Corozal Candidates Say Cost of Living Is Main Concern

Today, we’re excited to bring you part two of our series of conversations with the political candidates running in the upcoming general election. On Tuesday, we introduced you to the candidates from both the reigning People’s United Party and the Opposition United Democratic Party in the Corozal Southwest and Corozal Southeast divisions. The U.D.P. candidates highlighted that their constituents are most concerned about the cost of living, while the P.U.P. candidates emphasized the need for more or better infrastructure. In this report, we turn our focus on the candidates from the Corozal North and Corozal Bay areas. Here’s News Five’s Marion Ali with the details.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

With just twenty-nine days left until the March twelfth general election, candidates are in a race against time to campaign and convince voters that they are the best choice to represent their constituencies. For some, like Hugo Patt and the UDP in Corozal North, this is a familiar territory. Patt, who has successfully navigated this path before, shared that the main concern among his constituents is the rising cost of living, echoing the sentiments of his UDP colleagues we spoke with on Tuesday.

 

Hugo Patt, U.D.P. Candidate, Corozal North

“Go around and speak to the families, and I’m not saying families in the middle class or the high end. I’m talking as well about the families who are socially marginalized. It is a challenge for every mom, for every dad. The worst hit if you’re a single mother, to try and have ends meet. Food, for example, is so exorbitant. And you’re not going to blame the world outside and the events that are happening outside to say, “Look, inflation in this country is as a consequence of what’s happening in the world.” Fine, part of it is true. What the other part of the formula is that this country has a lot of taxes. I would always say if you as a government are charging forty-one cents for every dollar at the pump, imagine what that is causing to the end consumer.”

 

While Patt highlights the rising prices of goods and services as the main concern, his rival, David Castillo, says he’s been hearing more calls for land distribution from the community.

 

David Castillo, P.U.P. Candidate, Corozal North

“There’s a lot of land issues a lot of land issues in Corozal North, not only here in Xaibe but the constituency. So for the past couple of years we have been addressing these matters and resolving land issues, so that is one of the major concerns. Secondly, is infrastructure. There, there is the aspect of the infrastructure.”

 

Marion Ali

“So they’re asking for sports infrastructure?”

 

David Castillo

“Yes, they want to see these things, but we, on our side, like I mentioned, we have been working voluntarily. We are doing that. We are the ones promoting sports. We are the ones doing social programs.”

 

Over in Corozal Bay, Hernan Riverol has thrown his hat into the ring. He ran as an independent candidate in the last elections, but now he’s echoing the same concerns as his fellow UDP candidates: the rising cost of living. Riverol mentioned that residents in his division feel their concerns have been overlooked and are eager for change.

 

Hernan Riverol, U.D.P. Candidate, Corozal Bay

“One of the main issues is the high cost of living, the roads. The people have been abandoned in Corozal. We had the central government. When they elected the government in Belize, in Corozal, we had the municipal elections that was run by the PUP. They had the, the Town Council. Then they said that they cannot work too good because they did not have the support from the central government. So when the central government won, they still did not do anything. They’re still not working in the Corozal Bay.”

 

This is Thea Garcia-Ramirez’s first shot at a national election. She’s stepping in for the incumbent, Elvia Vega-Samos, who won the seat just months after her brother, David “Dido” Vega, sadly passed away from COVID in 2020. Thea mentioned that the residents of Corozal Bay are calling for more land distribution and cleaner open spaces.

 

Thea Garcia-Ramirez, P.U.P Standard Bearer, Corozal Bay

“The concerns here in Corozal – streets and roads. There’s a concern about garbage and garbage collection. Corozal is a very proud town and Corozal Bay is a proud constituency. And we have had some problems with garbage collection. The town itself is facing a lot of problems with streets and of course, concerns about cost of living, which I believe is, is national, noh. Everybody would say that that’s a big concern. So those are the three big ones. Corozal Bay is a very young constituency, so we have a lot of people between that age range, 18 to like 35, so, young people want access to good paying jobs. They want access to start their homes, financing for homes, they want access to land ownerships.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.