Governor hopefuls tackle CNMI’s trust problem

Trust—or more precisely the lack of it—was the first order of business when the three candidates for CNMI governor squared off last Tuesday night, Aug. 18, during the Marianas Press 2026 gubernatorial debate at Pacific Islands Club Saipan’s Charley’s Cabaret.

Independent candidates Lawrence F. Camacho and Blas Jonathan “BJ” T. Attao and CNMI Republican Party candidate Ralph DLG Torres were immediately confronted with a blunt question: How would they tell the public the truth even when that truth makes their own administration look bad?

Moderator Thomas Manglona II didn't mince words.

“There is an apparent lack of trust in the CNMI government. Recent audits, or lack thereof, point to major concerns. The CNMI has a trust problem. People feel that leadership covers up problems instead of fixing them. How will your administration be different in telling the public the truth, even if the truth reflects poorly on your administration?”

The question quickly produced three different answers—and eventually some finger-pointing.

The issue had already surfaced in the candidates’ opening statements.

Camacho, a former Education commissioner, painted a bleak picture of the CNMI economy and questioned how the Commonwealth reached its current situation.

“So we ask, what happened? How did we get here? And more importantly, how do we move forward?” Camacho said.

He later warned against returning to what he called “the same old status quo leadership,” while criticizing the management of public funds and missed opportunities to build a stronger and more efficient government.

Attao centered his opening statement on what he called “a voice for all,” promising transparency, accountability, responsibility, and fairness.

“A transparent voice means your government does not lie to you or hide things from you. It's open and accountable,” Attao said.

Torres, a former governor, used much of his opening statement to defend his economic record and contrast it with conditions today. He pointed to government budgets and employment levels during his administration and said the November election would determine whether the CNMI revives or continues to decline.

“This is what happens when leadership does not know how to grow and build an economy,” Torres said. “Our kids pay the price.”

When it was time to answer the first question, Camacho said transparency could not simply be a label slapped on an administration.

“We will be accountable. We will hold each other accountable,” Camacho said, adding that competent professionals would be appointed and held responsible for their respective positions.

Camacho didn't stop at promising accountability. He turned the question on his two opponents.

“If you want to really get to the bottom of it, we can ask the two gentlemen to my left. What happened? Why are we not trusting the government? They've been in the government for a while,” Camacho said.

Attao responded by pointing to his and running mate House Speaker Edmund S. Villagomez’s records in the Legislature and said they would accept responsibility for whatever problems they inherit.

“We will take responsibility for actions,” Attao said. “We know that when we get to the administration, no matter what administration, we will inherit the good and the bad of that administration.”

Attao then zeroed in on the Commonwealth’s overdue audits, saying they were five years behind. He said the delays were affecting access to federal funding and depleting local revenues.

Torres, for his part, defended the transparency of his administration.

“My book has always been open as a governor for my whole tenure,” Torres said.

He pointed to annual audits before the COVID-19 pandemic, said audit delays became more widespread during the pandemic, and maintained that his administration had been transparent with the public, including during typhoon recovery.

Then came the rebuttals.

Attao returned to the issue of why people had lost faith in government.

“There's lost trust in government because there's investigations that have happened over the last couple years,” Attao said.

He said bringing government audits up to date would be a priority and argued that federal officials were closely examining Commonwealth expenditures because those audits were not current.

Torres fired back when Attao brought up investigations.

“No governor has been more scrutinized than myself,” Torres said. “The FBI came in and they did raid my office. They raided my home. But after six years of investigation, no charges was brought in by the FBI.”

Torres also addressed charges brought against him by the CNMI Office of the Attorney General and described advice he said he received from the attorney general regarding a legislative summons and first-class travel. Those statements were Torres’ account during the debate.

Camacho got the final word in the rebuttal round and said the problem went beyond overdue audits.

“It's really a matter of trust. And how do we then ensure that people can gain that trust back to the government?” Camacho said.

Drawing on his experience as Education commissioner, Camacho said he had encountered situations in which the Executive Branch had not provided all required information to the Legislature, while lawmakers told him they lacked information they needed.

“It is bad,” Camacho said, adding that the governor and lieutenant governor should provide leadership that brings the executive, legislative, and judicial branches together.