Palacios, Torres submit candidacy papers with GOP bets

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, fourth left, and Senate President Arnold I. Palacios, third left, join Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, Rep. Angel A. Demapan, and the GOP Precinct 3 candidates in yesterday’s filing of candidacy at the Commonwealth Election Commission’s office. Others in photo are, from left, Rep. Frank Dela Cruz, Ralph Yumul, Rep. Don Barcinas, Rep. B.J. Attao, Rep. Joe Itibus, and Rep. Ivan Blanco. (Jon Perez)

Both incumbent Ralph DLG Torres and Senate President Arnold I. Palacios (R-Saipan), who are gunning for the two highest offices in the CNMI government, filed their petitions for candidacy at the Commonwealth Election Commission Office in Susupe yesterday, together with the other candidates on the CNMI Republican Party slate.

Torres said his partnership with Palacios got started even way back when they first met at the House of Representatives of the 16th Legislature.

“I’ve had a good relationship with the Senate president. When I first got into office, he was the House speaker, and he gave me chairmanship over the Health, Education, and Welfare Committee. Since then, I have had a very good working relationship with him,” said Torres, adding that he and Palacios “shared the same passion and commitment” when they began communicating for the upcoming elections.

“It was only fitting; the both of us decided naturally that we would make good partners,” said Torres.

Torres pointed out that so far, the CNMI has been doing very well. He noted several key improvements, such as a reduction in the government’s deficit to about 57 percent; prioritizing the Retirement Fund; Public School System funding increases; Commonwealth Health Center and Department of Public Safety equipment procurement; police officer salary raises; and many others.

“…Our platform is to continue…prioritizing our current priorities,” he said.

Long-term goals, according to Palacios, include sustaining the economy to make it “work across the board.”

“…Even the little person in our villages [can] benefit,” Palacios said. “We will continue to make sure that public services…will benefit… our people and our children,” he added.

Palacios recalled of times five years ago, when the priorities were “who not to cut.” Today, those priorities are “how to move ahead and how to make sure we elevate the lives of our people,” he said.

“The first thing that we need to continue to do is sustain this economy that Governor Torres and the late governor Eloy Inos plotted and the legislature [pushed for],” said Palacios, adding that criticisms are part of the job. “At the end of the day, I sleep well because I know that our people are being helped one way or the other and that the highest priority is that we continue to do that across the board.”