{"id":322359,"date":"2020-05-06T06:01:39","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T20:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=322359"},"modified":"2020-05-06T06:01:39","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T20:01:39","slug":"froilan-lang-tenorio-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/froilan-lang-tenorio-80\/","title":{"rendered":"Froilan \u2018Lang\u2019 Tenorio, 80"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Both the American flag and CNMI flag in front of the Guma Hustisia are flown at half-staff yesterday, same as with all flags across the Commonwealth, to honor former governor Froilan \u201cLang\u201d Tenorio, who passed away on May 4, 2020, in Texas. Inset shows Tenorio\u2019s photo on display at a wall in the CNMI House of Representatives, where Tenorio was a former speaker. (KRIZEL TUAZON\/IVA MAURIN)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Former governor Froilan \u201cLang\u201d Tenorio, who served from 1994 to 1998 as the fourth governor of the CNMI, passed away on May 4, 2020 in Fort Worth, Texas. He was 80 years old.<\/p>\n

To honor him, all flags across the Commonwealth were all lowered yesterday to half-staff.<\/p>\n

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, who announced Tenorio\u2019s passing yesterday via a proclamation, said, \u201cLt. Gov. [Arnold I.] Palacios and I, along with our families, join the Commonwealth in mourning the passing of Governor Tenorio. Our prayers are with his wife Grace, their children, and grandchildren.\u201d<\/p>\n

Torres paid homage to Tenorio\u2019s many roles in CNMI politics, first as a CNMI senator, then as the CNMI\u2019s Washington representative, then as the CNMI\u2019s fourth governor, and finally as a member of the CNMI House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernor Tenorio led a great life that was highlighted by his decades of public service. He was a true statesman in every sense of the word. He was deeply devoted to our islands and worked hard to protect them during his years,\u201d Torres added.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang also extended his condolences to the former governor\u2019s wife and children. \u201cNever tiring to make our CNMI the best place to live, raise a family, do business, and relax, Mr. Tenorio dared to steer our path toward growth, prosperity, and constant expansion of economy,\u201d Apatang said.<\/p>\n

Like Apatang, Rep. Luis John Castro (R-Saipan) also paid tribute to Tenorio\u2019s legacy by reminding the CNMI of the former governor\u2019s role in improving the infrastructure of the islands, particularly its highways and telecommunication systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of his most recognized accomplishments while in office was the construction of the Saipan Beach Pathway in 1997, an iconic landmark still popular to this day for exercise and recreation which was renamed after him in 2016,\u201d said Castro. \u201cAlways straightforward and at times controversial, Tenorio left an indelible mark on the history of our islands,\u201d Castro added. \u201cHe leaves behind a legacy as someone who always tried to think ahead to move us as a territory and a people forward, because in his words he believed that, \u2018Clearly the world is changing, and so must we.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

All flags in the CNMI\u2014both the CNMI and U.S. flags\u2014shall remain at half-staff until the day of Tenorio\u2019s interment.<\/p>\n

Governor\u2019s statement<\/p>\n

According to Torres, Tenorio was praised for his commitment to growing the economy as a way of creating jobs for the people of the CNMI. \u201cHe believed in private sector success and fiscal conservatism and worked hard to advocate for the CNMI\u2019s needs with the federal government.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond service to our Commonwealth, he had a deep love and passion for the Marianas. He believed in personal freedom for all residents who call the Marianas home, and his belief is represented every day when we walk along the Governor Froilan C. Tenorio Beach Road Pathway and enjoy the views of our beautiful Saipan lagoon,\u201d Torres added. \u201cThe Commonwealth will forever remember one of its most devoted public servants as a man who helped pave the way for our islands\u2019 progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remembering Tenorio\u2019s life<\/p>\n

Born on Sept. 9, 1939, to Albert Camacho Tenorio and Rita Dela Cruz Tenorio, the former governor grew up in Chalan Kanoa, completed his primary education at the Chalan Kanoa Elementary School in 1952, at the Saipan International School in 1954, and completed high school at the Duenas Memorial School of Tai in Guam in 1958.<\/p>\n

Tenorio earned an associate degree from the College of Guam in 1962, and then his bachelor\u2019s degree in Civil Engineering from Marquette University of Milwaukee, in Wisconsin in 1967.<\/p>\n

For four years, he began his career and worked as an engineering assistant at the Department of Public Works in Los Angeles, California, before returning to Saipan, and then eventually founding the Tenorio Construction Company.<\/p>\n

He started serving the people of the CNMI in 1980, as a senator; as Washington representative from 1984 to 1990; as governor from 1994 to 1998; and as House speaker from 2010 to 2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former governor Froilan \u201cLang\u201d Tenorio, who served from 1994 to 1998 as the fourth governor…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[94],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-322359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-headlines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/32"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=322359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322359\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=322359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=322359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=322359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}