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Organic Act of Guam marks 75: A call to remember, reflect and reimagine

Federal Judge Frances Tydingco Gatewood, from left, Supreme Court Justice Robert Torres, Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio and Speaker Frank Blas Jr. speak at a press conference at the Congress Building on July 1, 2025. Photo by Myracle Mugol
Federal Judge Frances Tydingco Gatewood, from left, Supreme Court Justice Robert Torres, Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio and Speaker Frank Blas Jr. speak at a press conference at the Congress Building on July 1, 2025. Photo by Myracle Mugol

  By Myracle S. Mugol

 

Seventy-five years since the Organic Act of Guam was signed into law, island leaders, descendants of political pioneers and community members came together in solemn reflection and quiet celebration. The moment wasn’t just about honoring a date in history, it was about remembering the people who fought to shape it, and asking what comes next.


“This isn’t just about why laws matter, it’s about why our people matter,” Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio said at a press conference at the Guam Congress Building on July 1.


Tenorio stood at the podium. Behind him were leaders of three branches of government, cultural advocates, student interns and families tied to the very individuals who first pushed for Guam to be recognized, not just as a place, but as a people.


The Organic Act, passed in 1950, gave the people of Guam U.S. citizenship and laid the foundation for a civilian government. Tenorio reminded the room that it was “a beginning, not an end.” It offered structure, not full power. Guam still has no vote for president, and no binding representation in Congress. Even after 75 years, that reality sits uncomfortably with many.


Speaker Frank Blas Jr. welcomed the crowd to “your house,” the Guam Legislature, where some of the first steps toward civilian government were taken. “We remember, we reflect, and we recommit,” he said. His words echoed the quiet urgency of the day, a call not just to commemorate the past, but to confront the present.


Those early steps weren’t easy. The names are familiar to many island families: Carlos P. Taitano, Antonio B. Won Pat, Francisco B. Leon Guerrero, Eduardo T. Calvo, Baltazar J. Bordallo, Joaquin Arriola, Jose S. Torres, Ignacio P. Quitugua and others who took their fight to Washington and came back with news that wasn’t always easy to deliver.


They refused half-measures. They were offered partial autonomy, and they said no. They told the truth. That legacy lives on not in ceremony, but in action.


Chief Justice Robert Torres spoke of the Organic Act as Guam’s de facto constitution, necessary, but not born from the hands of its own people. He reminded the public that the island has tried, twice, to create its own constitution and failed. Until that day comes, he said, the courts will do what they can to interpret the law in ways that reflect the island’s own culture and values. But even then, there are limits.


Del. James Moylan shared that he plans to introduce legislation in Congress to open more consistent dialogue between Guam and the federal government. But the question in many minds remained, why after 75 years, does the island still have to ask to be heard?


Attorney Mike Phillips, grandson of Baltazar Bordallo,didn’t shy away from hard truths. “This wasn’t given to us. We took it,” he said. ‘With effort, sacrifice, and risk.” He spoke about what was said in Washington behind closed doors were insults, accusations, deals offered and turned down. He said what many have always known but few say out loud: Guam’s political progress has always come with a cost. And the bill has never stopped coming.


First Lady Joanne Camacho, who co-chairs the 75th anniversary committee, closed the conference with a reminder that “this isn’t just about history. It’s about who we are. And it’s about what kind of future we want to claim.”


It’s clear to many that the future can’t be built on nostalgia alone. The conversation has shifted. The energy has shifted. Across the generations, there’s a growing sense that something has to change, that this story, while full of pride and resilience, still lacks its final chapters.


Maybe that’s the point. Maybe the 75th anniversary isn’t a celebration in the traditional sense. Maybe it’s a marker. Amoment to pause, to look back, to be honest about what was gained and what was lost. And then to decide, quietly or loudly, what comes next.

Because the question isn’t whether history comes alive. It’s whether the people will.

 

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