MCS rules AG’s Cup anew

For the seventh straight year, Mount Carmel School won the Attorney General’s speech competition that was held yesterday at the Hibiscus Hall, Fiesta Resort & Spa.

Mount Carmel senior Ruby Ann Reyes Venus, 17, bested eight other contestants during the 25th annual competition. Not only did Venus win the AG’s Cup but she is also the first female to have won in seven years.

This year’s competition theme was “Should the NMI and Guam unite as ‘One Marianas’ to form the 51st state of the Union?”

The contestants were asked to thoroughly discuss the concept of “One Marianas” including its advantages and disadvantages. A roadmap of how reunification of the two island communities should be implemented by leaders in Guam and the Northern Marianas, as well in the United States, was included.

Venus delivered a roaring speech in favor of reuniting the two island communities. She cited the economic and security advantages should Guam and the Northern Marianas reunite.

In arguing the economic advantage of reunification, Venus said that “in this global marketplace, only those communities that network with each other can succeed.”

“And when we consider the coming military buildup on Guam, now is the time to forge strategic partnerships that can and will benefit both sides,” Venus argued.

She remembered a comment made by Judge David Wiseman when he chaired the Armed Services Committee of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce.

“As he told Pacific Magazine, popular tourist destinations within easy flying distance of Guam, such as Bali in Indonesia and the Philippines, are off-limits to the U.S. military and their families, making Saipan an attractive alternative,” she said.

As for the security advantages, “By forging closer ties with Guam and the United States we can benefit from the enhanced security that a military presence brings. And despite the claims that military bases are military targets, there is no denying that having a military presence in this region serves as both a shield and a deterrent against possible attacks,” she said.

Besides these benefits, Venus added that “the greatest advantage would come not from reuniting with Guam; it would come from uniting with the United States of American.”

She said that if one would really get right down to it, “being part of the American political family has helped secure life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for everyone.

Venus was born on Saipan to Filipino parents. As an American citizen, she said this gives her the right to be a Filipina [on American soil] and the freedom to be herself.

Venus is a member of the Sacred Heart Chapter of the National Honor Society, the Red Cross, and the Drama Club. With experiences in the mock trial competition, Drama Club, and the National Forensic League, she is able to express herself through speech as well as other academic areas.

Venus says she is very ecstatic to win this year’s competition, especially to be the first female to win after seven years.

Her speech coach and MCS principal Galvin Deleon Guerrero said the competition brings “a lot of pressure, with huge expectations.

“We’re the ones that people are out to get, which makes it harder every year. But we treat each year as if it’s the first year. We don’t see ourselves as defending a title, we see ourselves as winning it anew each year,” he said modestly.

This year’s second place was a tie between Marianas Baptist Academy sophomore Micaela Tenorio Demapan, 16, and Kagman High School sophomore Mercilynn Kaneshi, 15.

Fourth place went to Calvary Christian Academy senior Kelsey Reyes, 17.

Other contestants in this year’s speech competition were Adelay Mojica, 16, Marianas High School; Aesha dB. Sablan, 16, Northern Marianas Academy; Dheena Elayda, 16, Rota High School; Richille Vela Denora, 17, Saipan Southern High School; and Genevieve L. Santos, 17, Tinian High School.