Gegg said he did not think that Contreras, an agent of the state, needed approval from any other minister of government, certainly not Panton, who was a junior minister, or the former Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, who was an unelected minister, in order to sign the agreement. But Gegg said the agreement would not be signed until Portico had obtained environmental clearance, which his attorney indicated was possible.
David Gegg, Portico Developer
“I consulted with Mr Morales, who advised this was doable and he proceeded to amend the agreement. He sent it to me, and I in turn shared it with Minister Contreras. Several days later, I was told that the signing of the Definitive Agreement would be on October 1, 2020 in Belmopan. I attended that meeting and the document was signed. I don’t question whether Minister Contreras could have signed that agreement. I must say that I was not aware of any protocols or procedures which the government at the time may have had, but I knew that he was the substantive minister appointed by the governor general. He was an agent of the state. In my view, he did not need permission from Mrs Taegar-Panton, a junior minister or Michael Peyrefitte, an unelected minister, especially as those persons were clearly and openly supporting other competing interests.”
The first witness to appear during yesterday’s senate inquiry proceeding was Sunjay Hotchandani, a resident of Belize City who said that he was the director of several companies that deal with real estate business. He opened with a prepared statement. Hotchandani refused to answer many of the questions that were asked, on the advice of his attorney. His reasons for refusing to answer was, “it does not relate to the terms of reference of the inquiry”.
Kevin Herrera
Kevin Herrera, Senator
“Are you familiar with the company Key Star Limited?”
Sunjay Hotchandani, Businessman
“Yes.”
Kevin Herrera
“Fire Star Limited?”
Sanjay Hotchandani
“Yes.”
Kevin Herrera
“Vision Project Limited?”
Kevin Herrera
“Alkaline Limited?”
Sanjay Hotchandani
“Yes.”
Kevin Herrera
“Building Blocks Limited?”
Sanjay Hotchandani
“Yes.”
Kevin Herrera
“Inaudible…”
Sanjay Hotchandani
“Yes.”
Kevin Herrera
“Build Zone Limited?”
Sanjay Hotchandani
“Yes.”
Kevin Herrera
“Are you a director of any of those companies or all of those companies?”
Sanjay Hotchandani
“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer your question because it does not relate to the terms of reference.”
Kevin Herrera
“Are you a shareholder of those companies?”
Sanjay Hotchandani
“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer your question because it does not relate to the terms of reference.”
While Hotchandani initially refused to state his relation to the nine companies, he later revealed that he is the director of the companies and that the companies sold land to Portico Enterprise. Upon checking with his legal advisor, the businessman later admitted to Senator Bevinton Cal that his companies had sold lands to the developers of the Portico project.
Bevinton Cal
Bevinton Cal, Senator
“Mr Sanjay, with all due respect, these are general questions that I’m asking. Are you familiar with Portico Enterprise Limited?”
Sonjay Hotchandani, Realtor
“Yes, I am.”
Senator Bevinton Cal
“Can you elaborate on your familiarity with the company?”
Sonjay Hotchandani
“I’m just familiar with what’s the public knowledge.”
Senator Bevinton Cal
“Can you explain what is that, Sir? The public knowledge.”
Sonjay Hotchandani
“That they’re trying to build a port.”
Senator Bevinton Cal
“Have you had any encounter with any directors of the said company?
Sonjay Hotchandani
“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer your question as it does not relate to the terms of reference.”
Senator Bevinton Cal
“Again, Sir, with all due respect, these are general questions that I’m asking. Mr Sonjay we have a document here. You said earlier that you were familiar with Key Star Limited, Vision Project Limited, Alkaline Limited, Build Zone Limited, what is your familiarity with these companies?”
Sonjay Hotchandani
“On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer your question as itdoes not relate to the terms of reference.”
Senator Bevinton Cal
“Are you familiar with Vision Project Limited?
Sonjay Hotchandani
“Yes.”
Senator Bevinton Cal
“Mr Sonjay, the Clerk just gave you a document which states the names of these companies and this document is saying that you’re the director of these companies. Can you confirm or deny that?”
At the start of the proceedings during Wednesday’s senate inquiry, Committee Chair, Senator Janelle Chanona warned the witnesses that if they are deemed responsible for defamation, libel or slander of any of the committee members, they can and will be dealt with to the full extent of the law. Chanona said that in past proceedings, members of the committee were being character assassinated. She said that this would not be tolerated going forward.
Janelle Chanona, Chairman, Special Senate Select Committee
“I also take this opportunity on behalf of the Committee to highlight to any witnesses, anyone in writing or verbal that would seek to defame, slander or libel any member of this committee. The committee will not be bullied or intimidated into not using its powers to ensure that that does not happen. If it does happen, we will take every action empowered under the law to defend itself against any such accusations.”
Twenty-eight-year-old Yadimir Torres took to construction work ten years ago after dropping out of college because his parents were unable to afford his tuition. His mother then suggested that he enroll at the Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute to learn a trade. His willingness to sign up and complete the electrical course changed the trajectory of his life and the lives of those employed by him. In tonight’s installment of Belize on Reel we take a look at how vocational training transformed this young man’s life. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Twenty-eight-year-old Yadimir Torres owns and manages Torres Electrical and Air Conditioning in Guinea Grass Village. He has been running his own electrical business for the past seven years. At eighteen years old, working construction, Torres took up his mother’s advice to learn a trade at the Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute.
Yadimir Torres
Yadimir Torres, Owner, Torres Electrical and Air Conditioning
“Before I entered Tubal I was going to six form. My mother and father sent me to six form and they couldn’t afford to finish paying tuition. It was kind of difficult for us because it was nine of us.”
Left without a choice, Torres dropped out of sixth form and found a job working construction. It was the only field of work he could find with a high school diploma. His mother called him while he was laboring in the heat of the day and suggested that he sign up with the Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute.
Yadimir Torres
“It was nearly the time for registration, and we went to tubal, me and my mom and we spoke to Mr. Bailey and Ms. Bailey and they gave me that opportunity like they give a lot of students and anyone out there right.”
Lyndon Bailey
Lyndon Bailey, Director, Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute
“He came here, he was about eighteen years old, so we were scared of taking him in. So I said well we will give you a chance, unless you don’t give us any problems.”
Lyndon Bailey, the Director of Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute, says Torres entered the institution with a mind set on learning a trade. He quickly excelled and completed the two-year electrical program in just one year.
Lyndon Bailey
“He is one of our excellent students. One of our role models for Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute.”
Yadimir Torres
“From I was small, my mom told me that I was very destructive with toys and wanted to break it in parts and find out what is inside. That was always me and even growing up I would always want to know, like breaking down the flashlight and see why it wasn’t working. So I said I would take the electrical trade right.”
It was a decision that would change Torres’ life. He interned with an electrical company as part of his program at Tubal. One week into his internship, he received a job offer due to his exceptional performance. But Torres informed the company that he wanted to complete his training before accepting the offer. After graduating from the institute as valedictorian, Yadimir accepted the job offer and worked with that company for two years.
Yadimir Torres
“What they do is they do theory in the morning and practical in the afternoon and while I was there, I can tell you from experience there are students that learn theoretically and some learn it practically. So, that is a big advantage for some of them. They learn it hands on, moving and doing things. Some don’t grasp it theoretically. But there are some students that grasp it theoretically and practically. And the theory part is very important as well because when it comes to taking out your license and doing paperwork, that assists you a lot because you need to do load calculations and so forth for you to send paperwork to the Public Utilities Commission.”
Lyndon Bailey
“People say that vocational education is for the slow ones, but it is not for the slow ones. Vocational education is right up there with academic, because a part of it is academic, because you have to know the different connection and you have to do paperwork.”
And paperwork is what Torres spends a lot of his time doing now. Seven years ago, he acquired his electrician’s license and started his own electrical company. At first, he had a few jobs that were long distances apart.
Yadimir Torres
“That was the most difficult part, starting was the most difficult part. I started walking.”
He later acquired a motorbike to get to his clients. Now, Torres’ company owns two trucks, the necessary equipment and provides employment to three electricians, one of whom was also trained at Tubal. Life has come full circle for Torres, as he now takes on interns from the institute.
Yadimir Torres
“From the beginning, that is what I envisioned. I visioned that I wanted workers, but I didn’t want to be the boss. I wanted to be the leader. I wanted to lead the team, because I had already had a boss and it is not nice. Being a boss is different than being a leader. You come out to the field, seeing what they are doing and doing it as well, because you were in that shoes and you don’t want to stop being in that shoe, because once you love doing it you will want to do it every day.”
Paul Lopez
“If you would go back and have a choice as to whether to do this or not do this, would you still make the same decision to do this?”
Lyndon Bailey
“Oh mien, I would do it ten times more, because Tubal is a school is that when you are young you don’t have your mind fully developed on what you want to do. So when you come here you have time to think to see whether you want to do a trade or go into academic. And many time people come because they love the trade.”
Attorney Orson ‘OJ’ Elrington returned to court on Wednesday for a matter in which he is accused of sexual assault, stemming from an incident that occurred back in January. When the matter was called up at nine a.m., Elrington was absent, despite the fact that his attorneys, Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington and Norman Rodriguez were present. When he arrived half an hour later, Elrington apologized to the court. DPP Cheryl Lynn Vidal appeared on behalf of the crown and informed the court that she was seeking an adjournment for May thirtieth. Following the adjournment, attorney Rodriguez spoke with the court reporter.
Norman Rodriguez
Norman Rodriguez, Attorney-at-law
“Well today was set for the service of disclosure. The prosecution is not ready with that so Madam DPP requested a short adjournment to the thirtieth of May when the disclosure will be served on us and our client. That’s basically what happened today in court. There was no indication but Madam is chief when it comes to prosecution, so she can appear at any time and that is part of the process that we must abide by. …It’s eight weeks or two months, pursuant to the criminal procedures rules.”
Thirty-six-year-old Walton Banner, a police inspector, appeared before the court today in the presence of attorney Ronell Gonzalez, to answer to a charge of obstruction. It is the second time he is appearing before the lower court on a similar offense. On April first, it was alleged that Banner intervened when Corporal Shane Cabral attempted to arrest Julian Reynolds at the Castleton Race Track in Burrell Boom Village. When he subsequently appeared before a Senior Magistrate, Banner pleaded not guilty and was offered bail in the sum of one thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount. Earlier today, he sought an adjournment which the magistrate granted. He is due back in court on June seventh.
On Friday, a family of thirteen in Trio Village was left without a home after a fire destroyed the building completely. That afternoon, around two-thirty p.m., thirty-three-year-old Yuri Choc, her sister, mother, and ten children were at home when a burning fly repellant started a fire somewhere in the house. Yuri Choc, who was inside at the time of the fire, spoke with us today about the incident.
On the Phone: Yuri Choc
On the Phone: Yuri Choc, Fire Victim
“You see when they start to burn the thing I think like Sabana. It just ketch fire and then we see the. We deh inside that da when we see the ashes inside. And then my mom and we run outside and we see the house done ketch fire.”
Britney Gordon
“Did anyone get injured?”
On the Phone: Yuri Choc
“No, ma’am.“
Britney Gordon
“Nobody got hurt? Okay.”
On the Phone: Yuri Choc
“No.”
Britney Gordon
“And what about, you know, all of your belongings? Were you able to save anything?”
On the Phone: Yuri Choc
“No. We never save nothing. And only we kitchen stuff and nothing. We never save nothing. But only paper we try take that important. We documents.”
Britney Gordon
“So how many people were in the house at the time?”
On the Phone: Yuri Choc
“Only ten.”
Britney Gordon
“Ten people, and you all made it out safely.”
On the Phone: Yuri Choc
“And the kids they with my mom because they can’t get in with the fire because they could get burned. Da dih house we need because I cya stay with my kids with no house and I cya stay with no people. It hurt. We noh got house. And I no have nobody to help me. If my pa mi alive maybe he could help we out brt we noh have nobody fi help we because my pa pass away and my husband pass away. What I need da my house,”
Choc and her family can be reached at the number six-six-five-eight-five-five-seven.
For years, adolescent pregnancy has been an issue that Belize has been trying to reduce in vulnerable communities. Despite attempts made to increase use of contraceptive methods, Belize continues to have one of the lowest usages, with a high adolescent birth rate. This year, a new program is being implemented to counteract the issue. The Leave No One Behind, the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy in the Afro Descendant, Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito Peoples of the Caribbean Coast of Central America is being implemented in Belize through the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency. Today, a workshop was held with various organizations to bring attention to the data and discuss theimplementation of this initiative. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Belize’s adolescent pregnancy rate continues to be one of the highest in the Latin American and Caribbean region. Despite the Ministry of Health’s efforts to provide contraception, adolescent usage is the lowest among Belizean women, and they have the highest unmet need for family planning. Around eleven percent of Belize’s adolescent girls, age fifteen to nineteen years, have had a baby. As concern over this issue increases, the need for intervention became more apparent. Thus, a program was launched to proactively reduce the numbers. Head of office for the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency in Belize, Tisa Grant, spoke to us about the integration of the program.
Tisa Grant
Tisa Grant, Liaison Officer, UNFPA in Belize
“This workshop is a part of one aspect of a regional project being implemented in Central America. The project is funded by the Duchy of Luxembourg. It’s called Leave No One Behind, the Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy in the Afro Descendant, Creole, Garifuna, and Miskito Peoples of the Caribbean Coast of Central America. So it’s a very long name, but essentially the project aims to reduce adolescent pregnancy in select countries in Central America. Belize is one of the recipients of funding for this project. And so here in country we are implemented in three districts, Toledo, Stann Creek and Belize districts.”
According to data from the United Nations Population Fund, teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school, live in poor housing conditions, and be unemployed or in low-paid employment. As a result, their children are more likely to live in poverty, become involved in crime, and abuse drugs and alcohol. At the workshop stakeholders were able to gather and discuss the impact of teen pregnancy, analyze data and discuss the roadmap for implementing solutions in country.
Tisa Grant
“We felt that it was important to have a wide cross section of stakeholders. particularly those who work in the response, um, to, um, reducing adolescent pregnancy, but also organizations that work with young people in general. So we’ve invited the ministry of health. We have, um, civil society organizations like BFLA, we have POWA, we have YWCA, we have a long list of civil society organizations and government representatives from the ministry of education, ministry of health, and. If I start listing, I may miss one of them. It was really about having a wide cross section of stakeholders that would be able to learn about this tool that was developed by UNFPA, by our Latin American and Caribbean regional office. The tool is called an Impact Evaluation Goal Model, and what it aims to do is to assess the impact of policies on the reduction of adolescent pregnancy and alternatives that would allow for access to services, but also access to information such as sexuality education and so forth.”
Southern Belize is highly affected by adolescent pregnancy. Vice President of the National Garifuna Council, Ifasina Efunyemi, said that the goal is to increase access to resources, sexual education and guidance for young women. The project emphasizes a proactive approach to preventing these unplanned pregnancies.
Ifasina Efunyemi
Ifasina Efunyemi, Vice President, National Garifuna Council
“If you were able to be a part of some of the data that was shared, we know that a lot Garifuna, young persons in districts specifically are among the highest when it comes to the rates of adolescent pregnancies in the country. And so all the ripple effects of that, all the issues we have in terms of nutrition, uh, maternal health, when you look at dropout rates, you look at other social issues that are related. to children having children or young people having children. We are impacted by those in our communities. And so it’s important for us to know what the data is saying so that that can inform the activities that we do, the kinds of interventions that we can have as an organization, because we know that when it comes to educating our community, we have an important role to play as an organization, as the National Garifuna Council.”
She said that that through the spread of data, organizations will be able to accurately determine how much resources are needed in each community.
Ifasina Efunyemi
“I am very pleased to have been given the opportunity to be in this gathering to get this information and also to learn of the information system that’s going to be implemented because it means that we can input that data and get some feedback on what are the projections if we’re able to provide contraceptive methods to our population so that we don’t have young people having children anymore that they are able to delay that Until they are adults, until they have already established themselves and can actually take care of themselves in a family, then we need to know what all we need to do, how many IUDs or how many implants, whatever it is that they need as a contraceptive method. What do we need to use so that we don’t have fifteen- to nineteen-year-olds having children?”
Gilda Mackenzie, of the Productive Organization of Women in Action, said that sessions like these assist organizations on their mission to ensure the safety and wellbeing of women in the country.
Gilda Mackenzie
Gilda Mackenzie, Representative, Productive Organization of Women in Action
“The purpose that I’m here today, a part of the Impactful Estimation Model is to basically learn more about the project as we are here to advocate for our community. We work along with women and girls advocacy programs. We do community outreach. So it’s really nice to be a part of today’s session. We also talk about pregnancy within the age group as well. We wanted to ensure that we are spreading awareness about the situation. We also want to ensure that we are properly educating our women and girls in our community as well.”
This morning at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, members of Rotary Club Sunrise, Courts Belize, and K.H.M.H. staff were present for the opening of a lactation lounge where mothers and their newborns will be able to breastfeed in comfort. The room was renovated by members of the Rotary and furnished with various appliances by Courts. Baby-friendly hospitals are essential for supporting breastfeeding and promoting the health of newborns and their mothers. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Breastfeeding is not simply a lifestyle decision, it is an investment in health for both the baby and the mother. Breast milk contains the perfect balance of nutrients, is easily digested, and its composition changes to meet the baby’s needs, especially during the first month of life. At the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, a room has been furnished with all the amenities necessary for a mother and her newborn to bond.
Chandra Cansino
Chandra Cansino, C.E.O., Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital
“In a lot of cases, depending on the type of deliveries that the mothers have, they breastfeed their babies in the bed or at their bedside. However, some are not new mothers, some are already lactating mothers, and we have staff that are lactating mothers, so it’s really to provide an environment where anybody that comes to the hospital needs to breastfeed or to extract milk, they have a safe space to do that. And so, this is what the lounge will serve as.”
Baby-friendly hospitals allow for early initiation of breastfeeding and encourage immediate and uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact after birth. Breastfeeding benefits mothers by reducing the risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. As part of its community outreach initiative, Rotary Club of Belize (Sunrise) saw the importance of creating a lactation lounge at the KHMH based on a particular need.
Misty Michael
Misty Michael, President, Rotary Club, Sunrise
“One of our fellow Rotarians, Dr. Selma Bermudez, is actually an epidemiologist here at the hospital. She was aware of the situation with the room at the time and that the hospital was in need of assistance in renovating it. She brought the project to the club, our service projects committee evaluated the potential project. One of the areas of focus for Rotary is maternal and child health, so we saw it fitting that it was a project that our club should partner on.”
Rotary Sunrise, in bringing the project to life, turned to Courts Belize for assistance. Its parent company, Unicomer, took advantage of the opportunity and donated furniture and appliance.
“We have recliners. We want mom to be very comfortable and this is the ideal time, it’s Mother’s Day and I am so happy that this is launched during Mother’s Day. We have recliners. Our new moms just went through a whole lot. They went through nine months and their bodies have gone through a lot. We want them to be comfortable so we have some comfortable seating arrangements with the recliners. We also have a fridge that we donated as well. We want to keep the breast milk cool because they will have more breast milk. And then we have baby gear. We see the need for it, for new moms and the importance of breastfeeding in the formative years of a child’s life and we said, definitely, we’d like to be a part of this.”
Baby-friendly hospitals are essential for supporting breastfeeding and promoting the health of newborns and mothers. The Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative was launched by UNICEF and the World Health Organization. The Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital was officially recognized as a baby friendly hospital in 2008.
Chandra Cansino
“Since then, we have been evaluated externally, every two years to make sure that we are meeting the international standards and one of those is to make sure that we have a lactation area. We did have one before but it was not as nice as this and so we are extremely grateful. This is very comfortable and it will facilitate both patients and staff if they need to either extract milk or breastfeed.”
This initiative is not just about improving breastfeeding rates; it’s about ensuring that all aspects of care for mothers and babies are optimized to promote health and well-being from the start. Isani Cayetano for News Five.
