Son remembers Ogumoro’s passion for CNMI’s NMDs

If there’s one thing Kodep Ogumoro-Uludong remembers most about his mother, Felicidad Taman Ogumoro, it was her passion for the indigenous people of the CNMI and upholding their rights as guaranteed under the Covenant, which outlines the CNMI’s relationship with the United States.

Ogumoro-Uludong, who is the former CNMI Office of Planning and Development director, said Thursday it was his mother’s vision that guided her work, whether as a legislator, a government employee, or as a private citizen.

He said his mother often repeated in her speeches and presentations that “a strong, sustainable Commonwealth, where the right to control the resources and the destiny of our islands, remains in the hands of our native people, and where an improved quality of life is enjoyed by all those who call our islands home.”

Ogumoro, 74, passed away at her home on Saipan last Wednesday at 7:45pm. She succumbed to peritoneal cancer. She has four children and five grandchildren.

Ogumoro-Uludong said funeral services for his mother will be held on Jan. 13 at the Mount Carmel Cathedral.

It was only in July last year when the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies awarded Ogumoro the Spotlight Award to recognize her service and commitment to the public and the Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander community. Ogumoro-Uludong traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the 5th Annual APAICS Women’s Collective Summit on July 27, 2023 in Washington, D.C. to receive the award on his mother’s behalf.

The Spotlight Award is given to an Asian American or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander woman for breaking barriers and for outstanding leadership in elected office.

APAICS president and chief executive officer Madalene Xuan-Trang Mielke said the award recognized Ogumoro’s work to address poverty and uplift women, and as the first female of Carolinian heritage to be elected to the CNMI House of Representatives.

In 1978, Ogumoro became the first female of Carolinian heritage to be elected to the CNMI House representing Precinct 5. She served in the government of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the private sector, and local government for over 50 years.

In 2021, the CNMI House presented her a House resolution that paid tribute and commended her for more than 50 years of distinguished service to the people of the Commonwealth. Family members received the resolution on her behalf.