COTA chief passes away due to cancer

Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority special assistant for public transportation Thomas Camacho succumbed to cancer last Saturday. He was just 55 years old.

It was not immediately clear what type of cancer Camacho suffered from, but the disease apparently metastasized to affect multiple organs. There were also no other details given as to which hospital treated Camacho before his passing.

Thomas Camacho

A funeral service is scheduled for Camacho this Saturday in which Gov. Eloy S. Inos will pay tribute to the late COTA chief.

“No words can express our sense of loss of a dear friend and colleague. Tom was a quiet and unassuming friend who dedicated a major part of his public service to creating programs to assist our community members with disabilities and their families,” Inos, in a statement, said.

According to Inos, “the result of his (Camacho) dedication to low-income families and individuals with disabilities will live on through the Developmental Disabilities, COTA, and other related programs.”

“His service in my administration, even while battling his illness, is a testament of true statesmanship. He left a legacy that will live on,” Inos said.

The governor also offered his condolences to Camacho’s family, including Anita Camacho, their children, and all members of the Camacho family.

Legacy

Thomas Jesus Camacho was born on Jan. 1, 1960.

According to his official resume, he held various government positions. He worked for the Office of Disability Policy and Programs under the Office of the Governor from 1993 to 1994, and 1996 to 1997.

After a brief corporate stint, he again worked under the Office of the Governor from January 2006 to the present.

He also worked for the CNMI Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Department of Lands and Natural Resources.

But his legacy will continue to be the COTA programs which he envisioned for the CNMI, according to Vince C. Merfalen, mobility management and transit coordinator, said

Merfalen said COTA was established in May 2011 and from the start, it was Camacho leading the way for the agency’s programs.

“Even his position (as special assistant for public transportation) was created by Public Law 17-43, the law that created COTA,” Merfalen said, adding that many consider Camacho as the vision behind the COTA and its “founder.”

Merfalen said Camacho was not just the leader of COTA, but the agency is his “project, effort, and dream.”

COTA, which is mandated to public transportation services to the CNMI, is currently heading a public transportation service called “Call-A-Ride” in which the public can make arrangements to be transported anywhere on Saipan for a flat fee. Special vehicles for the disabled are also available.

The service currently has two working vans. From a modest start, the service already posted impressive numbers with a total of 7,504 passengers in 2014, Merfalen said.

However, an even bigger public transport program is currently being developed, Merfalen said.

The project involves using 10 buses, each with a capacity of 20 to 30, to ply seven routes all across Saipan. The 30-foot buses will be servicing close to 200 bus stops, Merfalen said. He said the project is expected to start in two year’s time, if funding will be made available.

Merfalen said the two projects are just some of the visions that Camacho had for the CNMI. Unfortunately, Camacho will not be there to see his vision come true.