On Friday, we reported on Guillermo Martinez, whose body was discovered floating in the Dangriga River just a week after his release from Belize Central Prison. The circumstances surrounding Martinez’s death remain unclear, as police have yet to determine the cause of death or identify any suspects. Today, ACP Hilberto Romero shared the full police report with us.
“On Friday the eighth day of November 2024, Dangriga police visited an area in Dangriga where they saw the lifeless body of a male person in the water the body was retrieved and he was identified as Guillermo Martinez of Dangriga. This person had been reported missing days prior and thereafter his body was found. We are awaiting a post-mortem examination to determine his cause of death.”
Reporter
“Were any injuries observed on the body?”
Hilberto Romero
“It is decomposed so we are waiting for the doctor to conduct the post-mortem.”
On Friday, we reported on Selvin Humes, a construction worker who was tragically stabbed to death during a fight with an acquaintance in Independence Village. His loss has deeply affected the community, who knew him as a peaceful man. Police have since identified and charged a suspect with his murder. Here’s ACP Hilberto Romero with the details.
“On Thursday, the seventeenth of November 2024, around nine p.m. Independence police visited an area in Independence Village where they found a male person with stab wound injuries. He was identified as Selvin Humes and he was taken for treatment. Selvin Humes later succumbed to his injuries. Investigation revealed that Selvin Humes had an altercation with Randell Montero in Independence Village who inflicted stab wounds to him. An investigation was carried out and one Randel Montero has since been arrested and charged with a crime of murder.”
Over the weekend, a man and a six-year-old child went through a harrowing ordeal when gunshots rained down on their home in the Corozal District. This scary incident took place on Saturday night on Pine Street. Thankfully, both have been released from the hospital and are now in stable condition. ACP Hilberto Romero will share more details on the incident.
“On Saturday, the ninth of November, there was a shooting at Pine Street. In Corozal, police visited a house where they saw some bullet holes. Investigation revealed that two persons had been taken for treatment at the hospital. The persons were identified as Glenn Suazo, and a six-year-old minor. They received injuries. They were treated and thereafter released from the hospital. Investigation is ongoing into this matter. No persons are detained in reference to this shooting.”
Tonight, a family is heartbroken after a tragic motorcycle accident claimed another life in Belize. The victim, Eric Williams from San Pedro, was found injured on the ground early Sunday morning. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Williams sadly succumbed to his injuries. ACP Hilberto Romero has more details on this heartbreaking incident.
“On Sunday, the tenth 2024, there was a fatal road traffic accident in San Pedro. Police visited an area around one a.m. where they saw a motorcycle with damages. Also, they saw the body of a male person. The person was taken to the hospital for treatment for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries. He was identified as Eric Williams of San Pedro. Investigation revealed that he was riding his motorcycle when he crashed into a lamppost. And thereafter, he was taken and succumbed to his injuries.”
Courtenay introduced the second reading of a bill to allocate additional funds for public services for the 2024-2025 financial year. He emphasized that this bill aligns with the national policy of presenting supplementary appropriation bills to the National Assembly, ensuring the public is informed about extra spending beyond the approved budget before April first. However, Opposition Senator Mike Peyrefitte voiced his concerns, attributing the need for roughly ten percent more funds to poor planning, sloppiness, and misjudgment by the government.
Mike Peyrefitte, U.D.P. Senator
“I see something here in the Supplemental for general elections. Now that one line item, Madam President, I fully support and we fully support. The rest we do not support. Madam President, I urge the government to use this money, use every penny to call the general elections now because you’re budgeting for it. And if it comes in a supplementary that is in a budget cycle that will end in March 2025, it means clearly then that the general elections is going to be before the end of March 2025. So don’t be secret about it, Madam President. Say what you’re going to use the – now to be fair, you’re saying what you’re using it for – general elections: three hundred and forty-three thousand, seven hundred and eighty-seven dollars. So, Madam President, what they should do, the Leader of Government business should announce the date for the elections. Now you come to the National Assembly and you say approve us one hundred and six million dollars. That’s what we’re talking about today, in this nondescript room, this body will decide that the people of Belize need to approve a hundred and six million dollars more on top of the billion-dollar budget that was present earlier this year. With a full four to five months left, you come here, and you ask for about ten percent of what you asked for in 2024. Madam President, that’s unacceptable.
Ministry of Finance was approved ten million plus and now they’re coming back for four million plus – forty percent – that’s how much you have miscalculated how much you needed for 2024-2025 and we’re only in November, Madam President. Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for Cap 11 was two hundred and twenty thousand. Today you’re asking for three point two million dollars. Either you nuh know how fi do a budget if you are the minister for that or this da wa hustle. What do you need that money for that you didn’t need it for just in March?”
Business Senator Kevin Herrera pointed out several line items requesting additional funds, raising concerns about the amounts being asked for. He noted that the supplementary budget represents a significant request for new spending. Herrera expressed hope that the P.U.P. administration will continue to maintain fiscal discipline, as it has done in reducing foreign debt. He also criticized the Ministry of National Defense and Border Security, accusing them of simply ‘copying and pasting’ their requests.
Kevin Herrera, Business Senator
“The Ministry of National Defense and Border Security [it] seems like they’re copying and pasting previous budgets, and the numbers really didn’t make sense. I highlighted this is my budget presentation last year and this year, in terms of the new personnel, in terms of what was required, in terms of the supplies and – it just didn’t make sense. So it doesn’t come to me as a surprise, Madam President, in looking at these figures, the Ministry of National Security and Border Security is asking for three point three million dollars more or fifteen percent of the nineteen million dollars that was budgeted earlier. It’s a significant ask in terms of new spending, Madam President, and I wanted to highlight that. But also, I think we have to look at in terms of what we were trying to achieve in March. What we had in March, Madam President, is we had a margin of less than one percent of expenditures over revenues, so there was a very small financing gap that was required, and I think that spoke to fiscal discipline. We were trying to really balance those number so now that begs the question: when you throw a hundred and six million dollars on top of that, what does that mean in the larger context? Does that mean that we’ve thrown that fiscal discipline aside and we’re saying let’s expand the deficit? Or does that mean that we’ve brought in unforeseen or unexpected additional revenues into the system, and we’ll maintain those ratios?”
Senator Eamon Courtenay acknowledged that it’s not ideal to ask the Senate to support the appointment of an Auditor General for just four months, but it’s the reality they face right now. He reminded everyone that Dorothy Bradley was brought out of retirement, and her contract was extended until it expired in August. Since then, the Auditor General position has been vacant. Courtenay cited the 2001 constitutional amendment that allows for the appointment of an Acting Auditor General. The government has recommended Deputy Auditor General Maria Rodriguez for the temporary role. Today, the Leader of Government Business explained the reasoning behind this short-term appointment.
Eamon Courtenay
Eamon Courtenay, P.U.P. Senator
“The Government has come asking the permission of the House of Representatives to approve the recommendation to the Governor General to Miss Rodriguez as Acting Auditor General for four months. The period of four months has to do with, as I understand it, completing the process of advertising and interviewing and hopefully recommendation of a person to be appointed the Auditor General. My appeal to this Honourable Senate, Madam President, is to reflect soberly on whether or not we prefer to continue for one minute, one hour, one day, one month, four months without an Auditor General in an acting position. Is that better than having an acting Auditor General? If the social partners and the Opposition, as they have articulated, are not supporting the motion, then the motion will fail and it means that we will have no Auditor General. I do not believe, with respect, that is in the interest of the Belizean people. All the criticisms that have been levied are taken on board. I am not standing here to dispute them. What I will say is the importance that is attached to this Constitutional Office – the fact that the Constitution was amended to allow for an Acting Auditor General to be appointed should be borne in mind to say where the public interest lies. Is it in having an Acting Auditor General on a short-term basis so that we can complete the process of making a formal appointment? Or is it better to have the office without someone acting in the interim?”
Peyrefitte raised eyebrows over the amount allocated for grocery bags. Initially, the budget was around three million dollars, but now the supplementary budget is asking for an additional two and a half million dollars. He used this as an example to accuse the government of politicizing the system. In response, P.U.P. Senator Bevington Cal explained that many of the grocery bags distributed in Toledo go to single mothers, the elderly, and people with disabilities who genuinely need the help.
Bevington Cal, P.U.P. Senator
“When it comes to the Ministry of Human Development, again he criticized what we call the grocery and food assistance program, Madam President but this government is not giving Mickey Mouse nor Minney Mouse any grocery bag. We are making sure – Madam President I work in Toledo East especially now Madam President and we make sure the priority is for the elders, Madam President, the single mothers. We have a lot of our elders who have done a lot for our society, they’ve done their part for the growth of country and of course we need to take care of them when they cannot help themselves, Madam President. For us this is the priority, and we have a large number of our society that is in that age range that really need it. I see the appreciation that these senior citizens have, Madam President, when they get these grocery bags – the smile on their faces and for me, if we can continue to support them, I will fully support that, Madam President, and even ask for an increase in this allocation so that we can take care of these elders. We actually support a lot of the organizations as well that deal directly with senior citizens, single mothers, people who are disabled. These are the people who are getting these grocery bags.”
The third installment of the Jacito Learns Financial Literacy series has finally arrived! In this new book, Jacito Learns to Budget, Doctor Carol Babb, Education Director of the Holy Redeemer Credit Union, dives into the challenging yet crucial skill of budgeting. Over the weekend, News Five’s Britney Gordon attended the book launch, which is set to revolutionize children’s literature in Belize.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Managing money is one of life’s toughest challenges. Even as adults, many people find it hard to balance their finances and save for a rainy day. That’s why Dr. Carol Babb, the Education Director at Holy Redeemer Credit Union, has spent years helping children develop the financial skills they’ll need throughout their lives. She shares how she’s making a difference with her new book, Jacito Learns to Budget.
Dr. Carol Babb
Dr. Carol Babb, Author
“All the books are focused on financial literacy, which is a very important life skill,a skill that everyone should acquire to learn to save and to manage your money so that you can live a productive life. And it’s also important for the government to become more aware of the importance of financial literacy. It is extremely important if we want to ensure that our economy grows and that our people are productive, and they are enjoying good health. Because whenever our members or our people don’t have money, they’re not well, they’re not financially well. And so, if we want to promote financial wellness, the method for that, or the medicine for that, or the cure for that, is financial literacy.”
In the first installment of this series, Jacito Learns to Save, Babb teaches children the value of working for something they want, and the sequel, Jacito Opens an Account at HRCU, encourages financial independence.
Dr. Carol Babb
“There were two important messages that the loving grandmother taught Jacito that whenever you want anything in life you should work for it. So, it’s, it’s a message that parents need to teach their children at a very early age, the importance of working and importance of saving. Zero to eight is a formative age through which children can learn about anything, especially.”
The illustrated book features Jacito, a relatable main character who chats with the adults around him instead of just following orders. Luciola Castillo, Chief Librarian of National Library Services, emphasizes the importance of creating books in a language that’s easy for children to understand.
Luciola Castillo
Luciola Castillo, Chief Librarian, National Library Services
“Now we have Dr. Babb’s book to help us teach our children, youths, and even adults about budgeting and the wise decisions we have to make to ensure that we have a productive and good quality of life. Being aware of the implications of financial literacy will lead us to make better financial decisions. It was to reach our goals, be better financial managers of our earnings, reduce our expenses by knowing what we should give priority to and spend wisely by creating a budget and be consistent with it.”
Building on the lessons from Babb’s earlier books, Jacito now dives into more advanced topics like diversifying income. Gemayel Babb, Executive Director of the Belize Credit Union League, highlights the importance of teaching these essential financial concepts early to lay the groundwork for smart money habits.
Gemayel Babb
Gemayel Babb, Executive Director, Belize Credit Union League
“Now, as Jacinto mastered the difference between wants and needs, he then moves into the concept where he’s introduced to expense and income. Jacito independently explores the idea of fixed and variable expenses, showing curiosity and problem-solving skills. Though presented as a children’s story, these accounting principles, familiar to many of us in the room due to our profession and our education, are critically under thought in the educational system.”
Dr. Babb has already begun working on her fourth Jacito book and is excited to see where the series takes her. Britney Gordon for News Five.
After the launch of ‘Jacito Learns to Budget,’ a book by Doctor Carol Babb aimed at teaching kids financial literacy, Holy Redeemer Credit Union kicked off its open-day festivities. Celebrating eighty years of service to Belize, H.R.C.U. invited customers to learn about the company’s history, ask questions about their procedures, and join in fun games to win prizes. H.R.C.U. Chief Finance Officer, Clement Usher, shared more about the event’s purpose.
Clement Usher
Clement Usher, Chief Finance Officer, H.R.C.U.
“The first event was to open for the book launch for doctor Babb. She’s on her third book launch Jacito learns the budget and we decided that we would do it in along with the open day so that our members could come up and ask questions to the staff about delinquency or loans or anything that they wanted to talk to our staff more intimately about because you know when you’re transacting at the counter downstairs it’s very difficult to ask questions. So we decided we do this open day and they can come up and ask whatever they want, read up about the credit union. And then we also did a historical display of H.R.C.U. from it started way back in 1944 and up to present 2024. So it’s eight decades of eighty years of helping people financially. If you look at the display, we started off with three women, and seventy-five cents each, and we are now at almost sixty-five thousand members, with assets of just, I think by next week we’ll be over eight hundred million. So we’ve really grown over the eight decades that we’ve been in service. And it’s thanks to our loyal and faithful members, who are always inside the office, even though we’ve given them access to online and ATMs where they don’t have to come into the credit union, they always prefer to come to H.R.C.U. to do, to the do their own transactions. And of course we have a branch in Independence and so they are also doing their open day today as well. And eventually, by next year, by middle of next year, we should have a branch in Belmopan Capital City.”
