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CNMI mourns loss of ex-lawmaker Kaipat
Cinta M. Kaipat
Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang joined the Marianas yesterday in mourning the loss of former representative Cinta M. Kaipat, who passed away yesterday.
It was not immediately learned what caused Kaipat’s death but she had been diagnosed with endometrial cancer in 2011, a type of cancer that affects the uterus.
Palacios and Apatang said in a statement yesterday that Kaipat’s commitment to the people of the CNMI, including her service as a representative in the 15th Commonwealth Legislature, will never be forgotten.
They said Kaipat’s steadfast advocacy for the preservation of cultural practices and beliefs, together with her unwavering commitment to the protection of the CNMI’s precious natural resources, will leave a lasting legacy for the ages.
“We express our deepest condolences to the friends and family of former representative Kaipat, and ask all of our community to offer their prayers and thoughts to all those she has impacted and inspired with her generosity, activism, and friendship,” Palacios and Apatang said.
Kaipat’s Facebook page was flooded yesterday with numerous messages of people who remember her passion and love for the CNMI and its people and her advocacies.
Attorney Viola Alepuyo said it is a very sad day as the Marianas has lost a daughter and a champion.
“Cinta loved our people, our community, and our islands. She tirelessly fought to protect the Marianas not just for our generation, but for our children and their children,” Alepuyo said.
She said she will always remember her sister and will never forget her fighting spirit or her love for the people and the Marianas.
Kaipat served as a member of the 15th CNMI Legislature representing Precinct 1, from 2006 to 2008. She served as deputy secretary of the CNMI Department of Labor in 2008.
She founded Beautify CNMI, a coalition of volunteers from the government, private sector, and community members dedicated to make the CNMI a good place to live and visit.
From 1999 to December 2005, she worked as an administrative hearing officer for the CNMI Department of Labor.
In 2018, then-governor Ralph DLG Torres appointed Kaipat to serve in the Marianas Visitors Authority.
