Liberation Queen candidates presented

To enhance communication skills and eliminate shyness are just two of the goals of this year’s Liberation Queen candidates as they were presented to the media yesterday afternoon.

Liberation Day Executive Steering Committee held the presentation at the Chamolinian Room of the Hyatt Regency Saipan. Queens committee head Rose Ada-Hocog introduced five of the seven candidates yesterday.

Candidates for this year’s Liberation Queen are Jeannadine Rios, Rona Joyce, Evelyn Pangelinan, Nicole Robert and Indira Jolin W. Kaipat. Hocog said another candidate, Yvonne Passi, would be flying from Rota next week for the event. The other candidate will still be determined later this week, said Hocog.

When asked why they joined the Liberations Queen pageant, the candidates said in unison that the pageant is an opportunity for them to improve their personality and talents. When asked as to the biggest challenge facing them, Rios quipped that “facing the camera” could be the most daring feat they have to face.

The youngest among the candidates is Pangelinan, who is only 15 years old and a high school student at Saipan Southern High School. The oldest would be Rios, who is 20 and studying at the Northern Marianas College, where she is taking up an associate degree in accounting.

Hocog said two candidates already have a group or organization sponsoring them. The United Filipino Organization is backing Santos’ candidacy, while the Carolinian Affairs Office is sponsoring Rios. She said they are still looking for sponsoring groups for the other candidates.

The candidates will be busy for the entire duration of the celebration as they will join parades and other festive activities in line with the Liberation Day celebrations, which has adopted the theme “Liberty, Peace and Freedom.”

The winner in this year’s pageant will be determined through tickets sales. Candidates, their sponsoring organization, friends, and supporters would help distribute the tickets.

Public Information Officer Laila Y. Boyer said proceeds of the sales will be shared by the candidates and sponsoring group and the Saipan Mayor’s Office to support its several community projects.

The Queens committee said they opened the pageant to all interested young women ages 15 to 21 from all ethnic backgrounds. She said they denied the recommendation to open the pageant to U.S. citizens only.

She said the CNMI community is composed of diverse cultures in synergy to achieve unified goals for peace, unity and liberation.

She said interested groups and organization could contact her through 483-6927 for more information. Also present in the media presentation were executive steering committee chair Eloy Inos, and other officers and guests.