begins.”

The governor said he wished more CNMI elected leaders shared the same sentiment.

The Fitial administration has had a rocky relationship with the U.S. government. The governor and federal officials have publicly argued over recently passed legislation to have Washington, D.C. determine the local minimum wage and take over the CNMI’s immigration control.