Victoria Camacho is AG’s Cup winner

Mount Carmel School junior Victoria Camacho emerged champion in the 28th Annual Attorney General’s Cup Speech Competition held yesterday at the Guma Hustisia, making it the 10th consecutive victory and a total of 14 wins for the only private Catholic school on island.

Camacho is the daughter of Galvin and Velma Deleon Guerrero. Her father Galvin, who has been coaching mock trial and AG’s Cup participants for years, also served as her coach.

Camacho bested eight other contenders in the annual competition, which discussed the issue of what should be the composition of the CNMI Senate-whether the current method of apportionment is appropriate or should the seats be apportioned based on population.

Camacho’s stand on a “new compromise”-to reapportion the Senate by giving five seats to Saipan and two each on Rota and Tinian-gained the approving nods of the judges, who awarded her the $300 cash prize, a trophy, gift certificates, and the perpetual cup for her school.

Camacho and the rest of the participants presented their arguments for the allowed 12 minutes each in the presence of island leaders, including Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos, members of the 17th CNMI Legislature, and community members.

Contestants were judged based on three scoring criteria: content, which covers comprehension of issue, adequacy of research, analysis of issue, and organization; presentation, which includes poise and demeanor, eye contact, and delivery; and persuasion, which takes in clarity and ability to convince.

This year’s panel of judges included current and past attorneys general: Edward Buckingham, Matthew Gregory, Herbert Soll, Rexford Kosack, Alexandro Castro, Robert Naraja, and Robert T. Torres.

The 16-year-old Camacho said in an interview after the awarding ceremony that her victory came as “a complete surprise” because of her competitors whom she described as “great speakers.”

Camacho disclosed that she had been practicing day and night “to memorize the speech and get it right.”

An active member of her school’s Theatre Club, Camacho said encouragement and support, including critique, of her classmates, friends, and family members “are the reasons why I won today.”

When asked how it felt having her own dad as coach, Camacho said, “As much as it was comforting having my father there, it was also kind of pressuring because previous years, we’ve won and he’s been the coach and I felt that if I lost, the person that lost it for the tenth year is the coach’s own daughter.”

Galvin Deleon Guerrero, in a separate interview, echoed the challenge of coaching one’s own child.

“It’s much more emotionally invested. It’s harder because with someone else’s kid, they go home every night and they rely on someone else for emotional support. She comes home to me and my wife and I’ve never been this nervous before,” he explained.

When his daughter’s name was called, Galvin Deleon Guerrero said he felt “relieved” knowing that the two-month preparation was all worth it.

“I’m just very, very happy for her and I’m very proud of her,” he added.

Coming in at second place was Saipan Southern High School senior Lallane Guiao, who won $200 cash, a trophy, and gift certificates. In third place is Calvary Christian Academy senior Midori Nishida, who won $100, a trophy, and gift certificates. The rest of the participants also received gift certificates from various sponsors.

Fitial, in his remarks, congratulated the organizers and the participants of the event, which discussed “a rather complex, and sometimes, sensitive issue.”

“Since its inception, the AG’s Cup has evolved into one of the most premier forums for rigorous research and full-spirited debates,” added Fitial.

Attorney General Edward Buckingham congratulated the students for their “courage” to take part in the annual event.

“It takes a lot of courage to get up in front of the leaders of the Commonwealth, in front of the community, and to speak on a challenging issue. I think most people can’t do that. I think they deserve respect and appreciation for that,” said Buckingham, who has been hosting the competition for three years now.

Asked how difficult it was to judge this year’s competition, Buckingham said, “When you’re having really talented people, it’s of course not just hard [to judge] but it’s [also] a privilege.”

Yesterday’s event also honored acting chief justice Alexandro C. Castro, the founding father of the Annual AG’s Cup.

“We’re all here because of you,” said Buckingham, presenting a plaque to Castro.

Castro recounted the beginnings of the Law Day celebration in the United States and in the CNMI and emphasized that the powers of the government “based upon the rule of law” is equally divided into its three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judiciary.

As the Commonwealth commemorates Law Week, Castro reminded his audience of the importance of its justice system, which it inherited from the U.S. “It may not be the best system in the world but it’s the system that we can all work with so that.all the powers are distributed equally and there’s a check and balance that goes from one branch to another.”