THE Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs won the float competition in the 2022 Liberation Day celebration on Monday.
Garnering 97 points, CBMA’s entry, which depicted Camp Susupe, won $5,000 for first place.
It showcases “how much the CNMI community has evolved from life at Camp Susupe to today’s way of life — “a richly diverse community strengthened by their resiliencies to adjust, embrace and navigate strongly through an ever-evolving environment, all in the quest towards achieving the vision and dreams of the CNMI Covenant founding fathers — a greater quality of life — further supported by the partnership with the greatest military in the world, the United States Military.”
According to historical accounts, “The surviving local residents were moved down to what was…Camp Chalan Kanoa.” Camp Susupe was for Japanese nationals.
The convoy that followed the CBMA float included military assets stationed here, the Saipan Reserves Center and hometown heroes from the 9th Mission Support Command
The “Camp Susupe” float depicted a hut, called a “han” that sheltered civilians. The han was made of a tangantangan tree with a cot sheltering two little boys. Barbed wired fence surrounds the han, which depicted how Camp Susupe was secured.
The float featured community and military participants, and displayed the Covenant made of braided coconut leaves secured on top with a bamboo stick. The Covenant is the “sacred document that governs the political union between the Commonwealth and the United States.”
Also displayed on the float was the Technical Agreement made of braided coconut leaves and secured on top with a bamboo stick. The Technical Agreement “laid out the agreement between the CNMI and the U.S. regarding the use of land for defense purposes, to include a provision towards economic opportunities for the people of the CNMI.”
Other winners
The Office on Aging, Diaspora of the Federated States of Micronesia in Saipan, the Department of Public Works and the Department of Commerce shared second place garnering 94 points apiece and won $4,000.
Marianas Variety and Triple J placed third, garnering 93 points and winning $3,000.
Kirida Highlands Lawn Care won fourth place with 86 points, bringing home $2,000; the Office of the Governor finished fifth with 84 points winning $1,000; and 180 Production Victory Chapel was sixth place with 82 points winning $500.
Saipan Mayor David M. Apatang congratulated all the winners, as well as the rest of the 20 participants in the float competition. He thanked the judges for doing a fine job. “I think it looked very fair based on the points. I also want to say thank you to all the participants. All the floats came out beautiful this year, and the turnout is very, very successful,” he said.
KKMP radio host Lucy Selepeo also thanked the participants in this year’s Liberation parade. “You guys outdid yourselves,” she said, adding that they were happy to see all the beautiful floats as a lot of people came out and watched.
The float competition theme was “Honoring Our Legacy as We Ride the Waves of Change.”
Camp Susupe is depicted on the Commonwealth Bureau of Military Affairs float during the Liberation Day parade on Beach Road Monday.
A small boat surrounded by American flags is depicted on Triple J’s float.
Marianas Variety’s float depicts a boat on a “wave of change.”
Marianas Variety, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, is honoring its legacy while riding the waves of change.
