A four-day training on oil spill response began today at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel in Belize City. The workshop is for all key responders to an oil spill in Belize, including government and non-government agencies. One of the major players in the training and in the event there is an oil spill is the Department of the Environment. Chief Environmental Officer at the Department of the Environment, Anthony Mai told News Five that Belize has adequate resources to deal with an oil spill, but there is still added equipment that can be acquired.
Anthony Mai
Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, Dept. Of Environment
“Belize has a National Oil Spill Contingency Plan that we updated in 2018. The plan has been endorsed by the Cabinet, so we have a responsibility to ensure that all agencies that are to respond are equipped and are able to respond effectively in the unfortunate event that we would have an oil spill.
Marion Ali
Do we have the resources? Do we have the equipment to deal with something of that magnitude if it – and I’m sure that it has happened in the past, but we have bigger and bigger container trucks now and –
Anthony Mai
“Sure, so in just before 2018 Belize undertook an exercise using a tool that is called a Retus tool. This tool basically informs a country of their position in terms of being able to respond to an oil spill. When we ran the tool informed us of some of the things that we needed to do to improve. And so the first thing that the tool said is from a foundational, or a basic level, we need to upgrade our National Oil Spill Contingency Plan, and so we did that. It also identified that we need to do a risk analysis, and so we have a risk analysis that we did. The risk analysis look at all the potential sources of oil spill in Belize and it classified the risk in terms of priorities, but it also identified areas along the Belize coast and inland that are significant and priority areas that need to be protected in the event of an oil spill. And so we have all the, I think, technical information that we need. The assessment also looked at all the resources, all the booms, the skimmers, all the equipment that we would have, including personnel, trained personnel. And we recognize then that we do have some equipment, right? But we need more.”
The Belize Port Authority is another key player and an important responder to oil spills, particularly when those spills occur in or near our waterways because oil spills are pollution. And because an oil spill is a real possibility on any ship in Belizean waters, certain measures must be followed. Today, the Ports Commissioner, Darlin Gaitan told News Five that if this ever happens, the incident must be reported to the Port Authority. To help guide us about the latest forms of technology and best approaches are some experts, as the Ports Commissioner shared.
Darlin Gaitan, Ports Commissioner
“If an incident happened on any ship in Belize’s waters, they have to report to the Belize Port Authority. And that will launch an investigation from our side in terms of the incident itself. The workshop that we are currently hosting for four days is going to deal with the operational side of the response to an oil spill incident. So we’re an important player. We also have vessels, equipment that could be deployed in the event that there needs to be more human resources on the ground to combat an oil spill incident.”
Marion Ali
“You’ve also had the input of some consultants, some expert advice. What have they been telling us that maybe we didn’t know before or we weren’t applying before?”
Darlin Gaitan
“We do have the Racrempeitc, who are from the IMO and we have IMO consultants on board who are going to bring us up to speed as to new technologies that may have emerged since our National Oil Spill Contingency Plan was adopted in 2018. So a lot of technologies would have changed by now. So we need to know, and so we can be better prepared to provide that assistance.”
Some weeks ago, News Five brought you the story of the illegal jetty that an investor in Corozal had begun to construct in the Corozal Bay. The jetty, still not completed, was at least three hundred feet into the sea and work was still underway. The residents of the area had raised concerns because the structure was in an area that is part of the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and they suspected that the investor had not gotten the necessary permits to build the jetty. News Five checked with the Department of the Environment, which confirmed that there was no permit given to have the structure built and today, Chief Environmental Officer, Anthony Mai told us that the property owner has six weeks from the time the jetty was deemed illegal to remove it.
Anthony Mai
Anthony Mai, Chief Environmental Officer, Dept. of Environment
“Before the jetty was constructed, or is constructed, he would have had to do an EIA, right, because that is what the law says.”
Marion Ali
“Did he do that?”
Anthony Mai
“The law says that any project within a protected area requires an EIA. So we informed him, he didn’t do the EIA and he went ahead and he constructed a portion of the jetty. When we were informed, we went and we issued a stop order and he was charged for that, particularly because it’s an offense to start a project without environmental clearance. When we were about to settle the matter, we were informed that he continued to construct and we met with him, and because of all the history in terms of the violation, we agreed with him that the jetty would be removed altogether. And so this came from him, from the owner: the owner agreed that because of all that has occurred, he agrees to remove the structure and we said that was the best option for us, the Department of Environment as well. And so we have written to him and we have given him a time period within which he needs to remove the jetty.”
Today, the Government of Belize signed off on the biggest grant the Statistical Institute of Belize has ever received. The three point four million dollar grant was established through the United Nations Development Programme and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, which are seeking to strengthen Belize’s national infrastructure and institutional capacity for data and statistical management. The “Enabling of Belize’s Statistical System” project, which is part of a larger Record of Discussion Arrangement with the Government of Belize, will be implemented from 2024 to 2027 and is a joint initiative involving six government ministries and five United Nations agencies. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more information.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
The Enabling of Belize’s Statistical System project is a newly established endeavour between the Statistical Institute of Belize, the United Nations Development Programme, and the Korea International Cooperation Agency meant to improve the capacity of Belize’s system to provide relevant, accurate, and timely data to support evidence-based solutions. According to the World Bank, Belize’s statistical capacity score is ranked at fifty-eight point nine. Improving the score is a necessary endeavour in developing countries such as Belize because a lack of data can be a significant obstacle that impedes the ability of the government and partners to develop informed policies and responsive plans. Prime Minister John Briceño spoke about the severity of this issue.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“S.I.B. produces very important and critical information for us policymakers because it allows us to make informed decisions as opposed to emotional decisions. It provides us an insight that just the numbers can talk to, can explain Into the various aspect of our country’s economy, the society, the environment. And it enables us as a government to be able to develop effective policies and to allocate our resources effectively. SIB will strengthen as just as and, as I explained, it’s capacity to collect the data and strengthen their national statistical reporting. Which in turn will help us to be able to track our progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals as set out by the United Nations.”
According to the Prime Minister, the government will be able to better track and respond to information regarding poverty within the country.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“One of the more important goals that we’ve had was the issue of poverty in our country. As I’ve always said from when I was the Minister of Environment between 1998 and 2007 that the biggest challenge in the environment is poverty. If we can’t address the issue of poverty, then our environment is going to pay the price. Because people can’t wait a month or a week to eat. They need to eat every day. And they’ll do what it takes. If they have to go and do illegal fishing and cut the lagoon, cut down the trees, they’ll do it.”
Ian King, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Belize, stressed the importance of data, saying that it is seen as a development enabler that can empower governments and communities to enhance their national statistical system to be adaptive and resilient.
Ian King
Ian King, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Belize
“Collectively, we are all aiming to improve and upgrade Belize’s statistical infrastructure, strengthen the data governance architecture, and strengthen both the SIB. And expand SIBs and the national statistical systems capabilities to respond to increasing demand for data and statistics. Though not expressly defined here, I do believe that one of our expectations is strengthened interoperability between the various nodes of government that generate and manage data to ensure that there is a more comprehensive, I say more comprehensive, not that there’s not, but that there’s a more comprehensive approach to that and decision making based on evidence..”
The project aims to improve and upgrade Belize’s statistical infrastructure, strengthen the data governance architecture, strengthen both SIB and its data nodes, and expand SIB’s and the National Statistical System’s capabilities to respond to increasing demand for data and statistics. Sohui Cho, Country Director of KOICA , in El Salvador, expressed her excitement for the initiative.
Sohui Cho
Sohui Cho, Country Director, KOICA El Salvador.
“I am delighted to be here today to set the cornerstone of our first bilateral project, the enabling of Belize statistical system. This is the result of joint and continued efforts from the Belizean government, the United Nations, and the Korean government through KOICA to strive for the sustainable development of Belize. As was planned since the beginning, one of the biggest challenges of this project is that it involves a wide variety of stakeholders. The potential that can be unlocked by working for a shared goal is unlimited. At the very same time, we acknowledge the great importance of the coordination efforts that this journey will require, and that is why we are delighted to express our utmost trust to UNDP, Belize, and SIB to lead this project to successful completion”
Haitian President, Ariel Henry, has resigned amid mounting chaos in the nation. Over the last few weeks, gangs have been attacking government structures, leaving the country on the brink of collapse. President Henry took over as acting-president in 2021, following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. Last week, gang leader Jimmy Cheriezer, also known as “Barbecue”, launched a coordinated attack against President Henry, threatening civil war and genocide if he did not step down. The violence erupted while Henry was in Kenya signing an agreement to deploy one thousand police officers to Haiti to restore citizen security. He was forced to land in Puerto Rico following that trip. And, over the weekend, CARICOM members held an emergency high-level meeting in Jamaica, with North American and European leaders to discuss immediate mitigation measures for Haiti. Coming out of that meeting, Doctor Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the President of Guyana and Chair of CARICOM, announced Henry’s resignation and the establishment of a Transitional Presidential Council in Haiti.
Mohamed Irfaan Ali
Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of Guyana
“We are pleased to announce the commitment to a transitional government arrangement which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance and action plan for near term security and the road to free and fair elections. It further seeks to assure that Haiti will be governed by the rule of law. This commitment reflects hard compromises among a diverse coalition of actors who have put their country above all differences. To that end, we acknowledge the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henry upon the establishment of Transitional Presidential Council and the naming of an interim-prime minister. I want to pause and thank Prime Minister Henry for his service to Haiti, his service to the Haitian people and for his personal commitment for the furtherance of the development of Haiti and the advancement of the development of Haiti and I asked us to give him an applause.”
Prime Minister John Briceño was also asked for his views on the security crisis in Haiti and Henry’s resignation, during his appearance on Open Your Eyes. PM Briceño says that since 2021, CARICOM leaders predicted that the situation would reach a tipping point. He added that the region and Haiti, specifically, is in need of intervention from leaders in North America and the European Union.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“It is inevitable where it is getting to. WE have been saying this from the crisis started back in 2021. I remember visited the Secretary General of the United Nations, Guitterez and I said Haiti what are we going to do. We said, what can we do, we have to start with the people in Haiti. Unfortunately the people in Haiti don’t have a say because we have these people that are as powerful as the government or even more powerful than the government and this is just years and years of neglect and corruption and greed of the political elite in Haiti to get to where we are, the point where Prime Minister Henry can’t even go back to Haiti and will have to live in exile. But the powers that be, U.S. and Canada and the EU etc, they have to help us. In CARICOM we have been crying out to say we need help in Haiti. The problem or concern is that many people is saying we are going and do what, go against the gang members, a shootout. WE from the beginning said we have a humanitarian responsibility to Haiti. They are our brothers and sisters and that we are prepared to send a small contingent from the BDF once the proper conditions are met.”
Drought-breakers and history-makers, those are the titles being given to the women who were able to break the trend of years of non-placement at the seventy-fourth Miss World Pageant. Among those women was Belizean representative Elisa-Gayonne Vernon, who placed among the top forty of the one hundred and twelve women competing. This placement makes history as it is the first time Belize has placed since joining the competition in 1987. The contest was held in Mumbai, India on Saturday, March ninth, where Vernon competed in a series of events such as fitness, beauty, talent and public speaking. In a statement from Vernon, she reflected on her final answer issued during the pageant, reading, (quote), I am a farmer. A phrase I included in my final answer during the last segment of the Miss World Belize 2022 pageant. I said this, because I am proud of who I am and my heritage. I want to be a representation of every Belizean face and every child with a dream. I want to inspire others to be proud of their roots and know that that they are capable of anything they put their mind to. We are all royalty, because I share this crown with every Belizean, (end quote). Vernon returned to Belize this afternoon where she was met by family and supporters congratulating her on her achievement.
The 2024 Belikin La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge has come to an end and the reigning champs Slim and Trim Like Guava Limb have once again come out on top. The three-man team, competing in the male category, dominated the competition, securing the fastest time on all four days. The race began last Friday at the foot of the Hawkesworth Bridge in San Ignacio, Cayo and ended after a four-day journey at the Belcan Bridge in Belize City on Monday. News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the event to capture the moment the winners crossed the finish line. Here’s the story.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Day four of the 2024 Belikin La Ruta Maya Belize River Challenge concluded with no less excitement than its previous days. Thousands of Belizeans across the country lined the banks of the winding tributary. They were there to see if team Slim and Trim Like Guava Limb, would once again be victorious, or if they would be overtaken by team Lucas Oil Male. Before the final race, we checked in with team Guava Limb for an update.
Andres Cabb
Andres Cabb, Paddler, Team Slim & Trim Like Guava Limb
“We feel happy and pressured at the same time because we know we have time on the other guys and they will want to go hard to drop us and put the time back. It’s excitement. Yeah. With the help of God, we’re gonna win.”
Also leading in their category was team Lucas Oil Mixed, which was in sixth place overall at the start of day four.
Milenie Cabb
Milenie Cabb, Paddler, Team Lucas Oil Mixed
“I feel good and I thank God that he’s helping us giving us strength and the and help so to keep it up,”
Britney Gordon
“Are you guys prepared for today?”
Milenie Cabb
“Well, yeah, we are getting prepared yet.“
Britney Gordon
“So, confident going into this?”
Milenie Cabb
“Yeah, first God if we don’t flip I know that we can do it out 0:47 again.”
Unfortunately for team Lucas Oil Mixed, their canoe would be the first to overturn at the start of the race near Paradise River Landing in Burrell Boom. The team then spent the entirety of the race making up for the time lost and still managed to finish first in its category overall.
Clayton Cabb
Clayton Cabb, Paddler, Team Lucas Oil Male
“I feel a little bit disappointed because we flip at the beginning, like how I said this morning, if we will first God do good and come first place, if it we does not flip, but we did flip at the start. So we lost time there, and then we stay way behind, but thank God we made it second place here on the fourth day, but overall we have the first place in a mixed category.”
Another woman overcoming adversity in this race was Lily Cruz of the Belize Port Authority team, who was paddling in the Women’s Category. Cruz had suffered an injury to her finger the previous day and was taken to the hospital but was back on the water for the final day. She told us that she was paddling for all women and girls watching her and her team.
Lily Cruz
Lily Cruz, Paddler, Team Belize Port Authority
“We are representing the women empowering each one of us, telling, we are strong, believing we are strong, and knowing our value and the gender equality. I guess we should be the same as in the male because in each race, they see the woman as a little less than the male and there is a little less prize for us than what there is for the male. So I guess we are rowing to say that we need equality and believe there is equality.”
Although the shortest, the final leg of the race had much room for exhilaration as the gap between Team Guava Limb and team Lucas Oil Male became smaller, the closer the two came to the finish line. Tensions rose as the finish line approached and Lucas Oil managed to overtake Guava Limb for a few minutes. The Belcan Bridge was filled with onlookers, craning their necks over the edge to see which team would be the one to finish first as the race was neck and neck. Ultimately, the answer became known and Team Guava Limb was, once again, the champions. This time, with a four-day winning streak.
Javier Guardado
Javier Guardado, Paddler, Team Slim & Trim Like Guava Limb
“First of all, I would like to give thanks to God for giving us the strength and courage and to sponsor Guava Limb and well, I feel proud of myself and of my teammates too. We worked hard and we did it.”
Britney Gordon
“I know at the end there, it almost seemed like you guys were going to be passed at the finish line and you guys fought really hard to get that first place. What was that experience like?”
Javier Guardado
“Well, you know, we give it our all, the bridge was there. We give it our all and we did.”
Britney Gordon
“So you guys satisfied with your overall performance these past four days?”
Javier Guardado
“Yes. We are, we are pretty satisfied. We won the four days.”
Britney Gordon
”And being that you guys came from being in second place in 2022, first place last year and first place again, how are you guys going into the next year for next year’s La Ruta Maya?”
Javier Guardado
“Well, we’ll see what’s happened. You never know what will happen, but hopefully we could get the first place for next year too.”
With a race so close, the team in second place had given it their all, but ultimately, were not able to overcome the setbacks they had encountered on day two, said Clayton Cabb of team Lucas Oil Male.
Clayton Cabb
“I think what really happened was we had a mess up the second day, which will last like the four and a half minutes. That, that I think got us a little bit mentally, right? We tried to work yesterday to cover some of it, but yeah, there’s too many strong teams. They’re like five, six top teams and in high water you can barely do anything because they’ll just tag along and then it’s heavy so you cannot pull out from all those big teams. It’s hard. It’s hard. Nonetheless, we tried. We couldn’t do it, but overall, I’m proud of what we have done and what we have accomplished.”
And although disappointed at the loss, team Lucas Oil Male was very proud of the team’s performance for both male and mixed categories.
Clayton Cabb
“I’m really proud of my mixed team. I am I’m the manager and owner of Ultimate Electrical Solutions. So I’m co sponsored with Westrack. My wife too, that’s our electrical company. So I’m really proud of all our partners. They flip, the mixed team flipped every day. Nonetheless, they’re still, overall, I think they were sixth today, this morning. They might have lost that sixth place, but for you to see that they can flip, come way from behind, still catch up the other mixed team, still catch up. Well, they used to catch up also every day, almost. That speaks with the quality of training that Westrack allows us to have. Without that training, without that support from Westrack, I don’t think that is out possible.”
Police Commissioner Chester Williams has confirmed that two people were murdered earlier this afternoon in a shocking shooting in Belmopan City. The incident happened at the Belmopan Market Day Plaza at around three o’clock.
ComPol Williams confirmed that an adult and a child were fatally shot.
The shooter is in police custody. A picture shows him shackled and sitting on the floor of the police station. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the shooter is Haitian-American. The victims are from the Netherlands. Police are investigating the motive.
Witnesses at the Market Day Plaza following the shooting
A video sent to News Five shows the two children, a girl and a boy, on the ground, bleeding, before they were rushed to the hospital by witnesses.
Reports coming out of Belmopan are that two children were shot earlier this afternoon. The incident happened at the Market Day Plaza. Police remain on the scene.
Witnesses say that a gunman pulled out his firearm and began shooting at a family. Belmopan-based PLUS TV is reporting that the wife attempted to flee, but the gunman pursued her, ultimately shooting her. The gunman then targeted the two children who were with their mother. He chased after them and fired shots at them. It remains uncertain whether the two children survived the attack.
