On Wednesday, we asked long-standing Freetown Area Representative Francis Fonseca if he would have been open to going up against anyone in a P.U.P. convention for his seat. Now, this question comes after the party’s national executive has made its decisions, but Fonesca says he was the only applicant in Freetown.
Paul Lopez
“Was there any application to contest your seat in Freetown and as a senior sitting area representative would you have been opened to contesting someone at a convention?”
Francis Fonseca, Area Representative, Freetown
“Yeah, people were free to apply. The prime minister made that clear. Everyone was free to apply. They would have been vetted. The national campaign committee would have looked at it, made a recommendation to the national executive. In the case of Freetown, no. I was the only applicant so, but if somebody had applied that would have been fine with me.”
Domingo Valerio has been teaching for over three decades in Stann Creek District. As a resident of Georgetown Village, the career educator has also had his eyes on the Stann Creek West constituency. But, unlike other hopefuls who at least had an opportunity to submit an application, he was denied from the onset. That’s what he told News Five earlier today, that he was forced to sit out the 2020 general elections when his bid to challenge Area Representative Rodwell Ferguson was rejected. He attempted once more to run against Ferguson in a convention but was told upfront that there would not be a convention to elect a new standard bearer. Here’s Valerio’s story.
On the phone: Domingo Valerio, Political Aspirant
“This election that went, I applied and they rejected so I went back and I told them that I was going to contest because so many people had already been requesting a change. Since I have taught in Stann Creek West for thirty-three years, I thought I could do the job with the assistance of the people who are requesting a change. So when I applied, I went to the party chairman in Independence, Mr. Emilio Zab, gave him my application. He said, “What is this?” I told him, “open it.” He opened it and stated that Mr. Rodwell Ferguson will not be contested. He immediately called the [secretary] general and placed him on speaker so that… and he said, “Yes, this is what we planned. Mr. Rodwell will not be contested due to [the fact that] he has no challenge against Mr. Williams.” So I do not sit with that, I went all the way to the party office in Belize City on Queen Street. I spoke with Collet Montejo and I explained to him and he said, have I hit the ground? I told him yes, I hit the ground and that is why I am interested because people are requesting my presence to represent them. He said well all the way from the top has decided that there will be no convention against Mr. Rodwell because they came to the ground and they have done their due diligence and they found out that the people are happy with honorable Rodwell, whereby that’s not true. We had a back-and-forth, myself with Mr. Collet Montejo, but I left there with my application and my application fee because they did not want to take it. They said if I applied and they have decided, then my thousand dollars is non-refundable and the application form will just be on the table. That’s the end of my discussion with Mr. Collet Montejo.”
Isani Cayetano
“So you received a letter subsequent to that informing you that your application would not have been accepted?”
Domingo Valerio
“No, they did not give me any letter. It is Mr. Montejo who just immediately told me that and t hen the party chairman, Mr. Emilio Zabaneh, told me that in Independence. There was no follow up with a letter.”
Isani Cayetano
“This comes along with the fact that there was an open call, essentially, for anyone interested in running in any of the thirty-one constituencies to offer their names.”
Domingo Valerio
“Exactly.”
Isani Cayetano
“So what’s your feeling? Do you feel hard done by the People’s United Party?”
Domingo Valerio
“It’s a biasness, I would say, and I feel that I would have done the best if they had given me the challenge to contest honorable Rodwell because one convention, let the people speak and I would be satisfied.”
It is a plant in the botanical class of cannabis that is grown for industrial and consumable purposes. Hemp can also be used to make a wide range of products, including cloth, and refined into a variety of commercial items, such as paper, rope, and biodegradable plastics. In fact, hemp can be used to make a number of biproducts. This month, the government reactivated its Hemp Oversight Committee, and it is in the process of reviewing an application for an industrial hemp license. In this edition of Belize on Reel, Marion Ali headed north to Chunox Village where businessman, William Conde shared with us the hemp products he imports to sell to the Belize market. Here’s that report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
These are hemp seeds, imported into Belize by businessman, eighty-one-year-old William Conde. He has been selling hemp products from Canada, the U.S and China for the past twenty-three years in Belize, through his online business page, belizehemp.com.
William Conde
William Conde, Importer of Hemp Products
“We bring in hemp seed oil. and hemp protein powder and hulled hemp seed, hemp hearts they call it and we bring that in bulk. We also bring in some – I don’t have any, I’m sold out of it right now. They call it Sopa. It’s a hemp fiber that they put into the cracks of the boats. That we bring in now and it lasts for years and years.”
Conde says he has also been using the products for much of his eighty-one years of life and they have factored into his overall good health.
William Conde
“This is the hemp protein powder and we have this in half-pound and one-pound packages. And then this is the hemp seed oil that we have in these two hundred and seventy-five .”
Marion Ali
What do you do with that?
William Conde
“I eat them. I drink this in my coffee every morning, just about every morning. I miss a day here and there, but I put in a big heaping tablespoon of this and three tablespoons of this into my coffee when I get towards the end and I stir it up and yeah, it gives me all the protein I need. It gives me amino acids, gives me a lot of stuff. I’m 81 years old and I’ve just, recent tests that I did over here, my PSA for my prostate. Actually I use –.”
Marion Ali
“How is your health?”
William Conde
“Outstanding.”
Conde says hemp seed oil is good for much more than your health. He decided to distribute the product in smaller, easy-to-carry bottles for people who have skin issues. This one he calls Itch Away.
William Conde
“We call it Itch Away and it’s pure hemp seed oil. As a matter of fact, it’s the same thing as this, only in a smaller bottle. We’ve been selling this in Belize now for well over 20 years. It’s probably, Belize’s number one selling. Skin first aid, it works for amazing different things: bug bites, burns, different kinds of infections skin issues, right. And actually, we drink it because it works inside and outside of your body.”
Then there’s this little bottle called Coco de Rasta, which is a mixture of the same hemp seed oil and coconut oil, used for healthy, smooth skin.
Joshua Rivero is one of eighty retailers who sells Conde’s imported hemp products. He does this next to his parents’ booth, Indira Spices at the Michael Finnegan Market in Belize City. He tells News Five that the hemp seed oil is a very popular product for its healing properties.
Joshua Rivero
Joshua Rivero, Herbalist, Indira’s Spices
“It’s a product that is – we get a lot of customers from the recommendation of the users. So that’s why it’s a product that I trust giving to people because we always get, you could say, maybe 200 percent return on this product. The most used for it would be anything regarding your lungs: a lingering cough, a stubborn cough, maybe somebody just wants to detox their lungs. Cause we have a lot of products on the market to detox your body, but rarely to detox your lungs.”
Marion Ali
And you’ve tried it yourself?
Joshua Rivero
“Yes, and it works quick. That’s one of the things – it works really fast. One of the other benefits, as it says here, is the omega 3, 6, and 9 oils, and these regulate cholesterol, HDL, HCL cholesterol.”
Those hemp seeds you saw earlier; Conde says they are not only tasty. They were the subject of debate with authorities before getting the permits to import them.
William Conde
“And I had to go to battle. I had to be persistent because nobody wanted to sign off on this thing. I had to go to the Forestry Department, and go to the CITIES Convention, to BAHA. I went here, I went there. I went to the Health Department. I went to the Police Department and nobody wanted to do it. Eventually, I convinced – the first people – I got the Commissioner of Police to test some of this stuff. They took it down there and they tested it at the lab. The difference between marijuana and hemp is the way you cultivate it. There’s thousands of research that’s proving that this thing is beneficial for a whole, whole bunch of stuff.”
Conde opines that the global community has subscribed to a misleading narrative that hemp, like marijuana, is detrimental to health.
William Conde
“Worldwide they’ve taken and they’ve made this fallacy that it’s a special seed. It’s a different plant, and it’s a special seed. Now what does that do? That allows people to patent the seed. And therefore, if you want to grow hemp and you have to have this special seed right now, they cost over a dollar 50 us for each seed. And they own it. And that’s the problem with this country. They bought into the same thing that other countries have bought into that. You got to have this seed. The seeds are patented, so our farmers, if they go along with this, they never own the crop. They ruined it. I’ve got 25 acres sitting up there that’s licensed to grow hemp.”
Marion Ali
“And you can’t.”
William Conde
“I can’t. We’ve tried growing it. Not only that, the seeds are expensive, but they don’t work here. We have local seed. That would work here. If they would just allow the plant to do what it can do, you’d have a billion-dollar crop.”
Conde showed us a few of the items that he says were made from the hemp tree, like this hammock he made over twenty years ago with his neighbour, and these pieces of wood that can be used for construction. He hopes that the law would allow for hemp cultivation and harvesting across the board to let the industry develop to its full potential. Marion Ali for News Five.
The Briceño administration is being called out by the University of Belize Faculty and Staff Union for failing to deliver on its word to the University of Belize. In opposition, the People’s United Party strongly criticized the decision of the previous government when it decided to cut U.B.’s subvention by almost twenty-five percent. That decision saw a significant reduction of funding from eleven million to eight point three million dollars. The P.U.P. committed to restoring and increasing institution’s annual subvention, but that has not been the case. Earlier today, News Five spoke with Doctor Pio Saqui, President of the U.B.F.S.U.
Dr. Pio Saqui
Dr. Pio Saqui, President, U.B.F.S.U.
“The Government of Belize provides a subvention to the University of Belize. Prior to 2020, the subvention was at ten million and increased to eleven million on 2019. Since the pandemic, the government did take away two point six million and brought us back to somewhere closer to eight million dollars in terms of our subvention. While we have recognized that a lot of things have happened in our country that have returned things to normal, our function as a university has returned to normal. Nonetheless, it was a subvention that was taken away in 2020 and has not been returned. Because of that, it does limit the ability of the university to carry out all of its duties, especially considering the wellbeing of the employees and all those things that come along with having the full subvention in place.”
Isani Cayetano
“At this time, what is the union asking the Briceno administration to do in terms of this reduction in the subvention being offered to U.B.”
Pio Saqui
“Exactly what we stated in our press release, restore the subvention as it was prior to COVID and make good on the promise or honor the promise that they made to increase the subvention a million dollar each year, up to fifteen million dollars which is where it should be around now.”
In a statement issued by the union, it says, with deep frustration, the U.B.F.S.U. notes the P.U.P.’s failure to follow through on these promises. Despite the party’s strong rhetoric and stated commitments, U.B. continues to face significant financial challenges, and the promised increase in funding has not materialized.
Timothy Dami
Timothy Dami, Executive Member, U.B.F.S.U.
“The subvention was at ten million, the previous government raised it to eleven and then because of COVID they dropped it. As we see everything come back online, we‘ve seen salaries come back, we‘ve seen increments come back across the board, we‘ve seen allowances come back, we‘re seeing infrastructure projects, we‘re seeing things taking place in the country on a national basis. We feel that it is important to equally restore back this subvention to the point it was prior to the pandemic and we also would like to see the current administration live up to its promise of raising it. I mean they had two separate cases where they talked about the subvention being reinstated, they also talked about increasing it back to fifteen million by one million dollars a year. Being that U.B. is a national university, we are here to help solve national issues. You can see right now with this issue with current and with the climate crisis, the national university is needed to come up with research and plans to help with policy. There‘s a lot that the national university can do.”
June is Men’s Mental Health Awareness month and Belize is doing its part to end the stigma surrounding mental health. Today, over one hundred and sixty men gathered for a mental health conference. At this session, men were able to speak to a panel of experts on topics such as cancer, depression and anxiety. While News Fives Britney Gordon was not permitted to enter the men’s only safe space, she spoke with some of the panelists to learn more about the importance of bringing awareness to this topic and open the door for open conversation. Here’s that story.
Britney, Gordon, Reporting Did you know that in 2022, seventy-three percent of suicides recorded in the country were committed by men. Every day, fathers, brothers, uncles and friends are struggling with their mental health all around us and they are too scared to talk about it. Today, that stigma is being torn down at the Men’s Mental Health and Cancer Awareness Conference. Doctor Ramon Yacab an oncologist, spoke with us about the concerning trend of cancer diagnosis in Belize.
Dr. Ramon Yacab
Dr. Ramon Yacab, Oncologist
“Four Belize projections are that there are approximately around four hundred new cancer cases every year. Those four hundred new cases are for this year alone. In the next five, ten years, we’re expecting for it to double on a yearly basis. Now, the most common cancers, yes, include breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, and if we were to do take an example, in a pie, almost half of all cancer cases are in men. The sad part is that only three in every ten patients that are coming in for clinic. Men are just not coming in. We’re not seeing that reflected.”
Doctor Yacab revealed that a large portion of male cancer patients are diagnosed with advanced stages. He says that the stigma against being tested contributes to this trend.
Dr. Ramon Yacab
“Is there a stigma? That’s a good question. And I do believe it has to do with culture. Men we generally see them as that strong family leader. Most of the times they are willing to sacrifice themselves but ensure that the rest of the family can go on. The breadwinners, if you may. So it’s a cultural, it’s a societal norm. And I think it’s deeply embedded and that’s something that we want to change. Certainly, there are other constraints, financial constraints, knowing that you need to do different tests, but most of the time it’s going to be more the norms that we have in society.”
For many men, a cancer diagnosis leads to depression and anxiety, as they grapple with providing for their family and fighting the disease. Stephen Duncan, a cancer survivor of over ten years, told us about his journey with prostate cancer.
Stephen Duncan
Stephen Duncan, Cancer Survivor
“As cancer tends to lead to other things. It starts with one thing and can lead to other things. And the journey, and I think for a lot of men, this is where I think we need to learn. I think women are much better at the journey part. Men want things to be over and done with. They want finality. They bring things to an end. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. And we need to learn how to take it one step at a time. I had to do that. I had to go through that. And not thinking that because you might have a bad day today that it’s the end. So the journey is very important. And I think this panel that I am sitting on Dealing with the mental aspect of it is very important as we fight and deal with cancer because it helps us to go beyond what the physical sign like you’re telling us and playing the mental game. There is a mental, psychological aspect and we have to be able to deal with it.”
The event was a men only safe space so that participants would not be ashamed to talk about their health issues. Kim Simplis-Barrow, president of the Belize Cancer Society, told us more about that decision.
Kim Simplis-Barrow
Kim Simplis-Barrow, President, Belize Cancer Society
“We live in a much is more culture and a lot of times men don’t feel comfortable talking about mental health issues or even health issues. And so for us it was important to create a safe space for men to listen to the panelists to have interactions and have questions with our panelists. And so what we did is we did our official opening of the ceremony and after the official opening, we exited the females in the room exited the room and we left the male men in attendance and the panelists and the speakers to have their discussion openly and in confidence, if it’s I think it’s I think it’s important.”
According to Stephen Duncan, men tend to shy away from others about their feelings, making it difficult to form a support system.
Stephen Duncan
“I don’t think we talk to other men, possibly don’t want anybody to know. I think it’s a weakness. And I have developed sufficient confidence over the years, I think following my diagnosis and my treatment to be able to encourage other men, which I try to do whenever I am aware of a situation.”
The conference was organized by the Belize Cancer Society, the Ministry of Health, PAHO, and Belize Health Care Partners. Doctor Jorge Hidalgo, a critical care specialist, says the goal is to encourage men to get tested annually.
Jorge Hidalgo
Jorge Hidalgo, Internist & Critical Care Specialist
“Moving forward for the culture of men’s health and beliefs. Miss Kim Simplice Barrow, as she’s the president of the Cancer Society. And she asked me, along with a few more in the group, to lead a men’s initiative for cancer awareness, for cancer advocacy, for cancer prevention. And that’s the most we want to achieve today. Is to have everybody to be aware of the importance of early recognition, early detection, and also at the end of the day, we are going to launch the initiative of Men’s for Cancer Initiative with the main purpose of that advocacy. Also early detection and trying to create awareness around the men’s community about cancer.”
On Wednesday, Minister of Education Francis Fonseca weighed in on the Santa Cruz Village bullying incident that went viral last week. As we have reported, the Belize Police Department intervened and led mediations between all parties involved. And while the perpetrators of the act will not be facing criminal prosecution, they will be mandated to participate in several activities that seek to develop their personal character. On Wednesday, Minister Fonesca reaffirmed his ministry’s zero-tolerance policy for bullying.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
“We have stepped in. We have gotten a full report on the matter. Of course the ministry’s position is that we have zero tolerance for bullying. We are working with the management, the principals, the teachers, to address this matter. We do not want the students in any of our educational institutions to experience any form of bullying. Schools must just be a safe space for students. So, we are absolutely looking at that issue very closely.”
According to the Minister of Culture, Francis Fonseca, Belize City’s new carnival route is all but finalized. The only thing left is to make it official via a press release. So, where will the 2024 carnival begin and end? Here is what Minister Fonesca revealed.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Culture
“I think pretty much we will make an announcement within the next few days but based on the report I have received from the carnival association and my team who have been working from the N.C.C., they have agreed that the new carnival route will be, Mr. Vernon messaged me to say don’t say route, say route. My understanding is that the new route will be from the Baron Bliss area all the way straight to Marion Jones. So I think that in my view, I have always supported that. In my view that will be a fantastic route and I think the Belizean people will enjoy a wonderful carnival.”
Belize has long agreed to send a team of law enforcement officers to Haiti to assist the nation in its efforts to restore citizen security. That team is yet to be deployed. So, what is the hold up? Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca says Belize remains committed but important funding and logistical details remain outstanding.
Francis Fonseca
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“Belize remains committed to participating in the MSSM mission, but there are still a few outstanding issues that has to be finalized. The funding, I keep making this point, the funding of the mission is critically important. All the funds have not been sourced as yet. But we are glad to hear that countries have been stepping up, United States, Canada, France are all saying they will contribute more. So this is not just a Belize issue. All CARICOM is saying that they will contribute more. This is not just a Belize issue. The entire CARICOM is concerned about the mission. And, also the very important issue of the logistics of the organization of the mission. We need to have a very clear exit strategy. We cannot send our soldiers in on a mission where we don’t have a clear exit strategy. What will they be doing in Haiti? We need to be very clear on that, what roles will they be performing? But we are very happy that progress has been made. CARICOM has been at the forefront of this issue. We now have in place a prime minister, interim prime minister in Haiti. The transitional council is still in place. So, I think we are hoping that over the next few months we can see greater level of stability in Haiti and eventually free and fair elections.”
Earlier this month, Prime Minister John Briceño led a high-level delegation to El Salvador for the inauguration of President Nayib Bukele. The delegation included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francis Fonseca. Belize and El Salvador have been in negotiations over a partial scope agreement that seeks to enhance trade between the two nations. When we caught up with Minister Fonseca on Wednesday, we asked him for an update on those negotiations and ways in which he believes El Salvador can help to bolster Belize’s economic influence in the region.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“The prime minister had an excellent meeting with president Bukele. I was there with him. I think there is a lot that can happen between Belize and Salvador. There is an opportunity for increased trade, increased tourism, agriculture is one area we are looking at as well. So, I think it was an excellent discussion and an excellent productive meeting. In terms of partial scope agreement, we have made significant progress on that. We finished the second round of negotiations. So the third round is scheduled for sometime in August or so. We have gone a long way in terms of what we want to achieve there. Coming out of the third round we will be able to have some conclusion to the partial scope agreement. So, I think sometime this year we will be able to conclude that.”
