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Angel Santos
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Angel Santos
Angel Anthony Leon Guerrero Santos III (April 14, 1959 – July 6, 2003), also known as Angel L.G. Santos, or Anghet, was a Chamorro rights activist and Guamanian politician. Santos served as a Senator in the Guam Legislature from 1995 to 1999 and again from 2001 to 2003, and was a candidate for Governor of Guam in 1998 with his running mate Jose “Pedo” Toves Terjale, a future Mayor of Yona.
Santos was born 14 April 1959 to Angel Cruz Santos II and Amanda Cruz Leon Guerrero.
Santos was active in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) while he was in high school, and enlisted in the US Air Force after he graduated. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force after 13 years, and was stationed in Montana, Texas, Hawaii, Mississippi, California and Guam.
As both an activist and an elected official Santos took seriously the issue of environmental damage caused by the US military presence on the island. He took on this issue not only because of the role it may have played leading to his daughter’s death, but also because of the hazardous dump sites and explosive ordnance that the US military had left around Guam after World War II. One such site was owned by Santos’ uncle in Mongmong. Santos conducted several studies and held hearings, all of which pointed to the detrimental effects on the health of the land and the people after years of militarization on Guam.
Since the 1970s it was unusual for public leaders to be openly critical of US immigration policy and discuss the minoritization of Chamorros due to the influx of other ethnic groups. Most politicians would not touch this issue if they expected to win elections. Nevertheless, Angel Santos, in spite of his position on US immigration policy, made the transition to public servant when he was elected to the Guam Legislature in 1994.
Santos ran for office in response to a challenge by Judge Unpingco, who had presided over his 1993 case. The judge had told Santos that if he, the defendant, “wishes an opportunity to challenge the title of the United States, the defendant must work with the legislative branch of government for the passage of a statute that would allow him to do so.”
As an activist, Santos had tried to work outside the system, but he made a decision as a senator to try to change things from within the government. Although he was well known as a critic of US policies and the federal government, Santos also regularly criticized the corruption of the local government. For example, he was critical of the Chamorro and non-Chamorro elites who he claimed controlled the island’s media and economy.
While the public perception of many was that Santos was a “racist” who only cared about Chamorro issues, Santos actually campaigned hard on a platform of human rights. He believed protecting Chamorro rights was something that benefited everyone; fighting against inequality in Guam and for low-income families benefited everyone. Many non-Chamorros were attracted to his message of seeking justice for all, not just Chamorros. For example, as a senator he organized protests on behalf of Filipinos who had approached him because of the ways they had been wrongfully targeted by landlords and been evicted.
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Angel Santos
Angel Anthony Leon Guerrero Santos III (April 14, 1959 – July 6, 2003), also known as Angel L.G. Santos, or Anghet, was a Chamorro rights activist and Guamanian politician. Santos served as a Senator in the Guam Legislature from 1995 to 1999 and again from 2001 to 2003, and was a candidate for Governor of Guam in 1998 with his running mate Jose “Pedo” Toves Terjale, a future Mayor of Yona.
Santos was born 14 April 1959 to Angel Cruz Santos II and Amanda Cruz Leon Guerrero.
Santos was active in the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) while he was in high school, and enlisted in the US Air Force after he graduated. He was honorably discharged from the Air Force after 13 years, and was stationed in Montana, Texas, Hawaii, Mississippi, California and Guam.
As both an activist and an elected official Santos took seriously the issue of environmental damage caused by the US military presence on the island. He took on this issue not only because of the role it may have played leading to his daughter’s death, but also because of the hazardous dump sites and explosive ordnance that the US military had left around Guam after World War II. One such site was owned by Santos’ uncle in Mongmong. Santos conducted several studies and held hearings, all of which pointed to the detrimental effects on the health of the land and the people after years of militarization on Guam.
Since the 1970s it was unusual for public leaders to be openly critical of US immigration policy and discuss the minoritization of Chamorros due to the influx of other ethnic groups. Most politicians would not touch this issue if they expected to win elections. Nevertheless, Angel Santos, in spite of his position on US immigration policy, made the transition to public servant when he was elected to the Guam Legislature in 1994.
Santos ran for office in response to a challenge by Judge Unpingco, who had presided over his 1993 case. The judge had told Santos that if he, the defendant, “wishes an opportunity to challenge the title of the United States, the defendant must work with the legislative branch of government for the passage of a statute that would allow him to do so.”
As an activist, Santos had tried to work outside the system, but he made a decision as a senator to try to change things from within the government. Although he was well known as a critic of US policies and the federal government, Santos also regularly criticized the corruption of the local government. For example, he was critical of the Chamorro and non-Chamorro elites who he claimed controlled the island’s media and economy.
While the public perception of many was that Santos was a “racist” who only cared about Chamorro issues, Santos actually campaigned hard on a platform of human rights. He believed protecting Chamorro rights was something that benefited everyone; fighting against inequality in Guam and for low-income families benefited everyone. Many non-Chamorros were attracted to his message of seeking justice for all, not just Chamorros. For example, as a senator he organized protests on behalf of Filipinos who had approached him because of the ways they had been wrongfully targeted by landlords and been evicted.