Palacios' remains back on Saipan; CNMI pay tribute to the late governor
- Admin
- Jul 27
- 3 min read
'He was an American hero:' Think tank fellow says Palacios deserves a White House representation at his funeral
By Bryan Manabat
Saipan — Undeterred by heavy rains from a passing tropical storm, residents of the Northern Mariana Islands gathered in solemn tribute as the remains of former Gov. Arnold I. Palacios returned home, marking the beginning of a series of honors for the late leader.
Palacios' remains arrived from Guam on July 26 aboard a C-130 U.S. military aircraft, accompanied by First Lady Wella Palacios and their two daughters.
At the Marianas Air Connection Services hangar at Francisco C. Ada Saipan International Airport, they were received by a CNMI honor guard representing all branches of law enforcement, along with family members, government officials, and residents.
Along the route to Cabrera Funeral Home in Garapan, many residents stood in the rain with umbrellas and raincoats, quietly paying their respects as the hearse passed by, followed by a motorcade.
Newly sworn-in Gov. David Apatang expressed his sorrow over the unexpected loss.
“We were committed to work together for four years. Our commitment was to work hard for the people of the Commonwealth,” Apatang said.
Cleo Paskal, a non-resident senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, described Palacios as “an American hero” who tried to clean up the CNMI and curb China’s influence on the territory.
“Governor Palacios deserves at least the vice president of the United States to attend his funeral. This was an American who is fighting on the front line of the third world war in a way that very few other Americans have,” Paskal told Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist and host of the podcast, War Room.
“Governor Palacios was holding the line for all of us. He repeatedly requested publicly for FBI investigations into what was going on with the casino, with the former governor, Ralph Torres, under whom about half a billion dollars of ARPA funding was not properly accounted for,” Paskal said.
Paskal is a columnist for The Sunday Guardian, covering the Pacific island region.
She recalled that in April, Palacios wrote to the CNMI Del. Kimberly King-Hinds urging her "to ask Kash Patel to send in investigators for, and this is the quote, ‘intensive investigations of public corruption.’"
"This is the governor of a territory saying, 'Come investigate me. He said, I'm opening up all my books. Come look at everything, and clean us up. We are a national security risk to the United States.' He put his life on the line, very literally, in order to protect the United States of America and to clean up the CNMI for his people, for the people of the Marianas,” she added.
Palacios collapsed on July 23 at the Governor’s Office.
After an initial assessment, medical personnel at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. recommended an emergency transfer to Guam for specialized care. Later that evening, around 11 p.m., the administration announced his passing.
Palacios, the CNMI’s 10th governor, had served since January 2023. He previously held the position of lieutenant governor under Gov. Ralph DLG. Torres from 2019 to 2023.
Prior to that, Palacios served four terms in the House of Representatives and was the speaker in the 16th Legislature. He was elected to the Senate in 2014, and later a Senate President before becoming lieutenant governor and later governor.
Memorial Masses are being held at Kristo Rai Church and Mount Carmel Cathedral. A state funeral is currently being arranged by the administration.
Correction: The earlier version of this story mistakenly stated that Gov. Arnold Palacios collapsed while officiating a wedding ceremony at the Governor’s Office. Our sincere apologies for the error.
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