SAIPAN – Former CNMI Lt. Governor Diego Tenorio Benavente called for tighter regional cooperation, both politically and financially, in his remarks to the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures (APIL) Board of Directors this morning at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan.
Benavente framed Micronesia and the North Pacific as a “blue continent,” saying the islands should not be defined by distance but by connection. He told lawmakers that economic recovery, public welfare, and long-term self-determination in the region will depend on acting together instead of competing
“Recovery cannot come from competition or blame,” Benavente said. “It must come from the tasa of cooperation and the haligi of shared values.” He used the image of traditional Chamorro latte stones, the base and the cap, to describe political solidarity and economic independence as two parts of the same foundation for the islands.
Benavente addressed delegates and legislators from across APIL’s member jurisdictions, including the CNMI, Guam, the Freely Associated States, and other North Pacific partners. He urged them to align legislative goals with financial capacity by bringing APIL and the Pacific Islands Development Bank (PIDB) “closer together again, so that our legislative goals and financial tools move in the same direction.”
Benavente said APIL was built so island legislators could “think and act together,” rather than rely on “distant assumptions.” He tied that mission directly to the founding of the PIDB more than three decades ago, calling the bank proof that the region can pool its own resources, finance its own priorities, and fund projects that might otherwise be out of reach.
“The APIL and PIDB together are the foundation of our regional strength,” he said. “One gives us the means to speak with a common voice, the other gives us the tools to turn that voice into tangible progress.”
He also described current fiscal pressure across Micronesia and the North Pacific as “genuine hardship,” citing shrinking revenues, rising costs, and “difficult choices” for island governments. He said the CNMI is “probably among the most financially challenged right now,” noting that unlike its neighbors it does not benefit from large-scale fisheries revenue, major military buildup spending, or high-volume tourism.
Because of that, Benavente said that he spoke on behalf of CNMI leaders including Governor David Apatang, Lt. Governor Dennis Mendiola, Senate President Karl King-Nabors, and House Speaker Edmund Villagomez when he told visiting delegates to “please spend every bit of your per diem while you’re here,” and, if possible, dip into their “personal budget too.” He said even that makes a difference in Saipan’s current economy.
Beyond money, Benavente said the real value of APIL is what lawmakers take home and apply. He credited lessons from APIL and other regional bodies with shaping his work as a CNMI legislator and lieutenant governor, and said he has spent years encouraging CNMI elected officials to attend APIL sessions because “we can all learn from each other.”
Benavente closed by asking current leaders to “look beyond personalities and politics” and to treat APIL and PIDB as institutions that must outlast any single administration. He also called for cultivating “the next wave of island legislators, economists, and administrators” to carry the work forward.
“Our strength has never been in our size, but in our unity,” he said, comparing the region to a traditional woven necklace of many small pieces, “each one different, yet bound together.” He said the islands of Micronesia and the North Pacific are strongest “when united in purpose.”
“The challenges before us are serious but not insurmountable,” Benavente said. “If we continue to work as one blue continent, one family, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.”
Full video of Benavente’s remarks is posted on nminewsservice.com and the NMI News Service social channels
