Five young ladies to vie for 2012 Liberation Queen title

Five young ladies who will vie for the 2012 Liberation Queen title were officially introduced during the pinning ceremony held at the Saipan Mayor’s Office on Friday.

Mayor Donald Flores led the Liberation Queen Committee members in pinning the sashes and welcoming the candidates who are only given about two weeks to sell tickets to the fundraising pageant as part of the weeklong Liberation Day festivities this year.

“Thank you very much for your interest, despite the short amount of time given to you. Wear your sashes at any occasion so they’ll know that you’re a Liberation candidate. Hustle and give them a big smile,” Flores told the candidates.

The Liberation Queen hopefuls are Carmelyn Agulto, Loria Dee Ada Hocog, Maria Angelica Malasarte, Lydee Rose Sablan Pangelinan, and Susan Park.

The 18-year-old Carmelyn Agulto is the second of eight children of Roman and Ellen Agulto of Kannat Tabla. She graduated from Marianas High School last June 4 and plans to study criminal justice at the Northern Marianas College in the fall semester.

Agulto was inspired to sign up for the competition after having known many girls who joined the annual pageant, including outgoing Liberation Queen Joni Castro. She feels “nervous and excited” about the experience.

“I look forward to get to know the other girls and gain confidence in this process,” added the ukulele-playing lass.

Loria Dee Hocog is the second of four children of Derek and Rose Hocog who used to organize the Fourth of July celebration. The younger Hocog said she was encouraged by family and friends to join her first pageant.

“I’ll go around and ask family and friends to buy my tickets so I can win,” said Hocog, 15, an incoming Saipan Southern High School sophomore.

Maria Angelica Malasarte is no stranger to the stage, having dominated the first ever Pusong Pinoy Valentine beauty pageant organized by the United Filipino Organization in February, as well as the recently concluded Trash in Fashion Show of the Division of Environmental Quality.

“I believe that my experiences in those two events are both advantageous for me because they’ve taught me to be confident which I can use in the Liberation Queen contest,” she said. “Whether I win or not doesn’t matter because it’s the experience that counts.”

The 15-year-old lass is the eldest of four children of Bong and Malou Malasarte of Susupe. She said she is excited to make new friends through the other candidates.

Lydee Rose Sablan Pangelinan, 18, is the oldest of four children of Eric and Angela Pangelinan and is currently taking up Elementary Education at NMC.

“I consider myself an advocate for the youth and I view being a teacher as my way of giving back to the community,” said the Dandan resident who gives credit to her late grandfather, Vicente Juan Pangelinan, as her inspiration in becoming active in community events.

While she and other candidates are pressured to sell tickets for the competition, Pangelinan noted that it’s the experience and the advantage of meeting new people that counts.

“We are all winners,” said Pangelinan, who also won in the Trash in Fashion Show last year. “I don’t consider this as a competition but as a way to meet new people and new friends. With the support of family and friends, I’ll do just fine.”

Susan Park, the older of two daughters of Jun Ho Park and Chae Eun Shin, said she intends to encourage the Korean community to take on a more active role in participating in the biggest community event on island.

Park said she plans to sell tickets through her father, who has been involved in bringing Korean groups to Saipan for the Fourth of July event and the Korean Music Festival.

“I think I’m the first Korean to compete here and I’ll be looking forward to representing the Koreans on Saipan. It’s a great opportunity for me and I’d like to show my very best,” said the incoming junior of Marianas Baptist Academy born and raised on island.

Joni Castro, 2011 Liberation Queen, wished the candidates good luck and advised them to just enjoy the “great experience” they will have despite the many challenges they would face not just during competition but even after being crowned the winner.

“I gained a lot of experience and became a role model for young girls in the CNMI by carrying this title on and off-island. I may join other pageants in the future but for now, I’ll concentrate on my studies. Let’s give the other beautiful women in the islands the chance to shine in the Liberation Queen,” she said.

Tina Pangelinan, Liberation Queen committee chair, said each of the candidates will initially be given 100 booklets to sell. They can ask for more later on if they want to sell more tickets, she added.

Tickets cost $1 each or $5 per booklet containing six tickets.

Pangelinan noted that the candidates will get 20 percent of their ticket sales “so the more they sell, the higher amount they will receive.”

Final dates for counting and coronation will be announced soon, she added. For more information, call 234-6208.