‘Our Islands, Our Heritage’ is 2016 LibDay slogan

“Our Islands, Our Heritage” is the 71st Liberation Day Slogan Competition’s winning entry as Daisy Demapan’s proposal connected with the judges to beat close to 50 other essays in the search for this year’s theme.

Demapan won the $500 top prize and her slogan will be printed on all paraphernalia that will be used in the Liberation Day festivities.

Skywalker Communications Group account director Sophia Alvarez said Demapan’s entry was the one that the Liberation Day committee was looking for.

“What we are looking for is for the people to say what Liberation Day means to them. Her essay was clear, coherent, and powerful. It was an emotional entry.”

Demapan said she played with a lot of words and her entry went into a lot of revisions before she decided to submit the final and simple slogan that caught the fancy of the judges.

She added that hopefully the community would remember what liberation truly means especially for the people who suffered during the battle of Saipan.

“This includes the many Japanese field workers, the Korean comfort women, the American soldiers, the Japanese soldiers, the Carolinians and the Chamorros. Just like how last year the committee emphasized peace in diversity, I want to recognize that war destroys all parts of humanity,” said Demapan, a former Saipan Tribune reporter who now works at the Governor’s Office.

“For the indigenous population and for all those who suffered, true liberation is yet to come. There is still a lot to be done socially, politically, and culturally, and I believe that revitalizing our identity, such as what is seen on the island of Guahan (Guam) is one way we can work toward freedom in all aspects.”

Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang thanked all who joined the month-long contest and said that there were a lot of good entries but a winner had to be chosen.

“The competition was tough. I’ve read all of the essays and all are good. In the end, the committee had to pick a Top 3 and after that the winner,” said Apatang.

Henry Hofschneider, the SMO special assistant, said the winning slogan would carry the theme and mood toward the 4th of July celebration.

“The Liberation Day is the biggest party in the CNMI and the people can’t wait for it. The kick off was the slogan contest that ran from Feb. 1 to Feb. 29. There were a lot of good entries and it was a hard choice for the committee. We really wanted to get the youth involved, since they will be the ones who will carry out the tradition,” added Hofschneider.

All entries went to four stages of elimination process with Demapan’s winning piece making it to the Top 3. Arnold K. Atalig submitted “Our Islands, Our Legacy” and “Strength in Today, Hope in Tomorrow” by Christine Roque were the other finalists.

The selection committee—composed of members of the Liberation Day committee, representatives of Skywalker Communications Group, and several staff of the Saipan Mayor’s Office—first narrowed down the entries to the Top 10, then Top 5, and Top 3 before choosing the winning piece.

The names and contact information of those who joined were removed from the slogan entries and the accompanying essay to eliminate bias in the voting.