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Something Stinks at Pound Yard Market

On Tuesday, vendors from the Pound Yard Market reached out to News Five to bring attention to the unsanitary conditions they have been working in for the past week. According to the vendors, the trash bins located at the back of the market have been overflowing, causing a foul smell to disturb the nearby vendors. They also complain that due to the recent rain, the trash bins have been leaking in the surrounding areas. Today, News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the market to hear from the vendors affected by this situation.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

The Pound Yard Market Stinks and no one is happy about it. Vendors and customers cannot bear the stench of trash and polluted water from overflowing trash bins placed directly near stalls. Vegetable Vendor, Armando Solis, who has a stall near the bins, tells us that he has tried every avenue to get the issue resolved for the past few days.

Armando Solis, Produce Vendor

“We already called the human department and I believe actually I cannot tell ypu who come to see it and the only answer that they give us that they was going to speak with the administration and the following day city council come and they said the same thing that they’re going to speak with the administration that happened last week and no nothing is happening we have been I have been spoken with the with one of the administrator that is supposed to be doing something for us about the garbage. And he said that they are working on it, but up to now we don’t see they are working on the garbage. And it’s an issue because we have a kitchen on the side. We have a vegetables vendor right there. And all the customers that are passing, they’re saying we have a, that’s not correct.”

The garbage is picked up once a week, on Wednesdays. By Monday morning the foul odor is unbearable, and the bins are swarming with houseflies. It is an unwelcoming environment where no one wants to purchase food. Ana Portillo, a food vendor for over ten years, says the market administration told her that she can relocate, but she does not want to uproot her business.

Ana Portillo, Food Vendor

“He say I have the option to move from here to that place, but this is my place for a long time, so I don’t want to move from here.”

Britney Gordon

“Your customers know that you are here, and so you feel that if you move, that might affect business too?”

Ana Portillo

“It could be.”

Previously, the bins were located further behind the market, but they have since been moved because of apartments being built nearby.

Armando Solis

“They just moved it front because I believe they’re doing some apartment da back. And they say that for the apartments, it’s not good, but it’s good for us.”

Britney Gordon

“That sells food.”

Armando Solis

“Yeah, that is good for us to have it there. And the apartments not even finish it. So the new customer have not reached there yet. We have been here for a couple of years and they don’t put that in value.”

To the vendors, the situation is dire, with no clear end in sight. According to the Pound Yard administration, it is a temporary situation. About a decade ago, similar complaints were raised at the nearby Michael Finnegan Market, but a garbage facility has since been built at the back of the market. Kelvin Aguilar, a manager at the Pound Yard Market, explained that the team is working to implement that very same solution.

On the Phone: Kelvin Aguilar, Manager, Pound Yard Market

“What happened is that we needed a location to put the garbage bin so that we can build the permanent foundation for the bin. What what we are doing now is that we are building some apartments on the right side of the property and we wanted to build a fence with a gate to facilitate the Belize Waste Control to come and pick up the bin, no? And due to the fact that this has always been Issue for us, we want to address it in the best for the best way possible. So we have also signed documents to get a bigger been, which is seven feet longer than the existing been that we have. And because the bin is bigger, we need a bigger foundation, the one that we are going to get we are going to put walls around it with a proper drainage system on the foundation, and we will have hours. In place for the entire market to come and throw away their to get disposed of their garbage.”

According to Aguilar, there was no where else to place the bins while the structure is being built, as Belize Waste Control needs enough space to pick up the trash. As a temporary fix, the market is purchasing a bigger trash bin and a shed.

On the Phone: Kelvin Aguilar

“We have put gravel and I have instructed the guys to also put lime. The white lime. This soaks up the little drainage that is caused due to the rain and the garbage and everything, which we believe that putting a shed is going to help alleviate that. What happened is that the vendors are getting rid of, of vegetables that haven’t sold and, all the waste and so when it rains, this causes the flies and all that kind of stuff. It causes a smell and everything. So we believe that by putting the shed and everything in place, it’s going to help.”

While the vendors wait for the problems to be resolved, the administration asks that they all throw their trash inside the bin, instead of the surrounding area, to minimize leakage.

On The Phone: Kelvin Aguilar

“We have to all work together to try and help this. It’s just a temporary situation, so I expect that by this next week, it should be solved.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

The Cost of Deforestation at the Supermarket

As we go about our day-to-day activities, not much thought is given on the impact of deforestation on scarcity and high costs of fresh produce at the supermarket. But certainly, we all feel the pinch when we visit the grocery store to purchase farm fresh products these days. Well, the experts lay the blame, in part, on climate change. When lush, virgin, forest is cleared for agricultural purposes the carbon they store is released as carbon dioxide that contributes to climate change. We have all seen the effects of climate change, from long periods of drought to unprecedented rainfalls. Now clearly, a small country like Belize is not making any significant contributions to global emissions, but experts would agree that deforestation is not doing any good. So, what value does the forest contribute to the agricultural sector? News Five’s Paul Lopez tell us more in tonight’s installment of Belize on Reel.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Data from the University of Maryland’s Global Land Analysis and Discovery show that Belize lost one thousand, one hundred and seventy square miles of forest cover between 2001 and 2023. That is six hundred and forty thousand acres of virgin forest.

Clifford Martinez, Climate Change Coordinator, Ministry of Agriculture

“Studies have shown, and indications have shown that the damaging sector has been with activities related to land clearing for agricultural production. So it is land use change for agricultural produce.”

Clifford Martinez is the Climate Change Coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture. Research shows that when trees are cut down, the carbon they store is released into the atmosphere. These large land clearings are often undertaken for agricultural purposes. The agro-productive sector contributes just under twenty percent of the nation’s GDP.

Clifford Martinez

“And also where the sector itself represents a large portion of foreign investment earnings. As well as the population of individuals involved in the sector who benefit directly or indirectly and more importantly the percentage of the working force, the labor force, in and around thirty percent of the labor force are from the agriculture sector.”

Ironically, the effects of climate change, including unpredictable weather patterns and increasingly severe weather events, threaten the economic livelihood of persons working in the agricultural sector. Ever Blandon is a vegetable farmer and the secretary of the Valley of Peace Lagoon Farmers’ Cooperative, a group of rural small farmers.

Ever Blandon, Secretary, Valley of Peace Lagoon Farmers’ Cooperative

“With climate change it is very difficult to know when it will come, when you will have it. For example, two days ago in the night we had as much water that we get in a whole month, so that will put you in some kind issue with the vegetable. Cabbage, it cannot be more than two hours under water, and it gets spoiled.”

That then leads to a trickledown effect at the market and in grocery stores.

Ever Blandon

“That eventually will be a lose to the farmer and the market. Last year there was flooding and the cabbage was ready to harvest and some farmers cut it under water. And when they took it to the market it was spoiled. So, it is something that is a lose on all points. For the farmer and the consumer. Eventually you will have a high price on the market.”

Clifford Martinez

“We are in the north so the more common one is the drought that has affected us for the past three years, the sugar industry. We are still recovering from citrus greening in the south.”

Connecting the dots from deforestation to the high cost of fresh produce at the supermarket may not be as challenging when the effects of climate change are considered. So, what can be done to reduce these negative impacts from a policy standpoint? We asked the Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet.

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“I think one is land degradation. It is absolutely important for the agriculture ministry and the department and us in the sustainable ministry to do agriculture in a sustainable way. Gone are the days when we just got bulldozers to clear down land to do agriculture. Also, looking at the land use policy which is now under way. Now looking at that land use policy, which land is appropriate for agriculture, which land is appropriate for land development in terms of urbanization. We see right now areas where especially in the south, going down the Hummingbird, when I was younger I use to go down very slow, because you want to see the beautiful scenery and two because their road was curvy, so you have to be careful. But we saw agriculture happening in the valley, but now we see agriculture happening on the mountain side.”

The future of Belize’s agricultural sector is at stake. But, sixteen-year-old rural farmer Jahzir Sanchez remains optimistic. This week, he participated in a climate change and agriculture forum organized by the Climate Change Office within the Ministry of Sustainable Development.

Jahzir Sanchez, Youth Farmer

“Me as a farmer, my grandfather before he died, he left us land right there. The forest we leave it like that. We don’t touch the forest. The forest is for sticks. We use it when we need to build corrals for the cows. We leave that, if necessary, we cut down. If not, it is necessary we don’t cut down. We have enough land to plant. We have the backyard. We have the field in front of the house. All these lands can be used, not only for football.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

S.I.B. Releases Consumer Confidence Index

How confident are Belizean consumers in the general economic conditions of the country? It’s a question that the Statistical Institute of Belize sought to answer by collecting information that measures consumers’ sentiments regarding their household’s own economic situation, making major household spending, as well as general economic conditions. The consumer confidence index stood at forty-five-point four percent in July 2024. The index is comprised of three components, including perceptions about how present macroeconomic conditions and the household’s financial situation compare to twelve months prior. It also looks at expectations about economic conditions, as well as the household’s financial situation over the coming twelve months. Thirdly, it looks at whether the present is a good time for making major purchases of durable goods such as homes, cars, furniture, and appliances. Elsewhere, the S.I.B. also indicated that consumer prices are up three-point-eight percent in July 2024, impacting food, restaurant services, home rental costs and liquefied petroleum gas. Increases were observed in nearly all major categories of goods and services, except for information and communications. Meanwhile, the External Trade Bulletin indicates that imports were up four-point-six percent, while domestic exports were up one hundred and twelve percent in July 2024.

Taskforce Established to Address Deforestation in Manatee Forest Reserve

At the start of August, News Five did an extensive report on increasing deforestation along the Maya Forest Corridor, as well as the Manatee Reserve. The Government of Belize has formed a temporary taskforce to investigate the matter. The reserve runs parallel to the Coastal Plain Highway. We found out that a substantial amount of forest lands is being cleared primarily for agricultural purposes. We also learned that these land clearings are posing a significant threat to wildlife that traverse the area. A G.O.B. release says that the temporary taskforce includes government stakeholders and at least seven NGOs. The taskforce is charged with reviewing legislation and regulations concerning Belize’s forest reserves considering global conservation standards, best practices and sustainability. The release notes that the taskforce will make recommendations on amendments to legislation and regulations, boundaries for existing forest reserves, among other things. The most urgent issues that the taskforce will address are illegal squatting, farming, animal rearing and logging within forest reserves, specifically the Manatee Forest Reserve. The release also says that these illegal and unauthorized activities have caused soil degradation and deforestation that contributed to recent floods affecting the Coastal Plain Highway in the Belize and Stann Creek districts.

An Online Platform for Education on Belize’s Legacy

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology has launched an online platform that brings Belize’s ever-evolving history at your fingertips. Access 501 features fifteen categories of Belize’s rich heritage, ranging from reading material to technology, music, cultural videos and the environment. It is described as a revolutionary tool for everything Belize, inside and outside the classroom. A launch ceremony was held in Belize City. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology launched its Access 501 online platform today. Carlos Quiroz is the coordinator at 501 Academy and the visionary behind the new platform.

Carlos Quiroz, Coordinator, 501 Academy

“A young Froyla Tzalam around 2010 wrote a book, the people who carved Jade and their descendants. Now we can say, we are children of the people that carved Jade and wrote book. Never underestimate words. In August of 1969, a young Evan X published a string of words titled the Rockville Generation. Fifty-five years later and hundreds of thousands of words later, that is as hard as Jade in our social imagination, formed under intense heat and pressure, pressure, pressure, pressure. Then there is Leroy the Grand Master Young constantly translating for us the realities of our 501 as he sees it playing out. Access 501 is them, the people I just listed and many more. It is them; they are us. It is a project to harness energy, 501 energy. It is an attempt to provide access to every Belizean to the raw material for our imagination.”

The online multimedia platform provides a wealth of resources that delves into information about Belize’s past and present in fifteen categories. These categories range from technology to the environment, music, cultural videos and more. Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Education, Dian Maheia, spoke to the importance of the platform to education in Belize.

Dian Maheia, C.E.O., Ministry of Education

“Access 501 is a tool. It is a tool. The same way your pen is a tool, your keyboard is a tool, or a hammer is a tool. A tool is latent action. It does nothing unless you do something with it. It is a potential for learning, and it is a potential for lessons. The hope is that once this goes live and you all leave here, you will recognize this for the tool that it is and you will be willing to use this tool, because you don’t need a special skillset for it. With Access 501 anybody can use this. It is also an answer. It answers the questions of teachers who don’t know where to find material. It answers the questions of teacher, educators, students, parents, of people who say I don’t even know where to look. I don’t have books. Where can I find this. How can I find this.”

Minister of Education, Francis Fonesca was also present at today’s launch. He announced the creation of a People’s Digital Archives, led by the establishment of this Access 501 platform.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“This project isn’t just about honoring our past. It is about shaping our future. Today we are thrilled to announce that Access 501 will spearhead the creation of the People’s Digital Archives. This initiative will open a door for our citizens to share their personal stories, contribute ideas to our national builders’ section and engage in the rich tapestry of what it means to be and become Belizean. This isn’t merely an archive. It is a living, breathing, collection of our collective journey and aspirations. Access 501 is a vaccine to fight fire, hurricane, but also to fight growing disconnect. If we don’t internalize this, others will take its value.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Mother’s Battle Inspires Daughter to Become Cancer Advocate

A Belize City woman is hosting a musical event this weekend at the Bird’s Isle to raise funds for cancer patients. Letesha Tate recently found out that her mother has been diagnosed with breast cancer. This has motivated her to organize an event for Saturday night called Punta Rama that will feature a host of Punta rock bands and a line up of DJs. Tickets are going for twenty dollars. Tate says the funds will go to her mother’s medical bills, as well as other cancer patients in need at the K.H.M.H. We spoke with her about the upcoming event.

Letesha Tate, Organizer, Puntarama Night

“I am trying to do this for cancer patients because my aunt died of the same breast cancer that my mom has. So I am trying to be an advocate for cancer patients. I am trying to make this a yearly thing. Many people don’t have the finance to have treatment and go to radiation and it is a mental and physical going with cancer, because you know when you are fighting cancer your mobility is lost and financial burden is one of, part of it. So, I am just trying to do it yearly to lessen the financial burden on other cancer patients also. With this event just know it will be a night to remember. We are having Ugundani Band which is a band everyone knows. She used to, well me and my mom use to partake in Ugundani, dancing, partaking in events in Mexico with NICH also. We also have Lovelace from Hopkins that supports my mom also. Henry Moguel which is a new singer coming along in the Garifuna industry. We have Darvin which is the DJ and his accomplice. We have Black Ice Sounds which is a new sounds coming out. It is much younger people coming form the ground participating because my mom use to teach young children Garifuna music, teaching hostel kids how to cope with music. So, all the kids she did is putting back to her. The proceed from these events will go towards my mom surgery and radiation cost. If we have some left over I am going to the KHMH cancer place and they are going to choose who has the least finance and give the rest to them.”

PM Briceño Explains Stake Bank’s Compulsory Acquisition

The Government of Belize is compulsorily acquiring a disputed twenty-three-acre extension of Stake Bank Island. The news made headlines on Tuesday evening when a statement was issued following a cabinet meeting during which G.O.B.’s move was finalized. Well, tonight the Feinstein Group, the original proprietor of the island, says it will challenge G.O.B.’s compulsory acquisition. In a late afternoon release, the company referred to the decision as an unfair and improper high-handed interference in a private sector dispute that is live before the High Court. The release outlines several reasons why the Feinstein Group is challenging the acquisition. Among them, the group asserts that G.O.B. is siding with Honduran businessmen of questionable business practices. They are referring to the company out of Honduras that acquired the sixty-two million dollars loan associated with the Stake Bank cruise port project back in May after the project went into receivership. The release further asserts that these businessmen possess no experience in developing cruise ship port facilities. The Feinstein Group says it is aware that the decision to acquire the twenty-three acres came on the heels of a recent private meeting between one of the Honduran businessmen and Prime Minister John Briceño. This morning, we heard from Prime Minister John Briceño on the decision to take over the twenty-three acres on Stake Bank Island. Here is what he had to say.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“First of all, well, it’s like what you said, how you can compare oranges with apples. There are two different instances. In the first instance with the issue of the land for the hospital, there was a buyer and a seller. They met together, they negotiated one, had one higher price, they a lower price. They negotiated and then they settled on a price. On the Stake Bank land, as you all know this, there’s a legislation that was passed by the UDP whereby we deemed this project of national importance. And now that it seems that the, between the different investors, they have been having, issues. That project has been at a standstill. We have, I think, approximately two hundred and seventy million dollars. But because there is a dispute with the land, that project cannot be finished. And if you look at the numbers for the cruise lines, they’re going down, we need to be able to finish that project. We believe that as a government, what we did is first to put the first notice of acquisition. What does that trigger? It triggers then the owner to come to government and to say okay, this is my land and they negotiate a price. If a price, a suitable price cannot be worked out then we go to the second stage when there is compulsory acquired and then the courts take over after that. So it’s a simple issue.”

PM Says Compulsory Land Acquisition Won’t Cost Belizeans Anything

Of note, the prime minister was rushing off as the media approached him to get an interview at an event in Belize City. We did, however, get to ask whether the compulsory acquisition of lands on Stake Bank Island will cost Belizean taxpayers, and if so, then how much? Here is more from his explanation of the acquisition.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Well, the problem is not with the center part. The problem is the area that was dredged around the island with only a two-hundred-meter opening for the land. And if we want to finish that project, then that land is essential as it is right now because no work is taking place. I’m told that probably as much as five acres have already been washed away, so we really need to move with a sense of urgency.”

Paul Lopez

“How much will this cost taxpayers?”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“It will cost taxpayers not one single cent, and why do we say that? When that was brought up to the Cabinet, the Cabinet then said the only way we’d consider this is if there’s an indemnity agreement. That when this is settled by the courts, if we go to the courts, then the investors they’re the ones that is going to be responsible to pay for that. And also apart from them just sending an indemnity we also have the financial backing. There’s a deposit in the government’s account as a down payment, plus also from another financial institution that will be responsible for the payment. So that’s there’s nothing much more to add to it.”

PM on $6.9 Million Land Purchase, “We have moved on.”

Prime Minister John Briceño was unwilling to speak any further on the six-point-nine-million-dollar hospital land purchase in Belmopan. He says the experts already spoke on Tuesday and answered all the questions. So, when he was asked whether the government will consider reversing the deal, he said, we have moved on.

Reporter

“Amidst the social and physical protests about the hospital land that’s been going on will the government consider moving it back to the UB land, especially since Godfrey Smith has said that you could change the location on the land?”

Prime Minister John Briceño

“Well, I think honestly guys, if we were to do that, it would still cost us millions of dollars because a sale has been consumed. There’s a contract and any lawyer that’s worth its salt will tell you there’s a contract, unless the seller would want to come and say you know what I want back my money. Even if you’re to ask, so I think we have moved on. I think we’ve answered all the questions. The technical people have come on board and explained as to why they preferred this position. So, I don’t have any more to comment on that.”

MoE Official Says Teachers’ Accreditation Requirement is Not New

There is a shortage of primary and secondary school teachers in some districts ahead of the new school year. In some cases, schools have placed advertisements for vacancies they hope can be filled soon after classes resume on Monday. Teachers have resigned for several reasons, including better paying jobs, teaching opportunities closer to home. In one instance, the Belize National Teachers’ Union blamed the ministry for not having sufficient staff on hand to process the volumes of certificate for teachers who have completed the requisite number of hours of training. News Five has reached out to the Ministry of Education for a response to the problem. Today, Chief Executive Officer, Dian Maheia explained that the requirement for teachers to complete a hundred and twenty hours of continuous professional development over the course of five years, to renew their license, is one that has been in place for several years. What’s new is the fact that it is being enforced.

Dian Maheia, Chief Exec. Officer, Min. of Education

“Teachers who receive their licenses in 2019 are now having to renew. It’s five years later, so we, by our accounts estimate that there’s some twenty-three hundred teachers. It’s in that range – I’m sorry – I don’t have the exact number, but it’s a number in that range. About twenty-three hundred teachers across the country who will have their licenses expiring August 31, 2024, what we’ve seen from our work is that we have about twenty-one hundred of those teachers who have completed the requirements, and their licenses have been renewed and processed. It’s like eighty-eighty percent of them. There’s another group. That’s about nine percent, I think it’s something like two hundred or so or a little bit less. Those are in process still. They’re either being reviewed still or the teachers are completing the hundred and twenty-hour assignment. For whatever reason, those are in process from the numbers that we have the indication that we have. There’s only about three percent of teachers who have not submitted applications for their license renewal. At this time, we’ve been working in collaboration with the BNTU. They’ve been very consistent in updating their surveys and sending to us at the ministry the lists of teachers who have questions, concerns. Regarding the reports that they’ve gotten from the TLI or not gotten from the TLI so that with the list of names that we get from the BNTU, our respective units are doing the reviews and the checks so that we make sure that if there’s if there’s something that we’re missing but the union is getting feedback from that particular teacher that we’re trying to respond to ensure that we’re, responding to the needs. I think it’s like between 80 to 90 percent of the workshop offerings that are being given right now and the ministry’s offerings are free teachers do have options to do CPDs from other providers and some of those other providers do charge when, when we started the T.L.I as a platform to offer CPD. Three years ago, the very act of starting the T.L.I really review revolutionized how professional development was being offered for the first time. Teachers didn’t have to travel. They didn’t have to, you know, physically leave where they were. To go to sit in classrooms in other places for eight hours a day for five hours a week, only two weeks of the year. So teachers have had opportunities over the past few years to engage in different kinds of courses, and at different times of the year. And in general, what we’ve seen in feedback from the majority of teachers is that they have made use of the varied forms and the times in which they were able to access those CPDs.”