Lazaro is AG’s Cup champion

TINIAN—Maria Fe Andrea M. Lazaro, a junior at Mount Carmel School, added another feather to the school’s cap after being hailed as the champion of the 30th Attorney General’s Cup Speech Competition on Friday at the Tinian High School cafeteria.

She, along with five other high school students, answered the competition’s question, “How should the federal government address the CNRA’s requirement that the temporary worker population in the Commonwealth be eliminated?”

From right, Attorney General Joey San Nicolas, Mount Carmel School’s Maria Fe Andrea Lazaro, Presiding Judge Roberto Naraja, and Chief Justice Alexandro Castro pose for a photo after Lazaro was named champion of the 30th annual AG’s Cup Speech Competition. (THOMAS A. MANGLONA II)

“It is not about aliens, it’s not about immigrants, it’s not even about that elusive term ‘indigenous’—it’s about human beings,” she told the panel of nine judges. “Many CW workers have lived and worked here with their families for 10, 15, 20 or more years. My own parents have given their blood, sweat, and tears here for 26 long years. In other parts of the country, five years of legal work is all they would have needed for permanent residency or a green card. But not here. Not now. Not them. This is wrong.”

Lazaro took the position of not extending the Commonwealth Worker permit program. Instead, she said, the federal government should improve the immigration status of all CW workers as part of a broader immigration reform package that grants them interstate mobility.

“We must give CW workers the same freedom that CNMI residents have had for over two decades; the freedom to choose whether to stay here or to seek opportunity elsewhere in the nation.”

She noted that the federal government needs to focus on a broader immigration reform and pass U.S. Senate Bill 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013. This, she said, will pave the way to citizenship for all immigrants—including CW permit holders.

She added that if such a thing were to happen, it will help the economy and address the cultural anxiety among Chamorros and Carolinians.

“Giving the workers the freedom to choose to stay or leave is the right and moral and ethical thing to do,” she said.

Lazaro, whose parents are CW workers, said that her parents and other immigrants deserve to be treated as human beings.

In a later interview with the Saipan Tribune, Lazaro said that winning was “absolutely fantastic, it is a phenomenal feeling.” She attributed her success to her school, coaches, and classmates who helped her form her speech.

“We started preparing three months before the competition and I am glad this team effort and all the work paid off,” she said.

Lazaro is the daughter of Leandro O. and Ma. Christina M. Lazaro.

This is Mount Carmel School’s 12th consecutive win in the annual speech tilt and its 16th win in the entire competition’s history. School president and speech coach Galvin Deleon Guerrero has successfully molded several students over the past decades and has proven that MCS is the team to beat every year.

Guerrero said this year’s competition was different from previous years. “What is more important than winning was the story and message the students had. The topic transcended the competition and meant something to a lot of people,” he said. “Every year it gets harder and harder. Everyone has great delivery, content, and organization.”

Attorney General Joey San Nicolas said he was very impressed with the level of research the students presented and how deep the arguments were.

“Every year it is a different issue and I know this will have an impact in our economy and life. We all should sit down and listen to what they have to say,” he said.

Marianas High School’s Matthew Lopez garnered second place and third place went to Katrina Cruz from Saipan Southern High School. Marianas Baptist Academy’s Mina Ito, Tinian High School’s Kyle Sanbergen, and Kagman High School’s Lou Shrine Guevarra also participated in Friday’s competition.

Students said that the topic was personal to them and that the competition was more than just about delivering the perfect speech. “It is about voicing our opinions,” Lopez, a senior at MHS, said.

Cruz, for her part, said that she is satisfied with her win and is glad that she could present her views to leaders who attended the competition.

“I have friends at school who are children of CW workers and I understand how important this issue is,” she said.

The students were judged based on the content of their speech, presentation, clarity, and their ability to convince competition.

Lt. Gov. Jude U. Hofschneider, Sen. Francisco Borja, Lucy Blanco-Maratita, representing the Mayor of Tinian, Attorney General Joey San Nicolas, Chief Justice Alexandro Castro, Presiding Judge Roberto Naraja, retired presiding judge Edward Manibusan, former associate judge Herbert Soll, and former attorney general Pamela Brown served as judges for the competition.

Adding meaning to this year’s AG’s Cup competition was the presence of former Marianas Political Status Commission vice chair Vicente N. Santos. Santos urged the panel of judges, politicians, and the audience to start working together, instead of separately from each other to address immigration issues. He said that leaders “are not making the right decisions with immigration and have been procrastinating.” He added that the CNMI should train its youth to create a sufficient workforce.

Plaques of recognition were also presented to private sector organizations supporting the competition and individuals who made the event on Tinian a success.

Participants were treated to a lunch at Tinian’s Taga Beach after the conclusion of the competition and later participated in a one-hour tour of the island led by Mayor’s Office chief of staff Don Farrell.

This is the second time the competition was hosted on Tinian. It was last held there in 2005.

Last Friday’s AG’s Cup speeches will be aired on PBS Guam, channel 12, on May 25 in its entirety.