APP
The Belize Times
Established 1957
The Truth Shall Make You Free
24 MAY 2020 | ISSUE NO: 5199
www.belizetimes.biz | $1.00
RETRENCHMENT
Begins With the Doctors As the economic panorama worsens, Belizeans are aware that the fallout due to COVID-19 is just beginning to be felt. What began as furloughs are now becoming permanent layoffs of very significant numbers of employees. Some companies are trying to remain viable by cutting salaries and implementing strict cost cutting and austerity measures. These provisions are being employed in the hopes that it will allow the companies to ride out this financial catastrophe that has seen demand affected and supply lines severely disrupted, and bounce back once the economy stabilizes. Forecasts predict that the Tourism Industry our main economic driver will not begin to recover until 2021. There have been layoffs in at least one of the two major national airlines, and it seems the other may follow soon. There are reports that salary cuts of as much as twenty-five percent will be announced at the Digicell the nationalized telecommunication
Pg. 2 TROPIC CUTS 60 PERCENT OF STAFF
SAYONARA SUCKERS From Dean Oliver With Love
Pg. 2
HOT BED FLARES UP IN COTTON TREE Pg. 2
Pg. 10
SOE’S NO SENSE OF PURPOSE Pg. 10
BTL CUTS SALARIES Pg. 11
CONGRATULATIONS Belizeans; Only you can keep us Covid-free
02 2
RETRENCHMENT
Begins With the Doctors Continued from page 1
company. Even the health sector is not safe from the financial fallout due to COVID-19. At least two doctors, one the only ophthalmologist employed at the country’s only national referral hospital, and the other an internist have had their contracts terminated for lack of funds. In the case of Dr. Hegar, the KHMH does not have the equipment needed for specialized eye surgery so he uses his personal medical equipment to perform surgeries. As of May 15th there will be no way of receiving ophthalmologic services or surgery at the KHMH. The PM has no compunction in stating that he feels no responsibility to act in order to mitigate our present circumstances. These circumstances which have become even more acute due to the weakened state of our economy caused by crippling corruption, a failed health system, lack of social safety nets and extreme income inequalities and poverty. Even as millions are spent on acquiring luxury vehicles for members of cabinet and those CEOs and other contract officers who upon termination of contracts are given the option of buying these vehicles for a fraction of what they cost, we witness the termination of Belizean Specialists because of lack of funds. These are unprecedented times, and there are no easy fixes, tough calls will have to be made in order to survive until the economy stabilizes. However, it cannot be that we must sacrifice health in order to make ends meet. There must be another way to keep these doctors at the KHMH especially because they are already understaffed. Surely there can be other cost cutting measures that can be found in order to keep them because of the essential services they provide. There are many resources such as the entire budget of the defunct Ministry of Housing that can be reassigned to the KHMH which should be prioritized.
SAYONARA SUCKERS From Dean Oliver With Love Thursday, 21 May 2020 After 12 long years of lying to the Belizean people and being the great pretender, Dean Barrow finally came clean in an interview with the media on May 14th. In the interview, Barrow revealed that he couldn’t care less about the plight of Belizeans, because that will be somebody else’s problem since he won’t be in office much longer. According to the duplicitous and bogus Barrow, whoever comes next will have to deal with his mess, and will have to go begging to the international lending institutions for money to try to rebuild the country. With an almost gleeful expression on his face, the Prime Minister stated that those financial institutions may lend, but they will demand their pound of flesh and conditions for lending, including wage cuts and even retrenchment. Under his watch, commercial borrowing is shot, Barrow proclaimed. The Prime Minister’s plan is clear. After spending hundreds of millions of oil revenues and hundreds of millions in Petrocaribe monies and hundreds of millions in loans – all which we will have to pay back, he is ready for re-
24 MAY
THE BELIZE TIMES
tirement, where he can spend some of the millions and millions he has made over the past decade. Without a care in the world for the devastation he has left behind, Dean Barrow is ready to walk away, and whoever comes behind will have the struggle of trying to right the ship of state. In under a month, Dean Barrow went from the presentation of what he said was a robust Budget – to the country is completely broke, and must rely on loans here and there to even pay salaries. Because of the financial state of the country, only a fraction of those who applied for financial relief actually got it. Because of the state of the economy, only a fraction of those who deserved assistance in the form of food and groceries got it. And it’s all done, because the nation has been wrecked on the reef. Belizeans will recall those wild times of Petrocaribe spending, when Barrow and the UDP frolicked and danced as they spent the hundreds of millions on broken up roads and ridiculous roundabouts. The UDP scoffed when the people pointed out that they couldn’t eat cement, and that the money from Petrocaribe was supposed to
2020
HOT BED FLARES UP IN COTTON TREE The latest symptom of the comatose UDP and their corrupt policy in the Lands Department flared up at Mile 44 on the George Price Highway in Cotton Tree Village in the Cayo District over this past weekend. This is the most recent of upper cuts launched at the Government of Belize by one Nigel Petillo using Government’s weaknesses against themselves. If you have heard about Nigel Petillo, you know his MO of seeking government land that is accessible. He then calls on large crowds of Belizeans desiring of land to congregate. Petillo has managed to force the UDP government’s hand before. The time is ripe once more—just prior to Elections. Mr. Petillo made sure he got his large crowd of land needy Belizeans congregated even in the time of Covid and the State of Emergency. He was hellbent in subdividing an area of a couple thousand acres that was deemed as unused government land. But is it really unused? In comes the former governor of the Central Bank who left just as Sanctuary Bay rolled in. Glen Ysaguirre appears as an interested party in the Cotton Tree go directly to poverty alleviation, and not to roads and roundabouts and rallies and pibil and rum parties in Corozal. All that money was spent and not a hospital or health facility was built or even upgraded. Not a school was built or upgraded. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent, and more of our people are below the poverty line today than ever before. And Mr. Barrow intends to walk away with not a care in the world. The Belize Times has been informed from very reliable sources that the government might be too broke to help normal Belizeans, but there is money for ‘not normal’ Belizeans still. This newspaper has been told that Attorney General and Minister of National Security Mike Peyrefitte was recently gifted with a brand new luxury SUV, worth about $300k. We are told that Minister Tracy Taegar Panton has also received a brand new luxury SUV. If that isn’t enough, we are reliably informed that the UDP’s favourite Senator of Sanctuary Bay fame, Aldo Salazar, has been gifted with a 10-year lease of his fancy building on Marine Parade for government offices. At the worst of times, the UDP continue to gorge themselves at the public trough. Mr. Barrow may think that he can slip quietly into that goodnight, but it will not be so easy for him. He will pay for what he has done to the country. The day of reckoning is almost here.
acreage in question as a representative of some Belmopan Land Development Corporation. Ysaguirre explains a convoluted story of legal ramblings with the government and paid taxes and settlement. Basically, he was telling the hundreds that heeded Petillo’s call that there is no grass roots land giveaway to giveaway. The land has an owner. The land question above is shady in as many ways as you wish to self-analyse. It is a UDP mystery surrounded by a legal puzzle and smells of UDP infamy. Even after 6 different UDPs Ministers attempted at being Minister of Lands, all has failed and Cotton Tree exposed the Hotbed for the world to see. Vega, Barrow, Retreage, Hulse, Barnett and Patt all showed that UDPs are just failed UDPs. They cannot issue lands to poor people; it is not in their corrupt UDP DNA. The UDP is an old wreck of a vehicle needing huge quantities of engine oil since it leaks and burns oil incessantly. Paint jobs do it no good as the rust is already breaking into the body. The creaky chassis can carry no one. Everyone wants it out of the neighbourhood for good. People are taking advantage of this gas guzzling fiend. The UDP do not see it or refuse to acknowledge that it is the end. For the good of the Belize’s economic viability and healthy living they should quickly relegate to the junkyard of political infamy.
The Belize Times
Established 1957
14 APR 2013
|
ISSUE NO: 4840
The Truth Shall Make You Free
www.belizetimes.bz
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$1.00
serving Belize since 1957 as the longest continuous newspaper. Founder: Rt. Hon. George Cadle Price, People’s United Party Leader Emeritus OFFICE MANAGER
Fay Castillo EDITOR
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24 MAY
2020
THE BELIZE TIMES
03 3
EDITORIAL
I
The Great Pretender
t is no secret that Belize has long suffered financial woes. The IMF has for years urged fiscal prudence, but all of it fell on the deaf ears of the UDP and the Barrow administration. The entire UDP kit and caboodle have been on a twelve year binge of parties, tacos, cheers, expensive vehicles, trips and even magazine covers. Their friends and family members have been indulged in every imaginable excess from prime positions as chairs of numerous committees to sought-after positions in embassies and consuls. The unrestrained avariciousness has seen numerous instances where contracts for infrastructure projects or goods and services have been unfairly awarded to favoured bidders. This compulsive spree and free for all is merely symptomatic of the larger widespread corruption imbedded deep within our government systems and which currently remains unchecked and unabated. Countries like Belize with high debt must now seek to strike a delicate balance between actions that support and foster recovery in the short term while also promote debt sustainability in the long term. The IMF has been direct about what actions will lead countries through successful recoveries. These include the implementation of social safety nets and meaningful investment in health care, broad based fiscal support and investment in resilience to climate change. In contrast to the sentiment echoed by Doug Singh, a top advisor in the UDP, Director of the IMF Fiscal Affairs, Vitor Gaspar, advocates for fiscal policies that prevent long term damage to the livelihoods of those most disadvantaged because pandemics lead to greater income inequality. Lam and Raissi, also Senior Economists at the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department agree that unemployment and health benefits including sick leave must be made quickly available especially to those who lack savings cushions and live from hand to mouth. The recommendations of the IMF in December 2019 before the pandemic clearly called for “further efforts to broaden the tax base…phase out exemptions and tax incentives…restrain current spending by implementing pension reform and decreasing the wage bill.” They argued and rightly so that “these would provide fiscal space for social programs to alleviate poverty and needed infrastructure.” The IMF has for several years given the same recommendations and warnings so much so that the PM knows the litany by rote. Dean Barrow has confirmed that the next Superbond payment will become due in August and if word on the street is right, it will not then be Dean Barrow’s worry. By his own admission he has finally seen “the writing on the wall.” The revelries are finally over, and as he is wont to remind us the chickens are finally home to roost, and the bill must now be paid for the party. After every party, there is a hangover that must be suffered. In his most candid and emblematic address PM Barrow finally gave us the painful truth. He has told us Belize will need “serious assistance” because “any chance of commercial borrowing is shot.” He says that whoever “comes next…will have to go to these people and they will extract their pound of flesh.” Such is the precarious position in which he leaves his “poor Belize.” Never has PM Barrow been more unambiguously sincere…he has left Belize very poor indeed! Belize will not be able “to proceed as though…heedless” to the recommendations the IMF has been “telling… for years and years and years.” He has known for some time that conditions for loans will include extensive pension reform, and trimming of the wage bill and the public sector. However, would that he “were in play…would find a way to dodge that.” However the PM explains that his departure from electoral politics is “inevitable and imminent.” Thus he has made it very plain that he no longer has vested personal interests political or otherwise and is no longer motivated to find solutions to mitigate the mess and chaos he has created. In his own words “if you don’t have to face the music, you can pretend to be the most skillful dancer in the world…” The bottom line is that now Belizeans all have been left footing the bill for an extravagant bash they were not invited to and did not enjoy. By his own admission, Dean Barrow, has spent years ignoring the fiscal advice of experts and thus further exposing and degrading the Belizean economy unnecessarily. Now he has washed his hands not unlike Pontius Pilate and declared that the economic shambles he has wrought as Minister of Finance and Prime Minister for the last twelve years are no longer his concern. Belize has been on autopilot for some time now, with all the greedy critters having their fill unhindered at the trough and a PM impotent against corruption and lawlessness. You sir, have chosen to sit out the last dance, and so we invite you to leave quickly and let us get on with the business of electing a true leader who is both willing and able to guide Belize through the worst health and socio-economic crisis in history. #callelections #savebelize
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THE BELIZE TIMES
EDITORIAL
N
24 MAY
2020
en Español
El Gran Fingidor
o es ningún secreto que Belice ha sufrido durante mucho tiempo problemas financieros. El Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) ha instado durante años a la prudencia fiscal, pero todo cayó en oídos sordos del UDP y de la administración Barrow. Todo el espectáculo UDP se ha centrado en una juerga de doce años de fiestas, tacos, vítores, vehículos caros, viajes e incluso en las portadas de revistas. Sus amigos y familiares han disfrutado de todos los excesos imaginables, desde los principales puestos como presidentes de numerosos comités hasta los puestos más codiciados en embajadas y consulados. La avaricia desenfrenada ha dado lugar a numerosos casos en que los contratos para proyectos de infraestructura o bienes y servicios se han adjudicado injustamente a licitadores favorecidos. Esta racha compulsiva y libre para todos es meramente sintomática de la corrupción generalizada más grande que se ha arraigado profundamente en nuestros sistemas de gobierno y que actualmente permanece sin control y sin amainar. Países como Belice, con una deuda elevada, deben ahora tratar de lograr un delicado equilibrio entre las medidas que apoyan y fomentan la recuperación a corto plazo, al tiempo que promueven la sostenibilidad de la deuda a largo plazo. El FMI ha sido directo acerca de las acciones que llevarán a los países a través de recuperaciones exitosas. Entre ellas figuran la puesta en marcha de redes de seguridad social e inversiones significativas en atención de la salud, el apoyo fiscal de base amplia y la inversión en resiliencia al cambio climático. En contraste con la opinión compartida por Doug Singh, asesor principal del UDP, el Director de Asuntos Fiscales del FMI, Vitor Gaspar, aboga por políticas fiscales que eviten el daño a largo plazo a los medios de vida de los más desfavorecidos porque las pandemias conducen a una mayor desigualdad de ingresos. Lam y Raissi, también economistas senior del Departamento de Asuntos Fiscales del FMI, están de acuerdo en que el desempleo y las prestaciones de salud, incluyendo la baja por enfermedad, deben ser rápidamente accesibles, especialmente para quienes carecen de colchones de ahorro y viven con precariedad de la mano a la boca. Las recomendaciones del FMI de diciembre de 2019 antes de la pandemia, exigen claramente “mayores esfuerzos para ampliar la base imponible… Eliminar gradualmente las exenciones y los incentivos fiscales; limitar el gasto actual mediante la aplicación de la reforma de las pensiones y la reducción de la masa salarial”. Argumentaron y con razón que “estos proporcionarían espacio fiscal para programas sociales para aliviar la pobreza y la infraestructura necesaria”. Durante varios años el FMI ha dado las mismas recomendaciones y advertencias, de tal manera que el Primer Ministro conoce la letanía de memoria. Dean Barrow ha confirmado que el próximo pago del Superbond se hará en agosto y si el rumor en la calle es correcto, no será para entonces la preocupación de Dean Barrow. Por su propia admisión, finalmente ha visto “la escritura en la pared”. Las juergas finalmente han terminado, y como él acostumbra a recordarnos “las gallinas finalmente están en casa para dormir”, y la cuenta de la fiesta ahora debe ser pagada. Después de cada fiesta, hay una resaca que hay que sufrir. En su discurso más franco y emblemático, el Primer Ministro Barrow finalmente nos dio la dolorosa verdad. Nos ha dicho que Belice necesitará “asistencia seria” porque “cualquier oportunidad de préstamo comercial se ha arruinado”. Dice que quienquiera que “venga después... tendrán que ir a estas personas y les sacarán su libra de carne”. Tal es la precaria posición en la que se sale de su “pobre Belice”. ¡El Primer Ministro Barrow nunca ha sido tan sincero! ¡Ha dejado a Belice muy pobre! De hecho, Belice no será capaz de “proceder... Sin prestar atención a las recomendaciones que el FMI ha estado “diciendo... durante años y años”. Desde hace algún tiempo sabe que las condiciones para los préstamos incluirán una amplia reforma de las pensiones y el recorte de la masa salarial y del sector público. Sin embargo, explica que si fuera el... “encontraría una manera de esquivar eso”. Sin embargo, el PM explica que su salida de la política electoral es “inevitable e inminente.” Así, ha dejado muy en claro que ya no tiene intereses personales políticos ni de otro tipo y que ya no está motivado a encontrar soluciones para mitigar el desorden y el caos que ha creado. En sus propias palabras “si no tienes que enfrentar la música, puedes fingir ser el bailarín más hábil del mundo…” La conclusión es que ahora todos los beliceños se han quedado pagando la factura de una fiesta extravagante a la que no fueron invitados ni disfrutaron. Por su propia admisión, Dean Barrow, ha pasado años ignorando el asesoramiento fiscal de los expertos y así exponer más y degradar la economía beliceña innecesariamente. Ahora se ha lavado las manos al estilo de Poncio Pilato y ha declarado que el caos económico que ha forjado como Ministro de Finanzas y Primer Ministro durante los últimos doce años ya no es su preocupación. Belice ha estado en piloto automático desde hace algún tiempo, con todos los bichos codiciosos llenando sus buches sin obstáculos en este gran comedero y un PM impotente contra la corrupción y la anarquía. Usted, señor, ha elegido, no participar en el último baile, por lo que lo invitamos a irse rápidamente y permitirnos a seguir adelante con el negocio de elegir a un verdadero líder que esté dispuesto y capaz de guiar a Belice a través de la peor crisis sanitaria y socioeconómica de la historia. #callelections #savebelice
24 MAY
2020
THE BELIZE TIMES
BELLY of the
BEAST
COVID-19 The Belize Times sends out condolences to the family of security guard Earl Underwood, who reportedly killed himself because of financial pressures brought on by the pandemic. The sad reality is that there are many, many Belizeans who are unable to make ends meet because they have no jobs, and no way to make money. A couple weeks into the pandemic Dean Oliver threw up his hands and said oh crap, the country is broke. So while a few people have been able to access a pittance, the vast majority of Belizeans who really need help have been left out in the cold. To add to that, the utility companies, which we thought we owned, have never stopped harassing for payment – no breaks given. These are really the toughest of times. And it is only going to get worse, much worse. Dutty Dean Here at the Belize Times, we’ve never liked Dean Oliver Barrow. It’s not a political thing, really. He is just a distasteful, arrogant, idiotic fellow. For what he has done to this country, he should be charged with treason. It’s as simple as that. In an interview recently, Dean explained that he grieves for his poor Belize, and extends sympathies to whoever succeeds him in office. Wrap your head around that one. This bad man who made sure that all his family members and cronies got rich under the UDP is now grieving for the ruin he will leave behind when he is kicked out of office. When his Ministers were raping and plundering the public purse and becoming multi-millionaires is when Dean Oliver should have grieved. But he did nothing. When Gaspar Vega was grabbing thousands of acres of land for himself and his family members and friends is when Dean Barrow should have grieved. When he allowed all our industries to crash because he would not listen, and when he made sure that Imer Hernandez, the world’s lousiest contractor, got hundreds of millions in contracts is when he should have grieved. When he was taxing Belizeans because the government was broke as a result of rampant corruption in his Cabinet is when he should have grieved. Dean Barrow is a joke. He is a fool. And he single-handedly presided over the most corrupt administration in this nation’s history. Grieve about that, Dean. Fleecing Continues We all watched Barrow on the TV crying his crocodile tears over the economy, telling public officers that they had to give up their increment, and talking pay cuts and even retrenchment. So maybe somebody can explain how this UDP government which is so broke can buy a $300,000 luxury SUV for Mike Peyrefitte. We also hear that Tracy Taegar has gotten a brand new SUV off the lot. And then, we hear that head of BTB Karen Bevans also got a brand new vehicle. We’d like Dean Oliver to explain that. And while he’s explaining to poor Belizeans how broke the government is, maybe he could clarify reports that the government has signed a ten year lease for Aldo Salazar’s building. Who seh dih govahment bruk? Jules The call went out for the arrest of the so-called media ambassador, Jules Vasquez recently after he was caught on camera in a public place and taking up public space without wearing a mask. Normal Belizeans would have been arrested on the spot. Normal Belizeans would have been taken to court and made to pay a fine of $5000. But suddenly, all the Policemen on the scene became deaf, dumb and blind. The fact of the matter is that Jules Vasquez is the son of Net Vasquez, closest advisor to Dean Oliver. Net has reaped the dividends of that close friendship, that tangled web, and so the Policemen on the scene, and even our good friend Chester, knew that it made no sense to arrest Jules. Nothing strange in this at all. On this animal farm we call Belize, some animals are more equal than others and there are two sets of laws – one for privileged UDPs and one for normal Belizeans. Dean Oliver Our not so good friend, Dean Oliver, was also caught on camera without a mask, in a public space – his office. We’d like to say two things about that. One, Dean looks much better with a mask covering his entire face. Actually, it’s the best we’ve ever seen him look, so we support any move for him to wear a mask. And two, when asked about it, DOB claimed that he didn’t need to wear a mask because everybody else in his office was wearing a mask so he was protected. The thing is, nobody was really worried about him being protected or not. The law is the law. And if it was a normal Belizean in that situation, he would have been charged and sent to jail. As an aside, here at the Belize Times we’d like to suggest that even after the State of Emergency is done, it should be law for Dean Oliver to wear a mask for the rest of his days. Just saying.
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QUESTIONS TO THE MINISTERS
1. Considering the poor financial position of the government at this present moment, will the Prime Minister please update the nation on the status of the collection of the $400,000 that was unlawfully given to Andre Vega and the $400,000 that was given to Sharon Pitts? 2. Will the Prime Minister please tell the nation if John Saldivar and Gaspar Vega were asked to give up their salary for one month and, if so, did they agree to give up their salary? 3. Where is the Deputy Prime Minister? Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Hugo Patt, the Deputy Prime Minister, please call the nearest police department. 4. Will the Minister of Housing please inform the Belizean people how many homes were built under his 12 years as Minister of Housing? And will the Minister also agree that considering the more than 100 million dollars that the Ministry of Housing has spent during this bad UDP administration that it is now time for a thorough audit of the Ministry of Housing? 5. Stay safe Belize and keep practicing social distancing, good hygiene and wear your mask in public.
CARTOON
24 MAY
THE BELIZE TIMES
2020
In The Matter of The International Business Companies Act (Chapter 270) AND In The Matter of MPC GROUP, INC. in voluntary Liquidation, members’ winding up and dissolution TAKE NOTICE that MPC Group, INC. is in dissolution. The date of Commencement of the dissolution is The 15th day of May, 2020 The liquidator is George R. Swift of 5827 Corner of Graduate Crescent & Bachelor Avenue, Belize City, Belize Dated this 18th day of May, 2020 GEORGE R. SWIFT Liquidator In The Matter of The International Business Companies Act (Chapter 270) AND In The Matter of MPC GROUP, INC. in voluntary Liquidation, members’ winding up and dissolution In The Matter of GEORGE DUROY LTD. in voluntary Liquidation, members’ winding up and dissolution TAKE NOTICE that GEORGE DUROY LTD. is in dissolution. The date of Commencement of the dissolution is The 15th day of May, 2020 The liquidator is George R. Swift of 5827 Corner of Graduate Crescent & Bachelor Avenue, Belize City, Belize Dated this 18th day of May, 2020 GEORGE R. SWIFT Liquidator
24 MAY
2020
THE BELIZE TIMES
DARKER DAYS FOR CANE FARMERS AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS IN BELIZE.... DARKER DAYS FOR THE NATION
By Hon. Jose Mai, Orange Walk South Two Major Agricultural sub-sectors in Belize will lose almost $100M in 2020. The 2020 Sugar cane ‘Zafra’ is over in neighboring Quintana Roo; Beta San Miguel Sugar Mill in Obregon. Only 903,000 tons of sugar cane was delivered to the mill this year. Last year the mill processed 1.85 Million tons. That’s a drop of 50% due to drought and Mexican authorities quantify losses at $45M US. Similarly, farmers in two agriculture sub- sectors in Belize are expected to lose close to $100,000,000 BZ in 2020; Sugar cane and Livestock. SUGAR CANE Cane farmers are expected to lose close to $50M Bz due to the drought effects of 2019. Ongoing harvesting patterns indicate that yields could be down by 35%. Falling from 1.296 Million tons last year to 850,000 tons currently. Gross income will fall from $132 M BZ in 2019 to $84.56 M BZ this year. That’s a difference of $47.4 M. To add to this, the sugar cane to sugar ratio as reported by ASR is far worse than past 3 years, meaning that less sugar will be produced. So, sugar cane farmers are facing losses from these three sources: 1. Losses due to low prices paid by ASR. 2. Low yields due to drought 3. Poor sugar cane to sugar conversion ratio (TC/TS reported by ASR). This last particular parameter leaves doubts in the minds of many cane farmers as it is known that the dryer the period, the greater the assimilation of sucrose hence the greater the conversion ratio and production of sugar. Strangely, this does not seem to be the case this year. LIVESTOCK On the other hand, cattle farmers have been deprived of the opportunity to continue exporting livestock to Guatemala by the government, without any genuine justification. The irrational move by the government to put a complete stop to the “informal” trade which has
07 7 been occurring for the past 20 years without any interruptions from the Guatemalan State has caused millions in losses to cattle farmers and it is believed that total losses could be as high as $50M Bz. The Prime Minister referred to it as illegal and insinuated that cattle farmers were money laundering. Cattle exports alone generated $48.623 M in 2018 and $33.28M in 2019. In 2020, it was expected that both cattle and pigs combined could have generated close to $50M in Foreign Exchange Earnings; earnings that today are desperately needed to aid an agonizing economy. Both Sugar Cane and the Livestock Farmers are facing the worst moments in history. A combined loss of close to $100M.... sadly while both industries directly impact the northern districts; the entire nation suffers!! Up to date, the cane farmers have not received a single penny for drought relief; although promised $2M. But why would the leader of any nation not support the twin industries that provide the few sources of Forex, especially in times of economic catastrophe? Why would any leader kill the goose that lays the golden egg? The economic livelihood of a country and its people should rise far above any personal pride and ego!! What is the purpose of such pride while the people you were chosen to lead suffer in poverty, misery and lack of opportunity? This is how the government shows appreciation and gratitude towards the farmers of this country!! Ironically, now he is calling on the IMF!! What a monster have we for a Prime Minister.
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THE BELIZE TIMES
CRIME NEWS
24 MAY
2020
Monthly World Gasoline & Diesel prices review
the reason he is being targeted by this senior cop is because of a personal land issue between both Gasoline prices, Octane-95/Diesel 18-May-2020: The average families. The land issue is currently before the courts. price of gasoline/diesel around the world is 6.90/6.26 Belize Dollars ASP Gamboa has given a difper gallon. However, there is substantial difference in these prices ferent version of the story saying May 20, 2020 among countries. As a general rule, richer countries have higher pricThree Mexican fishermen Rodriguez who was off duty at the es while poorer countries and the countries that produce and export caught in fishing in Belizean waters time, was driving under the influoil have significantly lower prices. The differences in prices across escaped from Belizean authorities. ence. No medical doctor has certicountries are due to the various taxes and subsidies for gasoline. All The incident happened on Thursday fied this. countries have access to the same petroleum prices of international Officer Gamboa is known as May 14, 2020, when Coast Guard markets but then decide to impose different taxes. As a result, the found the men fishing in the Bacalar being an abusive police officer who retail price of gasoline/diesel is different. (https://www.globalpetrolChico Marine Reserve around 3:30 carries out the personal mandate prices.com/gasoline_prices/) of his bosses. Many have shared a.m. * are updated weekly. The data for the remaining countries are Gabriel Vargas de la Cruz, Noel off record horrible experiences inGonzález Alamilla and Arturo Pedro volving ASP Gamboa who uses his updated monthly. Cordero, are residents from Xcalak political connections to do as he Ed. Note: One can see that ALL the countries in our region have village in the municipality of Othón P. pleases. No higher up in the Police lower gasoline(better octane fuel) and lower diesel prices than BeDepartment can or even try to disBlanco, Quintana Roo. lize. The UDP government continues their senseless policy of taxThe men were taken into Corozal cipline him for wrong doing. ing anything that is being consumed even fuel. They collect fuel tax On the day of September 6, Town and placed under mandatowhich causes higher product prices which yield them GST bonanzas. ry quarantine under BDF Guard. The 2017 when supporters and memThis form of taxation kills Belizean entrepreneurship and consumer men were placed at the schools com- bers of the opposition PUP had spending. Bam, the UDP falls into recession and they wonder why? pound and not in a cell at the Corozal gathered at the entrance of the Their roughshod infrastructure projects benefit only Imer and the Police Station because of the fear that Tower Hill Bridge, the well-known UDP appetite for cronyism. the men if infected with the Covid-19 UDP Police Officer who was then an Inspector of Police was sent out could infect other persons. With world prices of petroleum dipping under zero cents, we Somehow during the night the there under instruction from former would expect to be paying much lower prices. But not in Belize. Even men were able to escape. An intensive Minister of National Security John our supplier Honduras is at the $5 level. Belize cannot be over taxed man hunt between the BDF and Po- Saldivar to beat and throw tear gas into recovery. This results in a citizenship that suffers. lice was conducted but the fishermen at the people. COVID-19 has exposed so much of the UDP’s incompetence. During the entire melee, Offiwere never recaptured. Only the PUP has the oomph needed to take Belize forward reHow the men escaped is being cer Gamboa acting on instructions gardless of the Prime Minister’s irresponsible scare pronunciainvestigated internally by BDF Com- from his political boss and not as a tions. He feels that ONLY Barrow can rule. Yes, only Barrow can professional police officer of the law mand./// rule without sense. turned his anger on KREMANDALA FIRST NOTICE media personality Marisol Amaya. He along with another well-connect(Price per Gallon in Belize Dollars) o Section 10 (3) of the Belize Mines andedMinerals Act,Officer Chapter 226, Substantive Laws of UDP Police were caught Countries Gasoline on camera beating ised Edition 2000 - 2003, Leonard Loewen for andangrily on behalf of down Excelon Construction Ltd., (Octane 95) Diesel Will PC Mark Rodriguez receive her as she was doing her job. Amato the Honourable Minister of Natural Resources, through the Inspector of Mines, Mining fair treatment? Panamá* 3.87 3.12 ya made a report to the Professional Mining License to extract limestone and marl from a hill within a property, Unitedville area, Standards Branch (PSB) but to date Colombia* 4.09 4.19 ict. The to be mined is bounded UTM-coordinates: PC area Rodriguez said that on Satur-within nothing came out of it because OfEl Salvador* 4.44 3.51 day May 16, 2020, sometime after 7 ficer Gamboa is protected by minisHaiti 4.25 3.39 Easting to Northing Easting p.m. he was heading pick up his ters within his UDP Northing Party. Puerto Rico 4.36 3.30 common law who works at the 1) wife 293112 1902337 7) 293305 1902249 While there are several over Western Regional Hospital following USA* 4.46 4.81 2) 293112 1902316 8) 293349 1902249 qualified police officers in the dethe completion of her shift when he partment, Officer Gamboa 3) 293226 1902162 9) 293349 1902367who is Guatemala* 4.69 3.88 was accosted by police officers. PC not as qualified, undeserving and 4) 293268 1902162 10) 293212 1902367 Guyana 4.75 5.41 Rodriguez claims the officers beat unworthy, has quickly moved up the 5) 293268 1902203 11) 293212 1902337 Taiwan* 5.19 4.11 him up. He claims that these orders ranks because of his close relation6) by293305 1902203 Brazil* 5.03 4.03 were issued Assistant Superintenship with his past political boss. We dent Aaron Gamboa. Australia* 5.49 5.89 predict that Rodriguez will not rebe mined comprises approximately sevenceive pointa fair seven (7.7) acres. According to the PC Rodriguez outcome in this quarrel. Mexico* 5.50 5.98
Mexican Fishermen Escape Mandatory Quarantine
Gamboa vs Rodriguez
Honduras 5.50 4.23 Nicaragua* 5.66 4.49 Canada* 5.83 4.87 SECOND NOTICE Dominican Rep.* 6.51 4.20 China* 6.27 5.43 o Section 10 (3)toof the Belize Mines and Mines Minerals Chapter 226, Substantive Laws of Pursuant Section 10 (3) of the Belize and Act, Minerals Act, Chapter 226, Trinidad.& Tobago 6.46 3.83 isedSubstantive Edition 2000 - 2003, Loewen andLeonard on behalf of Excel Ltd., Laws of Belize, Leonard Revised Edition 2000for - 2003, Loewen for and Construction on Bahamas 6.48 6.86 of Excel Construction has applied to the Honourable of Naturalof Mines, Mining to behalf the Honourable MinisterLtd., of Natural Resources, throughMinister the Inspector Resources, through the Inspector of Mines, Mining Unit,afor to ex- Unitedville area, Dominica 6.58 5.69 Mining License to extract limestone and marl from hilla Mining withinLicense a property, tract limestone and marl from a hill within a property, Unitedville area, Cayo District. Grenada* 7.04 6.51 ict. The Thearea area mined is bounded UTM-coordinates: to to be be mined is bounded within within UTM-coordinates: India* 7.39 6.71 Easting Northing Easting Northing Saint Lucia* 7.07 7.32 1) 293112 1902337 7) 293305 1902249 Jamaica* 7.44 6.80 2) 293112 1902316 8) 293349 1902249 Costa Rica* 7.78 5.36 3) 293226 1902162 9) 293349 1902367 Japan* 8.47 7.11 4) 293268 1902162 10) 293212 1902367 Cayman Islands* 8.61 7.97 5) 293268 1902203 11) 293212 1902337 Cuba 9.06 7.55 6) 293305 1902203 Belize 10.92 7.89 Barbados* 11.68 9.52 The area to be mined comprises approximately (7.7) acres.. be mined comprises approximately seven pointseven sevenpoint (7.7)seven acres.
SECOND NOTICE
24 MAY
THE BELIZE TIMES
2020
Senator Elena Smith, Senator Mark Lizarraga, Senator Osmany Salas Dear Senators,
President: Arturo Lizarraga Vice Presidents: Fred Hunter
Phillip Waight Treasurer: Raymond Cox Secretary: Monica Santos
Directors: Lawrence Ellis Ernesto Perera Gloria Meza Dr. Geraldo Flowers
Past President: Misael Flores Meliton Auil Dr. Cardo Martinez Lourdes Smith Rosalie Staines
I write in hope that we, the social partners, in a united front can form an Economic Recovery Commission whose sole function is to address our economic recovery. The Covid collapse is beyond Cabinet and the Economic Council, it includes thousands of employers and employees. More than a decade ago when the unions and private sector worked together they achieved results. (I attach photos to remind those who can remember). This Commission must be inclusive of a wide group of people who are bearing the brunt of the economic collapse—and are not part of the Covid Coalition. This much we can establish. Average sales are less than 50% for businesses countrywide, in some cases small businesses have closed. Unemployment is about 50% if not more in real numbers. Our national debt has gone beyond 100% getting closer to 125% of GDP. By month’s end we may only have a month of foreign exchange left. Even the PM has uttered words, like, “Retrenchment, Devaluation, IMF,” to paraphrase “pity poor Belize.” As balance sheets dissolve and unemployment rise, social unrest will become real. These are areas of priority where we need to set up groups to participate and deal with the following: (1) Debt Management (both international and national) to ensure the cuts occur in the right place and revenue streams go to the right place; (2) Job Retention and Job Creation, pivoting our economy to a more sustainable place; (3) Bank Loans Restructuring and Refinancing which may include new bankruptcy legislation for Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 for reorganization of the enterprise to preserve capital and employment and reforms to high credit charges on credit purchases inflicted on consumers, especially the poor. The moratorium on loans end soon, people are not paying rent nor mortgages. Massive foreclosures will be worse than the fallout of no tourism. Some are gambling on July when planes will return but as soon as federal funds are discontinued in September the US airlines will begin their massive layoffs. Trump just holding them up for November elections but global economic numbers indicate the world is already in depression. The experience of the Texas-Mexico open border proves how vulnerable we are to the second wave. Not all is gloom and doom, we are a country with wealth untold and a people who can unite for a common cause. Covid pales in comparison to the economic collapse. Let us meet and commit to face our problem and provide leadership and an equitable solution which will be less painful than the IMF. Kindly give this communication some of your attention and share with your membership as widely as you can. Hoping to hear from you soon. I remain, Your Partner In Development, Arturo Lizarraga President 501-627-6279, 501-670-7070 P.O. Box 1882, Belize City, businessbureau.bz@gmail.com
Cc: Board of Directors
099
10
THE BELIZE TIMES
TROPIC CUTS 60 PERCENT OF STAFF As the tourism wind blows so does flying in the Belize domestic airline industry, one of the industries hardest hit in the coronavirus pandemic. In particular, Tropic Air that has 400 employees has tried to keep its staff albeit with pay cuts through the thick of the pandemic in Belize. Sustaining that payroll has proven impossible to handle as 5 out of 200 flights a day would demonstrate. Going via the labour department they are releasing 220 of their employees. This includes employees that have had long standing careers with Tropic Air. When it is possible they might be rehired. It is easy for anyone to tell the government, we told you so. But it is the truth. The government placed too many eggs in one basket. It is a no-brainer that the agroproductive sector is the sector that can keep Belize afloat through thick and thin. But this UDP government does not like to get their hands dirty, not in agriculture. Now with the coronavirus running the show, there are practically no formal agreements with our neighbours to export seamlessly. The agroproductive sector has been working in isolation and is producing in spite of the vindictive Barrow regime. But without agreements, their produce can only be sold domestically. No foreign exchange. Large scale producing slows down and unemployment rises. Hotels and planes are of no use in a Barrow-led Belize when Tourists are crossed out of the picture. Definitely a failed government.
The Belize Tourist Board vis-àvis the UDP government seems to have been working without any emergency contingency in mind. This is akin to their Prime Minster who has confessed to be digging Belize deeper into a bottomless pit. He will dig and dig until he can dig no more. It is not until Dean Barrow has pummelled and mauled Belize to a pulp will, in his own spiteful words, “grieve for my Belize.” With no fixed date for the opening of the Philip Goldson International Airport which seems to be pinned to the success of Rapid Testing, tourism in Belize is only a question. Will Rapid Testing be speedy enough to coax enough people to come to Belize? Will reeling airlines in the USA find it profitable to still come to Belize? Are there enough tourists out there that are willing to give travelling a thought or their dollars? In the globalized world, Belize is as Covid-free in as much as our neighbours are free from the coronavirus pandemic. Our neighbours are still well in the pandemic. Belize can recall how we were when we had 18 cases so we can gather how stressed our neighbours might be. Let us not forget that we still have in government the same UDP that rejected a gift of 25 thousand Covid-19 Testing Kits since these kits were incompatible according to Marin and Patt. Belizeans also reject the UDP since they are incompatible with Belizean society. The UDP has got to go.
24 MAY
2020
SOE’S NO SENSE OF PURPOSE Stealing Chunks of Belizean Liberties
The Prime Minister was brazen enough to chant Belize Covid-free… BUT Belizeans cannot do this nor that. The global truth is that no country that has borders with three others that are Covid-ravaged will be Covidfree for some time to come. Instead of pounding on his chest unnecessarily while hurting his back, the PM should have made an attempt to blare the only solution this country has, given the societal, health, and economic impasse it is definitely suffering. The solution: give the electorate the chance to speak with that power that Belizeans definitely know— a General Elections not a State of Emergency. Belize is careening into an economic black hole that cannot be managed by those who mismanaged it into that economic cataclysm in the first place. Only a new government (PUP) can give the International Funding Agencies the confidence to help Belize. A UDP lame duck government does not have that luxury. The current Covid SoE is the farce of farces. The reason for the SoE is to prevent Covid from spreading. Lately, that reason should be to keep Covid outside of our borders. The incompetent UDP has found a way to mishandle this Covid SoE. It is being misused and abused in the official name of the coronavirus. On Monday May 18, the Commissioner of Police stated that the Covid SoE was in fact misnomered. In a nutshell
statement surrounded by chatter he voiced what can only come from his superior. Williams in many words said that the State of Emergency it helping curb crime. No, no…this state of emergency is definitely not there for this reason. In fact, the incidence of police being involved in video recordings and brutality have been too much. Did the SoE give the Police carte blanche to have no sense? One immense problem shows itself in another misnomered UDP show called Ask the Experts. One keeps waiting for the experts to appear. The guests are clueless and in most instances color blind. The worst was still you Pablo don’t worry, it is most difficult to top the ‘ventilating machine’ comment. The UDP believes that this show is the policy distributer and explicator but it is not. Belizeans are not informed. Every Belizean knows that this SoE is there for Health protection. Maybe a fringe benefit to society and the security forces is that all criminal elements have to stay in. Police is taking the liberty and excuse to lock them up if they even see them. But the law abiding citizens will never agree to give up their freedom given that the UDP cannot find and help the police with a crime solution. The UDP is taking advantage of the pandemic to pull the rights even from law abiding citizens. No can do.
24 MAY
2020
11
THE BELIZE TIMES
BTL Cuts Salaries
Taxpayers paid about 560 Million Dollars for a company just to satisfy the Barrow ego. Years ago BTL was expropriated and via legal struggles ended in the laps of Belizeans under a constitutional amendment that placed all utilities under the Belizean flag. But when it is convenient Barrow has blurted even in the House of Representatives that BTL is a private entity owned by Belizeans. It seems that owned and owed are
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similar words. The people seem to only owe for BTL in many ways. People pay phone bills and people pay to acquire the company. Yet, now in the time of Covid, there is news that the company is cutting salaries. They are obviously very close to a collapse just 7 weeks into the pandemic. Interestingly enough, BTL formerly run by Anwar Barrow and Belize formerly run by Dean Barrow are in a similar plight. Dean himself is already grieving for Belize as if he doesn’t have work to do given that he is still Prime Minister even as he is
JOB OPPORTUNITY: VACANCY
!
Dear Editor It is me again, GOB Imposes Yet Another Ridiculous Regulation so I must react. I was left appalled after watching “Ask the Experts” on Monday, May 18, 2020. The AG has given permission to bar owners who are in possession of a Publican Special Liquor License to operate under the condition that they function as a restaurant; serve food or remain closed. If you want to enjoy some cold beers, then you must order your ceviche or some kind of food. I must say - by far this is the stupidest regulation I have ever heard of in the middle of a pandemic. My recommendation to all bar owners/operators - serve a bowl of ceviche or chips & dip with every drink - just don’t get cute with it…problem solved!!! So while their biggest issue is getting beer served, people are escaping our borders on an almost daily basis. Just yesterday, we had the incident of the two van-loads of contraband goods that were smuggled into San Victor Village, Corozal from Mexico. Mexico, by the way, has over 6000 positive COVID-19 cases. It is crystal clear that we need many more of our security forces to guard these hotspots. It is definitely unacceptable that only a team of customs officers were on that scene - that could have gone terribly wrong. It is no secret that village is well known for its aggressive villagers who will do anything to secure their contraband goods. The custom officers had no other choice than to retreat for their own safety. Why is there no joint enforcement security team guarding these wellknown contraband hot spots? The AG made it clear that security officers will be out patrolling the bar spots to ensure the new regulations are upheld. Is it more important that we guard bars to ensure liquor sales over protecting the mass citizens from the threat of COVID-19 exposure? Thanks, PSW
not the leader of the UDP. All in all, the problem is massive in Belize and, particularly, at the BTL. Reports show that at BTL they will be making salary cuts in varied levels: general staff are getting cut 15 percent, managers 20 percent and Heads of Department 25 percent. This will initially last for 3 months starting this coming June’s salaries and expected to be revised in August towards new decisions. The public can easily see the showroom at the Mirab Store as an expense that will need to be grappled with quickly. Also, the compa-
ny has invested almost 100million in upgrading to keep up to speed with the world of telecommunications at the expense of taxpayers. These same taxpayers are still waiting on a well-publicized audit and the PUP’s demand that some 29 million is still owed to government in taxes. For now, BTL sits at the precipice of salary cuts but as opposed to the Tourist Industry their problems come from before Covid-19. Again, this is akin to the problems of central government. The tourist industry will rebound if and when tourists return. Will BTL unravel with that same type of solution? The UDP cash cow has been milked to a powder dry.
Applications are invited for the post of IT Supervisor Reports to: Chief Commercial Officer Experience: 3-5 years of experience working in IT operations Education: Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience
Responsibilities for IT Supervisor
Lead IT projects, including the design, deployment and management of new IT systems and services Monitor performance of information technology systems to determine cost and productivity levels, and to make recommendations for improving the IT infrastructure Help define IT infrastructure strategy, architecture, and processes Analyze business requirements by partnering with stakeholders to develop solutions for IT needs Assess vendors and develop strategies for new hardware and software Troubleshoot hardware and software issues related to internal IT Manage a small support team
Qualifications for IT Supervisor
Experience leading and managing IT projects and rolling out IT infrastructures across various technologies Excellent working knowledge of computer systems, surveillance systems, network and systems administration, databases and data storage systems, Corporate firewalls and Windows Server Operating systems Strong critical thinking and decision-making skills Excellent project management skills and strong ability to prioritize Firm grasp on IT infrastructure, operations best practices and emerging technologies Applications should be emailed to:
Chief Commercial Officer ljones@portofbelize.com Closing date for receipt of applications is Friday, June 5th, 2020
12
24 MAY
THE BELIZE TIMES
Government spends $14.4 million on luxurious vehicles;
2020
NOTICE O&S INTERNATIONAL GROUP LTD. IBC #39,138 (“the Company”)
Some seen on private farms
--Contributed— Pursuant to Section 102 (8) of the International Business The Public Service Union (PSU)’s report listed Government’s vehicle Companies Act, Chapter 270 of the Laws of Belize, Revised expenses as a whopping $14.4 million for acquisition of new vehicles, fuel Edition 2011, notice is hereby given that O&S INTERNAand vehicle repairs for the year 2018/2019. The report noted that $3.9 milTIONAL GROUP LTD. has been dissolved as at 13th May, lion of that total is used for the acquisition of new vehicle. Priorities?? This is so as thousands of Belizeans suffer hunger and poor living condi2020 and has been struck off the Register of International tions. Imagine the possibilities in $14.4 million on vehicles for government Business Companies. ministers. Where are the homes that this UDP administration has built to support the Belizean people? Belize City is home to the most powerful minCILTrust International Limited isters of this UDP government and while they live in mansions, the homes Registered Agent of our people continue to fall. Over $6 million was spent on repairs for said vehicles which are being used by political cronies on weekends and for personal use. Vehicles are heavily tinted and, someBISHOPMARTINHIGHSCHOOL times, the government plates are removed and replaced ¾ MILE SAN LORENZO ROAD, ORANGE WALK TOWN●P.O. BOX 177●TEL. 322-3469/ 671-4567 ● with private plates. Exchanging of plates was called ‘creEmail: bishopmartinhigh@ymail.com ● WEBSITE: http://www.bmhs.edu.bz ative’ by one high ranking government minister. Slippage? There is a minister in the Cayo District with a farm near La Gracia where government bought machinery, veBishop Martin High School, a Roman Catholic Diocesan High School, has a vacancy for the hicles and fuels are taken daily at 6am. The ‘government’ following permanent position tenable upon approval from the Teaching Services Commission. workers on payroll are also assigned full-time duties on 1. 1 Non-Teaching Principal the minister’s private farm. Abuse and misuse? This has been on-going for years and the political cronies take jolly Minimum qualifications: rides with their friends in their government issued vehiMaster’s Degree in Educational Leadership cles. Where is the accountability to the people of Belize? Experience in Administrative positions (will be an asset) Belizeans deserve better! Full and valid Teacher’s License to teach in Belize While on the subject of government misuse of vehicles, one was caught on camera at the Ladyville Elections Duties and responsibilities: and Boundaries office. Our Belize taxpayer vehicle ran its engine with AC at full blast for roughly an hour while wait Overseeing admission, placement, promotion and graduation of students ing for one solitary voter who went inside to register. Aus Under direction of the Board, guide the formulation of school policies, rules and programs terity? Or, Abuse and Misuse?
Digicel
files for bankruptcy
Digicel chairman Denis O’Brien
Jabbor Kayumov, Digicel CEO
By Anthony Wilson, trinidadexpress.com Regional telecommunications giant Digicel has filed for bankruptcy before the Bermuda courts, but it insists that its day-to-day operations will not be affected by the filing. The bankruptcy filing involves the appointment of three provisional liquidators from KPMG, the global services company. Coming days after the company implemented a group-wide salary reduction, the move is being seen as part of Digicel’s attempt to restructure US$1.6 billion of its estimated US$7 billion debt.
Enforcing school rules and maintaining a safe and proper school environment and culture conducive to teaching and learning Organizing the registration of students in examination and other processes Provide educational leadership to the school especially in areas of pedagogy, curriculum and assessment Serve as a liaison between the school and parents and between school and community Oversee the daily operations of the school and liaise with the Board of Management as required Under direction of the Board, participate in recruitment, selection and disciplining of staff Assigning, directing and assessing staff Participate in all school activities and perform duties relating to membership on School Board or school committees as appropriate Participate in secondary school meetings and keep the Board of Management updated on the revised, updated and/or amendments to the Education Rules Motivate and encourage team spirit building within the faculty and staff Furthering the Mission, Vision and Values of Bishop Martin High School, among others.
Prospective applicants must submit the following documents, including: 1. Letter of Application 2. Curriculum Vitae 3. Two (2) Reference Letters 4. Copy of Valid Teacher’s License, 5. Certified Copies of Degrees 6. Original Transcripts 7. Copy of Social Security Card 8. Copy of Birth Certificate/Passport 9. Medical Certificate 10. Recent Police Record (original) 11. Marriage/Divorce Certificate (where applicable) 12. Release Letter (where applicable) ALL copied documents must be certified & ALL documents in foreign languages must be accompanied by an official English translation. Salary will be in accordance with Government Pay Scale. Applications package should be submitted by Thursday, May 28th, 2020 to: The Chairman, Board of Management Bishop Martin High School ¾ Mile San Lorenzo Road Orange Walk Town
24 MAY
THE BELIZE TIMES
2020
HEREDIA AND GUERRERO
13
still not Aligned with Their Own UDP issues if central UDP will allow. The message is the same everywhere. If you cannot do that, move aside. Andre and the PUP are ready to sail San Pedro and Caye Caulker out of the UDP storm.
Once upon a time there was a dredge man pretending to be a fisherman. With a slur and no shoe this beach person combed his way into ministerial office. Thereafter he spent a dozen years between the lands office and the immigration office. It would be hard to tell where he spent most of his deceit. In 2018, there was plenty a slip between Mayor Guerrero and his fortuitous surprise win. Both are examples of island magic at its most infamous. Today, it is proven that Heredia and his Mayors cannot do anything for San Pedro. They failed at a proper docking boat terminal. They failed at the multimillion dollar sand fill of a football field. They failed at modernizing electricity and water whilst dragging in Caye Caulker. They failed at building a so often promised Hospital. Both cons now have joined ranks to run around Peyrefitte and Williams in a not so veiled attempt at being antiUDP. After 12 years of not getting anything for San Pedro Heredia attempts to fake as if he actually has a plan. He is clueless and he knows it. He keeps calling on the PUP to come rescue San Pedro from him. The PUP will rescue San Pedro from the UDP and work with that community to develop its resources. Some history: the Minister of the non-existent Tourism sector is still getting paid but he is not kept abreast of anything. Late March as his island was being locked in a mandatory quarantine, Heredia bawled bloody fowl, He was antagonistic versus his own set. Next we heard of his fixing his own opening hours for San Pedro business establishments. UDP government alpha defenders took to the airwaves to forbid Heredia those State of Emergency amendments. Those defenders included ex-leader of the UDP, Barrow, unelectable Peyrefitte, and Commissioner Williams. The obvious and conspicuous nonmove was the arrest of the dumbo duo. During a time when many disliked are being arrested for protesting, this UDP duo are unscathed. Just like how a UDP chairman can illegally throw the cattle Industry into oblivion, this UDP Mayor can prevent San Pedranos from migrating the Island. The UDP Minister can amend the State of Emergency regulations and he is only told to cease and desist. The UDP Minister and Mayor are in government, they should be able to work with their own for the benefit of San Pedro. We already know they cannot handle big projects but they surely can handle some
JOB OPPORTUNITY: VACANCY Applications are invited for the post of Human Resource Manager Reports to: Chief Executive Officer
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources Management (Master’s degree would be an asset)
Human Resource Job Description Port of Belize Limited We are seeking an experienced HR Manager to work closely with the CEO and the Senior Leadership Team at PBL. They should also possess outstanding people skills to manage our personnel and ensure that our human resources programs and initiatives are effective, efficient and aligned to overall business objectives. Duties for the HR Manager will include supervising HR Personnel, supporting employee development through development plans and training programs, enhancing job satisfaction, designing recruitment and onboarding procedures, implementing HR strategies that support business objectives, forecasting staffing needs, mitigating risk, structuring benefit packages, maintaining employee records, managing budgets, designing accountability mechanisms, dealing with employee grievance and disputes, and overseeing overall employment needs. The ideal candidate for this role should possess a proven track record managing a team within the HR function, a high work ethic, excellent communication skills, knowledge of labor regulations and HR practices, strategic thinking abilities, strong organizational skills, and excellent interpersonal skills. The exceptional HR Manager should improve HR processes, implement strategies that support business growth, improve morale and employee retention, enhance safety and wellness, strengthen relations between staff and employers, manage job satisfaction, attract the best recruits, and promote the organization’s values. Duties & Responsibilities: Human Resource Manager Developing and implementing human resource policies. Supporting strategic objectives. Hiring staff and negotiating employment agreements. Ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. Managing staff wellness and performance reviews. Motivating and supporting current staff. Maintaining staff records. Handling employee benefits. Identifying staffing needs and creating job descriptions. Designing and directing training programs. Consistently recruiting an excellent staff. Maintaining a smooth onboarding process. Training, counselling and coaching staff. Resolving conflicts through positive and professional mediation. Carrying out necessary administrative duties. Conducting performance and wage reviews. Developing clear policies and ensuring policy awareness. Creating clear and concise reports. Giving helpful and engaging presentations. Maintaining and reporting on workplace health and safety compliance. Handling workplace investigations, disciplinary and termination procedures. Maintaining employee and work place privacy. Leading the HR and Admin. Team Human Resource Manager Requirements:
Proven track record in human resources management within a large blue-collar and unionized environment Excellent communication skills Highly organized Superior interpersonal skills and people skills with experience in training and coaching staff Experience in conflict resolution, disciplinary processes and workplace investigations Experienced with union negotiations Good problem-solving skills Budget management experience Knowledge of labor, health and safety laws and regulations Computer literacy with competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, and outlook
Salary Scale: Will be commensurate (in accordance Key Functions with the Company's Salary Structure). T
To Apply: Kindly submit letter of application, resume, educational credentials, valid police record and a copy of a valid Social Security Card.
Applications should be emailed to: jobapplications@portofbelize.com Closing date for receipt of applications is Friday, June 5, 2020
14 OUT
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Dear Editor, I enjoy reading the Belize Times because in the pages I can see a future. Dean Barrow tries to make us feel as if he has pounded us enough not to recuperate. But, his worse mistake was thinking that he can make Belizeans drop to their knees. We might be docile but not dead. “Don’t mistake my kindness for weakness,” lyrics for many a song. The leaderless United Democratic Party closed our airport and land borders in the 3rd week of
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!
Peter L., Community Petition on Avaaz.org Approximately $7M was spent on a custom terminal on the west side of the island that remains largely unused, while the local water taxi operators are applying for approval to build a further facility in the heart of the town at the old Ruby’s Hotel location. Not only is this a hazard in terms of traffic, congestion and the close proximity to the Elementary School, but will also detract from the beach areas on the front/east side of the island. We therefore request that the local authorities to • NOT approve building of the new water taxi facility in the old Ruby’s Hotel location. • Actively pursue the relocation of the water taxi operators to the facility that has been built and designated for this purpose on the west side of the island. • Request that the San Pedro Town Council issue an immediate cease and desist order on any planning, permitting or building for the purposes of a water taxi terminal at the Ruby’s Hotel location. • Actively pursue and demand the payment of unpaid rent for the municipal dock by any and all occupants. In light of the current instability of the town finances we believe these monies are due and needed desperately. Our reasons for opposing this project include but are not limited to: • The safety and wellbeing of children attending the Elementary School • The severe impact on traffic that would occur at what is already a bottleneck • The fact that $7M has been spent to build a virtually unused terminal that was designed for this purpose.
24 MAY
THE BELIZE TIMES March once they were sure that the novel coronavirus was safely in Belize. It was obvious to everyone that since Belize was afflicted economically, had an unprepared health sector and was devoid of expertise that the border urgently needed to be closed. But UDP silliness and inability to think ahead reared its ugly head. The UDP stared blindly at the approaching pandemic and froze. Now, frost bitten they rule via thoughtless unscientific reactive SIs explicated to Belizeans by an inept frontline bulldog. The UDP have become SI-addicts and are dangerously walking out our civil liberties on the plank in the name of saving Belize. Belize is made up of Belizeans and their inalienable civil liberties and human rights. No minister can methodically chip away at Belizean fundamental freedoms nor civil liberties. UDP…you better watch out. Below I will sign floating voter…one that has made up her mind from when I heard your PUP song. They got to go. Signed Floating Voter
2020
NOTICE HM Holding Inc. IBC # 173,536 (“the Company”) Pursuant to Section 102 (4) of the International Business Companies Act, Chapter 270 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2011, notice is hereby given that HM Holding Inc. a) Is in dissolution b) Commenced dissolution on the 15th day of May, 2020; and c) CILTrust International Inc. of 35 Barrack Road, Third Floor, Belize City, Belize is the Liquidator of the Company. CILTrust International Limited Registered Agent
24 MAY
2020
THE BELIZE TIMES
THE ABSENCE OF CRUISE TOURISM
Contributed by Citizen feeling the economic gloom. The suspension of cruise operations has had and will continue to have a detrimental effect on Belize’s economy. It has been 2 months since all cruise lines stopped calling to the Belize ports (Fort Street Tourism Village in Belize City and Harvest Caye in Placencia). At minimum, it appears it will be another 2 to 3 months before cruise lines will be allowed to sail again. This of course is is all dependent on the Government of Belize allowing them back in with new enhanced operating procedures at the port and throughout the various places of visit. But first, the No Sail Order from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which was issued in April, has to be lifted or it can be extended even further for another 100 days as mentioned in the CDC’s no sail order. The key is that both the CDC and the Government need to be satisfied with the procedures that the ships will put in place to safeguard the health of passengers and the health of the country that the ships would go to. Until then, cruise tourism in Belize is non-existent at this time. For 2020, the Belize Tourism Board had on its calendar a projected cruise ship visitation of over 825,000 tourists. With the suspension of cruise operations as of March 14th, and if this continues through August, about 25% of that expected visitation would be lost. This is expected to be more if when the ships return in the latter part of the year, they do so with less than normal capacity. These are very uncertain times for a sector which employs thousands of Belizeans and for which many small businesses depend on. It is also a tremendous loss to the Government of Belize and the Belize City Council in terms of the Belize City port to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The deleterious effects of the absence of cruise tourism will be felt well into the next year and even more. When cruise tourism does come back, no one should anticipate it will be at the same number of calls or the same ship capacity level or at the same tour participation rate. The fact is no one really knows what will happen but until a vaccine for Covid-19 is developed, there will be a significant change in operating procedures both for the ships, the port countries, the tour operators and the many suppliers throughout the service delivery chain which will likely result in few persons on board and fewer persons on tours . Social and physical distancing will determine this.
The amount of applications submitted to the Government Relief Fund, over 80,000, while not all from cruise tourism and being a significant amount, still indicates the impact of absence of cruise tourism. The multiplier effect of tourism, cruise and overnight, is such that while the thousands of tour guides who were directly impacted lost their jobs as guides overnight, the many other suppliers and vendors who earn their income from cruise tourism was also caught. This includes, bus drivers, boat captains, boat deckhands, mechanics, gift shop and souvenir sellers, hair braiders, taxis, bartenders and waitresses, vegetable vendors, the small vendors of fruits, snacks and local specialties such as cashew, berry wine and fresh coconut water which are favorites of the cruise visitor. When you consider the loss in revenue and jobs in these areas along with the significant loss in revenue to NICH through their entrance fees and government tax authority as well, the meltdown in the economy alone from this one sector is better appreciated. If this continues through the summer months, many of these establishments may not exist when the ships do come back. At some point, a thorough analysis and projection specific to cruise tourism on jobs lost, businesses which will either downsize or be forced to withdraw from the sector and loss in revenue to the government, city council and any statutory boards engaged in the sector will need to be done to determine the extent of the gap to be filled for economic relief and recovery. There is no doubt the ships will return to Belize. Belize had always offered some of the best shore excursions on the Western Caribbean Cruise itineraries. The fact that in addition to Belize City and Harvest Caye ports there are active proposals before the government on an additional three cruise ports is proof positive that Belize remains a destination of choice. The effects of Covid-19 on the cruise companies themselves may result in strategic decisions on where ships will go first when they do return but that too is uncertain at this time. The tourism industry, both overnight and cruise, is resilient. It is a sector of the economy which can rebound; however, the months ahead until the ship return back to their former levels will be painful and will require a significant adjustment to how business is conducted. Cost of operations will need to be revisited if those involved in the sector are to survive.
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UDP INFAMY: Barrow is no FDR
“Years of neglect, political gamesmanship, short-sightedness, economic tightening, and budgetary indecision” are great adjectives for a UDP maladministration whose legacy includes poorly done infrastructure projects in large contracted to one Imer Hernandez Development Projects. This company is owned by the nephew of the most despised John Saldivar financier and cattle hoarder and quasi representative, Gapi Vega. American 1930s President’s brainchild the New Deal is the world standard for Infrastructure development to get your populace back to work. Dean Barrow will never be accused of any FDR type New Deal...no no. His government’s use of loanbacked infrastructure projects is a guise for obscene scale corruption and the amassing of campaign funding and support by an unsuspecting electorate. The only deal seen today in the UDP is the Big Deal and he is not desired not even in tranches. In the 1930’s in the USA, President Franklin Roosevelt presided over what was called the New Deal. The New Deal “a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. It responded to needs for relief, reform, and recovery from the Great Depression.” Moving up to May 14, 2020, Dean Barrow
attempted to juxtapose that marvel of a program to his UDP’s sorry excuse for an infrastructure set of projects which ended on the laps of Imer Hernandez and his ‘expertise.’ As President Trump was coming into office the revamping of 1930s infrastructure was as big as his Wall. UDP projects last not even 1/20th of that time. Many projects done by Imer and the UDP could be seen deteriorating months after supposed completion. Nonetheless, the UDP did not count on Covid-19 derailing their infrastructure guise and Elysian dreams. Roads now are strapped and really taking no-one to nowhere. The difference is clear, President Roosevelt constructed roads with purpose and were handsomely constructed for generations ahead. For example, the 6th or Coastal Road project is designed for speeds up to 62 miles per hour. This means it is being done on the cheap but its price is hefty nonetheless. Why the difference? What happens when a vehicle overtakes at 65 miles per hour? Imer of course will never have a credible answer. He is worse than Pablo. So Dean, most Belizeans have never heard of Franklin Delano Roosevelt but let us help PM’s legacy by stating the Dean Oliver Barrow is in no way Rooseveltian. May 14, 2020 is a day that will live in UDP infamy as Dean Barrow confessed that he, united with his party, was “heedless for years and years and years.” Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 30’s was, as seen, “a series of programs, public work projects, financial reform, and regulations” which arguably is still a part of American life today systematically and even physically. Eighty years later the United States needs some US$3 trillion to rebuild collapsing infrastructure. That’s not bad. Barrow attempting to piggy back on that success story when the UDP projects crumble in months can only be called, UDP infamy. The people will soon call it out the way they yearn to and have a right to. They will Vote PUP!
50 16
Orange Walk Rural South: Jose Mai The future is in our children. As we celebrate Teachers, we must remember that our children and grandchildren first learn at home.
24 MAY
THE BELIZE TIMES 2020
24 MAY
2020
24 MAY
2020
PUP CARES
Corozal Southeast: Hon. Florencio Marin w/ the Sarteneja VC
Cayo South: Hon. Espat supports Valley of Peace VC
Stann Creek West: Rodwell Ferguson
Estamos muy contentos por haber ayudado a una gran parte de las familias Sartenejeñas.
New initiative to reap from the land for sustenance.
Encourages all Belizeans to plant in their back yard. He has begun.
18 JAN
THE BELIZE TIMES 2015
17
Orange Walk Town Council The work continues, in a safe way.
Belize City Council BIG thank you to all team members who assisted! The collaborative efforts assisted residents most in need. ~Your Belize City Council...Always ‘Bout The People
Cayo Central: Alex Balona Alex is a strong supporter of small entrepreneurs and businesses. Today he presents to you Mr. Angel Pinnix.
Cayo West: Jorge “Milin’ Espat Working with the community, providing much needed help.
Oscar Arnold: BCC Councillor and Standard Bearer for Collet Mesopotamia: Candice Pitts Seeing progress made on a single mother’s home!
SERVE THE PEOPLE!
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THE BELIZE TIMES
THINK ABOUT IT
NO COIN IN THE REALM AND NO FUTURE EITHER
If YaYa Marin was to interview 100 persons on Albert Street. They wouldn’t know what “no coin in the realm” means. It means there is no money in Belize. Or clearer than that – the government has no money. The government is broke. That is what the Prime Minister was forced to admit. He even shut down the meager $50.00 per week social assistance program. What he didn’t say is, that it is he who broke the government. Not the Cabinet, that wretched group of men and women. Minions who were the bit props while Mr. Barrow single handedly ruined our country. When the country was overflowing with Petro-Caribe monies, the P.M. did not invite the Public Service Union, or Teachers Union to submit proposals to improve the country. He did not send for the members of the Chamber and private sector to discuss their ideas of needed projects to improve Belize and its people. Now that he broke the government he is threatening to change laws to chop salaries, increments and allowances of public officers, teachers, nurses, police and BDF. As Hon. Francis Fonseca pointed out, when the Prime Minister was in California and Belizeans confronted him over the Ministry of Lands, he stated it was a hot bed of corruption. When confronted with the ongoing corruption of his government he said – “it is what it is”. When it came to light that he secretly met with Mr. Ashcroft in Miami and signed over 560 Million dollars, he told Belizeans it was a good thing for them. In 2008, we owed Ashcroft 30 Million dollars. Now, thanks to Mr. Barrow that debt is at one hundred million dollars. And when it emerged that he had been hiding 450 million dollars of Petro-Caribe cash and was illegally spending it, he changed the law to cover his criminal conduct. As recent as last year he changed the tax laws so he could exempt a handful of persons from paying 90 million dollars owed in land taxes. They were not even required to give up a portion of their lands so that it could be redistributed. And when it came out that BTL formerly managed by his son, had not paid government 29 million dollars in GST, he pretended not to know and said there would be an audit, which will never be completed. When 100 million dollars could not be accounted for earlier this year, his explanation to the nation through the hapless Financial Secretary was, it was a slippage. And we could go on and on with examples. But the alarming fact is, no coin in the realm. His explanation – covid-19 is to blame. It caused the tourists to stop coming to Belize. Tourism is 40 percent of our economy. So what about the other 60 percent. When our Prime Minister was raiding Social Security to pour millions into tourism and into BTL, he was not thinking of agriculture, fishing and manufacturing. We have never heard him lay out proposals to drastically reduce imports of food and drinks and other items that can be produced locally. Twelve years of Mr. Barrow as Prime Minister and there is no coin in the realm. He never set aside a dollar for the proverbial rainy day. There would be no tomorrow. But he has been saving up his millions in banks everywhere. But for Belizeans, the outlook is bleak. Poverty rose from forty odd to fifty odd percent under Barrow. That is no minor achievement. For that alone, he should be castigated and run out of town. With access to an annual budget of one billion dollars in taxes and revenues, how could there be not even a dollar in the realm. Mr. Ashcroft was paid ALL his money. There was no payment plan. No staggered payments of say 20 million per year. Half a billion dollars paid out – all in one swoop. A politician has to have bow-hog balls to do that to the Belizean people. The enormity of what Dean Barrow has done to this country has not been properly exposed and explained to the people of Belize. This is the singular most important task facing Hon. Johnny Briceño, his opposition party, the unions, the media and men and women of good conscience. “There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which taken at the flood…” MEDIA NEED TO STEP UP The local television channels do a good job in bringing news to Belizeans. They will need to do a lot more. We are thrust into extraordinary times. The same old, same ole will no longer suffice. We need leadership. Not just a new political leadership, perhaps even statesmanship. But also leaders in the various areas of our society. The media needs to seek out and have persons share with us their ideas and views on the way forward. The reality is that the country has 3½ months of food for the population. This is a dangerous situation. We cannot rely on buying food from abroad. We must now become a nation that produces everything we eat. No more imported food and drinks. Many important things needs to be done. We have to begin now. All this talk about when the tourist will come back and how many will come back is okay, but we have to get on with doing things that can be done. We must plant
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2020
and grow things and raise fowl and pigs, and sheep and cows. Our future hangs in the balance. In the same way, God gave us a beautiful country which tourists love to visit and enjoy; the same way God gave us a fertile land and sea and rivers. We cannot continue with the colonial mentality of ignoring our own resources and be importing from abroad. The media needs to be in the forefront of this new mindset. There are sensible and intelligent Belizeans with excellent ideas of how we can help ourselves, keep our scarce dollars at home, provide work for our people and survive in these troubled times.
24 MAY
2020
THE BELIZE TIMES
Sacrifice with Accountability
By Gilroy Usher Covid-19 has wrecked severe havoc on the local economy and government’s revenue due to the closure of numerous businesses at homes and abroad. Nevertheless the pandemic alone is not responsible for the financial jam in which the country finds itself. Unbridled corruption due to lack of transparency and accountability in government is mainly responsible for this financial calamity that now confronts the nation. Covid-19 only exposed the financial mismanagement and malfeasance that have been plaguing Belize for the past decade. After historic budgets of over $1.3 billion dollars every single year for over a decade, the country is broke after less than a month of lockdown to help contain the deadly virus. The government is demanding that struggling public officers and teachers, who live paycheck to paycheck, forego their hard-earned increment of 2020-2021, to help with financial recovery. If those employees agree to that demand in ten years most of them would have sacrificed over $7,000.00 for the recovery. That would be far more than the $6,000.00 one-time peanut contribution of ministers who caused the country to be in the financial ditch and whose take home pay with allowances for housing, entertainment, telephone, and travel etc. easily exceed $15,000.00 monthly. Across the country, persons employed in the private sector as well as thousands of unemployed Belizeans individuals who engaged in a wide range of activities to care for their families will also pay a heavy price for the financial recovery. Due to a steep decline in revenue for the national treasury, there will be drastic reduction in government’s assistance with education, healthcare, housing, and the increasing cost for electricity, water, and food items. The journey to financial recovery will therefore be very painful for the marginal-
ized who simply cannot shoulder those bills alone. Due to lack of funds the administration has already started to cut back on the Food Assistance program and the financial relief for hardship caused by the coronavirus. To ride out this financial storm the government is borrowing millions of dollars from the Central Bank and any willing financial institution as it squeezes Belizeans with cut backs in its services and increase in taxes. It is dead silent over on the measures it will take to reduce corruption in government that has led to the financial catastrophe.
That cannot not be tolerated again by Belizeans. The vast majority of Belizeans consider the implementation of the six demands of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) to the government on 17th February, 2020 more that 4 months ago as basic and reasonable request for the administration to demonstrate that it is serious about fighting corruption in public office. 1. The reconvening of meeting for the UNCAC steering committee , adaptation recommendations, from executive summary and begin procedures for the second phase of the UNCAC process 2. Report of the Senate on investigation of the Immigration Department must be tabled and police investigations and convictions where illegal actions are reported. 3. The Integrity Commission
19 and the Public Accounts Committee restructuring for reduced government influence due to political appointees and for more oversight in government spending. 4. Implementations of Sanctions or penalties for individuals found liable and or who contravened, violated, or did not comply with the provisions of the Finance and Audit Report. It is foolhardy to believe that as a result of Covid-19, corrupt ministers who got the country in this financial jam have suddenly become totally honest leaders who don’t need any oversight to avoid further misuse of the people’s money destined to be used for the basic needs of the people and the betterment of their life. Sacrifice by Belizeans must be accompanied by accountability in government.
20
THE BELIZE TIMES
24 MAY
2020
PUP Standard Bearers
Appealing to their Constituents Excerpts of FB Posts
Hon. Kareem Musa, Caribbean Shores The family of Said Musa wishes to express our heartfelt thanks to the many who sent messages of well wishes, blessings and prayers on learning of his illness. He is in good spirits. Going forward we remain optimistic for his recovery that will require time, therapy and patience. Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Dangriga Belizeans 1/12 of the budget was allotted to the different ministries on a monthly basis. Now they will only be allotted 1/20 of the budget on a monthly basis. It is obvious that the financial secretary has adjusted the budget that was passed without going back to the house. We will see the degradation of our infrastructure, our health system, our education system and our security forces. Unless there will be exception for health and security, these will degrade as well; the letter from the FinSec doesn’t say that. I encourage all Belizeans and especially those in my constituency to plant in your back yard. Times will get tougher as businesses start to fold up. I have started. Belizeans let’s be real, no International Funding Institution will give or lend money to a Government that is about to complete its mandate. Five months, there is no time, call the election now, we are covid-19 free. We need a new mandate, while I want my party to win but which ever party wins that will be a new mandate for another 5 years. Mr. Prime Minister you are tired it is time to go. The Belizean people will punish under your leadership for the next 5 months. You know you can only borrow locally from the Central Bank and that reserve is for international purchasing. They already started to ration to businesses because of the low foreign reserves. Belizeans wise up. There are rough days ahead. There is nothing this present government can do. Their time is up. Hon. Julius Espat, Cayo South Valley of Peace Community makes way it’s first day of local produce market. Our farmers are now able to sell their product directly to the consumer, and our community members on the other hand have easy access to products. This also allows a boost to our local economy. We have a wide variety of fresh products directly from the farm to the market. Hon. Landy Habet, Cayo Northeast Regarding the PM and AG’s Oversight Committee (OSC) update, the issue of the churches is a Sticky One. In my area we have churches that when full can hold up to 300 persons. A change by the OSC to allow congregations of ten for large churches is miniscule and not in par with other sectors. Stores are now open and plenty of people enter at any given time with masks on but no regard to social distancing. Restaurants with outdoor facilities can also now open to service with maximum of ten per table but unlimited number of tables. The public transportation sector cannot apply the social distancing measures. People pack up the buses and boats. This will continue unless GOB subsidizes the sector by covering operation costs for full capacity while only a few ride the buses and boats to comply with social distancing. Additionally, the public transportation picks up passengers from all walks of life and in the case of buses, from several towns and villages. On the contrary, most churches especially in small communities have congregations from the same community only. The bigger churches can easily host at least 50 members at one time with social distancing adhered to. They have Deacons and other lay assistants that can monitor and ensure that the requirements are upheld. They would even agree that public officials check in on them to ensure compliance. Additionally, Churches could have services outdoors where the air is fresh and space is to a certain extent, unlimited. There is need for some logical if not technical and scientific explanation as to this latest decision. Michel Chebat, Cayo North “I grieve for my poor Belize...who comes next will need serious funding assistance....conditionality........pension reform, trimming of wage bill and retrenchment ...I extend my sympathies to those who have to deal with that problem” --Prime Minister Dean Barrow This is the result of 12 years of mismanagement of public funds and unprecedented corruption by this UDP Government! This is the legacy of this UDP Government!! Call Elections now Dean! We taayad a UNU! PEOPLE DIH SUFFA OUT YA!!! Kevin Bernard, Orange Walk East Come 2020 General Elections, let’s vote for a real change in OW East. Vote for Kevin Bernard.
Jorge ‘Milin’ Espat, Cayo West Are you registered to vote? REGISTER TO VOTE The Elections and Boundaries office in Cayo West is now open from Monday-Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. If you need assistance in getting registered please contact Mr. Manuel Mendez 604-0673, Mr. Alfred Kuylen 6256163, Mr. Joe Mendez 635-5977 or Mr. Marco Chable (Succotz) 652-2995. Our country is in crisis with an incompetent government which has failed our people during the most vulnerable moments. The best never came and certainly will never come with this administration. It can only be possible if we make a change. The only way you can change the direction of our future is by VOTING. YOUR VOTE MATTERS! Get registered on time as we gear towards a decisive moment in Belizean Politics. Stay Safe. Best wishes from your PUP Cayo West candidate. Oscar Mira, Belmopan They Guide Us, They Support Us, They Inspire Us, They Teach Us, Today is the Day to thank them and Say, Happy Teacher’s Day 2020 Hon. Oscar Requena, Toledo West Happy Teachers’ Day to all our teachers throughout Belize. We thank you for your role in molding the future of Belize. “A teacher’s purpose is not to create students in his own image, but to develop students who can create their own image.” From Interview: The state of Emergency is something we had to adjust to. We are not used to it. We (in Toledo West) are law abiding people. I want to thank all our Alcaldes and also many organizations who have provided support and found a way to assist our people. Imagine, we only had 18 positive tests. What would have happened if we had 100 positives? The government must be prudent, and we need more honesty in government for it to benefit the people. Candice Pitts, Mesopotamia In his virtual press conference, the PM agreed, among other things, that the ministry of housing has not built any house in the past 10 years and implied that building low income houses for Belizeans in need isn’t a priority of this government. Yet, he goes on to defend GOB’s continuation of the building of roads and highways. 2 questions: 1. If the ministry of housing hasn’t been building houses for the past 10 years, what is the purpose of this ministry, and is the minister still being paid? 2. Why is GOB’s priority the building of roads in the middle of nowhere and not low income homes; must poor people go live on the roads? We don’t think a lack of resources and money to help Belizeans in need is the problem of this government. We think the real problem is that they lack the Will and the Care to help the less fortunate, marginalized, and the excluded. We remind again that Candice Pitts is only the standard bearer in Mesopotamia. She does not have access to resources that the ministry of housing or any representative or associate of this government has. But, through partnerships, with creativity, and a genuine interest to help residents, our team is able to execute well-meaning projects. Partnership is responsible for the rebuilding of Ms G’s house. As such, we extend gratitude to Amy Thomas and Beauty in Belize, Inc. and Castle RiRi Rock; the reparation is underway! Alex Balona, Cayo Central I am a strong supporter of small entrepreneurs and businesses. Today we present you Mr. Angel Pinnix, (fondly known as “Mr. Alacran”) a wellknown entrepreneur of Georgeville village. Being a master at his skill, Mr. Pinnix carves out wooden bowls of various sizes out of mahogany for very reasonable prices. Contact him at his phone number 665-5086 for inquiry of his product or to place an order. Be social, share this post with your friends. Follow us on Facebook. #ENTREPRENEURSHIPATITSBEST #SELFEMPLOYED #MRALACRAN #ALEXBALONAREALCHANGEFORCAYOCENTRAL Ed. Note: Readers please be mindful that these are excerpts. For the complete comment/releases/posts of our PUP leaders visit, like and follow their FB profiles and pages.
24 MAY
2020
THE BELIZE TIMES
Graduation Inspirational Story
Baneza Godoy is Saint Ignatius High’s 2020 Valedictorian
By Zoila Palma Gonzalez Baneza Godoy, an 18-year-old student from El Progresso/ 7 Miles is the 2020 Valedictorian of the Graduating class of Saint Ignatius High School in Cayo. But, her 4 years completing her high school diploma was no easy ride. Baneza shared with The Belize Times some of her daily struggles during her high school years. Students from her village depend on the buses to take them to and from school and when the students miss the bus, they must find another form of transportation to reach home. El Progresso/7Miles is home to over 250 families and the families lived years without electricity. Baneza said that she would travel to the closest village with electricity and internet to be able to submit her work on time. The hard-working farming community only received electricity in November of 2019. Godoy says that she was very happy when she was informed that she was the Valedictorian of the 2020 Graduating class. She extends gratitude to her family, friends and teachers for their support and encouragement. “My family is very happy and proud of me. They told me that the effort is worth it and once we have a goal we need to work hard towards it,” Godoy said.
Baneza says that her plans include continuing her education to be able to assist others and to contribute so that Belize can become a better country. Baneza encourages all students to pursue their dreams. “I strongly encourage every student to pursue an education because it is the most important weapon that will lead you to be a successful person. Always keep in mind that you only fail when you stop trying so never give up; life is hard but you can do it,” Godoy said. Despite the odds, Godoy worked hard and excelled with dedication and persistence. The Belize Times congratulates Godoy on her academic achievements as she is a shining example of citizenry that Belize needs as we get out of our present economic strife!
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THE BELIZE TIMES
Remembering Karl
By Syra Daniels As life passes by, we all feel a little piece missing. We hide our pain behind smiles whenever someone mentions your name, but we learn to find comfort and solace in the memories you left behind. We reminisce about the little things because that’s what we miss the most about you. Like your passion for cooking; nothing beats the look of pure joy on your face whenever you watch people love and enjoy your food. “In order to be a good Chef, you need to know your spices!” you would always say. “Mr. Neries,” that’s what everyone knew you as. You left behind a legacy that will never be forgotten. Although you liked to play tough at times, we all know you secretly enjoyed being called that. We miss your smile and contagious laughter. You were so charming, charismatic and full of life. You brightened up any room you entered. You could make friends with anyone so long as there was beer, food, and poker. You loved to travel and explore new places, and every time you came back, you always had a new friend. The friendships you made were the type of friendships that lasted forever because your loyalty, devotion and love was everlasting. To be loved by you was truly
a blessing. You had a unique way of making the people around you feel so special. Although you didn’t have any kids of your own, you loved all your nieces and nephews like they were your own. As the middle child, you kept the peace because there was nothing you enjoyed more than having a good time with Luis, Sylvia, Jose, Bryan, Michelle and Neria. Most importantly, the love and respect you had for your parents, Ms. Ner and Mr. Pick, was unconditional. Especially for your mom. To you, she was your world and there was no limit
to your love for her. You showed your love through the little things that she still remembers to this day. Like preparing and serving her meals that she would enjoy the most. She misses you dearly, but she will always remember your kindness and thoughtfulness and for that, you will always be blessed. Karl, without you, life just doesn’t feel the same. You are with God, smiling, laughing, and watching out for us all. Even though you are not with us anymore, we know you’re watching over our shoulders guiding us all through life’s hardest times and cheering us on through our special
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2020
moments. We will continue to hold you close to our hearts until we meet again. We love and miss you, Karlitos. We would also like to give a special thank you to all our friends and family who prayed and supported us during this time last year. Words can never describe how grateful and blessed we are that so many people loved and cared for him. Gone but never forgotten. Heavensent: February 4, 1977 Heavenbound: May 25, 2019
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THE BELIZE TIMES
2020
One year after the passing of Karl Michael Pickwoad By Bart J. Collard, criminologist, philosopher and opinion maker in The Netherlands, Europe. “The fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself.” I used to refer to this quote from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist to mentally support people. Very often it is true. When we fear how someone will react to bad news, when we fear being rejected after a job interview or when we fear sharing our opinions in public, usually things aren’t going that bad. However, with an aching heart I have to admit that I found out Coelho’s quote is not always true. Exactly one year ago, on the 25th of May 2019, I received a video call from my friend Jane Ellen Usher. With tears in her eyes she tells me that my dear friend, my own brother, Karl ‘Karly’ Michael Pickwoad suddenly passed away. My legs feel as if I’m in an earthquake, but it is just my body trembling. The next days are a mix of tears, lovely food, drinks – lots of drinks – and many beautiful memories. When I sent Karl pictures from Amsterdam, writing “greetings from Amsterdam”, he usually sent me pictures from himself in his house, writing “greetings from your home.” I’m grateful to have known
such a warm hearted, loving and kind, friend. I’m grateful I was allowed to carry my brother to his grave – although way to early. I’m grateful for the people I met at Karly’s funeral and for the existing relationships that tightened. It’s amazing how collective mourning can create a bond. During that trip to Belize I listened to the song Roller Coaster of Dutch artist Danny Vera numer-
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his siblings Jose, Bryan, Luis, Neria, Sylvia, Michelle and Alfred, to his best friend Henry Charles Usher, to the “Pickled Grill Crew”, to other relatives and all others who were dear to Karly. Although almost every day is still rough, the 25th of May is an extraordinary day of grieving. Tonight, when I’m going to finish my last bottle of Caribbean Rum, I’ll toast to life. In exactly one month I’m going to be a father for the first time; sometimes joy and sadness can go hand in hand. May we find ways to continue with our lives, to suppress our suffering as much as possible. Karly enjoyed life to the max. Let us try to come close to that, despite the heart aches. Dear Belizeans, please learn from my friend, my brother. Do what you want to do in life. Don’t postpone your dreams. Live them.
ous times. Vera describes my current struggles, one year later, accurately: “I try to fill that empty space inside. But I can’t do that without you.” How do you cope with the sudden loss of a brother? How can you fill the emptiness? Maybe time will tell. I know this emotional battle, or roller coaster, is not just taking place in my head. Therefore, I wish a lot of strength to Karl’s parents, Mr. Alfred and Mrs. Neria Pickwoad, to
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24
THE BELIZE TIMES
MISSING
24 MAY
2020
On a postponed April 5th UDP Leadership Convention II, these were supposed to have helped solve the UDP’s leaderless problem. BUT, the coronavirus became the excuse why the incompetent UDP can only run Belize into the recession gutter. They have run Belize broke and the UDP feel it is Ok since they are a broken Party with no leader nor vision. Just as the Belize entered the time of most need ever…the UDP Ministers, Representatives and especially their vying leaders disappeared. Yet, they want to collect their all their HUGE salaries PLUS allowances while cutting the salaries of public officers and teachers—frontline workers. Leaders elected by a few elite does not work…ask John Saldivar.
Hon. Omar Figueroa Who?
Hon. Wilfred Elrington He artificially made it into the ballot. Which delegate will vote for him? Not even the Pickstock UDP delegates…
President of the Senate Darrell Bradley Was gifted President Seat since elections do not work for him. Mystery: which constituency he feels is the easiest.
Hon. John Saldivar Yes folks, he is still HON. Mira will take less than 72 hours to remove that tag.
Hon. Patrick Faber Everything he does puts people to sleep. Press conferences, Leadership Conventions, Alleged Scandals, Simeon Coc and Sports Council Clarifications.
24 MAY
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THE BELIZE TIMES
2020
Section
Bukele: no es tiempo de abrir la economía por más que griten los empresarios Por Alejandra Mena, laprensagrafica.com El presidente de El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, se pronunció ante las medidas que ha tomado su Gobierno para enfrentar la crisis sanitaria por el covid-19. El mandatario salvadoreño manifestó que no se puede abrir la economía, ya que no se ha llegado al pico de los contagios en el país. “No es tiempo de abrir por más que griten los empresarios”, acotó. De acuerdo con el mandatario, se han invertido $75,000 para apoyar a los salvadoreños varados. Se les ha enviado medicamentos. Asimismo, indicó que se han repatriado connacionales desde México, Costa Rica y Nicaragua. “Es una burla lo que hacen a los varados” De igual forma, enfatizó que se han incorporado 1,138 personas al equipo médico del país. Además, se les ha entregado un bono, el cual ha tenido una inversión de $13.3 millones. Bukele señaló que se ha desembolsado $5.4 millones para el pago de hotel, que se han convertido en centros de cuarentena, donde se albergan más de 8,160 personas. El Despacho de la Primera Dama junto al Consejo Nacional de la Niñez y de la Adolescencia (CONNA) y al Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo Integral de la Niñez y la Adolescencia (ISNA) a apoyado a las familias en cuarentena. Ello ha tenido una inversión de $121,000. El “call center” 132 se la inyectado $59,000 para apoyar a las personas. También agregó que para la restauración de la red de hospitales se ha invertido unos $28 millones. Y para insumos médicos se ha entregado $21 millones. Destacó que la Casa Presidencial se ha convertido en un albergue para el personal médico y se ha desembolsado unos $215,000. En equipo médico se ha abonado $1.3 millones. En el caso de medicamentos invirtieron $40 millones. Procuraduría de Derechos Humanos investiga condiciones en albergues ante emergencia por COVID-19 en El Salvador. Asimismo, la entrega de las canastas básicas a las familias en el territorio salvadoreño, que no recibieron los $300, ha tenido un costo de $50 millones mensuales, y contiene más de 30 productos. Bukele enfatizó que a los alcaldes se les ha solicitado su ayuda para la distribución de las mismas. El Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería ha entregado cerca de
126,000 occidental y paracentral $5.7 millones. El resto se repartirá posterior a la cuarentena. Medidas económicas El mandatario salvadoreño aseguró que se mantienen las 30 medidas anunciadas hace dos meses, las cuales suspenden el pago de servi-
cio básicos como, luz, agua, teléfono, tarjetas de crédito. También sostuvo que se ha velado por la estabilidad laboral del sector público y privado. 350 mil empleos están en riesgo si continúa el encierro económico en El Salvador, dice Cámara de Comercio
Además, enfatizó que se han enviado cinco medidas económicas a la Asamblea Legislativa. Y se ha reasignado eficientemente el gasto público. Se han otorgado $2,000 millones para fortalecer el fondo de emergencia, el cual se distribuirá de la siguiente manera: $80 millones para el sector agropecuario, el refinanciamiento de las Letras del Tesoro (LETES) trasladando las deudas de corto a largo plazo, para inyectar liquidez al sistema financiero. • Gobierno salvadoreño ya usó $475.9 millones en emergencia por covid-19 • Se mantiene el Estado de Emergencia por 30 días más, Ejecutivo emitió un nuevo decreto • Fiscalía General presentó demanda de inconstitucionalidad ante decreto Ejecutivo sobre Estado de Emergencia; pide como medida cautelar la suspensión del mismo • “Con su actuación, el Órgano Ejecutivo ha usurpado las facultades que le corresponden a la Asamblea Legislativa”, FUSADES da su postura ante choque de poderes estatales Editor: Para más información sobre este artículo, visite laprensagrafica.com
Trabajadores protestan por despedidos de BestDay en Quintana Roo
Por Jesús Vázquez, eleconomista. com Cancún, QR. Luego del anuncio de recortes en la agencia de viajes Best Day, algunos trabajadores se manifestaron este jueves 14 de mayo frente a las instalaciones de la empresa denunciando despidos injustificados y pago de menos del 50% de las liquidaciones que corre-
sponden por ley. Los trabajadores refieren que no han recibido apoyo por parte de las autoridades del Trabajo de Quintana Roo ni federales, pese a que han comprometido ayuda en caso de desempleo durante la actual crisis por la pandemia del Covid-19. Ramiro Náhuat, quien hasta hace dos semanas se desempeñaba
como agente de ventas en la agencia refiere que pese a las jornadas de protesta que ya suman tres desde el lunes 11 de mayo, la empresa no ha flexibilizado su postura de ofrecerles pagar más de 50% de lo que por ley les corresponde como liquidación. Asegura que la propia empresa les informó que el recorte afectará Continued on page 26
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2020
Section
Empresarios del transporte de carga en Centroamérica prevén desabastecimiento en la región
Por Laprensa.com El transporte de carga a nivel centroamericano se enfrenta a serias complicaciones debido a las restricciones de movilidad implementadas por cada gobierno. Panamá, Costa Rica y El Salvador, por ejemplo, han optado por dar un plazo de 72 horas para que los motoristas permanezcan en cada país, si sobrepasan ese tiempo se les impone una multa. Raúl Alfaro, Presidente de la Asociación de Transportistas Internacionales de Carga reporta pérdidas a causa de estas medidas recíprocas, ya que sus unidades viajan con menos frecuencia, lo que puede generar un desabastec-
imiento de productos en la región. «Ya no viajamos ni a Nicaragua ni a Costa Rica ni a Panamá. Va a terminar en un desabastecimiento y no hay oídos para nuestro clamor», dijo el empresario. Algunos motoristas salvadoreños sostienen que no es rentable viajar más de mil kilómetros y regresar con los camiones vacíos para evitar ser multados por las autoridades aduaneras de Costa Rica, ya que en caso de exceder el plazo deben pagar 500 dólares de multa y cerca de 5.000 dólares para evitar que les decomisen el vehículo. «Queremos irnos de aquí, los
parqueos están llenos, las colas están largas y queremos desocupar los parqueos para que otros compañeros puedan entrar porque no están ingresando camiones ahorita», dijo el transportista Edwin Rodríguez a la Voz de América. Durante los últimos días se reportó una larga fila de camiones en la frontera de Peñas Blancas, entre Nicaragua y Costa Rica, país que no deja ingresar a los motoristas sin antes comprobar si son portadores del coronavirus, el problema es que los resultados de las pruebas pueden llegar en un lapso de hasta 5 días. Marvin Altamirano, presidente de la Asociación de Transportistas de Nicaragua, dijo a la VOA que las medidas generan aglomeraciones en los estacionamientos y un posible foco de infección. «Para nosotros, como sector, son un obstáculo al comercio, porque todos los conductores pueden dar negativo a la hora de ingresar a Costa Rica, pero ningún médico, ningún ciudadano, ningún gobierno nos asegura a nosotros, como sector, que nuestros conductores no se van a contagiar en ese viaje que llevan», comentó. Los transportistas solicitan a las autoridades aduaneras ampliar a 10 días el plazo para permanecer en cada país, así no se pondría en riesgo la seguridad alimentaria de los sectores más vulnerables durante la emergencia por el COVID-19.
Trabajadores protestan por despedidos de BestDay en Quintana Roo Continued from page 25 a 900 empleados de todos los departamentos en los diferentes estados del país. Tan sólo en Cancún, dijo, el personal sobrepasaba las 1,000 personas. Previo a la crisis por la pandemia del Covid-19, Best Day se encontraba en proceso de venta con la firma Despegar. com. Ramiro Náhuat asegura que están aprovechando la crisis sanitaria para argumentar que carecen de liquidez, negarse a pagar las liquidaciones que por ley les corresponden a los trabajadores y de esta manera adelgazar la nómina para acelerar la transacción con el comprador de la agencia. La propia autoridad laboral a nivel estatal ha tratado de convencer a los trabajadores para que acepten lo que la empresa les ofrece de liquidación, pues dado el contexto actual, los asesores laborales refieren que no podrán obtener más allá del 50% de lo que les corresponde por ley. El jueves 14 de mayo Best Day emitió un comunicado en el que anuncia que su línea de negocio de Best Day Travel Group, especializada en servicios de turismo receptivo en Cancún, Riviera Maya y República Dominicana, reiniciará operaciones el próximo 1 de junio en México y el 1 de julio en Dominicana. “Con más de 36 años en el mercado y siempre comprometido con el servicio, Best Day capacita a su equipo de colaboradores para continuar con los más altos estándares de calidad e higiene, proporcionado el uso de gel anti-bacterial en cada posición de contacto con el cliente, así como limpieza exhaustiva del vehículo, antes y después, de cada servicio”, informó la compañía en un comunicado. “El equipo de BD Experience se encuentra preparado para brindar a nuestros clientes respuestas a preguntas frecuentes sobre nuestro catálogo de excursiones, nuestros servicios de traslado privado y colectivo, así como cualquier necesidad o requerimiento que tenga en los destinos. Además, conscientes de los cambios de hábitos y costumbres de los viajeros, hemos diseñado nuevas dinámicas de operación, que incluyen medidas aún más estrictas de sanitización e higiene, para tranquilidad de nuestros clientes”, detalló. Añaden que aprovechando el reciente paro total en el ambiente turístico, Best Day se ha dedicado a reestructurar sus unidades de negocio, adaptándose a la nueva realidad de viajar, para seguir siendo la opción preferida de más de 6 millones de viajeros, anualmente. No mencionan nada del proceso de despidos de personal.
24 MAY
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Section
Minister’s COVID test threat worries private hospitals
By Faine Richards, CNC3 The Ministry of Health’s threat of possible criminal charges forced one private medical laboratory to halt COVID-19 testing on Friday, sparking concern that elective surgeries at private hospitals could be postponed. The director of the laboratory, who asked that both her name and institution be withheld, said she sent a notice yesterday to the private hospitals and doctors who use her services, advising that her facility would cease offering COVID testing pending ministry approval. She said doctors have been procuring her services to test patients for COVID-19 as part of pre-operation screening. However, those private facilities have now begun postponing elective surgeries because patients cannot be tested through her laboratory. Her company halted its COVID-19 service after Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh revealed on Thursday that the ministry’s legal department was looking into an advertisement from a private laboratory for COVID-19 testing. He said the ministry is compiling a file on the matter to send to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Section 7.2 of the Public Health
A prospective patient undergoes a COVID-19 test in preparation for undertaking a medical procedure at a private hospital recently.
Ordinance regulations says a person or private medical laboratory that fails to report COVID-19 test results to the Chief Medical Officer or regional health authority commits an offence and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months. The laboratory owner said Deyalsingh’s comments on Thursday
were “confusing,” since they appeared to suggest private laboratories could be penalised for conducting COVID-19 testing, not just failure to report a positive result. Deyalsingh has repeatedly dissuaded the public from using lab services that do not have ministry approval for this kind of test. Thursday’s press briefing was the first time he revealed any action
PM calls on J’cans attending funerals to obey protocol By Jamaica Observer Limited PRIME Minister Andrew Holness is calling on Jamaicans who are attending funerals to act responsibly and abide by the gathering protocol, which stipulates that no more than 10 people should congregate in any public gathering. “I know in some of the rural parts of Jamaica the funeral ritual is very important. We understand that, but I urge you to have a level of responsibility to ensure that you will observe the rules — no more than 10,” he emphasised at a virtual press conference on Monday. The prime minister said he has been receiving many complaints about the
size of the “mourning party” attending funerals in St Mary and several other parishes in the island, and that individuals are hosting parties at the funerals. He emphasised that this should not be done. Holness reminded that a funeral featured quite prominently in the first [imported] case [of
COVID-19] and several others after that, and appealed for adherence to the gathering protocol. In March, the Government restricted funeral gatherings to no more than 20 people as part of measures aimed at containing and reducing the spread of the virus, but the number was later reduced to no more than 10 individuals.
is being taken against laboratories whose COVID-19 testing is not approved. The laboratory owner declined to confirm whether she is seeking legal advice on the minister’s statement. She said no one in public health had contacted her to express concern. None of the four laboratories that applied for ministry clearance to conduct COVID-19 testing have been given the green light yet. The lab owner said her company applied for ministry approval of its COVID-19 testing in April. She said ministry officials inspected her facility on May 1 but there has been no update on her application since then. The CEO of a private health facility in west Trinidad also yesterday expressed dismay over the Government’s stance on private laboratory testing. “Private labs have been functioning in the country for 20, 30 years and they are far superior to the lab that the Government has in place at present,” the CEO said, asking not to be identified. “Can the Ministry of Health give you certification? Who is qualified to certify a lab? That’s number one. Number two is CARPHA is not able to certify anybody, so I’m not sure what they are talking about with ‘certification’.” COVID-19 screening is now a mandatory part of pre-surgery testing for his patients. “If it comes back positive for COVID-19, we will not be doing surgery on you,” he said. “The person on the (operating) table, we have to know every medical factor behind it for our nurses and doctors to be comfortable operating on somebody. I can’t go find a radiologist tomorrow or an orthopaedic surgeon because they get sick. It would shut me down.” He said anyone contemplating elective surgery in the private health sector should prepare to spend an extra $600 to $2,000 for this screening. His company is interested in both antigen testing, which diagnoses existing infections and antibody testing that could indicate whether someone has recovered from COVID-19. Doctors and nurses at his facility are tested for COVID-19 every two weeks. The T&T Guardian contacted both Deyalsingh and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to clarify the regulations on private laboratory testing. The CMO did not answer or return our phone call and read our WhatsApp message but did not respond. Deyalsingh instructed us to reach out to his Corporate Communications unit, which simply re-sent us the Public Health Ordinance regulations and directed us to section 7.
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2020
Section
Disagreement, comfort as churches resume under relaxed measures
By Kimone Francis, Jamaicaobserver.com SEVERAL churches resumed service on Sunday May 17 for the first time in Jamiaca with more than the previous 10 people mandated by Government, but at least one clergyman is contending that the decision to relax the COVID-19 restriction is ill-timed. Praise City International Transformation Centre’s Senior Pastor Rohan Televen has argued that the decision taken by Prime Minister Andrew Holness last week for churches to have a 14-day trial period was risky. Churches are allowed to resume with strict observation of the social distancing rules, which Holness said include congregants being arm’s-length apart, or one person per 40 square feet. Ahead of yesterday’s praise and worship session, Televen told the Jamaica Observer that he is not in “total agreement” with the measures. “We are trying to reopen when the cases are climbing and there are issues relating to testing. We don’t want to expose our people because some persons are asymptomatic. Now is not the right time. I know the Seventh-day Adventists are looking more closely at how they will reopen. I think they have said that they will wait until the end of May or sometime in June before they reopen, because it is important that we understand what is happening and what the spread is. We have to do all that we can to flatten the curve so that COVID-19 does not remain with us,” the churchman said, adding that members had been clamouring to return to the sanctuary. “Nevertheless, what we have done is to honour the guidelines so the church is refitted differently. We’ve removed some of the chairs; we’ve put distance between them — a broom length — and we’ve also ensured that those who are 65 and over with underlying conditions stay home,” he added. Children below 12 were also told to remain at home. Masks are mandatory and members who turned up at the church in Trench Town yesterday were subjected to temperature checks and had to observe strict sanitisation measures. The church boasts a membership of some 200 people but saw approximately two dozen
Patrick Hanson observes the proceedings during praise and worship at East Queen Street Baptist Church in Kingston yesterday.
attending yesterday’s first service, which began at 9:00 am. Others, the pastor said, had engaged its live stream. “Members were selected [to attend] based on last names. So persons with surnames A-M come in at 9:00 am and leave at 10:00 am. We sanitise from 10:00 am to 10:30 am and then from 10:30 am to 11:30 am persons with surnames N-Z come in,” Televen explained. Once the chairs are filled, entry is restricted. Only 10 members are allowed to stay within the churchyard. While acknowledging the writings of Hebrews 10:25 which encourage Christians not to forsake the practice of assembling, the pastor noted that the guidelines were put in place by the Government to reduce community transmission of the virus and should be adhered to. “So there are many other ways that people can fellowship. We can fellowship at home, send a message through social media, encourage each other, call, or text. What we have done as a church is that the vulnerable among us, we ensure that we keep in touch with them. We minister to them and we bring them care packages,” he said. At East Queen Street Baptist Church, members were directed to
a portable washstand and underwent temperature checks before entering the tabernacle for a word on Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Its membership stands at approximately 800 people but the oneperson-per-40-square-foot measure imposed by the Government limited those in attendance to 103. Chairman of the Deacon’s Board, Gary Soares, told the Observer that the rule did little to impact attendance as the church has an ageing population. Most, he said, are over 70 years, which puts them in the group most vulnerable to the dreaded virus. Soares said that the leadership of the church was in full agreement with the measures set out by Government, and is open to any decision taken after a review of the two weeks. “Whatever decision is made after, we’ll live with because our health is important,” he said. Member Patrick Hanson, who had not been to church since the ‘lockdown’, said he was comfortable with the measures imposed under the two-week trial period. “When I came I realised that things were really in place — the social distancing and sanitising and the temperature checks. When you go inside the benches are set up in a way that everybody [was] sitting more than an arm’s length
[apart], so I was comfortable with that. I feel confident with the steps taken,” the man said. At Kingston Parish Church in downtown Kingston, a clergyman blessed the handful of congregants in attendance without the element of touch during the mid-morning service. It was clear that several in attendance were in breach of the 65 years and older stay-at-home order, but worship continued unabated. All entering the building were subjected to temperature checks and were instructed to sanitise at stations mounted. Efforts to observe the proceedings at a revivalist church at the corner of Beeston and James streets in Central Kingston were futile as the Observer was denied entry.
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24 MAY
THE BELIZE TIMES
2020
Section
El Salvador
Supreme Court Orders State of Emergency Suspended
How can we prevent a COVID-19 food crisis? By Carmen M. Reinhart, Rob Subbaraman, World Economic Forum • COVID-19 amplifies risk of worldwide food-price spike. • Governments must work together to avert disruptions to food supply chains. • Food protectionism must be avoided, two financial experts warn. Even before the pandemic, there were signs that global food prices could soon surge. Extreme weather events induced by climate change
have become more common. African swine fever wiped out over one-quarter of the world’s pig population last year, causing food prices in China to increase by 15-22% year-on-year so far in 2020. And, more recently, the worst locust blight in 70 years has destroyed crops in East Africa. In Kenya, the price of maize, a staple food, has risen by over 60% since 2019. COVID-19 is amplifying the risk of a worldwide food-price spike, which would trigger crises in many develop-
COVID-19 is amplifying the risk of a worldwide food-price spike.
By Reuter, via NYTimes.com The court’s decision came after President Nayib Bukele’s administration was criticized for an overly stringent quarantine and for showing authoritarian tendencies. SAN SALVADOR — El Salvador’s Supreme Court said on Monday that it had ordered the immediate suspension of the state of emergency that President Nayib Bukele declared to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Mr. Bukele had ordered the state of emergency on Saturday, when previous orders were set to expire, without congressional approval. The renewal would have kept the emergency declaration in force for the next 30 days, extending strict lockdown measures such as school suspensions and a ban on movement in certain areas with high numbers of infections. While Mr. Bukele has faced criticism of showing authoritarian tendencies and exceeding the limits on his powers, his administration has maintained that a civil protection law authorizes the president to declare a state of emergency if Congress cannot hold a session. Officials also argued that the risk of the coronavirus spreading further in El Salvador justified the measure. The country has 1,338 confirmed cases of infection and 30 known coronavirus-related deaths. The Supreme Court said in its order that the decision was temporary pending a more extensive review. Mr. Bukele called the Supreme Court’s decision an “unprecedented act,” saying in a tweet that his authority to issue the decree was one “all the presidents of El Salvador have had and used.”
ing countries. In the poorest of these, food accounts for 40-60% of the consumption basket, about 5-6 times its share in advanced economies. While lockdowns have led to a collapse in demand for durable goods and discretionary services, the opposite is true of food. In cities around the world, reports of panic buying and food hoarding have proliferated since the pandemic began. On the supply side, global grain stockpiles are healthy but could quickly be depleted as the virus disrupts food production and distribution. And shortages of animal feed, fertilizers, and pesticides have increased both the costs of farming and the risk of
bad harvests. Moreover, from harvesting fruits and vegetables in India to operating meat plants in the US, labor shortages are becoming increasingly apparent as cross-border travel restrictions in much of the world disrupt the normal seasonal cycle of migrant farm workers. And transportation shortages are making it more challenging to get produce to market – when there is one. Farmers need to reconfigure their supply chains away from bulk wholesale to (currently closed) restaurants, hotels, and schools, and toward grocery stores and home delivery. But that takes time, not least because commerContinued on page 30
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2020
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Section
Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine shows encouraging early results in human safety A view of Moderna headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
By CarolynY. Johnson,Washington Post Moderna, the Massachusetts biotechnology company behind a leading effort to create a coronavirus vaccine, announced promising early results from its first human safety tests Monday. The company plans to launch a large clinical trial in July aimed at showing whether the vaccine works. The company reported that in eight patients who had been followed for a month and a half, the vaccine at low and medium doses triggered blood levels of virus-fighting antibodies that were similar or greater than those found in patients who recovered. That would suggest, but doesn’t prove, that it triggers some level of immunity. The antibody-rich blood plasma donated by patients who have recovered is separately being tested to determine whether it is an effective therapy or preventive measure for covid-19. Moderna’s announcement comes days after one of its directors, Moncef Slaoui, stepped down from the board to become chief scientist for Operation Warp Speed, a White House initiative to speed up vaccine development. Watchdogs called out Slaoui’s apparent conflict of interest. Filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission show Slaoui’s stock options in Moderna are worth more than $10 million with the company’s share price at $66.69. In pre-market trading Monday, Moderna’s stock soared as high as 30 percent to nearly $87. Moderna also received $483 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a federal agency. “Slaoui’s blatant financial conflicts of interest disqualify him for the role of vaccine czar, unless he commits immediately to global vaccine access conditions over the obvious profit interests of the corporations he serves,” said Peter Maybarduk, director of the Access to Medicines Program at Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called for Slaoui to divest his stock options, tweeting it is “a huge conflict of interest for the White House’s new vaccine czar to own $10 million of stock in a company receiving government funding to develop a covid-19 vaccine.” The data released Monday by Moderna is encouraging, but represents only a first step in a long process to bring a vaccine to market. It comes from an interim report on dozens of patients followed over weeks, whereas vaccine studies require broad testing in thousands of patients followed over many months or years. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, said the data looked promising and it made sense to proceed to a large trial this summer. “The fact that the vaccine elicited neutralizing antibody amounts comparable or higher to those found in convalescent sera [plasma] is very encouraging,” said Arturo Casadevall, chair of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who is spearheading the initiative to test plasma as a treatment. Peter Jay Hotez, who is working on developing a coronavirus vaccine at the Baylor College of Medicine, said it would be important to understand the level of antibodies detected in the patients beyond the information provided in a company news release. He pointed to emerging evidence that many recovered patients do not muster high levels after they recover — and that high levels of antibodies are needed to neutralize the virus. The vaccine showed no worrisome safety signals, aside from redness at the injection site for one patient and some transient “systemic” symptoms in three patients given the highest dose, the company said. The interim data comes from a clinical trial aimed at showing the safety of its experimental vaccine and helping the company select the correct dose. The company has not yet picked the final dose, or
announced the size or length of the large trial that it will start in July, which will be the key one that regulators consider to decide whether the vaccine is safe and effective. “We are very, very happy because first the vaccine was generally safe,” Stephane Bancel, chief executive of Moderna said in an interview. “The piece that was really exciting and was the big question, of course, was can you find antibodies in people in enough quantities” to prevent disease. Moderna also reported that the vaccine protected mice who were vaccinated
and then exposed to the virus, preventing it from multiplying in their lungs. The animal and human data being released by the company have not yet been published. Moderna’s vaccine uses a genetic material called messenger RNA that codes for the distinctive spike protein that studs the outside of the novel coronavirus. The vaccine delivers the messenger RNA to cells, which then follows the genetic instructions to create the virus protein — allowing the body to learn to recognize and neutralize the pathogen.
How can we prevent a COVID-19 food crisis? Continued from page 29 cial and consumer food products are prepared and packaged differently. In the meantime, fresh produce has had to be destroyed. Furthermore, some major food-producing countries have already imposed export bans or quotas in response to the pandemic, as Russia and Kazakhstan have done for grain, and India and Vietnam have done for rice. Meanwhile, other countries are stockpiling food through accelerated imports, as is true of the Philippines (rice) and Egypt (wheat). Such food protectionism may seem like a good way to provide relief to the most vulnerable segments of the population, but simultaneous interventions by many governments can result in a global food-price surge, as happened in 2010-11. The World Bank estimates that protectionism accounted for about 40% of the increase in the global price of wheat and 25% of the rise in maize prices at that time. One can understand these countries’ nervousness. While the COVID-19 pandemic has led to falling growth, rising unemployment, widening fiscal deficits, and soaring debt in advanced and emerging economies alike, the appearance of new infection hotbeds in developing countries will mean an even starker tradeoff between saving lives and protecting livelihoods. Moreover, developing countries are already facing a sudden stop in capital and remittance inflows and a collapse in tourism, while the terms of trade and currencies of the many oil and primary-commodity exporters among them are crashing. Even before COVID-19, many low-income countries were at serious risk of debt
distress. And many of these economies are also highly vulnerable to a spike in food prices. Nomura’s Food Vulnerability Index ranks 110 countries based on their exposure to large food-price swings, taking into account their nominal GDP per capita, the share of food in household consumption, and net food imports. The latest reading shows that of the 50 countries most vulnerable to a sustained rise in food prices, nearly all are developing economies that account for nearly three-fifths of the world’s population. In fact, surging food prices would be a global problem, because they are highly regressive everywhere. Even in developed economies, a jump in food prices would drive a bigger wedge between the rich and poor, exacerbating already severe wealth inequality. No one should ignore the age-old connection between food crises and social unrest. Multilateral institutions have mobilized quickly during the crisis to provide emergency loans to a record number of developing countries, while G20 creditors have agreed to a temporary suspension of debt-service payments from poor countries that request forbearance. But because the risks posed by surging food prices do not apply only to the most vulnerable economies, temporary debt relief may need to be extended to other countries as well. With the pandemic threatening to wreak even more economic havoc, governments must work together to address the risk of disruptions to food supply chains. More broadly, some modicum of global policy coordination is essential to prevent food protectionism from becoming the post-pandemic new normal.
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