2024 - Channel 5 Belize

26 Municipal Candidates Nominated in P.G.

A total of one hundred and sixty-three candidates are vying for the sixty-seven seats that are up for grabs on March sixth for the municipal elections. According to an official report from the Elections and Boundaries Department, both the People’s United Party and the United Democratic Party have full slates across all nine municipalities. The People’s Democratic Movement nominated eleven candidates in Belize City. Eleven independent candidates were nominated on Wednesday and the Belize Progressive Party nominated seven candidates in Punta Gorda. Last night, we brought you coverage of Nomination Day from six of the nine municipalities. Tonight, we continue our Nomination Day coverage, starting with Punta Gorda.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Punta Gorda is the southernmost municipality in the country. Notwithstanding its geographical location, on March sixth, residents of the town will get an opportunity to decide which of the twenty-six candidates nominated on Wednesday will lead the town council for the next three years. The People’s United Party is fielding seven candidates, led by Carlos “Obeah” Galvez.

Carlos “Obeah” Galvez, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, Punta Gorda

“This is a powerful moment, a wonderful feeling. This is the day where you officially become a candidate for your party. this is the moment the day and I am proud to put my name back on the ballot, thanks to the people of PG who came out from day one to support me. This is a proud moment to be a PUP. We have a great history, the peaceful constructive Belizean revolution. This party has a great history. I am proud to be associated, affiliated, and proud to be a member of the People’s United Party.”

The United Democratic Party also nominated seven candidates. UDP faithfuls gathered in front of the nomination station in Punta Gorda to show support for the team of candidates being led by Franklin “Kranka” Polonio.

Franklin “Kranka” Polonio, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate, Punta Gorda

“First of all I must say that it is a great feeling to see that we have past ministers in the person of Eden Martinez and Joseph Cayetano. We have past chairman also. So, of course we are very untied. The feeling we have is one of joy. We already know what time it is. After this we know it is time to continue going back to houses, listen to people’s cries, hear and continue to serve in whatever capacity we can.”

And, a part from the two major political parties in Punta Gorda, the Belize Progressive Party, a decade-old third party in the municipality, is once again fielding candidates. In spite of the party’s repeated failed attempts to succeed at the polls, on Wednesday, it nominated a municipal slate of seven candidates. Punta Gorda is the only municipality with BPP representation this time around. Their bid is being led by Anita Nicholas

Anita Nicholas, B.P.P. Mayoral Candidate, Punta Gorda

“I can say it is overwhelming. I am overjoyed. This is the day, the day that the lord has made. The day that PG will go down to the history that it always needed, someone with a vision, someone who is intuitive and innovative to make a difference for our town, our town has been underdeveloped for too long. And, it is time that our town gets the change it rightly deserves. That is the reason why I decided to offer myself as the candidate for the Belize Progressive Party in honor and memory of the late Bap Marcel Palma. We continue his legacy.”

Five independent candidates were also nominated on Wednesday in Punta Gorda. Among them is Orlando Muschamp. He contested the Toledo East seat in the 2020 general election as an independent candidate. Muschamp is optimistic that the results at the polls on March sixth will be more favorable for independent candidates.

Orlando Muschamp, Independent Candidate, Punta Gorda

“It is a great feeling out here and it has been a difficult task to bring along this team, this working team, a team hailing from an election, a contractor, a professional business woman, Antony Gabriel another electrician and myself another business owner. I have my own business and we we want to offer ourselves to our community and the voters of Punta Gorda an opportunity , an option so as for them to see yes we do have the love for this community.”

Reporter

“What is the feedback like from the people in the town?”

Orlando Muschamp

“The feedback is simple, they are tired of seeing the red and the blue coming with people who are not qualified to do the job. The come, get nominated and that is it. You never see them again, receiving a stipend without filling the spaces to accommodate the people, with the public service we so dearly deserve in this community.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

U.D.P. and P.U.P. Nominate Municipal Candidates Out West

In the March 2021 municipal elections, the United Democratic Party won only two of the sixty-seven municipal seats across the country. Those two seats were won in the twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio and included one mayoral seat and a councilor seat. The U.D.P.’s incumbent mayor, Earl Trapp is hoping to once again shift the tides back in favor of the U.D.P. out west. On Wednesday, Trapp was nominated along with a full slate of U.D.P. candidates. On March sixth, he will be going up against Matthew Preston, a sitting councilor in the twin towns.

The People’s United Party nominated Preston as its mayoral candidate, along with a full slate of P.U.P. councilor candidates. In Benque Viejo Del Carmen Town, P.U.P. incumbent Mayor Jorge Rosales is asking voters to support his bid for another term in office. Rosales and his team of P.U.P. candidates were nominated on Wednesday in Benque. The U.D.P. nominated Marco Tesecum, a former Benque Viejo town councilor, as its mayoral candidate along with a roster of councilor candidates. As the weeks progress towards March sixth, we will continue to follow what is taking place in each municipality.

San Pedro Nominates Candidates for March 6th

In San Pedro Town, the People’s United Party and the United Democratic Party have nominated seven candidates each for the March sixth municipal elections. Incumbent P.U.P. Mayor, Gualberto Nunez, is seeking reelection. The mayoral candidate for the U.D.P. is career teacher Wilfredo Alamilla. An independent candidate also threw his name in the race on Wednesday. Abner Bacab is an Emergency Medical Technician at Island Emergency Services. Here is more from nomination day in San Pedro.

Gualberto “Wally” Nunez, Incumbent Mayor, San Pedro Town

“We are feeling victory. We are feeling victory already out here. WE are thankful to San Pedro for all the support, thank you very much.”

Wilfredo Alamilla, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate, San Pedro Town

“I thank you with all my heart. It has always been a dream of mine to work for my community and give you all my love. And so here I am, officially nominated and ready to work for all of you. May God bless you and thank you very much.”

Abner Bacab, Independent Candidate, San Pedro Town

“I am feeling very happy. I am happy I was able to be nominated as a mayoral candidate for the upcoming elections for the San Pedro Town Council. I think it is everybody’s right to vote so I would encourage everyone to come out and vote for the person you think is going to do better for San Pedro, our community. Somebody that has proven to be somebody that works for our community. If you want to run for a position here in the San Pedro Town Council you need to be somebody that has done many achievements here in our island. For example, myself has brought an ambulance service to San Pedro, fully equipped with no kind of help from anyone. It is personal money, personal funding. I became the first emergency medical technician here in San Pedro.”

PACT: Investing In Belize

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust has been quietly working behind the scenes to provide several N.G.O.’s and conservation organizations in Belize with the necessary funds to keep the country’s natural resources safe and thriving. The work that PACT does is an essential part of preservation work in Belize, as there are currently one hundred protected areas that form a vast national protected areas system. In order to learn more about that process, we visited their office today and spoke with Conservation Investment Manager, Ismael Teul. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with tonight’s episode of Belize on Reel.

Britney Gordon, reporting

The Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT) was established in 1996 and at the time, Belize was considered a pioneer with the passing of the PACT Act. Today, the protected areas landscape continues to take shape and expand. Currently, there are one hundred and three protected areas that form a vast national protected areas system with categories that include forest reserves, natural monuments, and archaeological reserves. After over twenty-five years, PACT has evolved from a grant-funding mechanism and works hand in hand with NGO’s and other environmental organizations to preserve these natural resources in Belize. PACT’s conservation investment manager, Ismael Teul broke down that process for us.

Ismael Teul, Conservation Investment Manager, PACT

“What we do is we’re a Financing institution for what we would term or call the National Protected Areas System, right? What that is simply all the protected areas functioning as one entire system. And our primary role is to see how we get funding so that they work of protecting the environment, providing clean air, clean water, and of course, protecting our natural resources could continue.”

Teul explained that PACT uses a system in order to enact its funding mechanisms. In a given period, PACT may fund twenty to thirty areas but each area is assessed on how it benefits its bordering protected areas. By targeting areas with heavy impact on the ones surrounding it, the number of protected areas is expanded. Teul further explained that a national assessment is carried out in order to choose what areas will be targeted. The Bladen Nature Reserve, Chiquibul National Park, Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, and Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary are just a few of the areas Pact has partnered with in the past.

Ismael Teul

“And so it’s, what PACT does is it doesn’t grant, in the traditional sense of the word, funds, but it invests. So it provides financing to a protected area that in a three year period, four year period we’re expecting returns on that investment. Now, the key here is that we’re not expecting financial returns as a bank would work, but we’re expecting more conservation returns. So it’s okay, the water quality, if it was a polluted area. Did that pollution go down? If it was to protect a endangered species, what’s the population count at the end of the four year period? It’s those conservation returns that we look at as PACT”

Teul further explained that PACT’s mission goes beyond just the environmental impacts, as it carries over into all sectors of Belize and PACT’s mission ultimately seeks to ensure the safety and longevity of the country.

Ismael Teul

“Our natural environment really is the heart of our economy.The tourism industry, for example, is one of our largest industry, but the protected areas is actually the natural attractions that we bring to the ecotourist market. Also, we have agriculture which is our second largest industry in the country. And so, providing that, safe water or that water for the agricultural lands, providing the trees for carbon and processing. And so we have a lot of natural assets still within our country that if we don’t protect them and use them sufficiently, then we affect the wellbeing of. of the Belizean people, right? Further to that, you also have indigenous communities. You have local communities that depend on the protected areas.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

U.B. Participates In Regenerative Livestock Training

The University of Belize and The Nature Conservancy collaborated on a two-day workshop in which students learned about regenerative farming practices in order to boost efficiency and sustainability. News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the University Of Belize’s Central Farm Campus today to learn more about it. Here’s the story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Students at the University of Belize’s Central Farm Campus are on their way to pioneering the next era of sustainable agriculture. The university collaborated with The Nature Conservancy which is hosting a two-day workshop for students to learn how to use the resources on campus and new techniques to reduce the agriculture sectors impact on the environment. Ub’S Livestock Lecturer, Daniel Juan spoke with us about this endeavor.

Daniel Juan, Livestock Lecturer, U.B.

“So UB partnered with the Nature Conservancy through Dr. Chi to design and implement a silvopastoral system. And a silvopastoral system essentially is trying to find mechanisms and protocols to see how we can incorporate as many trees and shrubs and plants into existing pastures that have livestock already, so that we can improve, primarily, profitability for the farmers, but also to enhance our ability to safeguard the environment.”

Juan stated that this phase of the project is almost complete.

Daniel Juan

“So this project, we are implementing it here at the university, we are creating a model farm. We are almost at the end of the first year of the implementation phase and part of what we do is, we involve our students and we also involve partners like other livestock farmers and we also invite other stakeholders for workshops such as this where we disseminate the, our findings to date and we make recommendations as to how to proceed.”

We also spoke with Titus Lightburn, a Climate Smart Agriculture Major at the university, to hear what he’s taken away from the workshop thus far.

Titus Lightburn, Climate Smart Agriculture Major, U.B.

“You learn about you being sustainable and being more efficient as in, the rule of thumb is for one cow is two acres of land. So if you have ten cows you need twenty acres, but now at these workshops you’re learning I don’t need as If I want to raise thirty cows, I don’t need sixty acres or whatever. I can do it on twenty. I could do it on thirty acres, one acre per cow, but simply it’s all about how you rotate them in the pasture, what kind of supplemental feeding you’re giving them and stuff like that. So you learn to be way more efficient and way you learn to make more money. So by being efficient, you learn to make more money.”

Luciano Chi, a Regenerative Agriculture Specialist, explained that this workshop and the implementation of its lessons are just part of TNC’s strategy to reduce the agriculture sector’s environmental impact. There are also plans to target the wheat and sugar industry in upcoming projects.

Luciano Chi, Regenerative Agriculture Specialist, TNC

“So one of the components of the program with the University of Belize is a model farm where we can prove all the different practices that are important inside a silvopastoral system. The component also has a training component to it that allows for practicing this practices on the training our farmers in all of these practices that we are evaluating at the field level. So again, the model firm serves as a school for our farmers, but at the same time we are providing them with the technical knowledge to training to the training component that will improve their knowledge and their skills in management of livestock.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

Still No Word from DPP On Rape Investigation

In mid-January, we reported on the criminal charges that one prominent Belize City attorney was likely to face in connection with a rape investigation. Well, six weeks later and those files are still with the Director of Public Prosecution. Charges are yet to be levied and there is no telling if the reports made by the two female victims will lead to an arrest. When reporters asked ComPol Williams for an update today, he said the D.P.P. has been busy.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The DPP is a very meticulous person. I must say she is an extremely good attorney and an exceptional advocate. She is the type who wants to make sure that when she draws bows there is sufficient and so I know that she has met with the investigators and gave them certain instructions to carry out and she is looking at the file very carefully. I know she was extremely occupied with the Oscar Selgado matter. That now awaits a decision from the trial judge. Just give her some time. I personally went through the file and it is complex. It is not a straight forward case. So she needs to make sure she has her ducks in row before making any decision where that matter is concerned.”

Cybercrime Investigation Files Against Joseph Budna Now with DPP

Following reports that Joseph Budna was wanted for questioning in connection with a cyber bullying investigation, Budna handed himself into police. He then took to social media to say that he is being targeted by police. But, the Commissioner of Police says that his officers are simply doing their due diligence and that the matter is now before the D.P.P.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The way how the cyber crime or cyber bullying works is that it is not something the police will just arrest you upon detention. It is a two step process. In the first instance the police will bring you in and they are going to question you, get a search warrant to obtain your electronic device and once the order is issued by the court then we go through the process of going through the electronic device and extract whatever needed to be extracted from there. That then goes to the DPP and the DPP advises the police how to proceed. We are at the stage now where the matter with Budna has been sent to the DPP for advice and once we get that advice back then we proceed against him based on the instructions given by the DPP.”

Training is Not the Issue, Application Is, Says ComPol Williams

And, if any one of the accused in those investigations is criminally charged then the matter goes before the courts. There is a concern, however, that accused criminals may be getting off too easily in court because some police officers are not doing their due diligence when cautioning alleged perpetrators upon making an arrest. It is one of the issues being raised in the ongoing Bladen twelve trial and it can lead to the dismissal of crucial evidence. Today, reporters asked ComPol Williams if officers are in need of more training in this area.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The truth is we do a number of trainings. In service training is done every week across the country and the trainers, because what we have done is that in each of the regions and formations we have established lead training officers and we also have RTOs which are regional training officers. What they do is to ensure that they look at weaknesses in their respective area of work and with the concurrence of the OC or the regional commander they would put together training to cover those areas of weaknesses to strengthen the police ability to be able to respond to the needs of the public in a more efficient manner. So I would not say that there is a issue in terms of training. Perhaps there is an issue in terms of police officers applying the training they are getting and that is an area we may need to look at to ensure the content of these trainings we are doing every week is translated into the performance of the police. And like you said when it comes to the whole issue of cautioning a person and the person saying certain things after having been cautioned, it is always good to reduce that to writing immediately, but in instance where it is not then it can be done as soon as possible after. I think the law speak to the issue of contemporaneous. It can be done as soon as possible after, the first opportune time that the officer can get to reduce in writing what is said then the officer can do so and in those circumstances then it should be admissible.”

ComPol Says Let’s Get Back to Respecting Authority

Two weeks ago, the Senate debated amendments to the Criminal Code and Summary Jurisdiction Acts that seek to increase jail time for individuals who interfere with the work of law enforcement officers. Lead Opposition Senator, Michael Peyrefitte raised concerns over the definitions of certain offenses outlined in the legislation, such as indecent words and behavior. The Commissioner of Police was asked for his thoughts on the legislative changes. Here is what he told us.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Maybe the opposition has some intend to assault a police officer or judges or persons who are executing their duties as to why they would have issues with the law. See, that is one of the issue we have in Belize, we tend to not want to respect authority. When a police officer is discharging his or her duties it is important that they be respected, likewise a judge sitting in a court hearing a matter, it is important. Again, when we look at how our society has degraded so much that the fabric of what we are as human beings is lost to some extent. The lack of respect comes from these things and there certainly is a need to restore the core function and purpose of what we are as human beings. I believe the law is indeed timely and needed. I don’t see how it is going to be misapplied. At the end of the day the police is not going to be the prosecutor, the judge and the juror. The police is just going to be the one to apply the law in terms of arresting persons who may break the law. It has to go before a court and a magistrate is going to be the one to determine if in fact the act accused is sufficient to amount to aggravated assault and then apply the punishment as stipulated in the law. For me it is a very good law and only persons who may have intent to assault public officers in the execution of duties will have problems with that law.”

MIDH Clears Up Concerns Regarding Haulover Bridge

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing is responding to concerns raised by motorists traversing the newly-built Haulover Bridge. Several persons who crossed the structure recently have taken to social media to raise concerns, as well as criticize the construction of the bridge, after observing what appeared to be potholes on the surface. This afternoon, Chief Engineer Evondale Moody called us out to that location to explain what is being done from an engineering standpoint and to allay concerns regarding the build.

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“So if I may start with just giving a basic background of how the bridge is constructed, so that everyone could know and the basic layperson and the local engineers could know exactly what‘s happening. So the bridge itself, the Haulover Bridge is basically approximately five hundred and twenty-eight meters in span and over that span we have approximately twelve piers and two abutments. Each pier and abutment basically have what we call girders on top of them. So just to further explain, if you have one pier, basically those piers would support the girder that we‘re putting on and each pier basically has seven girders on one side and seven on the other side that make a connection at that pier itself. Those girders are placed on what we call bearing pads. The girders cannot interlock because they are reinforced concrete and so we have to allow those girders to expand and contract. So from we reach that level of the bridge we have to leave what is called an expansion joint. And so, on top of the girders, we place what is called a pre-cast deck slab which is three inches thick and then we also place an additional eight inches of reinforced concrete on top of that deck slab to basically create the deck for the bridge itself. So the bridge itself basically has an eleven inch thick reinforced concrete deck slab which is the deck for the bridge. What you are seeing here on top of the bridge is the hot mix asphalt which is basically just a wearing course for the movement of traffic to even move smoother across the bridge. It carries no load, it bears no load and so it‘s just what we call a wearing course.”