By Bryan Manabat
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Variety News Staff
THE United Filipino Organization held a simple flag-raising ceremony Friday morning at the UFO Pavilion in Garapan to commemorate the 128th anniversary of Philippine Independence Day, opting for a modest observance as many residents continue to rebuild following Super Typhoon Sinlaku.
UFO President Carlito Marquez said they intentionally scaled back this year’s commemoration out of respect for families still dealing with storm damage, power interruptions, and job losses.
“You might wonder why this year we are here at the UFO Pavilion celebrating our Philippine Independence Day,” Marquez told attendees. “Unlike previous years when we held it in hotels — last year we were at a resort. I guess obviously the reason why we are here is that everybody knows we are still recovering from the devastation of the typhoon.”
Marquez said many families remain focused on repairing their homes and stabilizing their livelihoods. For that reason, the organization also suspended this year’s “Pistang” Pinoy celebration, one of the Filipino community’s largest cultural events.
“It is very hard to gather all our kababayan when some of them are still fixing their houses and some of them have lost their jobs,” he said.
Gov. David M. Apatang and Saipan Mayor Ramon “RB” Camacho both thanked the Filipino community for its longstanding contributions to the Marianas and praised volunteers who have supported recovery efforts since Sinlaku. Delegate candidate Galvin Deleon Guerrero also attended the ceremony.
Messages from Philippine officials — including Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro and Guam Philippine Consul General Rosario Lemque — were read during the program, extending solidarity to Filipinos in the CNMI and recognizing the community’s resilience.
Despite the scaled-down format, Marquez said the gathering served as a reminder of unity, gratitude, and a shared commitment to recovery.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
