Tudela vows bigger, better LibDay Parade next year

Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela said next year’s Liberation Day Parade will still be in the afternoon but he vowed to make it bigger and better.

In an interview with Saipan Tribune shortly after Friday’s parade, Tudela said he believes that more people participated in this year’s event than in 2007.

Tudela estimated about 2,000 people joined Friday’s three-hour march along the stretch of Beach Road in Garapan.

“Everybody enjoyed themselves. Even though it was a hot day, they had fun,” he said.

The mayor said he plans to hold next year’s parade in the afternoon again.

He said it is better to have it in the afternoon than in the morning, not only to avoid the scorching sun, but also because people have more time to stay and watch the entertainment at the Garapan Fishing Base.

After the parade, Tudela said, people would have the time to purchase foods and drinks and other items at the many booths.

It was the second successive year that the parade was held in the afternoon.

Tudela noted that the delegations from India, Japan, and China were very happy to join the event. He said the government did not incur any costs for the visitors’ participation.

“So I am intending to have this thing better next year,” the mayor stressed.

Tudela said the parade went smoothly although sometimes the marchers slowed down the pace. He commended the organizing committee for the “big success of the event.”