Earlier this week, we heard from Prime Minister John Briceño on the proposed amendment to the Fiscal Incentives Act. It seeks to replace the definitive agreements that were previously entered into by the Government of Belize and developers of mega projects, such as the Port of Magical Belize. The act was introduced in the house at the last sitting, which the opposition boycotted. So, on Tuesday we asked the opposition leader for his thoughts on this proposed legislation.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The U.D.P. government has always been a probusiness government. As a center right party, business is extremely important to us. Investment is important, whether domestic or international. So we have no quarrel in putting in place a framework for those types of massive investments. But we do have a quarrel with the Portico Definitive Agreement that we believe was corrupt from its inception as far as how it was done in the dark of the night without the proper approval from cabinet. And the prime minister himself said it was a binding agreement when we know that Ben Juratowitch disagreed with that, and they really went all out for this agreement that was just giving everything to the foreign investor at the detriment of the Belizean people and against the laws of Belize. We have no difficulty in putting forward a framework where everybody can come and do business at that level, half a billion dollars. We don’t want to turn away investors, but we want things to be done the right way and maximum benefit to the Belizean people.”
On Tuesday, the Leader of the Opposition weighed in on the recent spike in the cost of local vegetables. Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai blames this year’s intense heat waves and heavy rainfalls. He says these climate factors have created a vegetable shortage that has led to an increase in prices on the market. But the Leader of the Opposition contends that this is just another characteristic of the Briceño administration.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“The price of rice, beans, onion, habanero, every Sunday we donate food to the vulnerable in Mesopotamia and the lady that cooks for me took care of me as a child. I still go to the home I was born in every Sunday I was I’m in the district to eat my Sunday dinner, then I go and deliver Sunday dinner. I don’t take no pictures I have graduated from that juvenile level of showing people what I am doing, but it is being done. I am a gentleman that loves my pepper but no pepper nuh deh and I can’t enjoy my one, two, three, rice and beans, chicken and salad without pepper. She says the price of habanero has risen exponentially, more than fifty percent, the price of chicken, beef, pork and other meats by thirty percent and even for salad, potato is three dollars and fifty cents, Mayo that use to be three dollars and ninety cents is ten dollars. This is the Briceño administration, things have never been worse.”
A gun licenses audit is being carried out to investigate past authority and the procedures involved in the processing of firearm license. There were reports that the audit was not making much headway because of friction between the department and the C.E.O. in the Ministry of Home Affairs. Today, ComPol Williams told reporters that he has no issue with the audit and that he has instructed his officers to cooperate in the probe.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Yes I have no issue with that. That is the reason why I said to you when I asked you the question the last time about me this and that, I have nothing to hide. The audit is something that is welcomed and it is going to be conducted. I have sent out directives with my officers to make sure they cooperate fully with the auditors. So, that is going to be done and we will see how it goes from there. Historically we have had instances where commissioners have received applications and from the office of the commissioner it is sent out for vetting to special branch and when the vetting is done it goes back to the commissioner’s office. That is done historically. That would have been the practice, but to facilitate processes, historically the commissioner’s office as received these applications and once it received there it is sent out for vetting then it comes back to the commissioner’s office and the matter is actioned from there.”
Dengue fever is a viral infection transmitted by mosquitoes. It is common in tropical and subtropical regions. Most people infected with dengue won’t show symptoms, but if they do, they might experience high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and a rash. Fortunately, most recover within one to two weeks. Dengue fever is on the rise and, as we reported earlier this week, Orange Walk, Cayo and Toledo districts recorded over three hundred cases since the beginning of the season. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Recognized by white markings on its legs, the Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that can spread a number of viruses and other disease agents. These illnesses include dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever. The vector comes from Africa, but is now present in various tropical, subtropical and temperate regions across the world.
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo, Internist
“That is the variety of the mosquito that, and the females, for the eggs, they need the blood and then they deposit the eggs and then in these good climate conditions, especially flooding.”
It’s dengue season and the swarms of mosquitoes that come alive at sunset are voracious. Males thrive on fruit, while their female counterparts are bloodsuckers. They need it to mature their eggs. These small biting flies are attracted to chemical substances produced by mammals, including ammonia and carbon dioxide. Hosts include horses and humans.
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo
“The mosquitoes have developed abilities to become more resistant as with everything else. The mosquitoes create especially the virus because dengue is a virus disease with the mosquitoes ability to survive in urban and suburban regions and the perfect conditions. What are the perfect conditions? Right now, it’s rainy season, it’s hurricane season. We have flooding and we have water contained in different areas that are essentially the perfect space for the mosquito, for their eggs to hatch and we have more.”
Dengue fever is frequently asymptomatic; if symptoms appear they typically begin three to fourteen days after infection. There is no specific treatment for dengue fever. In mild cases, treatment is focused on treating pain symptoms. Severe cases of dengue require hospitalization.
Kim Bautista
Kim Bautista, Chief of Vector Control Operations
“As a country, we have reported eight hundred and sixty-five dengue cases, three hundred and eighty-three lab-confirmed cases, and four hundred and eighty-two clinical confirmed cases. Seventy-five percent of those cases come from the Orange Walk, Cayo and Toledo districts. The Toledo District, majority of their cases are from Punta Gorda Town and, of course, Bella Vista.”
Back in March, the Pan American Health Organization warned of an increase in dengue cases in the Americas. At the time, over three point five million cases and more than one thousand deaths had been reported in the region.
Kim Bautista
“In 2019, a record was set for the highest incidents of dengue in the region. At that time, the region saw three point one-eight million dengue cases. That record was broken in 2023 where the region saw four point five million cases. We’re at week twenty-seven, but the most recent report from PAHO shows that at week twenty-four of this year, there has been a reported ten point one million cases. So you could see where, in the past five years, the region has seen three records set for the highest incidents of dengue ever.”
Several environmental and social factors contribute to the spread of dengue, including rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and the El Nino phenomenon. Rapid population growth and unplanned urbanization also play a crucial role, including poor housing conditions and inadequate water and sanitation services create mosquito breeding sites through discarded objects that can collect water.
Dr. Jorge Hidalgo
“Most of the time, the classic signs of dengue is the patients, after they are bitten by the mosquito, we have an incubation period that can vary between three to fourteen days and an average of seven days. In that moment then the patient starts to develop initially fever and this fever can last up to five days. This fever with associated symptoms, most commonly the patients are going to complain about having pain behind the eyes, muscle ache or, in some other areas, we call it breaking bone fever because it’s a lot of pain in the muscles and also it’s like arthritis type of pain.”
PAHO Director Jarbas Barbosa calls for action, advising strongly for heightened efforts to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and protect against mosquito bites. There is also a need for increased readiness in health services for early diagnosis and timely clinical management, and continuous work to educate the population about dengue symptoms and when to seek prompt medication. Isani Cayetano for News Five.
Belize’s Senior Women’s National Football Team is set to face off against Bermuda on Thursday night inside the F.F.B. Stadium. The friendly match kicks off at seven p.m. The team has been in camp for the past three weeks preparing for the match. They are inviting fans out to the game to watch them perform and possibly win. Today, we spoke with the coach and a couple of players.
Wayne Casimiro
Wayne Casimiro, Head Coach, National Senior Women’s Football Team
“We have been doing the best we can given the time frame we have to work with and getting our style of play in proper order. I think the team looks fairly ok. WE are basically there and prepared to play a good match between Bermuda given we have not been together for a while. Bu for the time we spent in camp, two weeks prior and now in this position, I think we are really getting back to where we were from the last time.”
Shamika Lambey
Shamika Lambey, National Team Athlete
“Us being in camp, it helps us build our momentum and chemistry, because most of us are from different clubs so we don’t have that much chemistry with each other. We have been playing with each other in the last national team on the road to Gold Cup. So us being in camp helps us to develop more and gets us to see where we fall short, whether it is attacking or defending. So the more we come together in camp the more we develop.”
Roshanny Narvaez
Roshanny Narvaez, National Team Athlete
“We have been practicing three weeks so our mentality is very positive. In my case it is very positive. I know we can do great out there and with the fans showing up that can motivate us even better to showcase our talent and just play our game and have fun.”
The Belize Red Cross is appealing to the Belizean public for donations to support ongoing recovery efforts in Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Barbados, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and the Cayman Islands following Hurricane Beryl. While Belize was spared, these Caribbean nations urgently need assistance.
Hurricane Beryl, the earliest Category 5 storm on record in the Atlantic Ocean, began impacting the region on July 1, 2024, devastating Barbados and subsequently causing severe damage in Grenada, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, St. Lucia, and Jamaica. Homes, infrastructure, and essential services have been severely affected, with significant loss of life reported and thousands displaced.
Financial donations to aid these recovery efforts can be made to The Belize Red Cross Society’s Disaster Account #1082665 at Heritage Bank Limited. The appeal for assistance will remain open from July to November 2024, and international donations can be sent via wire transfer.
According to the Belize Raptor Center, last week, a baby toucan was found stuck in the mud in the village of Succotz. The discovery was made near a tree that had been recently stripped of its branches. The baby toucan was trapped beneath the thick mud. According to the Belize Raptor Center, without branches to fledge from, the young bird was at a disadvantage.
Rescuers cleaned the toucan and attempted to place it in a nearby tree where its parents were. However, as they were about to leave, the toucan tried to fly and ended up in the river. An intern quickly dove in to rescue the bird. The toucan was then taken to the Belize Wildlife & Referral Clinic for treatment after aspirating water during the incident.
Belize Raptor Center says the tree has been a nesting site for toucans for as long as the community can remember, but without branches, the young birds now lack a crucial step in their flight practice. The following day, a second baby toucan was found on the ground in the mud. Both young toucans are now at BBR, where they will be rehabilitated before being released back to their family group in Succotz.
The Office of the Prime Minister, through BELTRAIDE, hosted a Buy Belizean Information and Exchange session today at the Phoenix Business Center in Belmopan. The session brought together key stakeholders from both the public and private to discuss and design the initiatives aimed at boosting local Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The “Buy Belizean” initiative is part of the Government of Belize’s broader effort to encourage consumers to choose locally produced goods, thereby supporting Belizean businesses and contributing to national economic development. The interactive discussions provided valuable insights and facilitated a constructive exchange of ideas on how to further support and expand the Buy Belizean initiative.
Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Investment Policy and Compliance Unit(IPCU), Belize Bureau of Standards (BBS), Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Directorate General for Foreign Trade (DGFT), Ministry of Rural Development, Economic Development Council (EDC), Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth, BELTRAIDE, Ministry of Blue Economy, and the Government of Belize’s Press Office.
BELTRAIDE’s Executive Director, Dr. Leroy Almendarez, highlighted the importance of fostering local economic growth, enhancing product quality, and creating sustainable business opportunities within Belize. He also remarked that “today’s session was a significant step towards strengthening our local economy and empowering our MSMEs and we look forward to continued collaboration and progress in this endeavor.”
Police have made inroads in the murder and attempted murder incident that happened in Cotton Tree on Saturday. The murder suspect is still at large, but today they informed the media that they have arrested and charged twenty-two-year-old Jamal James Hyde, a construction worker from Cayo with two counts of abetment to murder. The charges are in connection with the murder of thirty-nine-year-old Clint Castillo and the attempted murder of Andrew Muns. It’s an interesting scenario because the shootings happened in an area that the state of emergency covers, and because the man charged comes from the Roaring Creek area, known to have clashes with individuals from Cotton Tree in the past. On Monday, Muns’ sister, Anna Middleton, told News Five that the family is having a hard time coping with the loss, having suffered the loss of another brother only four months ago.
Anna Middleton
Anna Middleton, Sister of Clint Castillo
“It’s hurting us, the family because we are trying to recover. I know we have this to recover also. I’ve seen a lot of family go through this, but I would never. Believe in me. I’m not on my door. We don’t have our mom. We don’t have our power. We just have each other, you know? So I don’t know what’s that reason behind the killing because Clint wasn’t a criminal.”
The existing state of emergency proves that no one suspected of being involved in gang activity is above being collared, even at the courts. That’s what happened today when Police Street resident Cameron Williams was granted bail after being charged for being the member of a gang. The twenty-one-year-old, immediately following his court appearance earlier today, was snatched up by officers who detained him and placed him on remand at the Belize Central Prison under the S.O.E. Williams was before the lower courts on a single charge and upon being granted bail of five thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount, he was informed by the prosecutor that he is a person of interest under the state of emergency. Before he could process his bail, Williams, who has been in custody at the Belize Central Prison since May eighth, will spend an additional ninety days in jail.
