Bay Leaf Palm Estate Is New Site in Armenia

Over the past few months, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development have been busy pushing through road infrastructure in a new part of Armenia Village named the Bay Leaf Palm Estate. It is a project that will equip first-time land and homeowners with their own property, courtesy the Government of Belize through the Ministry of Infrastructure Development. And while lease documents for parcels of land has been a quintessential campaign for the Ministry of Housing for Belizeans, several constituents of the Cayo South constituency today received their documents from their Area Representative, Julius Espat, who is also the Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing. Minister of Natural Resources, Cordel Hyde was on hand to sign the land documents. News Five’s Marion Ali filed this report on this occasion.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

Today was a big day for first-time landowners and homeowners in the Cayo South constituency as they received their property documents from the Ministry of Natural Resources. In Armenia Village, the Ministry of Infrastructure Development has been hard at work, improving road infrastructure for these soon-to-be homeowners. Cayo South Area Representative, Julius Espat, who also serves as the Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing, shared that the recipients come from various communities within Cayo South.

 

Julius Espat, Area Representative, Cayo South

“Today you have residents from Armenia in the large majority that will receive lots, but we also have from my other villages that I love dearly. We have guys and ladies from Roaring Creek, which is my home village. We have people from Franks, Eddie. We have people from St. Matthews, we have people from Ontario, we have from Blackman, we have from Cotton Tree, where else? We have Valley of Peace, most we have tried to touch a little bit of every village. I will continue to work as hard as I can to make sure that you receive the benefits that you deserve. It’s not a favor. I’m not doing anybody a favor.  I am just assuming the responsibility that you gave me and doing it to the best of my ability.”

 

Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, who leads the Ministry of Natural Resources, assured the recipients that he’s fighting for them every step of the way.

 

Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources

“The minister has prioritized land ownership and homeownership for his people among the many other things he has prioritized. He works hard for you each and every day. He quarrels for you each and every day. Fight for you each and every day. Sometimes you get in an emotional quarrel because he feels so passionately about what he wants for his people. So oftentimes I would tell him, you want the same thing, man. We are get this done. But he works with a feverish passion; works as if though there is no tomorrow. And it’s a model that we should emulate all through the government.”

 

Drawing from his own life experiences, Hyde shared with the new landowners how owning a home can truly transform lives. He emphasized that this is exactly what the government aims to achieve for its people.

 

Cordel Hyde

“ At 12 years old, my mother got a lease cement bungalow from the government  40 years ago. And that changed my life, changed how I thought about myself, changed my perception of life. Change my direction in life. And that is what we are doing right now. When we give someone a land, when we give someone a house, we are changing lives, changing lives for the better.”

 

Marion Ali for News Five.