Palacios: I’d rather be working than doing photo-ops

Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, left, and his running mate, Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, speak during a news briefing at the independent party’s headquarters in Garapan last Thursday. (KIMBERLY B. ESMORES)

In response to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres’ statement about Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios’ being nowhere around at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Palacios said he was present but behind the scenes to ensure that policies and regulations are followed so the CNMI can be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

During a news briefing at the independent party’s headquarters in Garapan, Palacios said he has always been present throughout every disaster the CNMI has faced in his tenure as lieutenant governor, including COVID-19. However, he says he has been working behind the scenes and doesn’t need to prove he has been present through photo opportunities.

“Let me be frank. I’ve been very patient and very civil. To me, those statements are childish and just juvenile nonsense. In past disaster situations, I’ve been out there, just like he was. But I don’t need to carry around a press group with me to take pictures of myself to say ‘Hey, I’m out here. No. It’s always been my personality to just get things done without a lot of fanfare,” he said.

Palacios said he preferred to work behind the scenes as he knew he was of more help in ensuring federal rules and regulations were being followed so that the CNMI could get its reimbursements from FEMA for the money spent during each disaster, including COVID-19.

“Do I need to be down at the quarantine sites with him every day? No, I don’t. I would rather be working, and I’ve been working hard, looking at policies and procedures that we need to follow with FEMA’s disaster programs. Honestly, I don’t think our governor knows how to handle policies and programs, or even FEMA procedures. I was on top of the COVID task force, the post-Yutu disaster team, making sure that we got our reimbursement from the federal government,” Palacios said.

He also noted that, although there were no pictures taken of him during disasters, he was out in the community in shelters and helping in any way he could.

“Why go out there and ask somebody to take a picture of me carrying a piece of tangan-tangan, pretending to clear off roads? I don’t do that. I go to the shelters, deliver bottled water, went to the water station down in Lower Base and helped employees and government workers get the water containers filled for people lined up for water,” Palacios said.

He speculates that his opponent in the upcoming runoff needs some way to criticize him and this is the only way he could.

“At the end of the day, when we make an assessment or evaluation of the fiscal responsibilities of how we handle disasters and post-disasters and all the resources that were given to us by the federal government, I work hard to make sure that we follow the rules that we’re supposed to. Now if he’s going out there just for photo-ops, and saying that I’m not present because I’m hiding, I don’t need to hide. Why would I do that? Obviously, he needs to come up with some criticism of me,” he said.

Palacios and his running mate, Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang, are set to face-off with Torres and his running mate, Sen. Vinnie Sablan (R-Saipan), in the upcoming runoff election on Nov. 25.

Palacios and Apatang have since joined forces with gubernatorial candidate Rep. Tina Sablan (D-Saipan), and her running mate, Rep. Leila Staffler (D-Saipan).