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Teresita Apatang Santos (born October 25, 1959) is a politician from the Northern Mariana Islands. She previously served as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives, as a member of the Northern Mariana Islands Senate, and as Secretary of the Department of Public Lands.

Legislative career

Santos, a resident of the island of Rota, is a member of the Republican Party, and represented the 1st Senatorial District. She was the Legislative Secretary of the Senate. She chaired the committee on Health and Welfare; she is the vice-chair of the committees on Education and Youth Affairs, Fiscal Affairs, and Judiciary, Government, and Law, and was a member of the committees on Rules and Procedure and Executive Appointments and Government Investigations. She has spoken of the need to invest more money in the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation to improve its hospital services. As of 2017 she was the only woman sitting in the Senate. Santos served in the House of Representatives alongside Felicidad Ogumoro and Janet Maratita; when the latter was sworn in for a new term in 2011 the three became the first three women to serve together in the House in the history of the Northern Mariana Islands. At the time she was an independent. Her cousin is the former director of the Department of Public Safety on Rota, Felix M. Santos, who challenged her for her seat in the House in 2012.

In the 2022 general election, instead of running for reelection to the Senate, Santos ran to be Mayor of Rota. Aubrey Manglona Hocog won the election while Santos finished third of five candidates.

Secretary of Public Lands

She served as the Secretary of the Department of Public Lands from February 2023 until April 11, 2025. Governor Arnold Palacios appointed former Senator Sixto Igisomar to succeed her.

Electoral history

2009

2012

2014

2018

2024