Diego Benavente chooses family and home in his final weeks

09/15/2025 – Former lieutenant governor Diego Benavente has received the hardest news of his life: Doctors say he has only weeks, perhaps a few months, left to live. 

Diagnosed in August with acute leukemia—the aggressive Philadelphia chromosome-negative type—the 66-year-old was offered an exhausting treatment plan of chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant, with no guarantee of recovery.

He declined.

“I didn’t want to go off on months and months of suffering, maybe not even sure if I would ever come back and live a normal life,” he said. “Some have said to me, quality versus quantity. Quality for me right now is really to stay here on Saipan, be with family and friends, continue to do what I love to do, play golf, go fishing.”

His wife of nearly 50 years, Vicky, admits the decision has been painful but ultimately empowering. “There are moments where I can’t even talk,” she said, her voice breaking. “But his positivity, his courage, has given me strength. He has always been the calm father, the loving husband, the strict but loving as well, but he has given me everything that I've ever hoped for in life.”

For the former House speaker and lieutenant governor, this final chapter has brought unexpected blessings. 

“Not too many people have the chance to be able to take care of things, right? I mean, in a small island with big families here, every once in a while, a death in the family just creates many conflicts and friction among family members.”

Benavente’s career stretches across decades of the CNMI’s history. He entered politics in 1987, losing his first race by just six votes, then won a House seat three years later. He went on to serve six terms, eight years as speaker, presiding over the boom-era budgets of the 1990s. He later served as lieutenant governor from 2002 to 2006, navigating the turbulence of federalization and the garment industry’s decline.

Along the way, he left a visible mark. As speaker, he once shut down a session to block a casino legalization vote he believed would harm Saipan. As lieutenant governor, he chaired the task force that closed the notorious Puerto Rico dump and opened a modern landfill. He also championed the ban on commercial net fishing in the Saipan Lagoon, a law still in effect today.

“Sometimes you just have to take a stand,” he said of those years.

Even after leaving elected office, Benavente continues to advise leaders for a symbolic $1 a year. But he remains frank about the Commonwealth’s missteps. 

“We messed up with the garment industry. We messed up with the casino industry. I wish that we could do more in our tourism industry. I think it's the clean industry. I think it's a good industry. I think it's a safe industry for our people who live here in our islands. It's been frustrating to see that our leaders have not made, continue to make this priority, and now it's too late,” he said. 

Benavente said his biggest regret as an elected official of the Commonwealth is that he didn’t act for the CNMI to save for the rainy day. 

“Rainy days come with the reduction in tourists from Japan. Rainy days could be electing somebody like Donald Trump, who has decided to cut a lot of the programs that we survive on. And we didn't. So now our legislature is trying to figure out how to make ends meet.”

Even in his final days, Benavente’s mind remains on the Commonwealth’s future. He worries about leaders focused more on reelection than long-term policy. “Too often our elected leaders, their policy guide is how do I get reelected,” he said. “Unless we change that, it’s hard for me to accept that this is our own doing.”

As for the CNMI’s young generation, Benavente encourages them to be part of the Democratic process and perhaps get rid of voting based on familial relationships. 

“The majority of the registered voters are now educated. And now it's time for those educated younger voters to make a decision that, you know, don't just vote because he's your cousin. Vote because he or she is going to do what's best for the Commonwealth. If we can do that, we're on our way to improving, resolving the many challenges that we have in the Commonwealth, and there are many.”

As for his legacy, Vicky describes it as, “It's all about family to us. It's really about taking care of family first.” 

Then, being an elected official, of course, comes next, as she said her husband will always be known as someone who really cared for the people of the CNMI.

“I mean, when it came to his politics, people, my people, were always, I'd say, first and foremost in everything he did, this is good for the people, this is going to help our islands.”

As for how his extended family and close friends that he confided in reacted to his diagnosis, Benavente said it’s been amazing—the kind words, phone calls, and messages he’s gotten—just being appreciated, being respected, and those are enough for him.

Through it all, he hasn’t lost his humor. “I asked the Lord if he could just grant me another year or two,” he laughed. “The Lord looked down at me and said, ‘What more do you want, Diego? You’ve done so much. You’ve lived a full life.’ And honestly, that’s how I feel.”

Now, as he spends his days fishing, golfing, and enjoying time with Vicky, children, and grandchildren, Benavente says he is ready. 

“I've been so fortunate, not just with my political career, but with my personal life. And being here in the CNMI, I feel that I've come to the point where I'm satisfied with what I've been, who I am, what I've been able to do. And so, leaving is really not such a hard decision for me.”

Report by Thomas Manglona II, Mark Rabago, and Chrystal Marino.