77th Liberation Day theme: ‘Resilience Rising’

The 2023 Liberation Day Committee, including Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho, standing, fourth from left, and LDC president and chair Nadine C. Deleon Guerrero, seated fourth from left, convened Thursday morning for a press conference in the mayor’s conference room to reveal the 77th Liberation Day theme and July 4th celebration details. (LEIGH GASES)

This year’s Liberation Day theme will be “Resilience Rising” and this year’s parade will be led by Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang as the grand marshal.

These were disclosed last Thursday at the Saipan Mayor’s Office conference room when the 2023 Liberation Day Committee held its first news briefing, during which they also introduced this year’s committee members, the duration of the festivities, the parade, and a new contest.

The theme “Resilience Rising” for the 77th Liberation Day was chosen because the islands have dealt with Typhoon Soudelor, Super Typhoon Yutu, the pandemic, and the recent devastation of Typhoon Mawar on Rota and Guam.

“We were blessed to have escaped the worst of Mawar, and your Saipan Mayor’s Office and the 2023 Liberation Day Committee are prepared now more than ever to give our community something to look forward to this summer,” said Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho.

The 2023 Fourth of July Liberation Day on Saipan is set to begin on Saturday, July 1, to July 30, 2023, at the Garapan Fishing Base, highlighted by food, live entertainment, a parade, fireworks, and other festivities.

The parade is on Tuesday, July 4, and is expected to start at 10am.  Once again, there will be no royal court this year, but there will be one for next year’s celebration.

There will be a Liberation Day Song Contest and a Battle of the Bands, which is the first time these contests will be held as part of the annual festivities. Auditions will open today, June 5, and end on Friday, June 23. For the song contest, the song lyrics are to be written and melodies are to be composed by solo artists, duets, or bands. Initial tape of the artists must be uploaded to YouTube of them singing and submitted to liberationdaysong@gmail.com.

The 2023 LDC consists of president and chair Nadine C. Deleon Guerrero and members Bridget Maratita-Deleon Guerrero, Frances M. Sablan, Richelle Agpoon, Gordon Marciano, Jeanette Sarabia, Carla Sablan, and Joy Maratita. The 2023 Steering Committee includes Wilfredo Abu, Annamae Adaza, Diane Lumapas, Priscilla Iakopo, Natashia Tomokane, and Teresita Camacho.

“I humbly ask the business community, the nonprofit community, and our government, the legislators, to please contribute. Working together, we all rise together,” said Camacho.

“We understand that we are recovering economically. We do have a financial crisis that is upon us and, despite that, we feel like we need to come together and bring some happiness, some cheer, some positivity back in the community, because it’s been a long time coming with all the worrisome news. I feel like Liberation Day is a break in that cloud, so to speak.,” said Deleon Guerrero.

The 2024 LDC will continue to hold more press conferences to update the community as the festivities draw closer.

Liberation Day in the CNMI commemorates the anniversary of the release of local residents from protective custody of the U.S. military at Camp Chalan Kanoa on July 4, 1946.