Faustino Yangmog

Faustino Yangmog is a public utility and energy-sector executive from Ulithi, Yap State. He has held senior leadership roles in both state utilities and national energy enterprises, playing a central part in the modernization of infrastructure and management of fuel and power systems throughout the country.

Yap State Public Service Corporation

For two decades, Yangmog served as General Manager of the Yap State Public Service Corporation (YSPSC), the independent utility responsible for electricity, water, and sanitation services across Yap and the Outer Islands of Yap. He oversaw expansion of distribution systems, and represented Yap in regional infrastructure and renewable-energy initiatives. Unique among utilities in the FSM, YSPSC primarily covers its expenses through customer revenues and does not receive taxpayer support for operations and maintenance.

During Faustino Yangmog’s time as General Manager, YSPSC earned a reputation as the most reliable and financially independent utility in Micronesia. According to World Bank and government reports, residents of Yap paid the lowest electricity rates in the country. YSPSC’s finances were stronger than those of other state utilities, bringing in enough revenue from customer payments to cover nearly all of its costs, while others relied more heavily on subsidies. For water and wastewater services, YSPSC not only met its expenses but also generated a small surplus—rare for an island utility of its size. By 2019, roughly 85 percent of Yap State households had electricity service, compared with about 43 percent in Chuuk. Throughout his tenure, Yangmog emphasized steady management and self-reliance—running the utility on the revenue it earned, keeping rates affordable, and expanding service without depending on government support.

Chairman of Vital Energy

Alongside his state-level work, Yangmog serves on the Board of Directors of the FSM Petroleum Corporation (“Vital Energy”), the national enterprise for petroleum importation, storage, and distribution. Appointed Vice Chairman in 2008 and later Chairman and Yap Representative, he continues to oversee corporate governance and national pricing policy, representing the corporation in consultations with state leaders on hydropower, energy security, and coordination with other utilities.

Under his chairmanship, Vital Energy maintained a price-stabilization framework that benchmarks domestic pump prices to regional markets, softening short-term volatility. Yangmog announced both price increases and reductions as world markets shifted—from 2018 adjustments to pandemic-era cuts in 2020—emphasizing balanced management between fiscal responsibility and consumer welfare.

He has also advanced diversification initiatives, most notably the “Coconut-for-Life” program, designed to generate rural incomes and reduce fuel import dependence through copra-based biofuel production. Expected to be fully operational by 2026 or 2027, the program reflects his call for community participation through renewed coconut planting. Under Yangmog’s Chairmanship, Vital has also explored renewable-energy and hydropower options in coordination with state and foreign partners.

In his various capacities, Yangmog has represented Yap and Vital in diplomatic and donor engagements, linking technical operations with policy formulation on national energy planning. As YSPSC general manager and later as Vital chair, he routinely coordinated with Yap’s traditional leadership—particularly the Council of Tamol—on utility operations and emergency planning affecting the Outer Islands.

FSM Congress Candidacy

In September 2025, Faustino Yangmog announced his candidacy in the special election to complete the term of the late Senator and former President Joseph J. Urusemal. The election, scheduled for November 12, 2025, would determine who would fill the remainder of the term as Yap State’s at-large representative to the FSM Congress. Traditionally, this congressional seat—one of two allotted to Yap—has always been held by candidates from the Outer Islands and is widely regarded as their reserved domain within Yap’s informal balance of representation.

Alongside Yangmog, two other Outer Island leaders entered the race: Jesse J. Salalu of Ulithi and Andrew R. Yatilman of Satawal. Paradoxically, and in what may be interpreted as a direct response to Salalu’s own precedent-breaking ascent to the governorship, a Yapese candidate, John Mafel, also filed to run—challenging, for the first time, the long-standing understanding that the at-large seat belonged to the Outer Islands.