CNMI joins Guam in mourning senator Ben Pangelinan

Gov. Eloy S. Inos and others from the CNMI are joining Guam in mourning the loss yesterday of longtime Guam senator and former speaker Vicente “Ben” Pangelinan, whose family has roots on Saipan. Pangelinan passed away yesterday after a valiant battle with cancer.

Vicente “Ben” Pangelinan

Inos, Sen. Pete Reyes (Ind-Saipan), and former lieutenant governor Diego Benavente separately said the CNMI and its people extend their sincere condolences to Pangelinan’s family, the Guam Legislature, and Guam as a whole.

“It’s a big loss to the people of Guam. Senator Ben has always given a balanced view on many issues; that’s a good thing,” Inos said in an interview at the Rotary Club of Saipan meeting yesterday at Hyatt Regency in Garapan.

The governor said Pangelinan advanced the Democratic Party’s political views and ideals, but at the same time provided the public a venue to express their own views and opinions.

Inos said he knew Pangelinan from their college days in the late ‘60s at the University of Guam.

Benavente said Pangelinan is one of Guam’s longest serving senators, and has been a champion of peoples’ causes.

“I knew him even before he was a senator…I knew him to be very dedicated and truly loved by the people of Guam. We are going to miss him. He’s always been one of the Guam senators we call on if we in the CNMI have issues with Guam. He always responded,” Benavente said. He added that Pangelinan is his uncle.

Benavente said during his early years as a senator, Pangelinan was known as someone who’s “Saipanese or Guamananian.”

“I thought he was getting better, so his passing came as a surprise,” he added.

Pangelinan was co-author of a Guam bill that is now paving the way for the CNMI to export cattle or livestock to Guam. Bill 297-32, co-authored by Guam Speaker Judith Won Pat, became law in May, removing a required test for a cattle disease that is endemic to the whole Marianas but is no longer considered a major concern by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Reyes said notwithstanding the fact that he’s cousins with Pangelinan, he described Pangelinan as a “very well respected lawmaker.”

“His knowledge, his contributions to the Guam Legislature and the people of Guam are substantial. He also has substantial knowledge of budget and finance. He will sorely be missed by the people of Guam and the CNMI. He also shared his knowledge to the CNMI Legislature. His legacy will live on. His tenacity and articulation on every issue that arises…Our family on Saipan are praying for him. We extend our sincerest sympathy, condolences to the family in Guam, the Guam Legislature for the loss of one of its members,” Reyes added.

Within hours of Pangelinan’s passing Tuesday morning, condolences and praises poured in from both sides of the political aisle and from people near and far. Dignitaries spoke of Pangelinan as a tireless advocate for Chamorro self-determination, a true leader and genuine statesman, among other things.