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‘People should continue to protect Article 12’
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Posted on Sep 15 2022
Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said Friday that the people of the CNMI should stand up and continue to protect Article 12 of the CNMI Constitution.
Article 12 was established to restrict landownership in the CNMI to persons of Northern Marianas descent, or NMD.
In response to a question during a KKMP press briefing, Torres expressed his position about Article 12 not as a governor but as a father and someone who was born and raised in the CNMI.
“This is not about politics,” said the governor, adding that it is not about his political party either.
He said because land is an individual’s take, every individual has rights to decide what he or she wants to do with his or her land.
Torres said he would like to see Article 12 maintained, as he likes to have his children transfer the land from one generation to another.
“We don’t even have one homestead out of the Northern Islands,” he said.
The governor said Article 12 is the only identity that the people of the CNMI have.
“And it’s been acknowledged by the Supreme Court and that is what we have, and we should hold it, maintain it, as long as we can,” he said.
Torres said he has no problem talking about amending Article 12.
