Attao: Economic revival key to bringing former residents back to CNMI

Rep. Blas Jonathan T. Attao said rebuilding the Commonwealth’s economic lifeline—and bringing back people who once lived and worked in the CNMI—will be at the center of his campaign as he prepares to run for governor with House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez as his running mate.

In a recent interview, Attao confirmed that while he and Villagomez have announced their intention to run as independents, they have not officially kicked off their campaign, citing ongoing legislative responsibilities and the need to focus on fiscal issues.

“We’ll be officially kicking off in the coming months, that’s for sure,” Attao said, noting that he and Villagomez have been meeting regularly with their committee-to-elect. He said those efforts have taken place largely in the background as lawmakers prioritized the budget process.

Attao said work on the budget and cooperation with the administration of Gov. David M. Apatang delayed campaign activities, but for what he described as the right reasons.

“Our job right now as members of the Legislature is to provide a good budget,” he said, adding that lawmakers were focused on delivering an accurate and balanced spending plan.

Although the budget has been passed and signed into law, Attao said the CNMI continues to face austerity measures, with impacts felt across public agencies, including Public School System and Northern Marianas College. He said revenue collections remain a challenge and that lawmakers are continuing to look for ways to improve the Commonwealth’s financial position.

Running as independents, Attao said he and Villagomez are focused less on party politics and more on long-term economic recovery. Central to that effort, he said, is reversing the steady loss of population and encouraging former residents to return.

“If we grow our economic lifeline, we’ll be able to provide more services to our people,” Attao said, pointing to education, health care, utilities, and NMC. Economic growth, he added, would allow the CNMI to “maintain the population or bring back the population, bring back our people to work back in the CNMI.”

Attao said many former residents—professionals in particular—have left the CNMI in search of opportunity elsewhere, creating what he described as a brain drain. He said attracting those individuals back home would strengthen government, private industry, and the overall community.

“We have so many professionals from the CNMI that their talents are being used elsewhere,” he said, adding that their return would help generate new ideas and reduce long-term economic strain.

He also said the CNMI is not made up of one people, but rather is a Commonwealth built of different races.

“A lot of these individuals were a big part in the growth of the CNMI. Their children grew up here. They went to school here. They became family members, and if there's anything that the Commonwealth is known for, it's that they consider everybody family, no matter what or where you come from. When you sit at the table, we eat the same food.”

And for Attao, nobody eats less than the other person, and nobody gets a different type of menu from the other person.

“My dad always brings this up that you eat the same Spam that I eat, so we have to make sure that we distribute the Spam equally, so that everybody gets to eat. At the end, nobody gets hungry, but everybody eats,” he said.

Asked about the broader political field, Attao said he respects the Republican Party’s decision to hold a primary between former governor Ralph DLG Torres and former Sen. Vinnie Sablan. He said he has personal and professional relationships with both and declined to criticize their platforms.

“I respect the primary process and let it take its course,” Attao said.

On economic drivers, Attao pointed to tourism, private investment, and the U.S. military buildup in the Northern Marianas, but said military-related activity has yet to produce meaningful trickle-down benefits for the local economy. He cited construction activity on Tinian as an example, saying the level of investment has not translated into sustained local spending.

“There’s a lot of stuff happening on Tinian,” he said, “but if you look at the economic lifeline of this Commonwealth, there’s really not an impact.”

Attao questioned why military personnel working in the CNMI are often housed in Guam rather than in local hotels, arguing that local hotel stays alone could significantly boost revenues and support tourism marketing efforts.

On casino gaming, Attao said he does not personally support casinos but acknowledged that gambling is legal in the CNMI. He said the focus now should be on determining whether the industry is viable and beneficial moving forward.

“It’s already here. We need to figure it out,” he said, adding that any legislation related to casino gaming must be thoroughly scrutinized.

Attao also raised concerns about whether a single exclusive casino license conflicts with voter-approved referendums on Tinian and Rota, noting that both municipalities approved casino gaming through local votes.

He closed by extending New Year’s greetings to CNMI residents and reiterating his commitment to improving economic conditions and encouraging former residents to return home.

“We are working to bring you guys back,” he said. “We need you back into the fold so that we can share our ideas and help our home become a stronger, better place than when we walked into it.”