2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Area Rep., Orlando Habet says Cayo Mayor Difficult to Work With

During the interview with Minister Orlando Habet, he was also asked about the P.U.P.’s performance in the March sixth municipal elections in San Ignacio and Santa Elena. The U.D.P. gained seats in that municipality, with only one P.U.P. candidate who was successful. Habet mentioned that the area has traditionally supported the U.D.P., leading to challenges when attempting to implement projects.

Orlando Habet, Area Representative, Cayo Northeast
“San Ignacio has always been difficult. Currently the last PUP mayor that we had since I came out in 2003 we have lost all the municipal elections until last, the previous election where we had five councillors. Before I got in, there was also 21 years of UDP administration in San Ignacio. So it’s practically a UDP town. But, we have been, able to make some inroads. For example, Cayo North, which was really, really red. And we have won some seats in there already. We have won twice in the national elections with Mr. Mahmood and Mr. Chebat. I won it by 65 votes when I was the mayor of the town. And when I lost, I also won it, but because of Santa Elena Town, we really have lost many of the municipal elections. Kudos to the current mayor, Mayor Trapp. He has his way of doing things. In my constituency, I think I am pretty safe. I won most of the solid votes in the five boxes that we had in the elections and also, I won five councilors in my constituency. So, I lost the mayoral by 57 votes, and it was on the split votes that they caught us up. What happened, and I don’t really know, but I was in the counting station, and the split votes many of them were six blue, red mayor, six blue, red mayor. So it was sort of like a protest vote. But part of the problem also and the public must know, is that it is really difficult to work with a mayor who is in opposition, who doesn’t want to work with you. So even though I am the. I’m a representative for Cayo Northeast, and Poling Area 72, is part of my constituency. The mayor has jurisdiction over the town. But it cannot be that every time I want to plant a tree on a park, I will have to ask him for permission. Or if I have to do a project, I have to ask him for permission. And if he doesn’t want to work with me, what will we do? So that is, that makes it very difficult.”

Did You Get Your Fish for Lent?

‘Tis that time of year again when Christians, and anyone else who loves fish, make that trip to the fish market and pay a few dollars more per pound of fish, all in keeping with the practice that goes with Lent – make a sacrifice for the forty days and eat fish on Fridays. So on Good Friday, a great number of people will be eating their fish, which meant that today, they were out buying those fish, and the fishermen were there to accommodate. News Five’s Marion Ali was also there to get that story and filed this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Whatever type of fish you prefer, you could get it today. The fish market off Vernon Street in Belize City was buzzing as boats rolled in with fresh catches and fishermen placed their prices. Harry Leng was one of them.

Harry Leng, Fisherman

“I have kingfish, I have barracuda, snapper, a few little small grouper like Jimmy Hines and stuff like that, and some grunt, but most of the other fish dehn gone already. But the only problem with it, whenever this time comes around, it’s hard to get them.”

Marion Ali

“Really? I wonder why that is.”

Harry Leng

“I guess because they feel the Easter, and dehn probably know say people want eat them up so dehn disappear.”

Marion Ali

“The fish them smart, eh?”

At this time of year, the prices of fish soar because fish is in high demand. And they will also cost you by the type you want to eat. But Harry Leng says he’ll work with your budget.

Harry Leng

“This is the time when you’re playing with the price.”

Marion Ali

“Aha, okay, but I’ve heard your prices are $7, $8, $9, $10?”

Harry Leng

“$10. Yeah. Some people sell it for $12 and all that stuff, but I don’t go that high. I try to work with the people.”

Marion Ali

“Okay, so I could come out here and get wa pound ah fish for $7. What would I get?”

Harry Leng

“If you get a pound a fish fi $7, I’d probably give you this size here. Normally these would sell for $5 but right now it’s $7. Even deh lee one ya I wa sell fi $5. I always work with whoever comes.”

The type of fish you buy is also significant because of the way you can prepare it, based on its texture. Devon Orosco says he will take home snappers to fry.

Devon Orosco, Cook

“For me, the reason why I like it da because I feel like it tastes better than the rest of the snappers, red snapper. And da da twa fish weh rare, you don’t really catch it like that. I wudda just half fry it, but put it with white rice or just stew it down or what’s not, yoh dig or mek wa soup outta it or fish tea.”

This Lenten season has provided fish cleaner, Shantel with a new means of income.

Voice of: Shantel

“I mi deh under the market di sit down and I say, you know what, better I get up and help, clean to. I see everybody di mek deh one, two, soh I step up and say I wa mek mines to same way.”

Marion Ali

“You find that around Lent and Easter, yoh mek more?

Shantel

“This is my first time.”

Marion Ali

“Oh, wow. Did it take you long to learn how to do that?”

Shantel

“No ma’am.”

Marion Ali

“But it comes with its risks, right, because you could get hurt.”

Shantel

“Yes ma’am, and then the bone could juck up yoh and stay eena yoh nails and thing.”

Marion Ali

“Has that happened to you yet?”

Shantel

“No, ma’am, not yet so far, praise God.”

If you didn’t get your fish in time for Good Friday, the fishermen and the cleaners will be out again on Holy Saturday, when the prices are expected to also be back to normal. Marion Ali for News Five.

Where Are You Heading This Easter?

Whether you will travel this Easter by land or sea, the boats were out from early and so were the buses. Today, many people travelled to their destination for the Easter and News Five’s Marion Ali was at the bus and the water taxi terminals to captures those scenes. Here’s that report.

Marion Ali, Reporting

While almost everybody who will spend Easter in another part of the country away from home, travel on Holy Thursday this morning was not as chaotic as it can be known to get over at the Caribbean Sprinter Water Taxi Terminal near the Swing Bridge, the cargo manager, Joel Ah could talk to us because it wasn’t yet crowded.

Joel Ah, Cargo Manager, Caribbean Sprinter Water Taxi Terminal

“At the moment, it’s not that busy, but we expect to make it get busy by 1, 1:30, that’s the time we start to get busy about.”

Marion Ali

“Everybody coming in with luggage…”

Joel Ah

“Yeah, everybody coming in with luggage, and sometimes cargo, and that’s when we need fi deh pahn fi we game.”

Marion Ali

“So you have the boats on standby or you have to rent?”

Joel Ah

“We have our boats on standby and they are already available. So if in case we need our next boat, we have that ready.”

At the bus terminal, we caught up with Phillip Fawda Henry and Aldene Williams, who were waiting to catch their buses.

Aldene Williams, Traveler

“I’m here so that I can catch the bus.”

Marion Ali

“You’re heading where?”

Aldene Williams

“South.”

Marion Ali

“Okay. First time traveling for the Easter?”

Aldene Williams

“No, but first time travelling alone, yes.”

Phillip Fawda Henry, Traveler

“I haven’t done it in 15 years. I have 11 children. And seven are police officers there in the south, but I have not traveled in this location for quite a while So today i’m saying that i’m off to Placencia.”

Eaon Henry, who has made the bus terminal a place of employment, assured us that everything was progressing along orderly.

Eaon Henry, Entrepreneur

“Everything is alright. Everybody’s selling the tickets for the bus. Everybody’s purchasing the tickets for the Easter holiday. 0Tomorrow is Good Friday, so people don’t want to travel tomorrow because they will barely have any bus running tomorrow. So right now the crowd is coming today.”

Even in the chaos of everything, to ensure boat passenger safety and prevent a repeat of a previous mishap some years ago, Joel Ah assured that they turn on their boat engines before any passenger gets onboard.

Joel Ah

“The engines are turned on first and also the captain, they have their checklist, they check the engines – everything that needs to be checked, and they report it to their supervisor.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

How are Belizeans Celebrating Easter 2024?

Easter 2024 is upon us and with that comes various celebrations filled with travelling, food, and family. Whether it’s to Caye Caulker, Placencia, Dangriga or right at home, there many places and ways to celebrate in Belize. We checked in with a few people in Belize City to see how they are planning to spend the holiday this year.

Tanisha’s Creations Hot Cross Buns

Preparing and consuming hot cross buns is one of Belize’s long-standing Easter traditions. Wherever Belizeans are in the world, there is no Easter without hot cross buns. Tonight, we show you how Tanisha Burns of Tanisha’s Creation prepares her hot cross buns, the ingredients that she uses and what makes her buns special. News Five’s Paul Lopez brings us that story.

Improved Security Systems Coming to Belize

The Ministry of Economic Development is currently in the process of implementing several projects that aim to increase the quality of living in the country. One of those projects includes improved security systems across the country. Through funding from CABEI, the ministry is seeking to build half a dozen police stations in specific areas across the country. We spoke with the C.E.O. of the Ministry of Economic Development, Doctor Osmond Martinez for more details.

Dr. Osmond Martinez, C.E.O., Ministry of Economic Development

“Under the resilient rural police program, which is under CABEI, presently we are in the process of building six police stations. So, one of the police stations will be in Santa Elena, the other one in Belmopan, the third one in Caye Caulker, the fourth one in Belize City, the fifth one in San Narciso, and the sixth one in Bella Vista Village in the southern part of the country. And the aim is to start the buildings or to have groundbreaking by July of this year. Presently the consultants are doing the feasibility studies and they have completed the feasibilities for the first three polling stations, which is Santa Elena, a Belmopan and Bella Vista. The second project under that same under that same bank, CABEI is the citizen security project, which is it will be the phase two of the surveillance camera, which will have an integrated system to an E-nine-one-one system, but at the same time, we will integrate everything into a system where it will have an AI component. And we will be able to collect the data, especially for the police department and the police department is the one who will manage the data and also use it as a way of preventing crime.”

Tapping into Solar Energy

Big technological changes are coming to Belize. As previously reported, the University of Belize will soon be acquiring the country’s first forensic lab. This significant acquisition is just one of the projects in progress to advance Belize’s resources. According to the C.E.O. of the Ministry of Economic Development, Doctor Osmond Martinez, more focus is now being placed on solar energy.

Dr. Osmond Martinez, C.E.O., Ministry of Economic Development

“And then the other projects that are with is the forensic science lab, which the feasibility study is ongoing the forensic science lab will be at the University of Belize campus. That is where it will be established. It will be a modern foreign science lab, and so that will be very good for the country, but also to help us to educate our university students. Then with the Saudis, we have the territory hospital, which we have move on now that’s the-join Belmopan hospital. We will be signing the feasibility study sometime. I am hoping that by April or May, the latest. The feasibility studies for the surgery hospital and then along with those with the Saudi funds, we are also working in terms of getting the solar panels, the solar farms. And the first, twenty megawatts might start to come this year, it might be so the construction of the first, twenty megawatts will be done this year. And then the along with NCC, which we will be negotiating or Belize will be negotiating at a two hundred fifty million dollars grant. It’s a two hundred fifty million dollars grant that will be negotiated in Washington within the week of April fifteenth to the eighteenth of April of this year. So that again will be huge and that will have an impact within the education sector and the energy sector. Then we have with the World Bank, we’re doing the blue cities and beyond program and that will impact Belize City the sewer system drainage also Placencia Dangriga, San Pedro and also Punta Gorda. It’s our hope that Blue Cities and beyond program can help us to reduce poverty and at the same time to have climate resilient projects.”

Fifty Million Dollar Grant Approved For Belize

The Green Climate Fund is the world’s largest climate fund developed as a part of the historic Paris Agreement. It aims to mobilize funding to support developing countries to achieve their ambitions towards ensuring low emissions and climate resilience. Belize has received a fifty-million-dollar grant that will be used for the protection of the country’s environment. C.E.O. Osmond Martnez explained the significance.

Dr. Osmond Martinez, Minister of Economic Development

“Recently a fifty million dollars project was approved through the Green Climate Fund, and it’s the first of its kind. And what is important with that project is that is a grant, meaning free money for Belize. And there is no condition that they have asked us to give anything at the contrary. We are fighting for climate finance justice for our country, because Belize have done very well in terms of protection of the environment which means that the protection of the environment helps us in terms of turning carbon dioxide into oxygen and which keeps people alive. Therefore, Belize is a carbon sink country, but for generations, no, or for centuries, Belize has been a carbon sink country. And Belize didn’t receive any dollar or benefit for it. Now, we are saying, listen, through The Green Climate Fund Belize must get big projects, which will benefit the Belizean people.”

Indigenous Council Concerned Over Gustavo Requena’s Appointment

Pressure is mounting on the government over the appointment of Gustavo Requena as the Director of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs. Requena who is the brother of Cabinet Minister Oscar Requena, succeeded Greg Choc. Requena’s appointment did not come without concerns and criticism. The Toledo Alcaldes Association first fired off a press release saying they were not consulted and that Requena has publicly shared anti-Maya land rights sentiments. The association also expressed concerns over Requena’s familial relationship with the minister. Tonight, the Belize National Indigenous Council also expresses deep concern regarding Requena’s appointment. The council says that the government’s decision to appoint Requena is a lack of serious commitment to the plight of the Indigenous Peoples of Belize. The council says “What we are witnessing here is the setting up of an office that will be marred in partisan politics and from the eyes of the people lacking integrity.” According to the council, transparent selection processes are imperative for such a crucial position and Belize has individuals well-versed in indigenous and social matters.

Incidents of Multidimensional Poverty Down 10.1% in 2023

On Wednesday, the Statistical Institute of Belize published the findings of the Multidimensional Poverty Index, which is a direct measure of poverty across various dimensions of well-being such as health, education, employment, and living standards in Belize. The MPI seeks to move away from the single monetary dimension of measuring poverty and instead studies what percentage of the population is multidimensionally poor and what percentage of all the indicators poor households are deprived of. The findings of the MPI for September 2023 revealed that incidents of multidimensional poverty were down by ten-point one percent. Statistician Christian Orellana explains.

Christian Orellana, Statistician II, S.I.B.

“For the period September 2023 the incidence of multidimensional poverty is twenty-six point four percent. That means that twenty-six point four percent of the population is multidimensional poor. The intensity of multidimensional poverty is thirty eight point four percent. That means that on average, a poor household had a deprivation score of thirty eight point four percent. And our national MPI is zero point one zero one. We can also look at poverty statistics in two ways, for the total population of the country and for the households of the country, a total of one hundred three thousand niner hundred forty-four persons were multidimensional poor among twenty-four thousand ninety-six households. We now compare the 2023 MPI results to the 2021 MPI results. A decrease of ten point one percent was observed for the incidents. This is a result of thirty-eight thousand five hundred ninety-six individuals among eight thousand nine hundred two households coming out of being multidimensionally poor since the 2021 pandemic landscape, notably due to decrease in the share of the population that experienced deprivations in areas such as underemployment, food insecurity, employment, and cooking fuel. Now, when we compare the intensity between the two years, it can be observed that the severity of poverty among the poor remains the same with very little change from thirty-nine point two in 2021 to thirty-eight point four in 2023. It was observed that among the seventeen indicators, we saw improvements, with the exception of improved sanitation. But it is important to highlight the top five that saw the biggest decrease, and that is underemployment at 1fifteen percent food insecurity at ten point three percent cooking fuel at five point nine percent and unemployment at five point five percent.”