Camacho, Deleon Guerrero hear Filipino community concerns in meet-and-greet

Independent gubernatorial candidate Lawrence F. Camacho said his campaign's decision to hold a meet-and-greet with the Filipino community was driven by a desire to hear directly from one of the CNMI's largest and most economically significant sectors, while emphasizing that every segment of the Commonwealth deserves the same opportunity to shape public policy.

Speaking after the gathering last June 27 at Bravo Kitchen in Garapan, Camacho said the event came about after members of the Filipino community requested an opportunity to meet with him and running mate Edith Deleon Guerrero.

"The way I operate and the way she and I have been talking to is that every sector of the community is important," Camacho said. "Every sector of the community can reach out to us. We would love to reach out to all the sectors as well, and we will throughout this campaign."

Camacho said the Filipino community deserved recognition because of its longstanding role in the CNMI's development.

"This community... has contributed so much to the economy, to the Commonwealth, in the way of its economic development," he said. "We wouldn't be here if it weren't for a lot of the hard work that our people, the indigenous people, had worked alongside the Filipino community."

He added that while the event focused on one community, the campaign intends to engage every sector of the population.

"The Filipino community is just another special sector that we have in this very diverse population that we have in the Commonwealth," Camacho said.

Deleon Guerrero described the forum as an opportunity to hear directly from residents about the issues affecting their daily lives.

"It's a great turnout. It's very engaging, very personable. The questions are great," she said. "It's really what's affecting our people every day, and that's what we want to hear from them."

She added that the campaign intends to continue meeting with all sectors of the community.

"Everybody is important to us. Everybody in our community for the Commonwealth," Deleon Guerrero said. "Tonight was just one of the events that we are scheduled to do, and we do plan to engage everybody else."

The town hall covered a broad range of issues, including the future of the Commonwealth-Only Transitional Worker program, Employment Authorization Documents for longtime residents, the proposed Guam-CNMI visa waiver for Filipino travelers, federal immigration policy, and strategies for reviving the CNMI economy following Super Typhoon Sinlaku. Attendees also discussed rebuilding tourism, improving infrastructure, attracting investment and strengthening communication with the federal government.

One of the evening's most substantive exchanges came from businessman Mar Masilungan, who said he does not support another extension of the CW program and instead urged local leaders to advocate for a more permanent immigration pathway for longtime foreign workers.

Masilungan argued that another extension would largely benefit employers while leaving many longtime workers and their families in continued uncertainty. He also expressed concern over delays in EAD processing, saying they have affected both workers and businesses, particularly during the islands’ post-typhoon recovery. He encouraged the candidates to continue advocating for longtime Filipino workers who have established lives and families in the CNMI rather than relying on repeated temporary extensions.

Responding, Camacho thanked Masilungan for sharing his perspective and said discussions like that were precisely why the campaign wanted to meet directly with residents.

"We actually have proclaimed ourselves non-politicians," Camacho said. "We're just here to simply give our best shot so that we can take hold of the administration and turn this thing around and work with everyone."

He added, "On Day 1, we will bring everyone to the table," including professionals and community members with the expertise needed to address the Commonwealth's challenges.

Throughout both the interview and the forum, Camacho and Deleon Guerrero repeatedly sought to distinguish themselves from traditional politicians.

In the post-event interview, Camacho said, "I'm not a politician," adding that he was focused on understanding the issues and working collaboratively rather than building political coalitions. Deleon Guerrero likewise said, "The focus is our people, our Commonwealth. It's not about us."

During the discussion, Camacho also described himself as a rancher and scholar, saying he believes his background gives him a practical perspective on solving problems and working across different sectors of the community.

On the proposed Guam-CNMI visa waiver for Filipino citizens, Camacho and Deleon Guerrero said the Commonwealth should continue working with the federal government to pursue greater travel flexibility under the Covenant relationship while recognizing that immigration authority ultimately rests with Washington. D.C. They also outlined broad priorities for economic recovery, including restoring investor confidence, improving government finances, rebuilding infrastructure, strengthening tourism, and expanding agriculture, and food security.