Juan "Pan" Tenorio Guerrero (born December 10, 1949) is a

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territory and Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States consistin ...

politician and businessman. He has been a member of the

Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands The Democratic Party of the Northern Mariana Islands is a political party in the Northern Mariana Islands. It began as a purely local territorial party and is now officially affiliated with the United States' national Democratic Party. History ...

in the past, and ran for

Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

in 2009 as an independent, with Representative Joe Camacho as his

running mate A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position (such as the vice presidential candidate running with a pre ...

Biography

Personal life

Juan Pan Guerrero was born on December 10, 1949, at the United States Naval Hospital, in Maturana Hill,

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

. He was the sixth of the twelve children of parents, Herman Reyes Guerrero and Maria Camacho Tenorio. Guerrero attended Mt. Carmel School on Saipan for elementary school. He attended high school at both

Father Dueñas Memorial School Father Dueñas Memorial School (FDMS) is an all-male Catholic high school located in Chalan-Pago census-designated place, in the United States territory of Guam. It is within the territory of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña. The school ...

, a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

school for boys in

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

, and

Rhodes Preparatory School Rhodes Preparatory School (1911–1987) was a private school New York City, United States and initially located at 8-10-12-14 W 125th Street, Manhattan, New York City, United States, and located for much of its history at 11 West 54th Street. Th ...

in New York City. Guerrero also enrolled at Miami Dade Junior College and the Nebraska Business College for college. He resides in

Gualo Rai Gualo Rai is a settlement (sometimes termed a village or district) on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an Territories of ...

, the

Career

Guerrero is the president of chairman of several CNMI based businesses, including Juan T. Guerrero & Associates, Inc. since 1991, the president and general manager of Herman's Modern Bakery, Inc. since 1972, and the president of the Insurance & Business Management Corporation since 1982. Guerrero was elected to the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, where he served from 1984 to 1985 during the 4th Commonwealth Legislature. During his time in the House, Guerrero served as the chairman on the CNMI House Committee on Appropriations. He was later elected to the

Northern Mariana Islands Senate The Northern Mariana Islands Senate is the upper house of the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth Legislature. The Senate consists of nine senators representing three senatorial districts (Saipan & the Northern Islands, Tinian & Aguijan, a ...

from 1986 to 1990 during the 5th and 6th Commonwealth Legislatures. He was a member of the Committee on Resources and Economic Development and the Special Investigatory Committee while in the Senate. Juan Pan Guerrero was appointed to a four-year term on the Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

in December 2006. He was elected the chairman of the board of trustees in 2007. He remained the chairman of the board of trustees until his resignation on August 6, 2009, to campaign for his 2009 gubernatorial run. Under Guerrero, the board of trustees filed a lawsuit against Governor Benigno Fitial's administration in a dispute over employer contributions. A court later ruled that the government of the Northern Mariana Islands owed the NMI Retirement Fund $231.6 million in employer contributions. Guerrero is also credited with leading the Retirement Fund to suspend payments to delinquent members, halting payments to people who were adopted as

beneficiaries A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example, the beneficiary of a life insurance policy is the person who receives the payment of the amount of ...

after a worker had retired, and suspending refund payments under his leadership.

Candidacy for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands

Juan Pan Guerrero announced that he would run for Governor of the Northern Mariana Islands as an independent candidate. In a joint announcement on March 10, 2009, Guerrero announce that Republican Representative Joe Camacho will be his

in the 2009 Northern Mariana Islands gubernatorial election. Guerrero had admired Camacho's organization during his campaign for the CNMI House of Representatives in 2007. He promised that the campaign and potential gubernatorial administration would be a partnership between the two. Guerrero spoke to a crowd of supporters at the

Lt. Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

announcement at Tan Marikita Café in

Garapan Garapan ( Old Japanese name: 柄帆町, ''Garapan-chō'') is the largest village and the center of the tourism industry on the island of Saipan, which is a part of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Garapan, ...

saying, "There is only one governor. However, the governor has traditionally delegated

authority Authority is commonly understood as the legitimate power of a person or group of other people. In a civil state, ''authority'' may be practiced by legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government,''The New Fontana Dictionary of M ...

and responsibility to the lieutenant governor on certain issues and projects. There are many problems facing the CNMI today. It is only right and proper to delegate authority and responsibility so Joe's education, training, skills and experience can be fully utilized." In a candidate's forum to the NMI

Bar Association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence.

on September 17, 2009, Guerrero told those in attendance that he and Camacho were not answering to

special interest groups A special interest group (SIG) is a community within a larger organization with a shared interest in advancing a specific area of knowledge, learning or technology where members cooperate to effect or to produce solutions within their particular f ...

. Guerrero, who has campaigned to make the NMI easier to do business, said the most important issues facing the Northern Mariana Islands are the economy, relations with the

United States federal government The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States. The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...

, health care, government efficiency, the NMI Retirement Fund, education, the decline in tourism and infrastructure. Guerrero told the Bar that he supports a new, appointed

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

position should be created in the CNMI, with autonomous powers like the public auditor. He stated that politics should not be a consideration in the appointment of judges. On the issue of the U.S. federal government takeover of the Northern Mariana Islands immigration, Guerrero stated that the issue was too important for the government to pick an "arbitrary deadline" for federalization to take effect. Governor Fitial had filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government to stop the federalization of immigration. Guerrero said that the CNMI government should use its own government lawyers in the suit, instead of hiring private attorneys using taxpayer money.

References

External links

Juan "Pan" Guerrero official campaign
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guerrero, Juan Pan 1949 births Democratic Party (Northern Mariana Islands) politicians Living people Northern Mariana Islands businesspeople People from Saipan