LibDay committee adopts theme, offers $20K prize for best floats

The 2024 Liberation Day Committee has adopted the theme “Honoring memories from the past with moments of today” for this year’s festivities this coming July.

In addition, the LibDay committee said it will award a total of $20,000 to winners of four best float categories.

The theme and prizemoney for winning floats were announced during a press conference last Tuesday that was also attended by Saipan Mayor Ramon Blas “RB” Camacho.

The LibDay committee said it has a big task ahead as the festivities taking place that week will not only commemorate liberation from Camp Susupe after World War II, but will also incorporate the 80th year anniversary of the Battle of Saipan and Tinian.

Delbert Pua, who chairs the LibDay committee, shared the goal this year is not only to provide family friendly activities, but also educate the younger generation on the reason behind the Liberation Day celebration.

“This year’s 78th Liberation it’s very much important that we reflect, just like our slogan, to start educating our young children about Camp Susupe,” he said.

The LibDay Committee, Pua said, wants to convey that Liberation Day is not only about fireworks, popcorn, and cotton candy.

“This is an educational awareness that we want to restore back and reintroduce it to our young generation that are not well aware of Camp Susupe. This year’s motto is ‘Honoring memories from the past with the moment.’ We want to fill that gap and make our young generation understand why it’s so important to be well aware with this slogan. Because that was the time when our Chamorros and Refaluwasch were given an opportunity to go back to their normal life.”

Pua shared that along with the traditional festivities, they will also be scheduling movie nights that will hopefully help better inform the younger generation about World War II and Camp Susupe.

Committee board member and parade coordinator Priscilla Iakopo also shared that they are currently looking for more candidates to join this year’s Royal Court with the April 19 application deadline fast approaching, although she bared the application window maybe extended to the end of May.

“You must be a born female, 16-25 years old, a permanent resident of the CNMI, as well as other criteria. We really encourage anyone who is interested to come to the Saipan Mayor’s Office or visit our social media [pages] and website,” she said.

Pua added they were also hoping to see some candidates not just from Saipan, but also from Tinian, Rota, and the Northern Islands.

“What mayor Camacho wants to emphasize is that the Liberation Day queen continues to be a role model within our community and serve as an ambassador whether here on island or off-island,” Iakopo added.

On the Liberation Day parade route, Pua shared that this will be one of the committee’s biggest challenges due to the ongoing construction along Beach Road.

“What I can say is that we are personally communicating with the secretary of the [Department of Public Works]. We’re hoping they can finish that road construction by July. If worse comes to worse, we will have to find a parade route that we will be able to accommodate our community. So right now, I don’t want to speculate on anything and say it’s going to be done by July. I think that question should be referred back to DPW.”

Camacho added that there are a lot of other parade routes that they are looking at and hopefully in two to three weeks’ time, they should have a concrete decision.

He also extended an invitation to businesses, the private and public sectors, and community members to join the 2024 Liberation Day festivities.

“I’m humbly asking the public, business community, and the non-profit groups to join us. If we all are connected there’s nothing impossible in our islands. Let’s show the youth that we are all working together. It’s a diverse community, just one island, one CNMI. So as a mayor I want to see us all of us working together to promote our islands to our visitors and our own kids.”

Aside from Pua and Iakopo, the 2024 Liberation Day Committee is also made up of vice chair Edmond Borja, board member Toni Songao, board member and concessions chair Frankie Camacho, secretary and sponsorship chair Pearl Kaipat, marketing chair Jeanette Sarabia, marketing member Milli Camacho, concessions chair Beverly Javier, logistics chair Jojo Attao, treasurer and finance chair Joylynn Atalig, hospitality chair Frances Sablan, entertainment chair Gordon Marciano, grandstand chair Vivian Sablan, and Royal Court chair Bridgette Maratita Deleon Guerrero.