Ben's Bio
Post Office Box 2100
GMF, Barrigada, Guam 96921
(671) 473-4236
Senator Vicente (ben) C. Pangelinan
Good Friend, Great Leader
Good Experience in Government
Senator, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 29th, 30th, 31st
Speaker, 27th Guam Legislature
Director, Association of Pacific Island Leaders
Special Assistant, Office of the Governor Ricardo J. Bordallo
Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor Ricardo J. Bordallo
Staff Assistant, Office of Delegate Antonio G. Won Pat
Good Experience in Business
President/Owner, Group Pacific Suppliers
Principal Consultant/President, Pacific Presence Group
Founding Director, Graphic center, Inc.
Founding Director, Micronesia Graphics, Inc.
Director, Fifth Wheel, Inc.
Director of Operations/Associate Regional General Manager, FHP/HML Guam
Associate Director of Operations, FHP/HML Guam
Director of Government and Public Affairs, FHP/HML, Guam
Member Relation Officer, FHP, Guam
Assistant Warehouse Supervisor, Guam Transport and Warehouse
Expediter, Guam Transport and Warehouse
Delivery Driver, Guam Transport and Warehouse
Summer Resident Worker, St. Fidelis Friary, Capuchin Fathers
Good Education
San Vicente Elementary School, Barrigada
Father Duenas Memorial High School
University of Guam, Mangilao
Georgetown University, Washington D.C.
Bachelor’s Degree, Government
FHP Executive Staff Development Program
PAF Fellowship
Pacific American Foundation
Toll Fellowship
Council of State Governments
Good Record
As a public servant, you can always count on ben to listen to you and be on your side. He is truly a Good Friend of the people and a Great Leader for our island.
As Chairman for the Committee on Appropriations and the Office of Finance and Budget, he gained support from the Executive Branch to pass a fiscal year line item budget that was organized and balanced completed in an unprecedented time frame never seen in the government of Guam. His budget reflected the priorities of education, health and safety in the allocation resources.
Responding to business challenges, he streamlined services and established the one-stop permit program to assist existing and new business. He wrote the Guam Business Corporations Act, the first major update of the law in over 30 years, to increase opportunities for investments to improve the economy. Now individuals can form businesses with a minimum of red tape.
He is a Good Friend in the community with laws that provide facilities to support healthy lifestyles. He authored the law that allowed the public-private partnership which built the Dededo Soccer Stadium and the future Southern Soccer Complex. He created a law that incorporates bicycle lanes and pedestrian ways in the planning and development of future Guam Transportation Facilities.
He is a Good Friend to Government of Guam retirees and led the fight to make sure that a longstanding Cost of Living debt owed to them was paid. He is a Great Leader and was able to convince his colleagues in the Guam Legislature to pass several pieces of legislation to find the resources to make these payments. To be sure that the retirees were part of the discussions for their healthcare, he mandated that they were part of the GovGuam negotiations with health insurance companies. He led the successful effort which resulted in the payment of over $100 million in past due tax refunds.
To support local physicians who see patients at the Guam Memorial Hospital that do not have any health insurance, he extended the limits of government liability coverage to doctors who see Medically Indigent Program patients in their private clinics.
He is a Good Friend to the environment introducing legislation promoting the development of renewable energy to require the Guam Power Authority to establish renewable portfolio standard goals. He established the net-metering program, which credits homeowners who install renewable energy production capacity.
He is a protector of natural resources for Guam by declaring the property in and the right to the use of all water, at any time in a stream, river or other surface sources and water located beneath the ground and in the aquifer in Guam are vested in the government of Guam.
He understands the importance of the cultural preservation of Guam by creating the “Hatdin Amot Chamorro” which identifies a portion of Chamorro Land Trust lands specifically to grow herbal medicinal plants for “Suruhanus” and “Suruhanas” to use for traditional medicines.
He provided $500,000 for the eradication of the Coconut Rhino Beetle that was mysteriously introduced in Guam and has caused serious damage to coconut trees and the risk of losing Guam’s symbolic icon.
He has led the fight for a fair and open government on the Legislative floor and in the highest courts of Guam, the Ninth Circuit of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.
He is a Good Friend of farmers, establishing the crop compensation program to help them recover from typhoons, floods and other disasters. He created the Agriculture Board of Commissioners, a policy making body to give them a voice over agriculture services. He also re-established the Farmer’s Coop and identified land for them to lease from the government of Guam for a central meeting place to sell their goods and products.
Understanding the sacrifices of our veterans, he wrote the law that allowed us to honor those who served and were wounded in battle by the construction of the Purple Heart Memorial at Skinner’s Plaza.
As a Great Friend of education, he showed how greatly he cares for our children and teachers by prioritizing the construction of new schools, repair of existing schools, new facilities at the University of Guam and enhancements at Guam Community College. He authored the law that provided over $150M for public education. His legislation created and provided millions in funding of educational trust funds at the University of Guam and the Guam Community College, the largest endowments ever.
As a Great Leader, he creatively developed financing and gave immediate cash totaling over $23M to the Guam Memorial Hospital, Department of Public Health, Department of Mental Health, University of Guam and Guam Community College by securing the tobacco funds at no cost to the people of Guam. He established trust funds, which ensures the funding for programs at these institutions will continue into the future.
Friends listen, understand… and care
Good Friends make Great Leaders