Liberation Day Committee Chair Delbert Pua and Vice Chair Edmond H. Borja wave to the crowd during the Fourth of July parade on Beach Road Thursday.
LIBERATION Day Committee Chair Delbert Pua and Vice Chair Edmond H. Borja resigned on Friday, July 5, 2024.
Their resignation was also effective on the same day. They said they have thoroughly considered their decision, and after much reflection, “we believe it is the right time for us to step down from our responsibilities.”
In their letter, Pua and Borja stated that the Liberation Day Committee “should consist of individuals from an outside entity who should serve as an advisor to the Saipan mayor in formulating policies on restricting Mayor’s Office of Saipan employees from handling vendor fees and other financial-related matters.”
They did not elaborate but said it should be the Liberation Day Committee that should make recommendations on its annual budget request, oversee the Liberation festivities, adopt rules that are necessary for the functioning of the committee, including by-laws for internal governance and decision-making.
Pua and Borja expressed their “sincere gratitude” for the opportunity to serve on the committee for the past months.
“It has been an incredible learning experience, and we are honored to have been a part of the non-profit organization,” they said, adding that they have complete confidence that the next committee members “may be able to revive and amend the Liberation Day Committee by-laws to ensure that [it] is unrestrained from having an employee from the mayor’s office serving … without any conflict of interest occurring.”
Variety was unable to get a comment from the Saipan mayor’s office.
