Christmas message

Editor’s Note: The following is the Christmas message of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres. It is being published today as it was received after the Dec. 24, 2020, edition of Saipan Tribune had already gone to print.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, Marianas!

Christmas reflects all that is best in our island spirit. This holiday season is always a special time of the year for rejoicing with our family and friends, for spreading charity and goodwill throughout our villages, and for giving thanks for all the blessings and little things in our lives. Despite the challenges of this unprecedented year, we are blessed and grateful to be living in one of the safest places in the United States from COVID-19. We are reminded of the hard work and goodwill being done every day by our doctors, nurses, first responders, COVID-19 Task Force, government employees, and private partners to protect our community.

To everyone who calls the Marianas home, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and I are sincerely grateful to all of you for looking out for one another this year. It takes a home, a village, an island, and one Marianas to keep our closely-knit community safe, and we did that together against all odds. As we move forward with the vaccination of our community, we look toward achieving our common goal of rebuilding our economy and safeguarding our islands for the future.

In the spirit of the holiday season, let’s look out for one another. The pandemic has been hard on all of us, but that shouldn’t stop us from spreading Christmas cheer. A lot of great people in our community are leading the charge in giving gifts and meals to our children and families in need. This is part of who we are as an island community. 

As we close this year, let us renew our bonds and friendships with one another and remind ourselves that we are one family working together to build a safer and more prosperous Marianas. Un familia, un guinaiya, inafa’maolek, tipiyeew.

From our families and our entire administration, we wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year! Please have a safe holiday season, and continue to look out for one another.

Ralph DLG Torres, (Special to the Saipan Tribune)
Ralph DLG Torres is governor of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.