‘Name new park after late governor’

There is a push at the Legislature to name the soon-to-open Puerto Rico Park after the late governor, Eloy S. Inos.

Rep. Angel A. Demapan (R-Saipan) plans to introduce legislation to name the park the Hon. Eloy S. Inos Peace Park to honor the CNMI’s eighth governor.

The Inos family supports Demapan’s proposal.

The park will have its ribbon cutting ceremony next week, with acting Assistant Secretary for Insular Areas of the Office of Insular Affairs Nikolao Pula attending.

Demapan said the legislation is a fitting tribute to the late governor’s contributions to the Commonwealth and honors his years of service both in the private and public sectors. He is now preparing to draft the bill.

“The late [governor] Inos dedicated over 30 years of his life to public service for the people of the Commonwealth. And he embodied all the characteristics of a true statesman, such as intelligence, humility, and kindness,” said Demapan, who served as Inos’ press secretary.

“He possessed a vision that made it possible for him to overcome obstacles and to cross political lines to unite leaders in order to take the government out of its economic decline.”

Inos was a former CNMI Department of Finance secretary, lieutenant governor, and governor during the Commonwealth’s economic slump.

Despite all the problems, he managed to make sure the retirees’ pensions and their beneficiaries would still get their checks on time and laid the foundation for the CNMI’s economic recovery and rebirth.

Inos was also an environmental warrior, championing the cause of protecting and conserving the natural resources of the CNMI.

Demapan said that Inos was instrumental in finally closing down the Puerto Rico dump and secured over $20 million so the area could be converted into a public park for the community to use.

“Then-governor Inos, as a steward of our environment, saw the important need to reduce migration of contaminated water into our lagoon, protect the toe and slopes of the dump from erosion, control stormwater, and collect and safely treat or ventilate landfill gases,” he said.

“He envisioned the conversion of the former dump into a peaceful park that emphasizes the open-space aspect of the area and allows for the preservation of its natural habitat, which usually involves a low level of development that accentuates the area’s natural beauty,” added Demapan.

He said naming the park in Inos’ honor is the best way to always remind people of his leadership and life of service. The park highlights the pristine waters and natural beauty of Saipan’s western lagoon that would become another attraction.

“What’s wonderful about this facility is that it will be a place for everyone to enjoy and it is a place that takes in the natural beauty of our island. Having said this, I truly believe that governor Inos would not have had it any other way.”