On Friday, the Belize Police Association defended the late Police Constable Santiago Ciau Junior. As we have been reporting, Ciau Junior, who retired in March 2023 due to avascular necrosis from a workplace injury, struggled to secure invalidity benefits and faced repeated denials by the Social Security Board. The S.S.B. stated that Ciau received the maximum entitlement of two hundred and thirty-four days of sickness benefits from April to December 2021, during which he also received his full salary. After exhausting these benefits, he was denied further payments from February 2022 to April 2023 for exceeding the limit. According to the association, Ciau, who served for over seventeen years, was entitled to those benefits. The association called for an end to “further cowardly attacks,” against Ciau. During the House Sitting on Friday, Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow spoke on this matter on the adjournment.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“Santi contributed monies towards social security for over seventeen years, madam speaker, without having a choice. His money is contributed towards the 87 million that the SSB boasts about having. I concur that we always hear that the SSB needs to spend the money. They have a $100 million problem that they need to get rid of the money. So you would presume that logic and compassion would guide their actions in making sure that all Belizeans that are paying towards their social security retirement funds and benefits would get that when they’re most in need. PC Santi’s money surely contributed towards the millions that have been given out as unsecured loans at social security and remain unrecovered and unpaid. Right now we’re getting ready to pay $30 million for sunshine debt. So rather than deflect, the SSB should embrace and work towards earning the trust of the insurers. They are obligated to assist, Madam Speaker. It is the insurer’s money. As I always say, not the government’s money, not SSB’s money, Madam Speaker. Rather than casting blame, SSB should accept its shortcomings and move to eliminate its antiquated protocols from yesteryears and strive to become a more efficient organisation that will benefit the people that are paying their contributory funds”
This morning, a police mobile unit was involved in an accident on the Phillip Goldson Highway. According to A.C.P. Hilberto Romero, the driver lost control of the vehicle. Romero says the officer sustained minor injuries and is currently receiving treatment at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.
“This morning the police mobile attached to Mahogany Heights was involved in an accident. The driver reported that he was driving between miles twenty-four and twenty-five on the Phillip Goldstone Highway when he lost control of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to flip. The officer was taken to the KHMH for treatment. He is presently there. An investigation is being carried out. Minor injuries he received. The damage is to the front portion, the top of the vehicle.”
Twenty-six-year-old Kadrian Travis Wade, a farmer from Lucky Strike Village, has been charged with the murder of forty-six-year-old Glenford Davis. Davis, a farmer from Rockstone Pond Village, was reported missing in mid-March, 2024, after being last seen in late December 2023. Police discovered his skeletal remains two days after he was missing, about seventy-five yards off a feeder road in the Rockstone Pond area, along with a pair of rubber boots, a bush hat, and a backpack.
Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday. I am Paul Lopez. We begin tonight’s coverage with a look at the Inter-Office Basketball League’s semi-finals that took place on Friday night inside the Belize City Civic Center. The first match saw team Police face off against Belize Port Authority in their best-of-three series. Team Police is in the black and whole jersey. Airport Authority is wearing black and red.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Gilbert Belisle on the inside with the first points for team Police. Airport Authority’s Shakeem Valerio at the free throw line after being fouled during a shot attempt. He banked the first free throw and missed the second. Six minutes in, Police has four points and Airport Authority has one point. Ball to Linton Broaster at the three-point line and those shot counts. Broaster again, this time with the quick release, puts up a second three-point shot. The ball found Broaster once more in the first quarter and he did not disappoint, with a buzzer beater three-point shot to end the first quarter with eighteen points for team police. Airport Authority finished the first quarter with three points. Team Police secured an additional fourteen points in the second quarter, primarily led by Sheldon Williams, while Airport Authority added twelve points to their score. So, the score was thirty-two to fifteen at the end of the first half. Airport Authority really struggled to find their shots in this game. They only scored three three-point shots in this one, compared to seven overall three-point shots made by team Police. In the end, it was a dominant game for team Police. They finished with sixty-seven points to their opponent’s forty-eight points.
The second game of the night saw Tuff E Nuff take on the Belize City Council. Tuff E Nuff was in the black while the Belize City Council wore their blue jerseys. Jamal Kelly find Orland Ferguson open. He goes baseline and puts up the first two points for Tuff E Nuff. Jamal Kelly from the three-point line with a big three, taking his team to nine points and forcing their opponents to call a timeout. The game is at nine points to zero, in third minute.
City Council’s captain, Auburn Rivero finally able to put his team on the score board. Shortly after, Keon Rowland deflated their momentum with this three-point shot off the throw-in. Tuff E Nuff Captain Douglas Valley inflicting further punishment with this made three-point shot. The game is now at sixteen points to two. Earl “Bolo” Johnson finally getting something up for the Belize City Council to give his team four points. The first quarter ended with twenty-nine points for Tuff E Nuff and eleven for the Belize City Council. And, despite their best efforts, the Belize City Council wasn’t able to tighten the gap. Players like Ferguson, Valley and Tyrell Griffith proved too much for the Belize City Council. Leading scorers for that team were Johnson, Kevin Hamilton and Cordell Gonzalez. Ultimately, Tuff E Nuff won game one with eighty points to the Council’s fifty-five points. That’s a twenty-five-point win.
Belize’s Under-Twenty-One Male National Volleyball Team returned from Panama over the weekend with a bronze medal after competing in the Central American Under-Twenty-One Male Volleyball Championship. It is the first medal for the under-twenty-one national team in a regional tournament. Belize also walked away from several individual awards. Eliazar Mejia took the Best Hitter Award. Ingram Kaelen brought home the Best Opposite and the Top Scorer Awards. We say congratulations to the men’s national volleyball team for their stellar performance.
And now back to some basketball action. The Williams Dawson Sprite Basketball Tournament is now heading to the finals after its semi-final’s knockout matches on Sunday at the Yabra Greens basketball court. In the first match of the day, the defending champions Hard Rock Boys faced off against Hattieville Underdogs, with their eyes set on a three-peat. Early points for Hattieville from Devon Defour Zahir Harris putting up an additional two points for Hattieville.Gregory Buckley, Hattieville’s big man, gets it in. Looking for an opportunity to break Hattieville’s momentum, Earl “Bolo” Johnson gets a bucket. Herman Ramos under the rim, caught the defense sleeping, gets the easy layup.Jason Vasquez with the beautiful put back for the defending champions. On the other hand, Brand Rogers responded with a three-point shot over Johnson. The first quarter ended at eleven points apiece. But the Hard Rock Boys broke away in the second quarter, scoring seven points more than their opponents.
They finished the first half with twenty-four points to their opponent’s seventeen. Fatigue began setting in the second half. It ended up being a low-scoring half. Hard Rock Boys put up a total of thirteen additional points. Their opponents scored twelve points in the second half. In the end, Hard Rock Boys won the game with thirty-seven points to Hattieville Underdog’s twenty-nine points. The defending champions have secured another trip to the finals to play for all the marbles. Their opponents in the final match will be the Orange Court Generals led by Jayron Baptist and Francis Arana. They defeated Dan 1 with a final score of forty-three to thirty-four points.
Well folks, that is all we have for you in this coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.
A tropical storm watch has been declared for the Belize, Corozal, and Orange Walk districts. As of three o’clock this afternoon, Potential Tropical Cyclone 15 is heading directly to central Belize. With maximum winds of thirty-five miles per hour, the system may strengthen into a tropical storm with winds up to fifty miles per hour before it makes landfall on Saturday. The biggest concern is the expected downpour—up to eight inches of rain could hit northern and central Belize, bringing a high risk of flooding. Strong gusts will whip up rough seas, so mariners are urged to seek safe harbour immediately. Coastal flooding is also possible in areas north of the storm’s path. Residents from Dangriga to Belize City are advised to stay on high alert, as the storm watch could be extended southward. According to Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon, this system has become more organised, with a seventy percent chance of developing into a tropical depression or storm.
Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist, NMS
“We have been closely monitoring the potential for development over the Southwestern Caribbean Sea from the early parts of this week. And throughout to this morning, the system has become better organised and currently has a high chance of becoming a tropical depression or a tropical storm before reaching Belize or the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico tomorrow morning. Currently, the chances are 70 percent of it becoming a tropical storm or depression. Regardless of whether the system becomes a tropical storm or depression, The main threat from the system for the country of Belize is going to be heavy rainfall, and that activity has already started, which we are seeing older bands of showers and thunderstorms moving across the country from the system. Those are expected to continue throughout the evening and tonight and intensify into tomorrow morning. Rainfall estimates at the moment are for about 4 to 8 inches, the higher end, and based on the current trajectory, the highest and most of the rainfall will be in the extreme north of the country.”
NEMO is urging everyone, especially those in flood-prone areas, to have emergency plans and supplies ready. The organization has put district offices on alert and is coordinating with vulnerable communities to prepare for the potential flooding. As of now, schools and airstrips will remain operating as normal. They remind everyone that it’s still in the peak of hurricane season, so it’s crucial to stay informed by following official alerts only. We spoke to NEMO’s National Emergency Coordinator, Daniel Mendez, on this.
Daniel Mendez
Daniel Mendez, National Emergency Coordinator, NEMO
“The EOC’s in all our districts are planning meetings with their members in preparation for for the potential flood and wind risk. So we have also been reaching out to all the vulnerable communities in the north. This has actually begun. We have been speaking to the communities and the leadership of the communities, informing them of the potential rain and wind. We have started to work with them to ensure that these preparations are in place. So all of our districts are actually meeting now between now and 3 PM. At the national level, we will be conducting a planning meeting with all of the national liaison officers here at the NEMO headquarters in preparation for any activation of all the preparation. We have stops in place in all the district offices, and our personnel will be on standby over the weekend. I really want to stress to the public that if you are in one of these vulnerable locations, if you are in a village that is at risk for flooding, please keep on monitoring and please be prepared to have to implement your action plan. If this should occur. We also are recommending to all residents that we need to start looking at clearing of drains and doing everything we can to minimise any potential flooding to your property.”
We’ll be tracking the weather of the weekend, and you can find updates on our channel5belize.com website and social media pages. NEMO’s hotline is 936
The internal power struggle within the United Democratic Party (U.D.P.) has reached a boiling point, with the Alliance for Democracy, led by Albert Area Representative Tracy Taegar-Panton, taking centre stage this weekend. For months, Taegar-Panton and her supporters have been organising what they describe as a Special Unity Convention. That convention is set for this Sunday and is to name Taegar-Panton as the U.D.P. interim leader. And as the U.D.P.’s internal war continues to play out publicly, it’s clear that Taegar-Panton is not backing down. The Alliance claims they have the support of seventeen constituencies. Taegar-Panton says that despite efforts to discredit the Alliance, they are pushing full steam ahead. But, in a hypothetical future, let’s say that the Alliance gets the number of delegates. Let’s say that Taegar-Panton is voted as the so-called interim leader. What happens next? They don’t have the keys to the U.D.P. headquarters. Will they storm the building? The official party’s position is that Panton and her crew are no longer members of the U.D.P. The unity convention does not have the blessing of the U.D.P.’s executive, and as such, the U.D.P. won’t recognise it. So, will that convention be a waste of time and resources? We asked Taegar-Panton.
Tracy Taegar-Panton
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert
“We have not been removed as members of the United Democratic Party because you cannot unilaterally or arbitrarily remove anybody from the party. There’s a process that is outlining the Constitution that tells you how members are removed. That process has not been followed. You can’t declare us to be not UDP. The Constitution also says very clearly that twenty-five percent, or one quarter of the delegates of the National Convention at any time can convene our national convention by petition. We have superseded that threshold. That threshold is one hundred and thirty-two delegates; two hundred and thirty-two delegates signed that petition. I want to assure the Belizean people that everything that we’re doing on Sunday is following the letter off the Constitution because we can’t say that we’re taking action because the democracy of the party is being eroded and then act ultra virus to that. We are following the Constitution, and the Constitution of the party allows for inclusion. It allows for voices of dissent. It allows for a participatory approach to making decisions within this party. And all of that has been thrown out, disregarded, dismissed. And when you don’t agree with the current Leader of the Opposition, he silences you. He removes you, as he has done today, from the House committees. He removes you from the internal committees of the party. He removes you from the chat groups. That, my friends, is not democracy. It is not what democracy looks like. It is a dictatorship. I’m very confident that we will supersede the threshold. It’s a simple majority, fifty percent plus one, that would be two hundred and sixty-five delegates, and I can tell you, as of today, we have a delegate count of over three hundred. We’re not throwing anybody out because we don’t have the mandate to do that. We will get the mandate on Sunday from the highest decision makers of this party, which are our delegates. And when we are given that mandate, we are going to follow the mandate.”
If the Alliance for Democracy succeeds in naming Tracy Taegar-Panton as “interim leader” and her supporters attempt to storm the United Democratic Party (U.D.P.) headquarters, U.D.P. Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow says the police will be called in to maintain order. Barrow says that Alliance’s event is not recognised by the U.D.P. He stressed that the party already has an elected leader and executive in place, none of whom support the upcoming convention. Barrow denied any claims of intimidation toward delegates.
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader, U.D.P.
“We have tried to refrain from legal action, but it is not a UDP anything. So, these people are an entity unto themselves, and while they are expelled members, former members of the party, or whatever they are doing. has absolutely nothing to do with the UDP proper, so it is not an accurate factual description to refer to these people as the UDP. So, whatever the People’s United Party does or the PNP does, or the Progressive Party or the Alliance Party, is of little concern to me. to the United Democratic Party.”
Paul Lopez
“Why didn’t you file an injunction to stop this convention? You are the executive of the UDP.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“Well, legal advice and political advice – the only injunction that we could have filed was for them not to use the name. But there is no concern of a threat of a viable threat. You can’t stop people from gathering. So the only thing we could stop them from using is the name. And that option remains on the table going forward to stop them from, you know, using the name.”
Reporter
“What makes a convention though, is the presence of delegates. Do you suspect that there will be a number of UDP delegates present there?”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
“We have to be rooted in reality. s upset as Belizeans may become, if we all decide 100, 000 Belizeans decide to vote and vote, it doesn’t matter unless the elections are actually called. You know, we can’t have a citizens elections. Um, even in the instance where, um, Boots Martinez submitted a recall petition. to the governor general that was rejected. Um, he could have a recall election if he wants, but it would have no legal impact. So at the end of the day, the rules are the rules. Constitution of the United Democratic Party is the Constitution of the United Democratic Party. And people don’t exist in an organization in an orbit unto themselves. You have to conform to the rules and the constitution of that organization. And when you act outside of that, then you become another organization and we wish you well.”
Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow has replaced Tracy Panton and Patrick Faber on all House committees, following a motion passed today in the House of Representatives. The thirteen committees play a crucial role in reviewing and amending legislation. Barrow nominated himself, Hugo Patt, and Denise “Sista B” Barrow to fill all thirteen committee positions. This is another chapter in the ongoing rift within the United Democratic Party (U.D.P.), with tensions spilling over into the House of Representatives. Today’s debate on the changes was heated, which only added to the party’s internal drama.
Patrick Faber, Area Representative, Collet
“I would have to say whoever is responsible, that it is an asinine decision. So I make the appeal to him and I make the appeal to all right thinking supporters of him, I don’t know if many of that exist. I see my colleague from Corozal north has gone, disappeared, can’t face the music of what his leader is doing in here, shameful. We have to stand up for what is right. We have to. So I make the appeal to him to do what is right for the Belizean people. If you have any iota of respect for what we do for the Belizean people and this process we call democracy, what he has done in the UDP is enough, but now he brings it to this honorable house.”
Moses “Shyne” Barrow
Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
“For the record, for the last four years, the members from Collet and Albert hasrarely ever attended any of the House committee meetings. The record would reflect that their attendance at the house committee meetings has been very poor. The member for Collet lives abroad. He spends most of his time in the United States getting this illusive PHD that he has been getting ever since he resigned in disgrace. He talks about petty and vindictive; he is the reason I am sitting here. I am a first term junior. You sir, if you were so brilliant, you were such a stateman and so great you would be sitting here. You had your opportunity, and it has flown away because of your behavior.”
Tracy Taegar-Panton, the Area Representative for the Albert Division, also shared her thoughts following today’s debate. Panton was recently removed as chair of the Joint Public Accounts Committee, a body formed in 2021 to oversee public spending. The committee includes members from both the upper and lower houses. Panton describes the removal as an attack on democracy.
Tracy Taegar-Panton, Area Representative, Albert
“It is an attack on democracy. It is a travesty and a black eye delivered by one man. I said in my presentation that we are elected to sit in the house to be a voice for the voiceless and when you remove a part of the socioeconomic framework that includes coming up with laws and making decision in the interest of the Belizean people, you know what happens in effect, you silence the Belizean people who don’t have a voice. There is no place for a dictatorship in a democracy and what we witnessed moments ago is a clear indication of dictatorship if we allow this to prevail. The records are here at the national assembly and I urge you to ask for it. I have had fourteen meetings of JPAC, more than any administration has ever held on both sides of the political divide. We have had three public hearings and I have had to be present at all meetings. I don’t take my role as a representative frivolously. As I said the records are here at the National Assembly. The only time I have had to absence myself is when I was incapacitated because I had to take a surgery.”
