LibDay Royal Court coronation date set in July

The 2018 Liberation Day Royal Court coronation has finally been given a date and venue: on July 1 at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan.

This was learned during the Liberation Day committee’s weekly meeting last Tuesday. Liberation Day Royal Court chair Monique Boyer Sablan informed the committee of the coronation date.

According to Sablan, she has distributed over 50,000 tickets to this year’s five candidates, which means ticket sales seem to be going well.

The pageant is a fundraising event for the Liberation Day festivities. The candidates are required to sell tickets and the one who raises the largest amount is crowned the Liberation Day queen.

This year’s Liberation Day candidates are Brinae Jessilyn Maratita Cruz, Lovely Joey B. Loyola, Connie B. Mendiola, Milagro Omar Palacio, and Taylor Chong Sablan.

Cruz, 14, resides in San Antonio. She is in 8th grade and attends Francisco Mendiola Sablan Middle School. She joined the Liberation Day pageant to gain experience and meet new people. She also hopes to encourage other young women to join the pageant in the years to come.

“Life has just begun for me and I want to take every opportunity to expose myself before my chances are over, making every second count during my teen years,” she said.

Loyola is 15 years old and lives in Chalan Kiya. She is a freshman at Marianas High School. Loyala chose to join the pageant so she could break out of her shell and be more social.

Mendiola is 14 years old and lives in Dandan. She attends Saipan Southern High School and she is currently in 9th grade. According to Mendiola, her reasons for participating is to get involved with the community, gain experience as a public figure, and boost her self-confidence.

Palacio is 14 years old and lives in Susupe. She attends Marianas High School where she is a freshman. Palacio’s motive to join was her friends and family. “People were talking about it. My friends and family urged me to join this year’s royal court,” she said.

At 17, Sablan is the eldest in the group. She lives in i-Denni. Sablan attends school at Kagman High School and is in 11th grade. Sablan seeks to become closer to the CNMI community. “This pageant will open more doors for me to get involved, give back, and meet new people,” she said.