Nigel Petillo, “Unu Lef My Ma Lone”

One day ahead of a demonstration organized by community activist Nigel Petillo, a campaign has been launched to smear his name. News Five has obtained land transaction documents leaked from within the Ministry of Natural Resources that led us to seek an interview with him for clarification. The documents reveal that Naomi Petillo, the mother of Nigel Petillo, recently sold point six acres of land on Forest Drive to Ceiba Grove L.L.P. for four hundred thousand dollars. One document reveals that the land was initially purchased for just over seventy-eight thousand dollars, while another shows that Miss Petillo acquired the land title in 2022. The argument is that while Petillo is making an issue over the government’s seven-million-dollar purchase, point six acres was sold for four hundred thousand dollars in Belmopan. Now clearly, this is a private transaction between two private entities. Furthermore, when we spoke with Petillo, he told us that they had been living on the property for almost four decades. He urged those behind the smear campaign to leave his mother alone.

 

Nigel Petillo, Community Activist

“The other day my ma gone dah Quality Poultry and she buy some chicken, beef, cheese and I nuh know how deh never gone study that transaction. Honestly to tell you the truth, I cant speak on my mother’s transaction. My name is no way on that transaction. I know we have lived on that land for at least forty years. My mom had a restaurant built on that land. She has a bar built on that land as well. She had a huge house at the back built. She even had some apartments on that land. She had some serious investments on that land. I know she and my dad developed that land for some time. After they divorced my mom went ahead and continued developing the place, but I don’t know how much she bought that for, how much she bought that for. I don’t know why we the discuss my mom affairs. What does Naomi Petillo transaction has to do with anything. Why we the talk about that? I want know, if my mom could sue someone for this. I don’t think it is fair, a sixty-five-year-old citizen going through an issue like this. Unu wah give my mom heart attack. She wah feel like she did something wrong. By the way, this dah nuh government, tax payers transaction any at all. This has nothing to do with government money or nobody else money. Are we going to talk about everybody else transaction now? Should we start digging up all those individuals around here who own five thousand acres up north, who own so much in San Pedro and Placencia. Should we start digging up all those transactions? Bway, unu lef mih mah lone.”

 

Paul Lopez

“I think what is being questioned is the land value in Belmopan, the fact point six acres can be sold for more four hundred thousand dollars. Yet, you take issue…”

 

Nigel Petillo

“This is point six acres of developed land. I just list the amount of buildings on that land. She has been paying tax for that land for umpteen amount of years. We grow up on that land. We start off on a bus. When we get it we plant cassava, plantain, pineapple, we get an old bus from Mr. Shaw and we live in that bus for years and then mih mah build a lee cohune roof with stick, bush. And later ih gone dah bank again and ih put an apartment. The apartment help her build another piece. And, poor Naomi Petillo is being prosecuted? What kind of government we have that would come down on poor people like this now. This is not fair because we the speak out, because Naomi son the speak out. Bway unu leff mih mah lone you know.”