Fighting spirit: “The Crank” mobilizes aid to Saipan, Tinian

Frank “The Crank” Camacho has always had a fighting spirit, and as a professional fighter from the Marianas, he knows the community carries that same spirit. But he couldn’t sit idle. Right after Super Typhoon Sinlaku tore through the islands, he tapped into his network to gather donations, which were mobilized and distributed to Tinian and Saipan over the past week.

He started looking for a way to help Saipan and Tinian, knowing he couldn’t be out fixing every home himself.

“I’m just a local island boy that loves his islands just trying to figure a way out to contribute and help,” he said. He used what he had—his connections, his platform—and got people moving. He shared that this wasn’t the first time he’s helped mobilize aid for the Marianas, as he also did it after Typhoon Soudelor and Super Typhoon Yutu hit.

He linked up with Steven Gatewood at Matson, who helped secure two 40-foot containers. Jenn Camacho and the Cars Plus Guam team opened up space to collect donations. The support came from everywhere. Big companies dropped off pallets of water, diapers, and other supplies, while others came through with what they could—sometimes just a couple of gallons of water.

One container was sent to Tinian for Mayor Edwin Aldan and his office to distribute, which Camacho saw firsthand. He said the mayor’s office staff moved quickly to get the supplies out to people who needed them. The other container went to Saipan for Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho and his office for distribution.

When he made his way to the CNMI on Thursday, Apr. 30, he said he saw the devastation from the air—everything was brown, he saw houses he had never seen before, tin everywhere, and it looked like a war zone. He said being back home after the typhoon hit different.

“You can see everything online that all these places are badly hit, but ‘til you get here and you feel it in the air and you see the trees that are down, you see the people lining up for bags of ice, it’s so surreal, and it’s so real,” he said. “I just ask that we continue to be the help that we can be. And it’s okay to be the neighbor checking up on neighbors—that’s really what makes us a community.”

When asked how his family on Saipan was doing, he said he was grateful they were safe.

As for his message to the community still reeling from the devastation and recovering, he said there are three things people can control every day: “A good attitude, work hard at getting back to normal, and just be thankful for the little things—for family, for the island, for the community. One step at a time, I think we can get better together.”

He then gave huge thanks to Jenn Camacho and the Cars Plus crew, Steven Gatewood and the Matson team, Mike Limtiaco with Pacific Trucking/Pacific Unlimited Guam, Cara Flores of Nihi Indigenous Media/Duk Duk Goose, Inc., Our Common Wealth 670, Marianas Press, Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho and the Saipan Mayor’s Office, Mayor Edwin Aldan and the Tinian Mayor’s Office, staff from both mayor’s offices working directly with families, Henry Cruz and Sakman, Saipan Shipping, and CTSI Logistics Saipan.

“From big company donations to people giving what they could, every bit of support mattered. This was a true team effort, and it was inspiring to see the Marianas come together for our people in Saipan and Tinian,” he said.