[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 26528-26529]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



    TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE VICENTE CEPEDA BERNARDO, MAYOR OF YONA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 2000

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, as elected public officials, we know the 
hard work and the personal sacrifices it takes to earn the trust and 
mandate of our constituencies. In my home island of Guam, there are no 
elected officials who are closer to their constituencies, or work 
harder in their behalf, even after an election, than our village 
Mayors. Prior to 1990, the title of these public servants was changed 
from commissioner to mayor, but their role in the villages did not 
change, and our dependence upon them, especially during typhoons and 
village-wide activities, did not diminish over the years.
  Guam is a small place with a relatively small population, and our 
people are not far removed from their elected officials--myself 
included. This intimacy, and the expectation of direct and immediate 
access, is especially true of our Mayors. They are called upon in a 
multitude of ways--often to address problems having little or nothing 
to do with the delivery of community service, but to assist with 
private, familial matters. Whether it is to accept representative 
membership on a task force to address an island-wide youth problem, 
dropping out of school, for example, or helping Mr. and Mrs. Villager 
talk to their son Johnny into staying in school, village Mayors are 
expected to attend personally to village matters, large or small. This 
is the case of the Honorable Vicente Cepeda Bernardo, the Mayor of 
Yona, my home village.
  In a few weeks, Mayor Bernardo will leave office after having served 
for many years. More than simply being one of my constituents, Mayor 
Bernardo is a long-time neighbor and friend. I am one of his 
constituents. Like my fellow villagers, I turn to Mayor Bernardo to 
address problems in Yona.
  It would be too easy to let Mayor Bernardo's record of 
accomplishments speak in his behalf. The streets he named in honor of 
Yona's fallen military sons and those residents deserving of the 
recognition are numerous indeed. The capitol improvement projects he 
pushed for--the street lights, five hydrants, pump stations and water 
lines, the police koban, the village gymnasium, the village library, 
the paved roads and more--now benefit Yona and the rest of the island. 
The many, many community activities that he spearheaded earned praise 
for the whole village. But as extensive as it is. Mayor Bernardo's list 
of accomplishments does not convey how well he knew and understood the 
people of his village. It does not convey his deep and abiding love for 
his neighbors or how much he had given of himself over the years. I am 
privileged, as his constituent, neighbor and friend, to commend him for 
his achievements and to thank him for the many, many hours he has 
contributed beyond the regular eight-hour, five-day work-week.
  As his constituent, my family and I have benefited in countless ways 
from his devotion

[[Page 26529]]

to duty and his responsiveness to the needs of the village. I worked 
with him when I was the President of the Parent Teachers Organization 
at M.U. Lujan. Lorraine, my wife, worked with him on many community 
projects and served with him as an appointed member of the Mayor's 
Community Council. Our entire family worked with him on other community 
projects and he performed his duties with dignity and with the 
attention to the needs of his community exemplified his public service.
  I join Mayor Bernardo's family, relatives, friends and fellow 
neighbors in acknowledging his service to the community of Yona and to 
Guam. On behalf of the people of Guam, I proudly congratulate him for 
successfully taking on one of the most challenging and demanding public 
offices in Guam. And as a fellow public servant, I send my warmest and 
most grateful si Yu'os ma'ase. Maolek todo i che'cho'-mu, amigo-hu, 
para i benifisium todo i toatao Guam. Ma sen agredesi i setbisiu-mu 
(thank you very much. The work you have done on behalf of the people of 
Guam has been outstanding. The people of Guam truly appreciate your 
services).

                          ____________________