ESTANISLAO “Stanley” Tudela McGinnis Torres, Don A. Farrell, and Michael “Mike” S. Sablan have been named grand marshals for the Liberation Day parade, one for each year since the celebration was last held in 2019 before the pandemic.
Liberation Day is celebrated annually to mark the permanent closure on July 4, 1946, of civilian internment camps in Saipan, when indigenous Chamorros and Carolinians were allowed to fully return to their land and private lives following World War II.
A former House member, Torres still remembers when everyone in the camp was finally allowed to permanently leave.
“In commemorating the 74th, 75th, and 76th anniversaries of the celebration, the 2022 Liberation Day Committee and I are pleased to announce Stanley, Don, and Mike, respectively, as our parade grand marshals, in recognition of their long leadership and contributions to our Marianas community,” said Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang.
Stanley T. Torres was only three years old when the Americans landed on Saipan in 1944. He spent time in a cave with his parents and other family members while Japanese and American soldiers fought to the death for control of the island.
After the Americans secured control of the island, he and his family were made to live in Camp Susupe with other civilians.
He is from the first graduating class of Mt. Carmel School and later served as a lawmaker for 16 years.
He previously worked for Pan American Airlines for 15 years before opening his own travel agency, Hafa Adai International Travel Agency.
Torres is married to Arlene Blas Cabrera and started a family in Oleai where he, his brothers, father, and other community members assisted in the building of the San Jose Church, and where he eventually was selected as village commissioner during the Trust Territory era.
Don A. Farrell is well-known for his lifelong hobby of researching and writing about the history of the Marianas.
He holds a B.A. in Biological Science from California State College at Fullerton in 1973 and a degree in Secondary Education from California State College at San Bernardino in 1975.
His writing career began on Guam, before moving to Tinian in 1987. His publications include: “Tinian: A Brief History”; “The History of the Northern Mariana Islands, Saipan”; “A Brief History, Guam”; “A Brief History, Rota”; “A Brief History, Modern History of the Northern Mariana Islands”; Tinian and the Bomb”; and “Atomic Bomb Island.”
He has also written numerous magazine and newspaper articles on the history of the Marianas.
He credits his understanding of Marianas history to 35 years of government service, including as chief of staff to the speaker of the Guam Legislature, and former chief of staff to the mayor of the Municipality of Tinian and Aguiguan.
He has been a member of the board of directors of the Northern Marianas Humanities Council and the CNMI Historic Preservation Review Board.
Farrell is married to Carmen Muna Dela Cruz of Tinian. They have three children and eight grandchildren.
Mike S. Sablan has had a varied professional career combining public service, private enterprise, and involvement with civic organizations over the past 35 years.
He obtained his Baccalaureate in Economics from the University of California Los Angeles and professional licensures in California and Guam as a Certified Public Accountant, among the first from the CNMI to have obtained such a role.
His private sector work has involved senior executive positions in major corporate enterprises in Los Angeles, Saipan, and Guam, including his current position as vice president for the Triple J Enterprises Group.
Prior to Triple J, Mike was vice president of Joeten Enterprises and assistant controller of DFS Saipan. He has also served on numerous corporate boards in the region.
In June 2020, he was appointed civilian aide to the U.S. secretary of the Army for the Northern Mariana Islands.
Sablan also has a long history of public sector and civic service, including his term as special advisor to the late Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio from 1999 to 2000 and as the CNMI’s public auditor from 2001 to 2008.
During his service as Public Auditor, he served as chairman of the Association of Pacific Islands Public Auditors in 2001 and 2007, regional vice president of the Association of Government Accountants, or AGA, in 2003, and Chairman of the Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions in 2005.
For his contributions toward enhancing AGA’s activities in the region, the AGA National Office in Washington D.C. awarded Sablan its National President’s Award in 2006.
He currently serves on the CNMI Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors and is chairman of its Domestic Policy Recovery Committee.
Adding to his public service experience, Sablan has served in various community, civic, and church organizations including organizations such as the Northern Mariana Islands Boy Scouting program, the Rotary Club of Saipan, the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa Finance Council, and the Mount Carmel School Board.
In 2017, he was recognized as the Business Person of the Year by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce for his many contributions in the business, public and civic arenas.
Sablan is married to Violeta Lopez Sablan. Three sons, Stephen, Zachary and Adam currently reside and work in Las Vegas, Nevada after graduating college there in 2019.
This year’s Liberation Day is celebrated at Garapan Fishing Base with food, live entertainment, a parade, fireworks, and other festivities.
The parade will include a number of military groups, including the hometown U.S. Army Reservists with the 9th Mission Support Command; the U.S. Marine Forces Pacific Band 5-member Ensemble from Hawaii; the Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz; the Guam National Guard; the Indo-Pacific Command Liaison to the CNMI from the Pacific Air Forces; and their respective senior leaders.
The Liberation Day Parade will be held at 10 a.m. on Beach Road from National Office Supply to Garapan Fishing Base.
Beach Road will be closed from Quartermaster Road to National Office Supply at 8 a.m. for parade participants to assemble.
National Office Supply to Dama Di Noche Street will close at 9 a.m.
There will be 30-minute fireworks display at 9 p.m. at Garapan Fishing Base.
For more information, contact the Saipan Mayor’s Office at saipanmayor@mos.gov.mp or (670) 234-6208 or on the official Office of the Mayor of Saipan Facebook page.
Stanley T. Torres
Don A. Farrell
Mike S. Sablan
