The Reporter Remix

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Volume 52, No. 26

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 1

Price: $1.00

Does BTL Owe $29M in Taxes?

FinSec Says Not a ‘Live Matter’

Pg. 3

Thursday, June 27, 2019 n a press release issued this evening, Belize Telemedia Limited has denied allegations that it owes $29M in outstanding payments to the General Sales Tax Department, stating that it pays and continues to pay the ‘appropriate GST’ on a monthly basis.

I

Double Murder Suspect Surrenders

Pg. 3

Thursday, June 27, 2019

A

By Michelle Sutherland

man who Police were actively seeking for questioning in the shocking murders of San Pedro tour guide Mario Graniel and American doctor Gary Paul Swank is in Police custody. The Reporter was able to confirm that just after midday today, Christian Espat, 23, in the company of his attorney Leeroy Banner, walked into the San Pedro Police Station and turned himself in.

Prior to that development Espat,

GO Team Belize

Pg. 4

Two More Murders in the City

Pg. 4

Tourism Hurting After Tourist’s Murder

Pg. 37

Thursday, June 27, 2019

T

By Marion Ali

he manner in which some international news agencies have reported the Sunday morning murder of American cardiologist, Dr. Gary Swank on the sea a mile away from San Pedro while on a fly-fishing trip has begun to deal Belize's tourism industry a sharp blow; and to try and set the record straight, the Commissioner of Police, along with the San Pedro tourism sector have come up a set of measures that should serve to make the island safer and restore a sense of safety on the island and its surrounding waters.

Following the murders of Dr. Swank and San Pedro tour guide,

Page 2

he gunmen who shot and killed an American tourist who was out flyT fishing on the lagoon behind San Pedro

don’t care about the immense damage they have done to Belize and her tourism industry.

They don’t care about Belize, and they don’t care about the people of Belize. They don’t care about the thousands of Belizeans who will be thrown out of work if the tourists stop coming.

All they care about are themselves and their selfish desire to live as alfa males and leaders of a wolf-pack.

Apart from a fair trial, Belize doesn’t owe these people anything. They have shown themselves to be predators and outlaws and the enemy of the people because of their disdain for human life and for the Divine Law which commands:“Thou shalt not kill!”

And yet this Divine Law is the only law which works. Every other law which does not take it into account leads to tragedy and human misery. Life in Belize will become intolerable if these people continue to have their way.

They must be stopped, but how!

The Police Commissioner, Mr. Chester Williams, made a valid point this week when he noted that the Police Department cannot be present for every murder committed in Belize. There are too many crimes of planned murder, which strike directly at the heart of the rule of law.

These killers believe that they are above the law; that their savagery will intimidate others and prevent them from speaking out. Belizean silence will protect them from being discovered.

This is the problem we face. People who know what’s going on keep silent because they don’t want any trouble with the killers.

Belize’s response must be to fashion an intelligence network which will reward and protect those who expose the killers. There are lots of people who know stuff about the killers, but they don’t have any incentive to reveal this information to anyone and they don’t have any protection if they do.

The thousands of people who complain on Facebook about crime in Belize have the right idea. But instead of complaining into a faceless Facebook space, people who have helpful information should have some place on social media to which they can confide with text messages in the privacy of their homes, without fear of being discovered.

The cell phone is a useful tool. People use it all the time to expose police excesses. If they had a confidential address to text to, they could give useful information that would help the police to prosecute the killers and help restore peace to our beautiful Belize.

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

Corruption and Accountability Dear Editor: “Where do the evils like corruption arise from? It comes from the never-ending greed.

The fight for corruption-free ethical society will have to be fought against this greed and replaced with 'what can I give' spirit.” -A. P. J. Abdul Kalam For the past ten years the National Budget has been over a billion dollars. Yet more Belizeans are living in poverty today than a decade ago. That’s mainly due to massive corruption by a government entrusted to ensure that the funds and resources of the country are used to provide a better life for all Belizeans.

As Leader of the Opposition in early 2008, Mr. Barrow boasted of having a two-sided machete to chop off the least whiff of corruption within a UDP administration. The latest Auditor-General’s report (2014- 2015) was leaked last week and it shows that since 2008 this administration has steadfastly refused to implement the most basic measures to weed out corruption in public office. That in turn has maintained a bureaucracy which has allowed numerous ministers and their cronies to become wealthy individuals by robbing the national treasury mercilessly.

It’s now 2019. To be of maximum value to a country, the audited report of a nation’s finances should be presented to Parliament no later than a year after the year in review. After that time has elapsed many of the suspected players in graft cannot be located. The latest Auditor-General’s report is four years late; nevertheless the government has still not yet presented it to the House. Repeated requests for sufficient, well-trained personnel and other resources to audit the various ministries and government departments on a timely basis have fallen on deaf ears. Why? The millions of dollars that would be shielded from loss to corruption annually with the proper auditing of government offices countrywide, would be more than twenty times the cost of providing the office of the Auditor General with the necessary human resources and other important things to carry out its function effectively and on time.

Every year concerned organizations complain about the administration’s violation of the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act. That occurs when the government spends $10 million or more over the approved estimates for a fiscal year without first getting approval from Parliament for the additional spending.

The latest A.G.’s report shows that despite that concern, for fiscal year 2014-2015 the administration spent $90 million over the approved estimates for that duration without getting prior approval from the House. To sanitize this unlawful spending a supplementary spending bill was later passed retroactively in the House for the over-budgeted spending without any breakdown of the use of the funds.

Ideal conditions for corruption. A similar Bill

was passed to legitimize the unlawful spending of over $400 million from PetroCaribe without prior approval from Parliament. That $400 million was a low interest loan from Venezuela for poverty alleviation. Apart from a couple roundabouts the country has nothing to show for that large loan which Belizean taxpayers have to repay. Concern about the spending of the PetroCaribe funds was raised in a previous A.G.’s report.

Thanks to the Opposition, a matter is now before the Supreme Court to force the administration to respect the Finance and Audit (Reform) Act. If the Court rules in favor of the Opposition, any future government would have to obtain approval for Parliament to spend $10 million or more in excess of what was budgeted for the current fiscal year.

The latest Audit Report also revealed that for fiscal year 2014- 2015, the Ministry of Natural Resources, which the PM himself calls a hotbed of corruption, and the Accountant General’s office among other ministries did not submit a list of outstanding revenue for their respective offices. Again, why? That is a very serious matter. The uncollected revenue for those ministries amounts to tens of millions of dollars. Since such outstanding revenue was not disclosed for auditing, the door is left wide open for all manner of corrupt deals with uncollected government funds.

With the power to investigate wrongdoing in any ministry or government department, a properly structured and financed Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is one of the most effective bodies in the fight against corruption in public office. The 2014- 2015 A.G.’s report noted that Government’s majority control of the committee ensured its failure in the fight against corruption. That’s because the persons suspected of graft are the same individuals who control the PAC and they use their rubber stamp representatives on the committee to block any investigation that could expose wrongdoing by ruling politicians and their cronies.

It’s time for A.G. reports which show that the resources of the country are being used to address the needs of the people for land, proper housing, jobs, safer communities and greater access to healthcare and education among other things for a better life. Enough corruption in government.

Make it happen P.M. Sincerely yours, Gilroy Usher, Sr. 629-6560

THE REPORTER

Phones: 501- 227-2503 / 227-1767 Fax 501-227- 8278 P.O. Box 707 e-mail: reporternewspaper@gmail.com editoreporter@gmail.com website: http://www.reporter.bz Publisher Harry Lawrence Editor Mike Rudon Jr.

Assistant Editor Marion V. Ali Financial Controller Rosa Maria Lawrence General Manager Lithographer

Journalists Video Producer Desktop Publisher/ Graphic Designer Accounts/ Advertising Chief Printer Office Assistant

Lisbeth Ayuso Rodolfo Castro Michelle Sutherland Alexis Milan Jackie Fuller Rodolfo Castro Leroy Bood Misael Muñoz

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 3

Does BTL Owe $29M in Taxes?

Cont’d from pg. 1

A number of documents leaked to the media this week indicated that Belize Telemedia Ltd., the company nationalized through a complicated legal battle and ultimately costing tax-payers more than half-a-billion dollars, reportedly owes an incredible outstanding sum of approximately $50 Million to the General Sales Tax (GST) department, including principal unpaid sum, and calculated penalties and interest.

The leaked documents show BTL owing over $29.3 Million to the GST Department over a period of time from 2012-2017. A simple calculation on the allegedly unpaid taxes show $17.9 Million in interest alone.

Penalties from each outstanding year would total some $2.9 Million bringing the total sum

owed to the GST Department to a figure in the range of $50.1 Million.

In its release, which is in response to a news story which aired the allegations on Wednesday, BTL states, “the inaccuracy of the news article can easily be verified by seeking clarification from the Ministry of Finance.”

Today Financial Secretary Joseph Waight told the Reporter that he had not seen the documents in question and could not confirm their credibility. He confirmed, however, the he does understand the GST Department had been conducting an assessment of BTL’s accounts but said the audit has not been completed and no official report has been published. He said as such, currently there is no claim against BTL and that it is currently

Cont’d from pg. 1 who recently walked off a murder charge for the July 2018 death of an American national, released a video recording of himself in which he proclaimed his innocence as it relates to the recent murder of Dr. Gary Swank and local tour guide Mario Graniel.

Espat stated that he knows that he will be charged for the crime because he has been a constant target for officers, but "I will go in and give myself up. I do not have any bruises on my body. After this when I go and give up myself I know to my heart that they will beat me up and send me back to jail. But I will leave everything in the Father's hand because in my heart I know that I did not have anything against these people that they are accusing me of. They help me come out of jail, when I went to jail for two months they helped me.''

Swank and Graniel were both shot dead during a fly-fishing expedition on June 23rd.

One day before his death, Graniel's home had

been targeted by a gunman, just days after he had an altercation with a well-known gang figure from the island. With those details. Police suspected that Graniel was the intended target of the shooting, and that Swank was just in the wrong company at the wrong time.

Additionally, there are reports that the murder may have been the result of a dispute over a female, who this newspaper was told was detained by Police and questioned at length.

Last week Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, in explaining that Swank was not the intended target, referred to him as ‘collateral damage,’ which may be accurate terminology but did not sit well with Swank’s family members. The brother of the deceased, Darrin James Swank, stated that "the Police in Belize are calling my innocent brother ‘Collateral Damage,’ but was he fly fishing in a war zone? If that's the case, let's send in the military.”

Earlier this week, Crime Stoppers Belize announced that they were offering a $2,000 reward for information or tips relating to the

Double Murder Suspect Surrenders

not a "live matter” being pursued.

Waight said the Ministry of Finance intends to have a meeting with all the involved parties to see what can be worked out in terms of settling any outstanding balance owed by BTL. The company's Chairman, however, on Thursday, denied that BTL owed any outstanding sum to the GST Department and declined further comment on the matter.

In 2011, businesswoman Catherine Barothy was escorted by tax officers to the police station where she was hauled off in a prison bus, the lone female among inmates in chains, and taken to court to answer for a sum of $41,000 owed to the department. Barothy was one of 13 allegedly rounded up to pay outstanding debts to the GST Department. There have also been several other instances of business owners appearing in court for unpaid GST taxes.

Belama Reserve in Real Danger

Dear Editor: Please allow me space to express my concerns.

I’ve been writing for weeks now about the situation in Belama Phase 4, with a view to get some kind of attention or to spread awareness to the relevant government departments or NGOs in authority in regards to this matter.

Our patrimony is constantly being destroyed by non-Belizeans/immigrants who seem to have no respect for our authorities. I’ve made many reports to the Belama Police on the threats happening on the Belama Reserve, when they are cutting down our trees, building their homes, dumping garbage or even burning in the Reserve. The Police would indeed come, but they don’t do anything. They allow the incursions to happen.

I even went to the Lands Department in Belize City, with picture evidence to show the Reserve is being trampled on by the immigrants, to show the officers there. And still nothing is done. They say that it is a matter for the UDP Caretaker Orson Elrington to take action, and they can’t do anything about it.

I went further and called the Department of the Environment and the Forestry Department to explain to them the importance of the trees on the riverbank and the many species of birds in the area.

All they say is that they will lodge my concern.

But still nothing is being done.

These agencies and people are supposed to be the guardians of our patrimony. If they won’t do anything about it, then who will? It seems that I may have to take matters into my own hands, for the future of the Reserve.

Stand up Belizeans. Let’s us fight for our patrimony for our future generations to come. Let us protect this land that is ours.

Peace, M. Brown

Page 4

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Two More Murders in the City

By Michelle Sutherland

T

his past week was one of the nation’s bloodiest, with 11 murders recorded in six days.

The most recent occurred on Wednesday night in the New Site area of Hattieville Village where well-known shopkeeper Carlton Wade, 66, Wade was shot multiple times around 8:30p.m. as he stood inside his shop.

The elderly man was declared dead on arrival at the KHMH. Police say that prior to the shooting, Wade and other family members were inside Dollar Kite Shop when two male persons who seemed to be minors barged into the store and pointed a firearm at Wade, demanding that he hand over his cash. Witness statement attest that Wade suspected that the two individuals were playing a prank on him and so he refused. One of the individuals then fired several shots at Wade before running off.

When Police arrived

Thursday, June 27, 2019 at the location they Wednesday afternoon, found a toy gun dis- Police are reviewing carded at the entrance surveillance cameras of the shop. That item in the vicinity of Ebony was bagged and tagged Street in Belize City as evidence. to determine whethBased on the descrip- er robbery was at the tion given, authorities center of a shooting say that they suspect which ended the life of that the shooters are Dangriga resident Derfrom the neighbour- rick Tracey, 33. hood. Quick investigaAround 12:57 p.m. tion has led to the deten- Tracey was transported tion of one minor who to the KHMH suffering is being questioned. from multiple gunshot Police are also report- wounds to his body, ing that the motive be- and he was declared hind the shooting was dead on arrival. robbery, however it has Police investigators not been established say Tracey arrived in whether any money Belize City on Monday was taken from Wade to visit his sister. Just afduring the encounter ter midday on Wedneswith the assailants. day, Tracy along with Speaking with fam- his girlfriend was ily members of the de- walking along Ebony ceased, the Reporter Street when an armed learned that this is the assailant exited from first time that Wade a yard and sprayed the has been targeted at couple with multiple his shop. They say that live rounds.

Wade never complained Up to now, authoriabout being harassed by ties are still trying to anyone, and neither did establish a motive for he mention if he had the shooting. They say any dispute with any- that Tracey has not had one and so his sudden any run-ins with audeath has completely thorities in Belize City, shattered the family. however he does posIn the second mur- sess a criminal record der which occurred in Dangriga.

THE REPORTER

GO Team Belize

By Marion Ali

T

he National F e m a l e Vo l leyball Team, currently taking part in the Central American Under-23 Volleyball Championship in Managua, Nicaragua, lost a heartbreaker today in four sets against Costa Rica, but the girls stand a very good chance of medaling by the time the games are over this weekend.

Thursday afternoon's match proved to be their toughest one so far against the undefeated Costa Rican team. Belize won the first set, then fought a very close second set, but lost in the end to Costa Rica 3-1 (22-25, 31-29, 25-17, 25-8).

The Belize team endured their first loss to Honduras on day one of the tournament 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-19).

They rested on Monday, and came back on Tuesday and beat Nicaragua 3-1 (25-

19, 15-25, 25-13, 2516). Our girls kept up the momentum on Wednesday when they also defeated Panama 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-18).

Teams from seven countries - Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador are competing for the championship at the Alexis Arguello Multi-sports Complex in Managua.

Our girls still have two more matches - one on Friday at 2:30pm against Guatemala and the other on Saturday at 2:30pm, against El Salvador. The team

comprises 12 players, three coaches and a referee. The players are: Kiara Smith, Gareth Bruce, Sherika Burton, Karen Quan, Ay a h S a f a , J a h s h ema Saunders, Melanie Palacio, Allyana Musa, Mya Musa, Zazie McKenzie, Fatima Ramirez, and Kevanna Sebastian. The coaches are: Prof.

Jose Fontes, Lupita Quan and Larry Bennett. The Referee is Leon Gentle. They will return home on Sunday.

The tournament is organized by Afecavol, which is the regional body of volleyball federations.

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 5

Taste of Belize Team Shines at Regional Competition Thursday, June 27th, 2019

By Marion Ali

B

elize's Taste of Belize champions tasted silver and bronze awards in this year's Taste of the Caribbean cooking competition, which concluded on Tuesday night in Miami, Florida. But while they did not medal a gold, they did win first place in the Contemporary Caribbean Street Pork Competition on Saturday night.

The team, led by Chef Rob Pronk, arrived home on

We d n e s d a y. C h e f Rob told the media that the main competition was set up similarly to Chopped on cable TV, where there is a mystery basket and the chefs have to work with the contents of that basket. He said that they had hoped to get fish in their mystery basket but didn't.

Chef Sean Kuylen, whose version of the Pibil won the Street Pork competition, explained that the event proved to be a learning experience

Medals won by Team Belize

because while culture is a good place to start from, knowing and having the latest techniques in contemporary Caribbean cuisine also plays a major role.

"That's what they're looking for...it has to have a lot of culture but you have to be very up to date with 2019 cultural molecular and these kinds

of techniques," Chef Sean said.

Mark Jacobs, who won the silver medal for his bartending skills, said he took his ingredients, inc luding f r uits a nd

Team Belize represented the jewel well herbs from Belize.

He said he had a non-alcoholic cock-

tail and for the Vodka competition, he infused his East Indian culture, which is synonymous with turmeric (yellow ginger). For the rum competition, he included a hint of Maya culture.

On Saturday night when Chef Sean won the Street Pork cate g o r y, h e a n d t h e team set up a satellite kitchen on the f ood c our t a nd he took the cultural Maya anato (recado) to season his whole hog, then wrapped it in plantain leaves.

He had to improvise with cooking the meat in a metal bin, as opposed to underground, but the flavours impressed the judges and the 1,300 guests enough for him to win.

Team Belize won the Street Pork Category I n d iv id u a l c h e f s tion over the years on the team also car- has changed. "I see ried along cultural people playing rice c o n d i m e n t s f r o m and beans very sexy Belize and utensils, n o w. B u t i t ’s t h e such as the Garifuna same elements. We mortar, in the event are just sticking to they were given fish proven techniques,� t o w o r k w i t h . I t he told us. didn't matter, howThe team's particiever, because they pation was sponsored demonstrated the use by the Belize Tourof the grater with the is m Bo a r d ( BT B) , coconut. which felt that the C h e f S e a n h a d regional competishared with the Re- tion is a good way p o r t e r t h a t t a k i n g of exposing Belize's part in a cooking dishes to a wider competition is like audience. This was b u i l d i n g a n d r e - only Belize's secsearching on some- o n d p a r t i c i p a t i o n t h i n g o n e a l r e a d y in the competition. knows. He noted that Last year, the team the food presenta- earned silver.

Page 6

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

PM Announces FTC/AIBL Settlement P

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

rime Minister Dean Barrow revealed in the House of Representatives last Friday that a settlement had been reached, in principle, with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that will see charges dropped against Atlantic International Bank Ltd., in regard to the ongoing investigation of the Sanctuary Bay real estate fraud.

Financial Secretary Joseph Waight confirmed that there was indeed a meeting in Miami, Florida last week between officials from the FTC, AIBL’s liquidator and attorneys for the involved parties.

Waight further disclosed that essentially the agreement provides for AIBL to pay certain sums of money in consideration of the losses undertaken by Sanctuary Bay customers in exchange for the FTC to drop its case against them.

We asked Waight about government’s role in the settlement considering in previous court filings the FTC had described the Belize Central Bank as the de-facto controllers of AIBL. However, he assured that the sum liable to be paid by AIBL does not, nor did it ever, extend to GOB or the Central Bank.

In the recent Sitting of the House of Representatives last Friday, PM Barrow and Caribbean Shores area representative Kareem Musa went back and forth for a while over the FTC investigation described as the largest real estate scam ever uncovered by the agency, defrauding unsuspecting US customers of over US $100 Million. Musa harped on the fact that Barrow’s law partner, Rodwell Williams, of their namesake firm Barrow & Williams, provided legal incorporating services to principals of Sanctuary bay.

FTC court documents detailed attempts to keep the Sanctuary Bay parcel hidden from authorities by transferring interests from Andris Pukke, who allegedly ran the scam from prison, to his partner and accused co-conspirator, Peter Baker, who attempted to insulate the dubious transactions through newly formed ’shell companies’.

The FTC filings also claimed that Barrow & Williams was actively involved in attempting to resolve legal actions against Pukke when they negotiated on Pukke’s behalf to satisfy the court

appointed Receiver.

In other FTC documents, the agency said Atlantic International Bank played a key role in assisting the Sanctuary Belize scam… "For years, Atlantic helped Sanctuary Belize sell its worthless plots, in return gaining access to the only customers it was legally entitled to serve,” a recent FTC court filing said. “Sanctuary Belize lured consumers to buy properties in its phantom resort community through a multi-step process; Atlantic was there the whole time,” it added.

Spotlight on Cayo Frances amid SSB Contribution Increase S

Thursday, June 27th, 2019

ocial Security contributions are set to rise on July 1st with further increases scheduled over the next year-and-a half, and with the rushed increases to secure the longevity of the Social Security Fund, criticism has been flung in every direction. However, one issue has generated particular controversy in light of the circumstances.

It involves an island north of San Pedro, Cayo Frances, which was owned by SSB but later wound up in the possession of Minister Rene Montero in a mysterious land transaction for which Montero reportedly owes the board approximately $5 Million.

The 3.6 acre island located seven miles north of San Pedro was granted to Montero in 2007 under former Minister of Natural Resources, Florencio Marin in a “Return of Land” transaction and became public in 2009 when he began advertising to sell it. The island, however, was already owned by SSB, which was granted it

by the government of Belize via a Fiat Grant in 2005 and approved by then Minister of Natural Resources, John Briceño under the previous People’s United Party administration.

Cayo South area representative, Julius Espat raised the issue in parliament at the last sitting of the House of Representatives. In criticizing the handling of the SSB contribution-raise, Espat called out the government and noted that SSB is still owed millions for the valuable island. A former SSB board member told the Reporter that there had been a proposal to finalize the ownership of the island at a cost of $5 Million.

That payment, however, remains outstanding. The former board member also estimates that were SSB in possession of the outstanding sum it would have provided some relief, possibly pushing back the contribution-raise by a year giving employers and employees more time to prepare.

The Reporter attempted to contact Montero for clarifica-

tion on the issue, however, we were unable to reach him for comment. We additionally tried to reach SSB Chief Executive Officer, Colin Young, but got no response. Cayo Frances is described as a great, off-the-grid fishing destination for fly fish, tarpon and bonefish. There is also a camp on the island that realtors describe as slightly adventurous and relaxing.

CAYO FRANCES

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 7

Mass Murder Baffles Cops Thursday, June 27th, 2019

By Michelle Sutherland

C

ommissioner of Police Chester Williams has assigned a special task force, headed by senior officers, to head the investigation into the case of five men whose bodies were found floating out at sea between Thursday and Saturday. Indications are that the men were all shot at the same time and then dumped at sea, likely somewhere between Mapp Caye and Swallow Caye off the coast of Belize City.

ComPol Williams has assured the public

Allyson Jones. that the Belize Police Department will be doing all in its capacity to break the case and find those that are responsible in an effort to provide the grieving families with closure and justice.

Williams is additionally asking for

Ernest Wills Sr. the public’s cooperation in assisting with any information or tips they might have which could be pertinent to the Police investigation. The Commissioner noted that he has appointed trusted senior officers to head the investi-

Travis Cooke. gation and so he is confident that any tips provided to the Police will be kept confidential. The investigative task force is also being complemented by additional investigators who are all working simultaneously to crack the case, and another double ho-

Jamar Martinez. micide off San Pedro Town - "We are ensuring that we deal with these investigations in the most expedient and professional manner and so as a Police Department we will be making sure that we do our part," stated Williams.

On Thursday evening, the first body clad in an undershirt and boxer shorts was found floating near Swallow Caye, three miles off the coast of Belize City. The body had no identification on it and so Police disseminated a photo of the victim’s tattoos to the media and shortly after, through that medium, they were able to identify the body as that of Travis Cooke, 23. An examination revealed that Cooke had been shot to his head.

That first discovery causes a massive outcry, since it was revealed that Cooke was part of a group of five family members who had departed Belize City on Tuesday of that week to set lobster traps in the area of Swallow and Mapp Caye.

By the following morning, around 6:00 o n F r i d a y, r e p o r t s emerged that the decomposed body of a male person was seen floating in the sea near the Yarborough area.

Police retrieved and identified the body as that of boat captain Ernest Wills Sr., 49.

While authorities were busy processing

Winston Santos that scene they were informed that another d e c o m p o s e d b o d y, dressed only in boxer shorts, had turned up in an area north of Swallow Caye. The individual was later identified as Winston Santos, 40.

By then investigators were harboring suspicions that the two remaining fishermen of the five that left Belize together were dead, and on Saturday the decomposed bodies of Allyson Jones, 19 and Jamar Martinez, 21 were discovered, with gunshot injuries, tied together and floating in some mangroves behind Mapp Caye which is located approximately four miles from where Cooke and Santos were found.

Investigators are currently exploring the angle that the group of men might have happened upon a wet drop which led to their demise. At this week's press briefing Commissioner Williams confirmed that over the past weeks authorities have received intelligence that a wet drop was made somewhere in southern Belize. Williams s aid that he suspected that some parcels from off the bunch might have gotten loose and drifted up towards Belize's coast.

While persons have b e e n d e ta in e d a n d questioned, there have been no arrests at this time.

Page 8

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

Woman Charged for Murder

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019 worked at the San Ignacio

By Michelle Sutherland Magistrate’s Court, was oday Police for- stabbed once to the left mally arrested side of her chest someand charged Bullet time before 7:45 p.m., Tree Falls housewife on Sunday, reportedly by Thelma Warrior, 50, for Warrior who came home the murder of Yolanda and found Requeña talkElvira Requeña, during ing with her husband.

Family sources conwhat is speculated to have been a fight over firmed reports that Reanother man, Warrior’s queña and the man had been exchanging text husband.

Requeña. 49 a well- messages for some time. known janitor who One family member not-

T

Belmopan Man Remanded

for Outrageous Crimes Wednesday, June 26th, 2019

By Michelle Sutherland

V

Vincent Pascascio

incent Pascascio, 32 a resident of Floriana Avenue in Belmopan City, has been remanded to the Belize Central Prison until August 26th following his arraignment in the Belmopan Magistrate Court this week for kidnapping and torturing his girlfriend.

Illona Coote, 30, a call agent of a San Ignacio Town address showed, up at the Belmopan Police Station around 10:05 a.m. on June 23rd with multiple injuries to her face and body. Police transported Coote to the Western Regional Hospital where doctors classified her injuries as wounding.

Authorities then moved in and arrested Pascascio and charged him for the crimes of wounding and kidnapping. Authorities also retrieved a handcuff from Pascascio's Floriana Avenue home which is suspected to be the instrument he used to hold Coote hostage for nine days.

Coote told cops that she was tortured by Pascascio after she informed him that their relationship was over. Coote said that on June 13th she went to visit Pascascio at his home in Belmopan and around 4:00 a.m. when she woke up she asked Pascascio for the keys to the front door since she had to go to work.

Coote said that Pascascio informed her that she was not leaving the house and that led to an argument, after which she told him that the relationship was over. Pascascio allegedly grabbed her and beat her.

Coote told Police she collapsed, and Pascascio then took her to the bedroom and handcuffed her hands to the bedpost. Coote revealed that she passed out, and when she woke up the following day around midday she was still handcuffed to the bed. Pascascio then asked her if she was hungry and when she told him that she was, he left taking her phone with him and explained that he would return with the food. Coote said that Pascascio didn’t return, and it wasn't until the following day that he showed up back at the house.

Coote stated in her report that on June 22nd Pascascio beat her one last time before he opened the door around 3:00 a.m. and allowed her to leave.

Thelma Warrior ed that sometime that ning but never returned.

Sunday evening the They further claimed man texted Requeña that they later learned and asked her to bring that Requeña had been him a plate of food at stabbed sometime behis farmhouse. fore 7:00 p.m. but that The family member authorities were not told the media that Re- informed of the incident queña left enroute to the until closer to 8:00 p.m. man's home that eveBy the time Police

Yolanda Requena were notified of the inci- she was tragically murdent and transported Re- dered and left to die. queña to the San Ignacio The family is calling on Community Hospital for the relevant authorities treatment she was offi- to conduct a comprecially pronounced dead hensive investigation on arrival. The family, into the incident. therefore, suspects that Warrior is expected their mother was lured back in court on August to the location where 27.

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 9

Lieutenant Alma Pinelo Makes Military History Wednesday, June 26, 2019

By Michelle Sutherland

L

ieutenant Alma Marcela Pinelo, 29, a resident of San Pedro Town, recently celebrated a monumental achievement in her career as a member of the Belize Coast Guard when her name became enshrined in the United States Coast Guard Training Center Honor Graduate Hall Of Fame in Yorktown, Virginia.

Lieutenant Pinelo received the Honor Graduate Award and became the first Belizean Coast Guard O ff i c e r, a n d e v e n more, the first woman worldwide to be recognized and honored at the institution due to her stellar performance in the 15 week International Maritime Officer Course.

The course, which was first started back in 1995 by the US Coast Guard, is for International officers only and is designed to train and famil-

iarize officers from around the world with US Coast Guard protocol in the event that the officers would need to work together for a major catastrophe or event. The course also provides participants with the opportunity to network with others from around the world and forge lasting contacts beneficial to their field of work.

The course included training on search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, law of the sea, marine safety and prevention, policies, marine pollution, safety of life at sea, Incident Command System (ICS) used as a multiagency approach to security, American cultural integration, fisheries, operational management, public affairs and media, officers morale among other topics.

Pinelo, a Sector Commander in charge

Pinelo’s name enshrined on the US Coast Guard Training Center Hall of Fame. of a company of 60 departed Belize on personnel, with eleven March 4th and graduyears of service in the ated on June 20th.

Belize Coast Guard, She told the Reporter

Lieutenant Alma Pinelo along with her colleagues. that she did not find any of the subjects difficult since she was already familiar with the topics and so the most difficult part for her was adjusting to a routine classroom setting.

Pinelo describes the experience as a once in a lifetime opportunity in which she was able to interact with 39 students from 29 different countries. Pinelo explained that through these interactions she was able to garner additional skills and look at scenarios in a different light which also taught her how to think outside the box.

But even before Pinelo started her training, within the first week when she received perfect scores in her first set of exams, Pinelo had a dream. She was determined to take a shot even if it meant going up against the brightest of the bunch.

"I took a look at the wall because I saw the wall and said to myself that it would be awesome if I could get my name up on there. You would see people from the Bahamas, the Philippines,

Jordan, Nigeria and so Belize has never gotten an officer to get honor graduate and neither has there been a female to ever get honor graduate for the mere fact that countries would not send females to represent them," she told the Reporter.

Coupled with her exceptional academic grades, evaluation from peers and instructors, input from the institution's chief, extracurricular activities and evaluation on her interaction outside of training, Pinelo got the news of her life when she was officially declared Honor Graduate.

Pinelo shared a word of advice to her fellow women college - ''Anything is possible once you set your mind to it. The Coast Guard is a field, a career even if you had no discipline to a little bit of discipline - you change, you mature. I can safely say that I am not the same person that I was when I first started out as an officer cadet. As long as you apply yourself, you have self-discipline and you are clear with

Lieutenant Alma Pinelo. what your own goals are and give you own personal push you can really do anything.

It is very important that your superiors know that you have ambitions and that you carry yourself as a professional and you will never get left behind."

In closing, Pinelo expressed her gratitude to Admiral John Borland, Commander of the Belize Coast Guard for giving her th e o p p o r tu n ity to represent her country as a Belizean woman and to show the world that she was just as capable and deserving of the honors despite her female status.

After graduating from high school at a very young age, Pinelo reflected that she went on to attend Sixth Form at St Johns College and her uncle, who was a BDF soldier at the time, encouraged her to join the military since he believed that she would someday become an exceptional officer. Pinelo said at that time she was very shy but decided to step out of her comfort zone, throw caution to the winds and pursue her goals to make her uncle and family proud. She has made all of Belize proud.

Page 10

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

Bagful of Ballots Causes Contention & Reconciliation Tuesday, June 25, 2019

V

By Marion Ali

illage Council elections got off to its first of six rounds of voting last week Sunday in all six districts and it didn't take long before quarrels erupted in a few of the locations, but the one that drew the most attention was in Caye Caulker, where human blunder led to cynicism and then a second reconciliation of the ballots.

It happened after the counting was done and the parties, the UDP, the PUP and the Independent candidates and their supporters had all dispersed after the unofficial results were out on Monday morning. A teacher who opened one of the classrooms at the school that was used for the voting found a bag of ballots separated in batches and bound with rubber bands. When news of the discovery spread, it quickly sparked uproar, primarily among the candidates that were not successful in their bid.

The Reporter got confirmation from both Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission, Doug Singh and Chief Elections Officer, Josephine Tamai, that the ballots, it turned out, were already counted so they were already reconciled, but was left mistakenly behind when the election officers were packing up to leave. The Returning Officer went to the school upon being prompted and called in the Police to protect the ballots until the election officials could decide how they would sort out the situation.

But things got testier when the election officer on the island made an impromptu announcement that there would be a "recount" of the ballots, which she or no one else could single-handedly authorize. What the election

officer should have said was that there was going to be a second reconciliation of the ballots, which is a check and balance or an accounting of every ballot that was used. Eventually, senior election officials intervened and directed that there could not and would not be a "recount" but a second reconciliation. All the parties were called and informed that there would be a second reconciliation of the ballots, and when that process was done on Monday afternoon, they

dispersed again after the final tally mirrored the original one.

While the Elections and Boundaries Department has not yet posted the official election results of any of the elections, pending verification of the final results from all 35 villages that held elections, we have gathered that unofficially, Seleny Pott-Villanueva, the independent candidate for chairperson won that seat by a slim margin of a little more than 10 votes over the UDP candidate, Hans Badillo and that Badillo's camp called for a recount.

Ms. Tamia indicated to us that any candidate

can ask for a recount, but within seven days after the Department has released the official results. She explained that he difference between a reconciliation and a recount is clear: for the reconciliation process, the election clerks do an accounting of how many ballot papers were issued, how many were used, and how many were spoilt, if any. The ballot papers can also be checked by their number series that are issued in a particular area. Recounting is the process of reopening the ballots and checking to see how the voting occurred for the candidates.

The Department head explained that even though a quick look at the bag of ballots could have indicated that those ballots were already counted, hence the reason for their placement in batches and in rubber bands, they decided to allow for the second reconciliation because of the skepticism that spread when people started to say that the ballots were left unattended for some hours in the classroom and could have created an opportunity for someone to tamper with them.

Ms. Tamai also shared that for village council elections, they keep no records of any candidate on politically-aligned slates, as they do for municipal and general elections. As such, the ballots simply have the candidates' names, and the political parties align themselves with the candidates they support.

The PUP is claiming that they won a total of 123 candidate to 73 for the UDP, while conceding 49 to independent candidates in this first round of elections; but the UDP has issued an entirely different figure of the victories they are claiming, with 124 seats to 91 for the PUP and 23 independents. We will have the official results as soon as they are made available.

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 11

Mexican Embassy Concerned Over Airline Cancellations Wednesday, June 26, 2019

tourism benefits for both countries. The Mexico City flight also provided an avenue for European tourism arrivals.

There were also reports that Delta Airline had not renewed flights for its Los Angeles to Belize City direct flight. The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) has also been unable to confirm the accuracy of these reports, which if true, would have a significant impact for tourism sectors in each

respective country and the customers who used the flights.

We first contacted the BTB two weeks ago when the report surfaced and again this week and on both occasions the BTB said it had no knowledge of the matter other than the media reports and could not confirm the veracity of the reports which could have significant adverse effects on the tourism industry.

Gays Have No Benefits to Collect

T

he Mexican Embassy in Belize has expressed concern following reports that two airlines, Delta and Aero-Mexico, had each cancelled upcoming flight routes. The Embassy confirmed it had heard the reports but has not seen any official communication and has written to the airline for clarification.

H.E. Ambassador Carlos Quesnel told the Reporter that the flight route in question ran previously from November to April and the flight was thought to be successful. He said upon hearing the reports, the Embassy wrote inquiring about the decision. He added that the flight added great value for the tourism sectors both in Belize and Mexico, boosting Mexican tourism arrivals in the country.

Quesnel said he believed the flight, which increased the presence of Mexican tourists in Belize was a positive step in strengthening the tourism partnership between the two countries, in the same manner Mexico has seen an influx of visitors from Belize.

The route provided the only direct flight from Mexico City to Belize City. Quesnel said he hopes that the flight will continue and in effect, boost the

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

By Marion Ali

W

e are all now paying increases on our Social Security contributions, that is once we are working; but homosexuals who have no children and only have each other won't benefit from a thing if their spouses die before the retirement age, regardless of what they are paying into the scheme.

That is because Belize's laws do not honour homosexual unions.

Last week, the Reporter sought to clarify with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Social Security Board (SSB), Dr. Colin Young what the pen-

sion regulations stipulate. He explained that for heterosexual men, the scheme honours their wives or commonlaw wives who outlive them. If the man is already retired, his wife will continue to receive his pension until she dies or remarries. If he is not married, but has children not yet 18, or not yet 21 but still in school, whether they are blood-related or legally adopted, they receive a

pension benefit. If the heterosexual man or woman dies before the pension age, their surviving spouse collects a 66.6% benefit grant.

On the other hand, if an insured homosexual dies before the retirement age and has no children, their spouse has no benefits to collect. "We've had a number of letters of inquiries from various groups who believe that is unfair," the SSB official

explained to us. "We are unable to go outside of the law to pay those particular payments." SSB Chairman, Doug Singh, said for people such as these who pass away and have no beneficiary, then that money is redirected and is used in other areas of the fund.

Dr. Young said that these groups can pursue, legally and otherwise, their cause, to convince parliament to make the law more inclusive.

Page 12

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Police and Coast Guard Join Forces to Fight Crime

By Michelle Sutherland

T

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

he Belize Police Department and the Belize Coast Guard are ramping up their presence in key areas within Belize's maritime domain in an effort to reduce the occurrence of illicit activities out at sea while at the same time ensuring citizens’ safety.

The concerted effort to strengthen the collaboration between the two entities comes in the wake of the weekend's quintuple murder out at sea in which five fishermen were executed. The occasion brought out the Commissioner of Police Chester Williams and Lieutenant Commander Greg Soberanis, Fleet Commander for the Belize Coast Guard, to assure residents that the Police along with the Coast Guard are making preparations to strengthen and tweak their operations out at sea.

On Monday Commissioner Williams admitted that while Police are being effective in their duties on the mainland, they

Lt. Com.Greg Soberanis, Belize Coast Guard and Commissioner of Police Chester Williams. are noticing that they are being affected by crimes of gang elements who that are occurring out at depending on the time sea which is something of the year will change that they do not have the type of operations any control over and so in which they particithey are cognizant that pate.

During the comthey will need to work mencement of the tourclosely with the Coast ism season, Soberanis Guard. explained, there would Coast Guard Lieube a notable increase in tenant Commander engine theft, some of Soberanis told the media that the Coast Guard which would later be has to be constantly found hidden on offchanging, implementing shore islands in front and enhancing its sys- of Belize City. At other tems and mechanisms times during the lobster to counter the emer- season, the men would gence of illicit activities prey on fishermen who out on the waterways. would sail into harbor Soberanis explained that with a large catch of the Coast Guard has lobsters or other sea noted an increase of products.

According to gang elements operating Soberanis their collabwithin the harbor area orative efforts with the in front of Belize City.

Police and other key Soberanis classified the agencies will remain operation as a "network" robust since maritime and security is Hit and Run in England Leaves safety a critical and key task for his Department "We will continue to patrol our maritime Wednesday, June 26, 2019 areas with emphasis

By Marion Ali and protect our local Belizean who marine resources and is in the Britstakeholders such as ish Army is fighting fishermen, resort ownfor his life in a hosers, cruise tourism and pital's intensive care other stakeholders. Any unit in England after incident out at sea, eshe was knocked down pecially those that inGraciano Choc, and left on the road volve the loss of life, expected to recover on Christmas Hill in is of utmost concern after hit and run South Wonston, oppoincident in England for the Coast Guard. In site the junction with light of the recent incileft him in ICU Connaught Road in dents our plan is to inEngland Sunday night. facilitated the entire crease our presence in Graciano Choc, 27, process for her travel the operating environwas returning to base arrangements to go to ment in collaborating when he was knocked her son's bedside. with the Police Departdown and suffered a Police in South Won- ment and the leadership head injury and a bro- ston, meanwhile, are ap- out in San Pedro for ken leg and wrist. Doc- pealing to anyone who us to create a sense tors have him in an was in the area to con- of safety and security induced coma and he tact them with informa- for those citizens who has undergone surger- tion and have launched might be flustered by ies, but his injuries are a search for the driver these recent activities." not described as life- who failed to stop after Soberanis informed threatening. hitting Choc sometime residents that Coast Choc's mother, Shar- around 11 on Sunday Guard presence will be mane Garcia has said night, London time. visible near the lagoon that the British Army The unknown vehicle on the Western side of Training Support Unit is thought to have been San Pedro as well as in Belize (BATSUB) travelling northbound on the northern end of has provided her with and just kept on its way the caye and near the assistance and has after the incident.

Belize harbor.

Belizean Soldier in ICU

A

THE REPORTER

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 13

NGOs Applaud GOB for Corridor Commitment Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

By Marion V. Ali

T

he government of Belize has committed to protecting what is left of the Maya Forest Corridor, which serves as an important artery in Central America’s largest forest and

wildlife terrain, and for its good intent, has received acknowledgment from several Belizean and international conservation organizations.

The corridor has been reduced over the past 10 years by more than 65 percent by deforesta-

tion for large-scale agricultural developments, and is now merely a 5-6 mile stretch - one of the last remaining pathways for the jaguar to traverse unimpeded from north to south. Jaguars pass through from Mexico and Guatemala to South America, us-

Aerial view of Maya Forest Corridor Price Highway, falls right within the corridor and uses its Tropical Education Center to create awareness through exhibits of over 175 animals mostly orphaned, rescued, rehabilitated or born at the facility.

Its work complements the effort now being taken as many of these animals are dependent on the conservation of the corridor to survive.

The conservation groups which have apMap showing region to be protected

Two of the many endangered species that need the corridor in order to survive ing this central region future existence of the plauded the governand protecting the area Central American river ment include the Global means protecting the turtle, also known as the Wildlife Conservation, jaguar's existence, as Hicatee, as well as the Panthera, Wildlife Conwell as the existence of critically endangered servation Society and other important wild- Central American spider World Wildlife Fund, life species unique to monkey; and the en- The Belize Zoo, Founthat region. But more dangered Baird’s Tapir dation for Wildlife Conthan just jaguars, the or mountain cow - our servation, Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and corridor's protection is National Animal.

Government is in Field School, and the also necessary for the the process of partner- University of Belize ing with conservation and its Environmengroups, communities tal Research Institute. and the private sector They note that the Maya to ensure the corridor's Forest Corridor ensures future is protected. the survival of many Minister of State in the wildlife species, as well Ministry of Agriculture, as for the well-being of Fisheries, Forestry, and people, through sustainthe Environment, Dr. able livelihoods.

Omar Figueroa has said Andreas Lehnhoff, that the government rec- director of World Wildognizes that time is run- life Fund Mesoamerning out to protect the ica underscored that diminishing corridor.

"Belize’s leadership "The government, and is particularly impormy ministry in particu- tant since, according to lar, stands committed to our most recent Living enshrine in legislation Planet Report, species whatever we need to do population declines are to maintain the integ- especially pronounced rity of the Maya Forest in the tropics, with the Corridor well into the Neotropical realm, covforeseeable future,” Dr. ering South and Central Figueroa was quoted as America, and the Caribsaying recently. bean, suffering the most The Belize Zoo, dramatic decline with which was established in an 89% loss compared 1983 along the George to 1970.”

Page 14

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

Brace For Another SSB Increase By 2025 Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

By Marion V. Ali

W

hile employers and employees are still grumbling over the increases in Social Security contributions to take effect on Monday, July 1 and continue until 2020 that is just for starters. Last week, Social Security Board (SSB) Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Colin Young confirmed that there will have to be another adjustment around 2024-2025.

Between now and 2021, the increases of 0.5% will take place effective now, another 0.5% in 2020, and a full 1% in 2021, but Dr. Young explained that based on SSB's projections along with the Actuary, these increases are expected to hold up until about 20242025 when another increase is due, provided there are no shocks to Belize's economy before, such as a major hurricane that impacts the economy's employment rate and SSB's contributions. But he

also explained that if SSB can get better returns on investments, those adjustments in 2025 could also be pushed back.

The SSB official explained that had there been a trigger mechanism in effect before now that sought to adjust the rates in a more timely fashion as opposed to whichever government having the political will to approve these adjustments, the increase now might not have been so much.

"The Chamber is saying and the labour side is saying that the reason why we are here today wanting an increase and why the quantum of the increase is what it is, is because there has been inaction over the last 17 years. When the Actuary first advised that we needed to do something to maintain the sustainability of the fund, if action was done then, invariably the cost would have been less. I'm not certain exactly how much,

but...if nothing was done now and this was taken up later on, we're not just talking about a 2% anymore....The IMF has recommended that SSB's contribution rate for long-term sustainability goes to 13%. We are at 8% right now."

Dr. Young explained that under this proposal from 8% to 10% increase in a single adjustment now instead of over the next two years would have probably lasted for about 12 years, going by SSB's cycle, but the social partners and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry did not agree to an automatic 2% jump at once, hence the gradual increase means that we would get fewer years out of the adjustment before another one is needed. Hence, we went from 10 to 12 years to now about four to five years, bearing in mind that there was at least a five-year span that nothing was done to adjust the contributions when they ought to have been.

Table showing income brackets and deductions from now through to 2021

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 15

Taiwan Belize It Fair Celebrates 30 Years of Friendship

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Belize City, June 22nd, 2019

elizeans got to enjoy a smorgasbord of Taiwan and Belize cuisine and culture at the Taiwan-Belize It Friendship Fair at the Memorial Park on Taiwan Street in Belize City all day Saturday, June 22.

Love FM Productions collaborated with the Embassy of the Republic of China on Taiwan in hosting the fair to celebrate the 30 years of diplomatic relations and friendly cooperation in development between our two nations.

The day dawned wet and rainy, but the sun shone for Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner to welcome all to the Fair. Former Belize City councilor Eric Chang in his capacity as Chairman of Celebration Committee of Taiwan Compatriots Belize (CCTCB) also joined in welcoming all to the fair.

Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize. H.E. Remus LiKuo Chen in his key-note address cited how much he and the people of Taiwan appreciate Belize’s long history of friendship, and how he looked forward to our nations advancing into the future.

The Governor General of Belize, Sir Colville Young Sr. and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon. Wilfred Elrington thanked the Ambassador for Taiwan’s continued generosity towards Belize, and looked forward to Belize reciprocating in any way they might. Fair organizer Dr. Rene Villanueva Sr.

Chinese gods of good luck echoed these sentiments.

The R.O.C. Taiwan technical mission from Central Farm displayed the new sheep bloodstock which they have introduced to Belize to improve the genealogy of Belize’s sheep and goat herds.

The Art Box of Belmopan exhibited the many unique jewellery, trinkets and other ornaments and handicrafts they have created for the Belize tourist trade and the Orchid Garden featured potted ornamental plants, including the “Money Tree,” so named because it is believed to bring good fortune.

The Celebration Committee of Taiwan Compatriots Belize (CCTCB) offered face-painting, and many delicious pastries traditionally served during the lunar Festival celebrations for the Chinese New Year. The various CCTCB booths included John’s Taiwan Street Snacks, where Belizeans got to sample the fare they might typically encounter at a Taiwan night market, such as fried dumplings, Chinese style sausage, rice with minced pork sauce, fried tofu, Taiwanese roast chicken, Taro patties, Ah lan hot noodles soup, vegetarian neri kelp floss bread, green onion bread and sponge cake. The Milky Way restaurant from Baymen Avenue also had a booth serving black pepper chicken and typical Taiwan bubble milk tea and almond bubble tea, as well as the more Western lemon iced tea.

Not to be outdone, the Northern Maya Association of Belize booth offered tamales, relleno, escabeche, bollitos atole dulce and sorrel juice.

Other booths served cochinito pibil tacos, ceviche, nachos and other Mestizo delicacies.

The Taiwan Electric Techno Neon Gold’s dance opened up the cultural performances, which included the “Baile de la Botella” by the Northen Maya Association, which also performed many other traditional Mestizo dances. A Taiwanese dance troupe performed an indigenous dance from Taiwan, and the “Hijos del West” Marimba group from Benque Viejo also entertained with many popular contemporary Latin hits, and even some classic rock: Santana’s “Oye Como Va”! The Belize Dance Company performed to a medley of Creole favorites, and the Nubureitinu Dangriga youth cultural group performed several Garifuna dances.

Chinese style sausage

Page 16

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

Village Council Elections - A Test of Political Strength Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

By Marion V. Ali

'Tis the season - Village Council election season and the political parties have been mobilizing and promoting slates of the people they want villagers in the 190 villages across Belize to vote for. It is often a very political election because it is a matter of selecting the people who will run the water boards, oversee road construction in the villages and be managers and overall caretakers of these villages.

Vi l l a g e C o u n c i l electio n s ar e g o v erned by Chapter 88 of the Laws of Belize (Village Council Act).

The elections usually take place on Sundays in different districts over a six-week period, and this year, they will commence on June 23 and will end on July 14.

Chief Elections Officer, Josephine Tamai shared that anyone who wants to run as a chairperson of a village has to be over 18 years of age, has

Alberto August UDP Party Chairman to a Belizean citizen or someone who has resided in the respective village for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the elections.

There will be two ballots for the elections, the one with the aspiring chairpersons and the other one with the villager councilor candidates; while people who can vote are only those whose names appear on the official voters' list or must be a Belizean 18 years or older who has been residing in the village for at least

two months prior to the elections. Permanent residents who can show their permanent residency cards or the stamps in their passports are also allowed to vote in these elections.

Tamai said that the same 100-yard rule that applies in municipal and general elections, which prohibits campaigning within that space at the polling areas, are enforced for Village Council elections. The sale of alcohol in the villages where elections are taking place will

Hon. John Briceño PUP Party Leader also be prohibited for that specific day, she warned.

As far as the political maneuverings go, UDP Chairman Alberto August told the Reporter last week that the UDP’s Standard Bearers across the country have played a keen role in the preparations.

“This is going to be a test of the rural strength of the UDP and every Standard

Bearer of the UDP understands the importance of these elections.…We are out there not only putting the slates together; we are out there getting the best persons who we believe can work well for their communities because those people out there are going to be frontline representatives of the UDP in these villages,” August told us.

The Opposition's People's United Party's

Leader, John Briceño, meanwhile, took a different view when he spoke with the media on the topic. He said that his Party feels the representatives at the village council level should come from the people instead of the party.

“We believe that we should not just get in and put anybody. We need to support those people. It is again, respect. We need to respect these people in these communities. Where we see that there is a Village Council that is not operating in the interest of their villagers, then we are going to go and put a team," Briceño said.

Briceño shared that in his Orange Walk Central division, there is only one village - San Estevan - and he personally refuses to inject a group "to go and fight for the Village Council" because he does not want to further divide the community.

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 17

YOUR WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE

Page 18

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

Barrack Rd FC & Club Atleticos Draw Belize City, June 23rd, 2019

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but could not hold onto the ball. Francis Andrews recovered the rebound on the edge of the six-yard box, and he exacted the maximum penalty to give the visitors a 1-0 lead seven minutes before intermission.

Tyriq Diego again escaped his markers for an open look at goal, and Denmark Gill was reprimanded with a

yellow card when he was forced to bring down Diego to stop him from getting off a shot.

Barrack Road pressed for more goals after the break, as Andrews forced Galdamez to make another save, and Aleman set table for Andrews to unleash another shot at goal, which went wide of the left up-

right. Coach Julius Allen introduced Jamal Ford to relieve an injured Aleman, and Charleston Gardiner came off the Atleticos’ bench to replace Maldonado. Bryan Cuellar attacked up the left flank, forwarding a pass to Tyriq Diego, who danced the ball across the edge of the 18-yard box, eluding two defenders. Goal-

Tyriq “Hammer” Diego scored Atléticos’ 1st goal

Arévalo and Bryan “Gringo” Cuellar on the wings, and by Myvette Pagoada and Carlos Gonzalez at midfield. The Barrack Road defenders Matthew Leal, Jael Ottley, Dejean Thompson and Denmark Gill double-teamed and even triple-teamed Tyriq Diego to hold him in check, but they were out-maneuvered when Bryan Cuellar launched a long lob from the right midfield into the goal area, where Julian Maldonado’s header at goal came dangerously close to putting Atleticos on the scoreboard first. Speedy Tyriq Diego also found a way to shake off his defenders, and goalkeeper Alvin Magandi came off his line to close the angle. Diego’s shot from the left sideline mercifully drained across the mouth of the goal and outside the far right upright. Arnoldo de la Rosa then tried a long range missile that sailed over the crossbar.

A light rain began to fall, and when Jael Ottley gambled on a long grass-burner shot from midfield.

Goalkeeper Orlando Galdamez got down and made the stop, Sports 2

lub Atleticos of Belmopan held Barrack Road FC to a 1-1 draw in the semifinals of the national amateur Interdistrict first division tournament organized by the Football Federation of Belize at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium on Saturday night, June 22.

Barrack Road was without its top striker Steven “Bredds” Baizar, who was sitting out a red card suspension from the quarterfinals the week before, and Harold Thompson and Francisco “Peely” Briceño led their attacks, supported by Francis Andrews and Stefan “World” Diego on the wings, and by Jorge Aleman and Quince Briceño at midfield. Richard Gillett anchored the Atleticos’ defense with the help of Arnold de la Rosa, Andrew Allen and Jose Guy tried to keep them at bay, but Francisco Briceño and Jorge Aleman got off shots that forced goalkeeper Orlando Galdamez to come up with saves.

Down at the other end Julian Maldonado and Tyriq “Hammer” Diego led the Atléticos’ offensive, with the help of Luís

Bryan Cuellar assisted Atléticos’ equalizer

keeper Alvin Magandi came off his line in a vain attempt to forestall the attack, but Diego nimbly tapped the ball past Magandi into the empty net: 1-1 some 18 minutes after the break.

Atleticos’ technical director Jonathan Silva introduced David “Mikey” Madrid to replace Cuellar, and Kevin “Motto” Alvarez and Cameron “Tulu” Diego came off the Barrack Road bench to replace Harold Thompson and Andrews. Alvarez set table for Francisco Briceño to get off a shot which unfortunately sailed over the crossbar, and the long whistle sounded to a 1-1 draw.

Atleticos will need to score when they visit Barrack Road for the rematch at the MCC Grounds on Sunday, June 30, as the FIFA tie breaker rule would make Barrack Road’s away goal count as two, should the second match end in a scoreless draw.

Barrack Road also has no room for complacency, and will need to score to maintain their advantage.

Jael Ottley attacks vs. Julian Maldonado REPORTER

June 30th, 2019

YOUR WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE Caesar Ridge FC Bombs Roaring Creek FC

THE REPORTER

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Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Belize City, June 23rd, 2019

aesar Ridge FC is leading the semifinals of the national amateur Interdistrict first division tournament organized by the Football Federation of Belize, by a 2-0 win over Roaring Creek FC at the MCC Grounds in Belize City on Sunday afternoon, June 23.

Sydney “Buckit” Bradley and Orlando “Bredda” Velasquez led their offensive, supported by Sean Yo u n g a n d N a i m “Nemo” Wilson on the wings, and by Harlan Cassanova and Russell Cassanova at midfield. Edwin Serano led the visitors’ defense, with the help of Wallise Williams, Noah Moro and Dwayne Davis, but they were caught flat-footed when Harlan Cassanova forwarded a pass to Sydney Bradley on the left sideline. Damion Ethon was the first defender to reach Bradley as he drove into the goal area, but he could not stop Bradley from slicing shot past goalkeeper Brandon Anderson

into the far right corner of the net: 1-0 after 25 minutes of play.

Clifborn Neal and Shemar Ingram led the Roaring Creek counterattacks, with the help of Ernesto Louriano and Damion Ingram on the wings, and by Jorrel Young and Amir Torres at midfield. But they could not get past the staunch Caesar Ridge defense a n c h o r e d b y Ty r e l “ H u l k ” R o w l e y, and with the help of Ulysses Rodriguez, Kishane Swazo and Francis Arana, they helped goalkeeper Denzil Lewis keep a clean slate up to intermission.

Norman Neal came off the visitors’ bench to replace Serano, but the visitors continued to struggle as Russel Cassanova forwarded a pass to Ve l a s q u e z o n t h e left flank. Dwayne Davis tried to lock Velasquez off, but not before Velasquez unleashed a left shot to find the back of the net: 2-0 eight

minutes before intermission.

Michael Lewis and Everardo Torres c a m e o ff t h e v i s i tors’ bench to replace Ethon and Neal after the break. Francis Arana squandered an open look at goal on the edge of the six yard box, and Anderson collected the ball. Anderson also had to come off his line to forestall attacks by Dion Cacho and Jalen Babb, who had come off the Barrack Road bench to relieve Velasquez and Sean Young.

The pressure of the visitors’ counterattack won a free kick, and Michael Lewis came dangerously close to getting on the scoreboard, but the ball skidded off the crossbar at the vee with the left upright. Lewis got another bite at the apple when he caught up to a forward pass to take on Denzil Lewis one-on-one.

But Lewis came off his line, putting his body on the line to get to the ball first!

Lewis also stopped a shot at point blank

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range from Jorrel Young. Bruce Carillo replaced Kishane Suazo to help Lewis keep the visitors scoreless up to the long whistle.

The match was al-

most over when the referee reprimanded Naim Wilson for dallying to throw in the ball, but it was Wilson’s second yellow card, so he was ejected with a red

card, and will have to sit out next week’s rematch with Roaring Creek FC at the Isidoro Beaton Stadium in Belmopan on Saturday night, June 29th.

Sydney Bradley scored CRFC’s 1st goal

Caesar Ridge FC wins vs. Roaring Creek FC June 30th, 2019

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YOUR WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE

Heights, Reality Youths, Rising Stars & City Boys Win

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Belize City, June 22nd, 2019

he City Boys and the Rising Stars of Ladyville are leading the 2019 SMART Mundialito under-13 football tournament; as both teams enjoyed victories in the eighth week of competition at the MCC Grounds in Belize City last Saturday, June 15.

The Reality Youths got the easy bye to a 3-0 win in the first match of the day, when Atleticos Mineros failed to take the field.

The Brown Bombers held FC Elite Juniors to a 1-1 draw in the second match of the morning.

Renan Blake scored for the Bombers, but Norman Muñoz equalized for FC Elite.

The City Boys continue to lead the tournament as they enjoyed their eighth victory in a 9-0 romp over Berger United in the third match of the morning. Tom Moguel led the attack, scoring a hat trick and Shemar Thomas scored two more. Esmond Sanker, Calvin Thurton, Michael Martinez and Ajahne Moguel each scored a goal to complete the 9-0 rout.

The Ladyville Warriors outlasted the Warriors FC: 2-1 in the fourth match of the day, led by Antwan McKoy, who scored two goals. Jason Orosco scored the Warriors’ only consolation goal.

Heights FC enjoyed a 1-0 victory over Sampson FC in the fifth match of the afternoon, when Kenard Armstrong scored the winning goal.

The Rising Stars of Ladyville romped to an 8-1 victory over Belize United FC in the rain. Marvin

Card struck the first goal and Daejon Jones executed a free kick with precision to find the back of the net: 2-0 at the end of the first quarter. Keiffer Pollard scored their third and fourth goals in the second quarter, Kenrick Gordon delivered a fifth goal and Khylee Stevens scored the sixth. Gordon scored two more goals to lead 8-0 at the end of the second quarter. The Rising Stars defenders blundered into conceding penalty in the third quarter,

and Erin Sosa converted for Belize United, to become the first girls to score in the tournament!

The tournament continues on Saturday, June 29, when the Brown Bombers meet Sampson Academy, Belize United takes on the Warriors FC, and FC Elite Jrs. face the Ladyville Warriors. Reality Youths will challenge the City Boys, Heights FC await Atleticos, and Berger United takes on the Rising Stars.

Erin Sosa scored Belize United’s 1st goal

Keiffer Pollard scored Rising Stars’ 3rd & 4th goal

Lucky Strike Girls Win Belize District Championship

Belize City, June 20th, 2019

odist girls at Birds’ Isle on Tuesday. Zarriah Chavez led with four points, and Karrie Montero, Kellice

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he girls of Lucky Strike Government School won the Belize District primary schools basketball championship by a 1413 victory over the St. Martin de Porres RC School girls in the finals organized by the National Sports Council at Birds’ Isle in Belize City last Thursday, June 20.

The village girls triumphed 14-13 in the win over the city champions, the St. Martin’s RC girls in the third game of the afternoon, led by Tamara Hemsley with 10pts, Shanelle Smith and Thea Hemsley each scored a basket. Kerrie Smith led St. Martin’s with six points. Kellice Arnold scored three points, and Zarriah Chavez and Teddesha Escobar each netted a basket The village girls romped to a 9-0 win over the city sub-champions, the girls of Trinity Methodist School in the first game of the morning, led by Tamara Hemsley with five points, and Thea Hemsley tossed in four

Arnold and Brianna Leslie each scored a basket, and Brianna Longsworth chipped in a free throw. Trin-

ity’s Krystal Leslie and Destiny Elliot each scored a basket, and Indya Cocom chipped in a free throw.

Lucky Strike girls won Belize District basketball championship Karrie Montero scored 6pts

Longsworth and Kean Hilton each scored a basket. Destiny Elliott scored all five points for Trinity.

The St. Martin’s girls won the Belize City championship 11-5 over the Trinity MethSports 4 REPORTER points.

The St. Martin’s girls eliminated the Trinity Methodist girls: 12-5 in the second game of the morning, led by Karrie Montero with eight points, and Brianna

June 30th, 2019

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YOUR WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE

St Martin’s Boys Win Belize District Championship

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Belize City, June 20th, 2019

he boys of St. Martin de Porres RC School won the Belize District primary schools’ basketball championship, by a 46-33 victory over the St. Mary’s Anglican School boys in the finals

Jerome Diaz scored 20pts vs. St Mary’s

organized by the National Sports Council at Birds’ Isle in Belize City last Thursday, June 20.

Jayden Garcia struck twice from outside the arc to lead the St. Mary’s boys with 14pts, and Rudolph Gamboa put up another six points for St. Mary’s to lead 18-15 at the half.

Devontae Bennett led the Martin’s boys with 15pts, Jerome Diaz put up 12pts and Egbert Smith posted 10pts to take over the lead in the third quarter and they never looked back. Dedron Dawson and Joseph Williams each netted a basket, and Germain Smart chipped in a free throw to seal the win.

St. Mary’s Jayson Orosco scored five points, and Scorian Steward and Stanley Ellis threw in four points each.

It was sweet revenge, for the St. Mary’s boys won 31-29 over the St. Martin’s boys in the second game of the morning. Jayson Orosco and Scorian Stewart both struck from outside the arc; Orosco netting 15pts, and Stewart adding eight. Jayden Garcia scored six points, and Antwon McLaren netted a basket.

Joseph Williams had led the St. Martin’s boys with 11pts, Jerome Diaz put up eight points, and Egbert Smith posted another six points. Denvritt Bevans and Devontae Bennett each netted a basket.

The St. Martins’ boys won 27-16 over the Belize Rural School boys in the first game of the morning, led by Egbert Smith with 15pts. Denvritt Bevans and Devontae Bennett each posted four points, and Gandphil Dorch and Jerome Diaz each threw in a

basket. Bayton Banner led the Belize Rural boys with 11pts, Tashawn Flowers added three points and Thyrese Reynolds netted a basket.

The St. Mary’s boys dominated the Belize Rural boys 29-23 in the third game of the afternoon.

Jayden Garcia, Jayson Orosco and Rudolph Gamboa each scored nine points, and Joel Liu tossed in a basket. Bayton Banner had led the rural boys with eight points, Jayvin Anthony posted five points, and Renford Broaster and Thyrese Reynolds each put up four points. Tyshawn Flowers netted a basket.

The St. Martin’s boys also won the Belize City championship: 37-23 over St. Mary’s boys last Tuesday. Tarike Solis led with 11pts, Joseph Williams put up nine points, and Egbert Smith added seven points. Devontae Bennett scored six points and Denvritt Bevans threw in four points. Jayson Orosco led St. Mary’s with nine points, Rudolph Gamboa posted six points, and Jayden Garcia added four points. Antwone McClaren and Alex Belisle each netted a basket.

The St. Martin’s boys eliminated the Belize Elementary School boys: 40-28 in Monday’s semifinals, while the St. Mary’s boys also qualified to the city finals by eliminating the Holy Redeemer boys: 47-25 in Monday’s semifinals.

The St. Martin’s boys and the Lucky Strike girls will represent the Belize District at the national championships hosted by the National Sports Council at the Civic Center and at Birds’ Isle in Belize City on Wednesday, June 26th.

St Martin’s boys win Belize District basketball championship June 30th, 2019

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YOUR WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE

Progresso FC Wins OW 1st Division Championship Orange Walk Town, June 23rd, 2019

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he Progresso FC won the First Division championship finals organized by the Orange Walk Football Association: 4-0 over San Antonio FC at the Louisiana Government School Field in Orange Walk Town on Sunday afternoon, June 23rd.

Marvin Flowers scored the first winning goal and Esmer Patt soon added a second goal. Raheim Eagan struck home the third winning goal, and Andir Chi delivered the coup de grace with a fourth goal.

Enrique “Chicle” Castillo anchored the Progresso defense, along with Marvin Flowers and the Sedaccie brothers - Roque and Orlando, to frustrate all efforts by San Antonio’s Merlin Teck, Axel Alamilla, Kenny Canul and Rogelio Jones to get a goal, and goalkeeper Shawn Laing kept a clean slate throughout.

The General Secretary of the Football Federation of Belize, Earl Jones, FFB Vice President Cruz Gamez, and the FFB’s newly appointed national team coach Vincenzo Alberto Annese were on hand to present the team trophies and individual medals to the champions and sub-champions. Individual awards were also presented to the Best Goalkeeper - Luis Cunil of the Guinea Grass

Running Rebels while his teammate Charlie Canton Jr. won the Most Goals award. Progresso’s team captain Enrique Castillo won Best Defense, and the Most Valuable Player award went to his teammate Andir Chi, who

will soon be moving up to the Premier League of Belize. The Belize Defence Force FC has announced this week that they have signed Andir Chi to play in this coming semi-pro season.

Progresso FC won OWFA 1st Division championship

Bandits & Bulldogs Win in City Softball T

Belize City, June 23rd, 2019

Robinson to cross the plate four times. Marsha Wills Greta Davis and Mayu Fukada each scored twice; while Sharette Vernon, Cindy Joseph, Fiona Rivero, Charlene Humphreys, Kylie Joseph and Tyra Moreira each scored once.

The DigiCell girls collected seven hits off Renisha Richards’ pitching, she also struck out

seven batters, but walked seven. The Bulldogs’ diamond made only two errors, forcing DigiCell to leave three seven on base, and DigiCell trailed throughout. Only Kiri Lizama scored in the top of the first inning, Lydia Cacho scored in the third inning, and Darla Guerra, Catherine Cobo and Cacho scored in the fifth.

he Belize Bank Bulldogs enjoyed consecutive victories, while the Bandits outlasted DigiCell 7-6, when the 2019 fast-pitch female softball competition organized by the Belize City Softball Association continued at the Rogers Stadium last Friday and Sunday, June 21-23.

The Bandits hammered DigiCell 7-6 on Friday evening. The Bandits collected 12 hits off DigiCell’s pitcher Jasany Westby, who struck out one batter and walked two. The DigiCell diamond forced the Bandits to leave nine runners on base, but also made five errors allowing Patricia to score in the top of the second inning, and Denise Hendricks, Nadine Coye, Ashley Lucas, Molly Coye and Budna all scored in the top of the fifth to lead 6-0, and they might have won right there 7-0 by mercy rule if Westby had not been able to get out of the inning without giving up another run.

Bandits’ pitcher Ashley Lucas struck out three batters and walked three, but she also gave up six hits. DigiCell left six runners on base, but the Bandits’ diamond made three errors, allowing Kiri Lizama, Earlene Belisle, Lydia Cacho, Mary Flowers, Jasany Westby and Catherine Cobo to each score a run in the bottom of the sixth. Lucas scored again in the top of the seventh, and held off DigiCell in the bottom of the inning to secure the 7-6 win.

The Bulldogs got the easy bye to a 7-0 win over the Panthers in Friday’s nightcap; the Bulldogs led 6-3 in the fifth inning, when one of the Panthers expressed her disenchantment with her coach by abandoning the field of play. Left with only eight players and no substitutes, the Panthers could not continue and were obliged to forfeit.

The Bulldogs handed DigiCell their second loss of the weekend: 16-5 by mercy rule in six innings on Sunday afternoon. DigiCell’s starting pitcher Shayla Gillett and her relief Jasany Westby struck out one batter but walked three, and gave up seven hits. The DigiCell diamond forced the Bulldogs to leave seven runners on Renisha Richards pitched a 16-5 win Ashley Lucas struck out 3 batters base, but committed 14 errors, allowing Kelsey Sports 6 REPORTER June 30th, 2019

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Sunday, June 30th, 2019

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YOUR WEEKLY SPORTS UPDATE

FFB Hires New National Team Coach V

Belize City, June 20th, 2019

incenzo Alberto Annese took up office as the newly appointed Coach of the national “A” men’s football team - the Belize Jaguars last Monday, June 17, and he outlined his plans to develop Belizean football, when the Football Federation of Belize introduced him to the media at the Marion Jones Sports Complex in Belize City last Thursday, June 20.

Coach Annese holds a professional license from the European Union of Football Associations (UEFA) to coach football at the highest levels, and he brings a wealth of experience as a former player and football manager in the Italian Association. He has coached youth players in Italian academies and clubs, and he has also had international experience as a professional head coach for senior teams in Indonesia, Palestine, Armenia and as assistant head coach of the Estonia national team.

Annese said he recognized the very big responsibility he has taken on as coach of our national team, and he takes his job very seriously. He said the most important part of the job is in the selection of the players, to try to put new faces on the team, as after studying the last few games the national team had played, he noticed there were mostly senior players who may be aging out and near the end of their careers. He has already begun scouting the Premier League of Belize and the first division teams to see what latent talent may be there. He said he would also be looking at the Under-17 youth competitions for any talented 17 to 18 year olds who are out there.

He said he hoped to change the system to bring in new blood with more youthful energy into the team, and in the coming months, he will be holding tryouts to see which players can play his system. He also acknowledged his new assistant coach Wayne Casimiro, who will be helping him in this selection of the players.

He also thanked the media for their help, saying everyone had a part to play in making his new system work.

Casimiro, for his part, thanked the FFB for their confidence in allowing him to move up to coaching the senior men’s team, as he was formerly the coach for the national Under-15 and Under-17 female teams. He has recently completed a month-long FIFA training course for coaches in Belgrade, Hungary, and he said he recognized the importance of youth development to the national team, and he hopes to apply the lessons learnt to his training of the players.

The FFB’s technical director Philip Marin also outlined his vision for FFB’s way forward in developing football at every level in Belize.

He said the FFB would be implementing a new 3-3-4 system at all levels, with four defenders feeding the ball forward to three midfielders who will work to create plays for the three forwards. He said the FFB will continue to sponsor youth tournaments for Under-13 males, under-14 females, under-15 boys and girls, and under-17 girls and boys, who will move on to First Division levels. He said the vision is for all the coaches to adopt a professional approach in teaching the players this new system, so that from an early age, the Belize players will become familiar with this style of play to master it by the time they move up to the Premier League.

He said the youth program would initially target about 20 high schools to create about 60 male youth clubs and 20 female youth clubs, who will participate in 10 regional competitions. The best players from these teams would then feed into 10 regional selections, who June 30th, 2019

Assistant coach, Wayne Casimiro

FFB coach, Vincenzo Alberto Annese and the only thing that will change is the size of the jersey! He said it would be a team effort that would involve a collaborative approach of the FFB working hand in hand with the schools tournament, the district football associations and the individual teams and clubs.

He said Football development would now have a structured approach, where the Under-13 grassroots development programs to serve as broad base for the Under-15 and Under-17 competitions, which would then feed players into the National Amateur Women’s League (NAWL) and the National amateur Men’s league (NAML - first division) from which players will advance to the Premier League, and the cream of the crop to the National Team.

The FFB has also implemented a system of licensing coaches with a four year plan to train coaches all over the country. Those who have completed training courses with the FFB will then be licensed, the idea is that all coaches even at the primary schools and high school levels, to have had some formal FFB training, to hold a FFB license.

A review of the games played by Belize’s national youth teams showed that they won four of 20 games played last year, scoring 19 goals but receiving 62. So far this year, the youth teams - male and female, have played six games and won none, but Marin said this is a work in progress, and they hoped to change these results with the new system being adopted.

FFB technical director, Philip Marin

would compete in national tournaments organized by the FFB. He said the objective is that as the player advances from U13, U15, U-17 to U-18, U-19, U-20, and U-23 competitions to selection for the national team at each level, they will all be playing the same style of play, REPORTER

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Sunday, June 30th, 2019

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Taiwan Helps Belize in Tourism, Mail & Licenses

Thursday afternoon. So Ambassador Remus Chen deputized for Minister Lin as he joined Minister Castro for a second ceremony to commemorate he Republic of China on Taiwan will coopthe achievement over the past two years of the erate with Belize in tourism development, US$2.8 Million Belize Motor Vehicles Registramodernizing the Belize Postal Service and digition and Licenses System (BMVRALS) Project, tizing the motor vehicles and drivers’ licensing at the Radisson Thursday afternoon. Ambassasystems. Dr. Chia-Lung Lin, R.O.C. Taiwan’s dor Chen also presented Minister Castro with a Minister of Transportation and Communications, $208,000 cheque, the latest disbursement for the signed agreements to this effect during his short project. Castro promptly visit honouring the 30 turned over the cheque years of Belize-Taiwan to Chief Executive Ofdiplomatic relations, last ficer Ruth Meighan, of Wednesday and Thursday, his ministry.

June 19-20.

The Central InformaMinister of Tourism tion Technology Office and Civil Aviation Hon. (CITO), another gift Manuel Heredia signed a from Taiwan through the framework agreement for Information and Comcooperation in tourism demunications Technology velopment with Minister project of 2009-2013, Lin at the Best Western has been implementing Biltmore Plaza Hotel in the project with funding Belize City Wednesday from Taiwan’s ICDF, to evening. Minister Heredia convert all records of welcomed Taiwan’s supthe Belize Department port noting that the Inof Transport and Liternational Development censes Office to digital Cooperation Fund (ICDF) electronic format, and to had already helped reviintroduce a new system talize Belize’s downtown of machine readable area to enhance the qualdrivers licenses, which ity of the city as a tourare much more secure ism destination. The new Minister Castro signed the agreement with Minister Lin & Ambassador Remus Chen and difficult to forge that agreement provides for the older laminated license cards issued in the Taiwan to help stimulate further foreign direct witnessed the agreement. investment in Belize’s tourism growth, and has Minister Lin also joined Minister Castro in past. Minister Castro hailed the project as bringalready come to fruition, as a team of eight Tai- unveiling the first day cover of a new issue of ing the department up to date to an international wanese tourism investors arrived in Belize from commemorative stamps honouring the 30th an- standard to produce licenses that even the United the United States on Sunday, on a weeklong visit to niversary of diplomatic ties between our two na- States can respect.

The project has also equipped the department examine the possibilities for investment and part- tions, which highlight the natural beauty of our with seven new printers, one for each of the DOT nerships in Belize’s tourism sector. The agreement flora and fauna. The 25 cent stamp displays the district offices to produce the new license cards. also calls for the Belize Tourism Board to cooperate with Taiwan’s tourism bureau in planning and flags of both nations, flying in the wind, while The vehicle registration certificates are also now hosting a bilateral conference on innovation and the $1.00 value stamp portrays Belize’s world being produced on a special paper with security famous Blue Hole and Taiwan’s Jade Mountain. features similar to the Belize currency notes, inbest practices in tourism.

Minister Lin enthused that Belize has the poten- The $5.00 value stamp portrays Belize’s national cluding micro-printing along the borders of the tial to grow to become a major tourism destina- bird the keel-billed Toucan and Taiwan’s Blue certificate, again to prevent forgeries.

Executive Director Ishmael Quiroz of the Ecotion, and the agreement would help to strengthen Magpie. Minister Lin noted that he had flown for nomic Development Council also welcomed the its development through technology exchange 26 hours, just be here for this event.

A labor strike among the workers of Taiwan’s new system, as a way to assure visitors and foreign and innovation, to enhance service quality and principal airline EVO forced Minister Lin to cut investors, that their drivers’ IDs and vehicle regisefficiency. short his itinerary, and bring forward his depar- tration will be secure to an international standard, The Taiwanese delegation included representatives from the Chunghwa Post Co. Ltd of Taiwan, ture date, originally scheduled for Sunday, to to protect their property when in Belize.

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Belize City, June 20th, 2019

who entered into another cooperation agreement with Belize’s Postal Service to help upgrade Belize’s postal and parcel delivery system to the highest international standards. Minister of Transportation and NEMO Hon. Edmund Castro and Postmaster General James Gabriel signed the agreement with Minister Lin at the Radisson Fort George Hotel on Thursday morning. Taiwan’s Ambassador to Belize. H.E. Remus Li-Kuo Chen

S U D O K U Medium Puzzle

Sudok u rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 3x3 box.

Tip. Use a soft erasable pencil. Start with the easy puzzles, then move on to the harder ones. Make small pencilmarks to show which numbers are allowed in empty squares. This will come handy when analyzing techniques are used.

Never guess! Only make moves based on logical deductions.

Answer to Puzzle

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Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

Are smartphones causing weird, bone spike growths on skulls?

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he hours we spend scrolling through our smartphones appear to be changing our skulls. This may be the reason why some people — especially the younger crowd — are developing a weird, bony spike just above their necks.

The bony skull bump — known as an external occipital protuberance — is sometimes so large, you can feel it by pressing your fingers on the base of your skull.

“I have been a clini-

cian for 20 years, and

only in the last decade, increasingly, I ha ve been discovering that my patients have this growth on the skull,” David Shahar, a health scientist at the University of The Sunshine Coast, Australia, told the BBC in a fascinating feature about the changing human skeleton. [ A cause-and-effect relationship hasn’t been identified, but it’s possible that the spike comes from constantly bending one’s neck at uncomfortable angles to look at smart devices. The human head is heavy, weighing about 10 lbs. (4.5 kilograms), and tilting it forward to look at funny cat photos (or however you spend your smartphone time) can strain the neck — hence the crick people sometimes get, known as “text neck.”

Text neck can increase pressure on the juncture where the neck muscles attach to the skull, and the body likely responds by laying down new bone, which leads to that spiky bump, Sha-

more common in males than in females. The largest spike belonged to a man, sticking out at 1.4 inches (35.7 mm).

Another study of 1,200 individuals, ages 18 to 86, that Shahar and a co-researcher did revealed that these

har told the BBC. This spike distributes the weight of the head over a larger area, he said.

In a 2016 study in the Journal of Anatomy, Shahar and a colleague looked at the radiographs of 218 young patients, ages 18 to 30, to determine how many had these bumps. Regular spikes had to measure at least 0.2 inches (5 millimeters), and enlarged spikes measured 0.4 inches (10 mm).

In all, 41% of the group had an enlarged spike and 10% had an especially large spike measuring at least 0.7 inches (20 mm), the doctors found. In general, enlarged spikes were

spikes are more prevalent in younger people.

Enlarged spikes occurred in 33% of the group, but participants ages 18 to 30 years old were significantly more likely to have these spikes than the older generations, they found.

These bony spikes are likely here to stay, Shahar said. “Imagine if you have stalactites and stalagmites, if no one is bothering them, they will just keep growing,” he told the BBC. Luckily, these spikes rarely cause medical issues.

If you are experiencing discomfort, however, try improving your posture, he said.

- Livescience

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

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Another Plane‌No Cargo‌No Suspects!

Tuesday, June 25th, 2019

P

By Michelle Sutherland

olice in Orange Walk, as well as authorities in Independence Village in the south, are said to be investigating two interesting findings that are suspected to be linked to the transshipment of drugs through Belize.

Late last week Mexican media outlets began reporting the discovery of a burnt aircraft near Blue Creek in the Orange Walk District and even though the media in Belize had requested a confirmation on the discovery those requests were never acknowledged.

The confirmation came five days after the discovery, when head of the National Crimes Investigation Branch ACP Joseph Myvett confirmed that he had placed the information on the Police blotter from the week before, and

did not know why it was removed before being released. According to Myvett "Around 8:30 a.m. on June 19th, Orange Walk police visited an area west of Blue Creek where on the side of a feeder road they observed the burnt remains of a single engine white and maroon colored aircraft. The area was canvassed and no other items were found, we do not have any information on its origins."

Myvett explained that while authorities did not find any additional evidence on the scene authorities are looking at the possibility that the aircraft was transporting illegal cargo prior to its destruction.

Four days following that discovery, around 5:00 a.m. on June 23rd residents in Independence reported a suspicious low-flying aircraft in that vicinity. Myvett confirmed that around

5:45 a.m. on that same day, acting on intelligence received authorities launched an operation in a grassy area on the Monkey River Road where they found a plastic drum along with several containers suspected to contain aviation fuel.

Myvett claimed that authorities did not find anyone in the immediate area but up until Monday morning officers were still out on the scene conducting their investigation to determine the origins of the fuel and whether any illicit activity had occurred in the area.

Additionally, Myvett noted that there is a legal airstrip about three miles away from where the aviation fuel was found. He, however, stressed that being in possession of aviation fuel without the requisite license or permission is an offence.

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Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Fun at the Belize Zoo! A

wonderful relationship The Belize Zoo has fostered through the years is with the Center for Engaged Learning Abroad (CELA). Every summer we look forward to collaborating with them and hosting students from their Wildlife Health, Ecology Conservation course at our Tropical Education Center. Long time Primatology colleague and CELA Academic Programs Officer, Jane Champion, led the course alongside Drs. AJ Runey and Eva Restis, wildlife veterinarians from the US. Two back-to-back sessions allowed 26 students from the US to participate in this fabulous experience and learn from our skilled TBZ staff.

Activities at the Zoo included a physical examination of “Bullet head,” our oldest tapir. Bullet has been in retirement for several years now in a private enclosure, and enjoys routine check-ups to ensure he is comfortable in his “golden years.”

The CELA crew also got a first-hand look at our Problem Jaguar

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CELA RETURNS

Greyhound donors?

Book Odor!

Program, and helped created engaging enrichment items for the jaguars, as well as the jaguarondis, kinkajous, and monkeys.

The students didn’t shy away from less

pleasant but equally important lessons on animal necropsies, and even enjoyed an innovative “bone lab” activity, where so much was learned about wildlife anatomy and skeletal

structures!

TBZ enjoys our programs and activities we share with colleagues like CELA, that bring so much positive experience to our animals, staff, and visitors.

The sunflower is a large inflorescence, this means the flower head is actually made of many tiny flowers called florets. Central florets look like the center of a normal flower while the outer florets look like yellow petals and together they make up a “false flower”.

This natural design helps insects and birds to easily see the sunflower and after pollination every little flower or floret produces a seed.

The stem of a sunflower can grow up to10 feet tall and the flower head can be 11inches wide.

Sunflowers are very fast growing plants, in the right conditions they can grow 8-12 feet tall in six months.

There are two kinds of sunflower seeds. Sunflower oil which is used in cooking and in margarines is made from black seeds and snack food is made from the striped seeds. The seeds can also be used as bird feed.

Sunflowers can also be processed into a peanut butter substitute called Sunbutter. In Germany, sunflower seeds are mixed with rye flour to make a type of bread (Sonnenblumenkernbrot).

Sunflowers can be used to extract toxin such as lead, arsenic and uranium from contaminated soil. For example, sunflowers were used to remove toxins from a pond after the Chernobyl disaster and similar projects took place after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

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Sober Reflections

Don’t Give Up on Me

Mike Rudon Jr.

I

’m a naturally comical kinda guy, a clown even. I can joke about pretty much anything, mostly about myself. Sometimes I want to run jokes about my sobriety, and about alcohol.

Hey, I’ve reached 30 days, let’s go take a beer to celebrate. That sort of thing. Hilarious right? But the truth is that while I am genuinely the funniest guy I know, when I take alcohol lightly or in jest, there is always this voice inside of me which advises me to tread carefully – this voice which says yeah Mike, laugh about alcohol today, but you

know who’ll have the last laugh, right?

It’s as simple as that.

Alcohol is no laughing matter. I will take my last breath, hopefully naked and in the throes of passion and ecstasy, believing that alcohol is every bit as destructive as any drug. Show me a crackhead on the street begging for a dollar for a hit, and I’ll show you a drunk trying to get a shopkeeper to credit one bad man and a coke and a plastic cup (Em, yes, I’ve done this).

Awww hell who am I fooling? That is classy drunk stuff. Show me a crackhead and I can show you a drunk lying in his own vomit – doesn’t matter if it’s on the sidewalk, or in a plush bedroom…in a seedy, stinking bar or in a premier drinking establishment. Show me a family destroyed by drugs, and I’ll show you ten destroyed by alcohol. Show me a life reduced to ruin by drugs, and I’ll show you a hundred lives

ruined by alcohol.

My story is no secret at this point, but if you think you know me, you have no idea. If you think you’ve gotten the whole picture from a few columns, or from seeing me drunk somewhere, or from ridiculously personal Facebook posts, you would be wrong. I’ve shared just a little bit of the horror which is alcoholism. I’ve shared a little bit of the grief, and the pain, and the destruction…the trauma, the repercussions, the anxiety and the humiliation. But there is much that I still hold inside me. As my cousin Jack would say, you can’t handle the truth. Hell, I can’t even handle the truth.

I write what I write, and share bits of myself, because there are many, many people who struggle. I talk to them daily.

They come up to me on the street. I see the hopelessness in their eyes. I see the desperation on their faces. They

are lost, like I was for so long. Believe it or not – that is up to you – but I was a dead man walking. I had nothing to live for but the next drink. I tried to convince myself that it was all over. If I wasn’t naturally a stubborn, bloody fool who refuses to listen to anyone, even myself, I would probably have believed that it was all over. I couldn’t stop drinking.

I just couldn’t.

I write what I write, and share bits of myself, because I want those who struggle as I did, and do, to know that it is never frigging over until your cold, dead body lies six feet under. Today, as I write this on a Wednesday, I have not touched a drink for 31 days. Laugh if you like, scoff if you must, but I am counting every one. And yes, I am unbelievably proud of every day. I was lost.

I’m telling you – I was walking around, smiling and joking and hav-

ing occasional sex and other good stuff – but I was done. Yet, here I am.

I don’t know what made me wake up one day and reach out for help? But I did, and here I am. My mind has never been clearer. I don’t believe I’ve ever felt better. Yes, I feel betrayed because I thought when I finally stopped drinking I would miraculously lose weight and become extraordinarily gorgeous. It didn’t happen. So I’m fat and sober. But it’s better than fat and drunk.

And there’s something else. Apart from being a funny guy, I am sarcastic and cynical and skeptical. Nobody could have told me that things would start falling into place, if I only believed in myself and gave myself a chance to be the person I was meant to be. See, we’re not meant to be drunken idiots. We’re not meant to spend all our money in bars and on women

and liquor. We’re not meant to get behind a wheel drunk and run over somebody’s child.

We’re not meant to hurt ourselves and others and to destroy our families. That’s just the alcohol. It’s not natural.

It’s not the natural order of things. It’s not why we’re here.

Maybe I’m not explaining this right. Give me a rum and coke or two or three or ten and I’m sure I could get your attention. Preach on, brother! I honestly didn’t think I could do it. You want to know the truth. Even when I was writing this column, I didn’t think I could stop drinking.

But somewhere along the way, I found the strength. You can too.

You can, too. Believe me. Thirty-one days, and I can literally count the things that are going right for me, when everything was going so wrong. You just gotta believe. Not in what I’m writing. Or what anybody says. Believe in yourself.

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Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

Racing Thoughts

Societal Resignation

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Contributed by Monique P.

ave you noticed that our country is in the dumps? Every day, we face dire situations: poverty, elevated crime, violence, abuse, corruption.

In the face of all this adversity plaguing our Belizean communities we, the affected, seem to remain quite lackadaisical. I can’t help but feel that we have genuinely resigned. We no longer want to do anything to effect change, because it’s difficult to get the strength of the masses and authority to join in a holistic societal healing.

I’m a Netflix junkie, and this week among my favorite binge worthy shows, I happened upon a documentary called “Life Overtakes Me” which is based on a rare phenomenon called Resignation Syndrome, affecting hundreds of refugee children in Sweden. I’ve never heard of this before and found it quite interesting. Children with resignation syndrome are sons and daughters of persons who are seeking asylum in Sweden, but their residential statuses are not certain. Many families, who have fled their countries of origin due to unimaginable violence, are being deported. Resignation Syndrome starts when the child stops speaking and eventually they refuse to eat and subsequently end up in a deep, coma like sleep, like our fairy tale princess Sleeping Beauty. Some children wake up months to a year later when their parents gain asylum and their family’s life has certainty. There hasn’t been much explanation as to why or how this phenomenon occurs.

All of the information in the previous paragraph leads me to this: I believe that as a society, we are now in a deep and inactive sleep and are numb to the conditions around us. We have resigned in many aspects.

We have resigned to gun violence and all other types of crimes. Every day, another unthinkable story in the news or on social media shakes us for a couple of

hours. After feeling an initial outrage, or even saying something in respect, we eventually go back into a deep sleep. Our societal resignation never ceases.

In the last couple of years, we have observed how our country is losing respect, morals and empathy, but we have become Pontius Pilates. We wash our hands and get on with what’s left of our lives. At the end of the day, although some of the problems don’t immediately affect us, I believe the universe is connected. I also believe that everything happens for a reason, however, I have to ask myself if we were really destined to become emotionless robots living in a disgraceful place.

The cloud of violence that was once a small, localized tuft is spreading countrywide, expanding to conquer our culture.

Belizeans were previously known as amicable, helpful and genuine. Even if we try to push the bad comments down, the truth is we are spiraling out of control.

Violence dominates what was once friendliness. We are filled with rage and we are not changing because we are in resignation. This rage, then, infiltrates the very fabric of our society and our future - our children. Our children then grow to be us - individuals filled with selfish hate and individuals whose narcissism blinds us to the need for critical changes in our society.

As we continue to sleep, everything outside is crashing. Perhaps I might be exaggerating in some respects.

After all, I am an anxious person, but we always seem to think that bad things only happen to “other” people.

If you think about it, though, who are the other people?

If other people are thinking that something bad doesn’t happen to them, but only other people, then we are those other people. My point is that we are all vulnerable.

Solutions to our world of problems have been shouted to the seven winds. Politicians have told us that we will be led to the Promised Land and activists are trying in their own insignificant ways to bring about change,

but in the end, everything withdraws into resignation.

I’m always told that we shouldn’t complain about something if we don’t have a solution to offer. However, like the children in the documentary, I too feel myself resigning. I have no idea what solution there is to offer to a society that is only one third alive. They say people have the power to effect change, but when people resign there is weakness, disillusionment and nothing to look forward to. Some of us prefer not to leave what we believe is the safety of our homes, but the darkness comes to find us there. Others prefer to resign to the streets where darkness respects no one. We observe the severe abuse of our neighbor’s wife or husband, but we have resigned and accepted it. We have witnessed a crime, but we don’t testify in court because we have resigned.

We see how our children are bullied at school and on social media, but we don’t do anything, because we have resigned. We think we are law-abiding citizens, and we might be, but we have resigned. We are sleeping until things get better.

What I fear about all this, is that although the children in Sweden affected by Resignation Syndrome, wake up some time later as the fate of their family changes when they are granted asylum, I don’t think we will wake up. If all of us, an entire society is sleeping, there is no one to metaphorically move us every day, to clean us, to feed us, to clothe us and assure us that things will be okay. The few people that still do that for the resigned are no longer trusted. Our resilience has died a premature death. As I arrive to the end of this article, I realize that I am slowly drifting away into resignation and I will never wake up. I’m afraid, because once I go into this deep sleep, I don’t know what will become of my children and their children if they don’t completely resign before that time. Reader, tell me, do you think there is any ounce of hope that we can one day come out of this sleep?

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

CREATURES OF HABIT

By: Dr. Abigail Joseph

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ave you ever experienced a power outage, yet still despite being aware of not having electricity you do something stupid like try to turn on the TV, or flip a light switch or maybe try the microwave? My parents used to always laugh at my cousins and I because they would purposely ask us to do stuff like turn on the television for them or plug in the fan. It was entertaining to see how we would do it without giving much thought to the fact that there was no electricity. It was somewhat “automatic.” Habits are the brain’s autopilot mode.

If you pay keen attention to your life there are many things we do automatically. It’s a habit.

When I was younger my mom bought me a book entitled, “The 7 habits of highly effective teenagers.” The thing that stayed with me the most

about that book was how they described a habit.

It said, “A habit is the hardest thing to get rid of; you take away the H and you still have A BIT, you take away the A and you still have BIT, and if you take away the B you still have IT!” It blew my mind, because it expressed perfectly how hard it is to really get rid of a habit.

According to the dictionary, a habit is an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary. Many of our daily actions occur automatically and without much thought because we have repeated the action so many times that our brain has memorized exactly what it is that needs to be done in the specific manner that you have been doing it. Our brain creates pathways and shortcuts to perform more efficiently and once the habit is formed, the brain is able to allow the task to occur automatically so that it can focus on other things. This adaptive quality of the brain is called Neuroplasticity. The brain creates neuronal connections based on what you do repeatedly. Every time we perform a particular act it stimulates these specific neuronal patterns in the brain and it kicks in automatically.

To break down habit formation, we need to understand the three step loop in forming a habit: Cue, routine, reward. This is the science behind

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a habit. We define habits as good or bad but your brain can’t tell the difference. For us, a bad habit is one that has poor or unfavorable outcomes and are often times frowned upon or discouraged by others. For this reason we try to break free from them. But you and I both know it is not as easy as it sounds to break from what others consider a bad habit. Whenever we want to break away from certain habits we first need to understand the habit and why it formed in the first place. So let’s tackle the three step loop shall we?

I started a new habit shortly after my vacation started. Every afternoon at 3:30pm I would hop in my truck and take a drive to Pan Dulce and buy one single doughnut, sit in my truck, eat it and drive back home as if nothing happened. What do you guys think? Is this a bad habit or a good habit? Remember my brain does not know it is good or bad, all it knows is that I’ve been doing it every day so now I’m on autopilot mode in regard to that routine and gaining a few pounds as a result. I don’t even need to look at the clock.

Sure enough at 3:30pm I will crave my doughnut.

STEP ONE: Identify the routine. In this scenario my routine is the habit I want to change. It’s the behavior or action of driving to the pastry store, buying a doughnut, eating it and then going back home. STEP TWO: Identify your cue. The cue is the trigger for your routine. It’s the signal that tells the brain to perform the routine. So I want to ask myself - why did I go to the pastry store? Was I hungry? Was my blood sugar low? Did I need a change of scenery? Am I bored? Do I need a distraction? In order to answer or identify the cue I need to do a series of experiments that require at times days and even weeks. This leads us to experimenting with rewards. This experiment requires that every time 3:30pm comes and I feel the urge to go to buy a doughnut, over a series of days I try different rewards - such as maybe going to the refrigerator and drinking a glass of water, eating a slice of watermelon, taking a drive without stopping at the store, you get the idea? Basically trying new things to see if the craving is satisfied. What I choose to do instead of buying the doughnut is not important. The point of the experiment is to test which craving is driving the routine.

It is important to set an alarm 15 minutes after returning from whatever activity is selected as a substitute. When the alarm goes off we need to ask ourselves if we still feel the need or urge to participate in the activity. In my case I will ask myself if I’m still craving the doughnut. It is important to set the time and ask the question because it helps to determine if the craving is driven by hunger, the need to go for a drive, feeling bored etc. Now before I continue I want you to understand that cravings do not only refer to food or being hungry but rather it describes a great desire for something. This can be food, the presence of another, participating in a particular action, etc. When we’ve identified our routine and our reward then we can go back and isolate our cue. STEP THREE: Isolate the cue. Psychologists have suggested that we think about 5 things when we get the urge to fill our craving. During your experiment in identifying your reward you should ask yourself this: what is your location, time, emotional state, persons present and your preceding action. For me it became pretty clear that my cue for my habit was the need to change scenery.

STEP FOUR: Have a plan. Once you’ve figured out your cue that was driving your routine you can begin to shift your behavior. You can change to a better routine IF you plan for your cue. Choosing a behavior that rewards your craving is possible, but you need a plan.

Breaking habits are hard because it is an automatic formula: when I see CUE, I will do ROUTINE to get a REWARD. Change from the norm can be difficult. Sometimes it requires multiple attempts. But once you understand how the loop works you can gain back control.

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B

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

INSIGHTS

An Unholy Alliance

y now it should be clear that there is an unholy alliance between Belize’s political class and a significant (but increasing) segment of Belize’s public service.

It is this unholy alliance that has provided the enMajor Lloyd Jones abling environment for (Ret’d) corruption; corruption that is now so deeply rooted that it threatens our very democracy.

Public officers are the only class of workers named in the Belize Constitution. Part VIII of the Constitution speaks to the public service and it establishes a Public Service Commission. It is the Commission which is constitutionally mandated to appoint and discipline public officers other than those who serve in the Judiciary or the security forces. In the exercise of its functions the Commission is governed by the regulations made by the Governor General with the advice of the Minister with responsibility for the public service.

The control of the public service is therefore

the sole province of the Commission. It must have been the intent of the framers of the Constitution to have a public service that serves the people and not the politician. The public service was to be in the service of the Belizean people and nobody else and so constitutionally, the public service was insulated from the Executive.

When exactly the Executive was able to wrest control of the public service from the Commission is a matter of perspective I guess, but there can be no doubt that the Executive now exerts undue, and often improper, influence on the day-to-day functions of the public service.

It is my view that the usurpation of the powers of the Commission started during the Esquivel Administration and was solidified under the Musa Administration. Mr. Barrow came along and mastered it.

The Commission which should be the body appointing public servants has for all intents and purposes been replaced by nothing more than a hand written note from a politician. It soon became a race to see who could stuff the public service with the most political loyalists. It is a well known secret that one representative from Orange Walk filled his ministry with people from

his constituency. No job applications, no vetting interviews, no approvals from the Commission!

In hindsight we know why he did so, as we would later come to learn of the swindle of thousands of acres of Belizean land. None of the people he placed in his ministry looked after the interests of the Belizean people. Their loyalty was to the one who gave them a job, not to the Belizean people.

Public servants are critical to good governance therefore if the public service is rotted you end up with poor governance. And if you do not believe that poor governance can lead you to hell just have a look at Venezuela. The richest nation in all of Latin America yet her people starve: the result of foreign machinations yes, but a crisis exacerbated by a corrupt public service that stopped serving the people and began instead, to serve the politicians.

In Belize, the public service and the politicians have created a lucrative symbiotic relationship where they both climb the social and economic ladder together. Ostentatious lifestyles are not uncommon for some public officers, especially those at Customs, Lands, vital stats and Immigration.

They have such good political connections that they no longer fear the “authorities.” The FIU has not once peered into the finances of any of those public officers who are clearly living above their means. Hand wash hand they say noh?

Since by design no government resources can be dispersed without a public officer’s authorization, how is it that corruption has taken root in Belize? Every year the Auditor General’s report looks like the previous one. Her complaint is like a broken record: lack of access to important information held by guess who? A public officer!

The Auditor General’s role is important to our democracy but year in and year out she is tripped up by public officers whose loyalty to the ruling politicians trumps their loyalty to the people of Belize. In a real democracy those public officers would be brought up on charges but in Belize, they have political ‘backative’ yes, but they also know where the bones are buried. And so the beat goes on: one fi you; one fi me!

When we speak of corruption in Belize we often point fingers at the politician. We seldom point at the public officers. Truth be told, there is no way that our political leaders could have done the things they have without the support, tacit or otherwise, of some public officers. Penner, Gapi, Barrow, Ralph, Said - all did what they did because there were public officers who were prepared to ignore their duty to the Belizean people.

Perhaps our public officers have come to the conclusion that it is pointless to sacrifice their careers for us. We who do nothing to protect them when they step forward in our defence. We who allow them to be transferred at the whim of some political operative. We who run to hug the very corrupt politician they warned us about.

Many public officers will immediately internalize my treatise and become mad at me even though I have said nothing that is untrue; but that is how we behave in Belize.

I am not saying that every public officer is corrupt or that every public officer is a political crony. I am saying that too many are and as a result our country’s development has been stalled.

It has been stalled for a number of reasons but most prominently because the very good and decent public officers (who are the majority in my view) are stymied in the execution of their jobs whether by fear or by sins of omission. In many respects we can’t blame them. When during the Immigration Senate hearing senor members of the Immigration Department told us of the corruption what did we do to insulate them from the attacks that followed? Nada!

If we are to take back Belize we must first start by taking back the public service. Only then will we have a chance of real development. Until then, this unholy alliance will continue to suffocate us.

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

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One Woman’s Perspective

THE RESPONSIBLE SINNER

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w o m a n ’s l i f e was shortened over the weekend as a consequence of an extra marital affair. Many came down like judge, jury and executioner, criticizing her choice to dabble in the life of a married/committed man. While I have never professed to be a saint, I do contemplate on these extra marital affairs and wonder if there will come a time when it wouldn’t hurt so bad; where our anger would not consume us to the point of no return; where the urge for revenge would not be so intense.

Okay. Fine. Back to real life. Why do extra

marital affairs happen?

One man said to me it’s just sex; meaningless sex – a distraction of sorts. Another man said, men will cheat no matter what goodness they have at home; it’s just not built in their DNA to be monogamous. If this is the case, then why is it a surprise to wives when their husbands cheat? Why all the drama and fights and hostilities at home?

As a woman who has been betrayed, I can tell you why. The drama, the fights and the anger come not so much because you cheated but how you went about it.

(Let me just throw in here at this point, that

in no way am I condoning cheating; and if you are a cheater or if you are enticing a man/ woman to cheat, then your moral compass needs tightening). For me personally, my gut instinct told me when my ex was cheating. I don’t know if it was his behaviour that changed or if I just had that sixth sense to know… but it comes to you and most times your gut is right. I knew and I confirmed it when I went into his phone.

He denied it for many years and then one day, he slipped - (actually he slipped many times but I think I was living the saying, ‘if you don’t plan on doing anything about it, leave your man/woman to cheat in peace)’ This slip was major because he chose a 24-year-old child to cheat with and then she got pregnant...and then she found the urge to tell me…and then they fought…and she

found it her obligation to report all this to me. Of course, being the man that he is, he denied, denied, denied and denied. He somehow couldn’t understand why I began treating him the way I did; why I kept begging him to leave me or why I just didn’t want him to touch me anymore. He couldn’t understand that it’s not that he cheated but it’s that he didn’t protect me. He didn’t protect me from the risk of getting an STD or worse, AIDS; he didn’t protect me from the disrespect she showed by calling me and harassing me and he didn’t protect my home and family because a new human was now in the picture.

Women will tolerate and forgive for a very long time until they won’t; some are quick to just walk away but most women will stay.

Men just don’t seem to get the concept that it’s not what you do but

how you do it.

But men are not the only ones who are irresponsible sinners.

Women have committed so many errors, it’s a disgrace to our species. I know of this young girl in Ladyville; a teacher who had an affair with another teacher and got pregnant. She knew he was in a relationship, but she still allowed the affair to happen, unprotected. She is now raising a baby on her own with little help from the father. Why would a woman subject herself and an innocent child to that when you know you weren’t looked at as a permanent home?

I have also seen women fight on streets and in public places over men.

Again, why would you do that? I caught my ex with his lover. There was no real fuss; they were at a restaurant and when I asked what was going on, neither he nor the woman responded. He got so

uncomfortable that he told the woman to close the car door so they could leave. That was all I needed to hear to know that he chose her. Why should I fight with her? My commitment and my life were with him, not her. She won the stress I could not bear anymore and now she is married to him and he remains the fun-loving, community property he always was, and she now goes through what she put me through.

Life is real.

We all sin in different shades and colours.

A sin is a sin is a sin.

Sometimes our circumstances push us into the arms of strangers but that’s just an excuse for the weak. Looking at what is and what is the ideal, I would say, if you can’t do good best you do nothing at all.

Be a responsible sinner, if there is such a thing, and don’t feed anyone what you couldn’t or wouldn’t stomach.

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Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

More Bad Sargassum News Wednesday, 26 June 2019

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By Marion Ali

revailing currents and wind direction are expected to send a “Sargasso stain� larger than 340 miles in diameter to the coasts in Quintana Roo, Mexico sometime next week, and it is expected to affect mainly the central and southern region of the state between Tulum and Xcalak, which borders the Belizean coastline of San Pedro. This is according to the Monitoring Network, a citizen observatory that uses information from institutions, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), to inform, prevent and alert of the arrival of sargassum to the Mexican coasts along the Caribbean.

The network informed that over the past two weeks, a significant accumulation of sargassum has been concentrated west of Jamaica and that on Monday, it was about 620 miles east of the coasts of Quintana Roo. The inundation was expected long before it was spotted, however, and local and regional authorities have been looking for solutions to deal with the algae invasion that poses a threat to tourism. Their efforts so far, of using human resources and heavy-duty equipment to clear away the tens of thousands of tons of rotting seaweed have fallen far short of the hand that Mother Nature has dealt because the smelly algae just keeps on washing ashore.

Relevant parties met in San Pedro two Fridays ago with Mexican businessman, Omar Vasquez Sanchez, to discuss the prospects of using Sargassum to build houses that is made from a mix of the dried algae and cement.

Vasquez, who currently lives in Quintana Roo, had built a house entirely from Sargassum

Sargassum seaweed turns seashore into unsightly, smelly coastline bricks using specialized equipment. If the idea can be converted to action, it would not only be a positive solution to the Sargassum problems along San Pedro's coastline, but can mean job opportunities for masons, while creating shelters that can withstand up to a category 3 hurricane for low-income families.

Vasquez assured the municipal representatives from San Pedro that tests done at their plant in Mexico have shown that the sargassum bricks can withstand a storm of this strength. He added that a house made of sargassum would not require much maintenance, and that given the humidity and climate of this region, these houses can last over 100 years.

But while the plan sounds good in theory, Councilor with responsibility for the Environment in San Pedro, Gary Greif , told the Reporter last week that several steps would have

Businessman Omar Vasquez, showing off a house he built from sargassum bricks to be taken, such as getting approval from the San Pedro and Central Building Authority, as well as a mechanism to ensure that whatever business venture can be derived from the project would benefit the labour force from the island.

Vasquez, whose idea has not been wellreceived in Mexico, informed that his company has 100,000 bricks, which can build about 50 houses for starters. He has also travelled to other countries in the region to present his project idea.

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

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Government Vehicles and Village Council Elections

By Marion Ali

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very Easter there are reports of government vehicles being used by public officers for leisure purposes for them and their families, some as far away as Quintana Roo, or further. Similar reports often surface around election time, whether for campaigning, or on election day to transport voters to and from the polling stations.

The report this weekend during the first round of village council elections was no different, at least for one rural community in Orange Walk, where a government vehicle was seen to be transporting voters for much of Sunday's voting to and from the polling station.

We contacted the Manager of the Vehicle Management Unit, Ruperto Vicente, who told us that if the vehicles are assigned to Ministers of Government, they are allowed to keep their vehicles 24-7, even on weekends and holidays, and that they are entitled to use their vehicles however they see fit. He added that his unit assigns vehicles to allow for the transportation of public officers to all the villages to carry out their job as election officers.

But he said that he has not gotten any complaints of government vehicles being used by public officers to transport voters for any political party.

Wednesday, 26 June 2019

Government vehicle being used to ferry voters Vicente went on to say not to be used for such that when his office re- and such a purpose. I'm ceives such complaints, not saying that you go he issues a notification to village B or C and it's to the supervisors of the not going to be done, but particular government when it comes to us now, ministry or department, then we respond and send informing that the ve- out the information that hicles are not to be used this vehicle was seen used to transport voters. What for the purpose of which that means is that the driv- it was not assigned for.... ers would be given the in- We also say to them that struction to not transport action must be taken by voters, he said. But when the particular Ministry or we asked what happens if department. That is our the heads of those govern- instruction." ment departments chose We pose the question to ignore or override that again: if a head of departinstruction and give the ment or ministry decided drivers instructions to in the first place to igthe contrary, he said that nore the rule and allows decision no longer falls on a government vehicle to him. Could this be a junc- help a political party in its ture where loopholes exist campaign or on election in the system? Vicente day, how can that head said that it is the ministries of department be asked or department that must to take action against him manage their fleets. or herself who violated "We send out the the rule? information; it doesn't There are six more necessarily mean that rounds of village council everybody will carry out elections set to take place the instructions. That is a across the country. Our given, but it is my office's ears will be close to the responsibility to send the ground for any report of information to everybody this blatant abuse of public saying that the vehicle is resources.

Micah's Fundraiser For Grads Hits Halfway Point

By Marion Ali

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fundraising initiative, which is the brainchild of City Councilor Micah Goodin, is just at its halfway point, but it can use your support in order that it reaches its goal to assist some 12 high school graduates to access a sixth form education. The "Grilling for Grads" Scholarship Fund is a series of food ventures that aim to generate revenues that will go directly into the fund to sponsor part scholarships for the students.

The first barbeque which was held earlier this month raised $2,268 and following that venture, three persons have each pledged $1,000, while another has pledged $100 and five more have pledged

Wednesday, 26 June 2019 $25 each, Mr. Goodin to Belize City's neediest informed the Reporter high school graduates today. This brings the who wish to pursue their total raised thus far to sixth form education this $5493 of the $10,000 September. Those beneficiaries will be identitarget.

This Saturday, the sec- fied by the end of July, ond barbeque sale will the Councilor indicated.

He had shared with take place at the Battlefield Park and will be us that the inspiration followed by two turkey for all this came from his personal experience, dinners in July.

The Councilor told having lost his own sixth us that he thinks he and form scholarship seven his team will be able to years ago due to politimeet the balance with cal reasons, he says. If it these other food sales weren't for a few people and that he has received who cared and helped encouraging news from him to continue with his Mayor Bernard Wagner. education, he would not The Mayor has gener- now be in this position ously offered to match to help those in the same the $10,000 if it is raised, situation.

At Saturday's food which would then mean that the scholarship fund sale at the Battlefield will more than likely Park, there will be barinvolve the disburse- beque chicken, pork ribs ment of some $20,000 and Italian sausages.

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Leila and Lee Mark Face Off Thursday, June 27th, 2019

Leila Peyrefitte

T

Lee Mark Chang

he United Democratic Party (UDP) convention to elect a standard bearer for the Caribbean Shores constituency will be held on Sunday, with the campaigning reaching a climax in the run up to the highly anticipated contest, which pits candidates Lee Mark Chang and the party leadershipfavored Leila Peyrefitte against each other.

Chang told the Reporter that he has spent the last few months touching base with the residents in Caribbean Shores, hearing their concerns and connecting with the community.

Chang recently made a request to the City Council to install home-made play-sets in parks in the area but the request was denied due to health and safety concerns with using recycled tires. Chang, instead, donated the play-set to Trinity Methodist School to a more-than-warm reception from the students there.

Peyrefitte told the Reporter that the reception from residents has been welcoming over the past few weeks as she has walked the area campaigning from house to house.

She says she has also heard the concerns of those in the area and has determined that focus needs to be placed on improving things like infrastructure, lighting and programs in the community with an emphasis on safety, health and education.

Chang and Peyrefitte both expressed confidence that they would ultimately secure the Caribbean Shores seat for the UDP. Chang had previously told the Reporter that were he not sure of his victory, he would not have stepped down from his position as President of the Senate. Peyrefitte also told us she was certain she would be victorious in the upcoming convention and said that the Prime Minister’s support was an added bonus she hopes can tip the odds in her favor. She added, though, that she believes her work in the constituency has been solid enough to secure her a victory even without any notable endorsements. Both candidates also shared their belief that despite whoever emerges as the UDP’s standard bearer for the seat, the UDP would secure the Caribbean Shores seat in the upcoming 2020 general elections.

Santino Castillo had initially announced he would be seeking to contest the Caribbean Shores convention but later withdrew his candidacy following a discussion with the Prime Minister, who indicated his support for Peyrefitte.

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Tourism Hurting After Tourist’s Murder Cont’d from pg. 1

Mario Graniel, reports in the North American media have suggested that San Pedro and its waterways are unsafe for tourists and those reports have resulted in a number of cancellations of bookings from as far back as last year!

An official in the industry who preferred to remain anonymous told the Reporter on Thursday that it is NOT accurate to suggest that it is unsafe to be on the seas near San Pedro. The seas are what tourists like because they come here to engage in the same type of activities as Dr. Swank was engaged in when he was killed. And the reports have now brought about a negative impact on the tourism industry.

In a televised interview two days after the murders, Executive Director of the Belize Tourism Industry Association, John Burgos said that people who were planning from way

back in November, December, January to visit Belize have cancelled their trips and that up to that point, at least seven hotels in Belize have been affected by this.

These concerns are shared by many more in the industry. An anonymous official in the industry told the Reporter on Thursday: "Unfortunately, the news media has been presenting the current circumstances in a manner that can harm the tourism industry and the many people whose livelihoods depend on [tourism]. ...We don't have tourists dying weekly nor constantly targeted in Belize. The number of murders cannot be sensationalized."

Realizing how much the industry relies on people's security and safety, the Commissioner of Police, Chester Williams held a meeting with representatives from the San Pedro tourism sector and came up with a list of measures to restore a sense of safety.

These include: provid-

ing 12 more Police Constables for San Pedro along with two motorcycles and a golf cart for increased patrols; installing surveillance cameras with assistance from the Belize Tourism Board (BTB); patrols on the sea and lagoon with boats provided by the Coast Guard; the proposal for new legislation that protects the identity of witnesses (pending a discussion between Commissioner Williams and Prime Minister Dean Barrow); new strategies that will deal with gangs (which could not be disclosed for safety reasons); the establishment of a Coast guard outpost north of the island that will be manned 24/7; and the establishment of a manifest system that will be set up by the Tourism Ministry that accounts for the passengers arriving and departing the island.

These measures are expected to take effect within the next two months.

Page 37

Tourist Beaten Unconscious and Robbed

By Michelle Sutherland

B

elize has come under major scrutiny in the international press this week following the murder of a wellknown American doctor in San Pedro.

It was only a couple of days after that reports coming out of Corozal revealed that another tourist had fallen victim to criminal elements.

Just after 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 24th two minors who were walking along the sea in Sarteneja Village came across bleeding French student Gabriel Jacquet, 25, inside a hammock.

The minors reportedly went to seek assistance from a Police Officer and a nurse in the village but neither of them could be located.

They eventually managed to get assistance from a group of persons who were working at the com-

Wednesday, June 26, 2019

munity center. According to reports while the group of concerned residents were transporting Jacquet in a private vehicle he was slipping in and out of consciousness and so residents requested that an ambulance meet them on the road to Corozal. Luckily the ambulance responded quickly and eventually met the vehicle near the ferry and medical responders took Jacquet into their care.

Jacquet was then transported to the hospital in Corozal where he was stabilized and then transferred to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where he was admitted in a stable condition for injuries to his head.

The student, who is a resident of Mexico City, reported to Police that around midday on Monday he tied his hammock near the beach and attempted

Injured Tourist to take a nap. However, sometime during that time period, Jacquet said that he was attacked by someone who beat him up and escaped with all of his personal belongings.

Pictures of Jacquet’s injuries showed him bleeding from his head and ear.

Corozal Police say that they are investigating the incident.

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Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER

THE REPORTER

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

Page 39

Page 40

Sunday, June 30th, 2019

THE REPORTER