The meaning of President’s Day in the CNMI

Every year, on the third Monday of February, the nation takes a day off in commemoration of George Washington’s birthday, now a federal holiday known as Presidents’ Day. From Washington to Hoover and Roosevelt to Obama, the United States has had 44 individuals who have held the office of the presidency. In the CNMI, though, the holiday for some people is a three-day weekend and time for a barbecue at the bantalan [Sugar Dock]. These reporters took to the streets for thoughts and comments about people’s favorite Presidents and if islanders should be allowed to vote for America’s commander-in-chief.

Saipan resident Jonathan Pangelinan’s favorite President is Barack Obama. “He is the first black President that the U.S has ever had. People who are the first to do anything inspires me to be a ‘first’ too,” he said.

Pangelinan believes that people in the CNMI should be able to vote “since we are under their government and the Presidents do have a say in government actions that can apply to the CNMI.”

San Vicente Elementary School counselor Chris “Charisma” Cabrera echoed Pangelinan, saying his favorite president would be a “toss-up” between President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Obama.

“They both defied the odds,” Cabrera told Saipan Tribune. “One was in a wheelchair and served three terms, and the other became the first African-American President. …Obama has also pushed for and strongly advocated many areas and issues I hold close to my heart.”

Like Pangelinan, Cabrera “wholeheartedly” believes that as U.S. residents and citizens, “we should have that privilege [to vote] extended to us.”

“Wow, I do not think I can pick just one,” said Mount Carmel School president Galvin Deleon Guerrero, when asked who is his favorite president.

“John Adams has inspired me with his tenacity, but disappointed me with the Sedition Acts. Thomas Jefferson has inspired me with his eloquence, but disappointed me with his anonymous and very vicious attacks on his close friends. JFK [John F Kennedy] and Clinton have inspired me with their call for civic action, but disappointed me with their infidelities.”

Guerrero noted that although President Obama has inspired him with a sense of hope for change, he is disappointed with his “naive disregard for political realities.”

“FDR has inspired me with his bold optimism, but disappointed me with how he set up the military-industrial complex. I guess that leaves Abraham Lincoln as the only one who has inspired me without disappointing me too much. He has inspired me with his moral compass, political acumen, and eloquence as a public speaker,” he explained.

Guerrero thinks that people in the CNMI should be able to cast a ballot for America’s President, “who has the power to send our brave men and women into war.”

Maria Theresa Elizabeth Dizon, a top student at Marianas High School, echoed Guerrero when she chose Lincoln as her favorite.

“He began the process that led to the end of slavery,” she said. “He was also known for bravery and patriotism. I’ve admired his tenacity and willpower against all odds. He did not have much of an education and came from a small town. Despite that, he became a lawyer. It’s my dream to become a lawyer too!”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the president Kanani Lee admires the most. “He was very inspiring. He really maintained the strength of the country as the war carried on,” she said. She also explained that the CNMI, as a U.S territory, should be entitled to the same rights as Americans residing in the states.

Victor Angeline III, a visiting civil engineer from New Jersey who spent his President’s Day on Managaha, agrees that the CNMI should have the right to vote for President.

As for his favorite president, that would be Ronald Reagan, for “his hopeful, enthusiastic message for America’s future.”