Belize District - Channel 5 Belize

P.U.P. Municipal Slate Launches 2024-2027 Manifesto

The People’s United Party’s municipal slate today released its 2024-2027 Manifesto at the Swift Hall in Belize City. The document titled “Stay Pan Track” encapsulates how a new P.U.P. Belize City Council slate will address the needs and concerns of over seventy thousand residents of the ten zones in Belize City, if it is re-elected to office on Wednesday. While the party’s detractors have used the late launch to suggest that the P.U.P. does not have a solid plan, today the former mayor and his former deputy, Allan Pollard Junior, clarified that he and his team had to first go and meet with the residents to come up with the priority areas that they need to address. News Five’s Marion Ali was present for the launch and filed this report.

Marion Ali, Reporting
The launch of the P.U.P.’s manifesto comes a mere two days before Wednesday’s municipal elections. In presenting the document, former Deputy Mayor, Allan Pollard, Jr., explained that the candidates had to meet with the residents first. He shared a few of those demands from the residents.

Allan Pollard, Councilor Candidate, P.U.P.

“It is only when the people are being real is when we understand their position and their needs. And it is only when we are being real with them and real with ourselves that we can deliver for them. So, yes, we did a lot of streets, but we need more drains. Yes, we have the downtown super sale on Saturdays, but weh wi wa do pahn Sunday? And yes, Minister, Gungulung look like “States” (applause) but the people want know when wi wa reach Pen Road Extension, and Krooman. (Chuckles…inaudible response) Definitely, thanks, PM. And we love the Berger Field (applause) but we want one back ya da Lake-I and Mr Usher, wi want one fi Jane Usher [Boulevard] as well. Yes, we had six cohorts of the B-CAP program that assisted many small businesses, and had owners with start-up capital, but we are ready, Mayor, for cohort seven, eight, nine, ten. We are listening, people, and we heard you loud and clear. This document is proof of that.”

In the manifesto, the P.U.P. Municipal slate proposes to replace the Belize City Swing Bridge and the Belcan Bridge, rehabilitate two hundred more streets, maintain and shape a hundred and fifty miles of drains throughout the city, and work with the Belize Tourism Board to promote a cleaner city. Former Mayor, Bernard Wagner, who is making his third bid for that post, agreed that although it is one municipality, there are different needs coming out of the ten areas of Belize City.

Bernard Wagner, Mayoral Candidate, P.U.P.

“How wi could bring out wa manifesto weh could represent the people before wi meet the people. Ih can’t happen that way. Wi had to ensure that this document weh seh “Stay Pahn Track really reflect what the people want in the city. The people – da wa fliud situation. The needs of the people are diverse. The needs of residents living in the Collet or the Port Loyola areas are different from the needs of people living in a Freetown or living in a Caribbean Shores constituency, soh all ah this da wa mix and as we traversed, we understood the mix and we understood the needs and we understood that listen, everybody has needs, but some needs are different. So we ensured that we captured all of those needs within the scope of our “Stay Pan Track” manifesto.”

Prime Minister, John Briceño, who was present for the occasion, told the gathering that a manifesto that is for the people should reflect what the people need.

Prime Minister John Briceño
“A city is more than just streets and drains and picking up the garbage. A city is where you can make a vibrant community, where you feel happy, where you can feel safe, where you can create opportunities, that you can say I am a proud resident of Belize City. We have to continue the work, we have to stay pahn track to continue the development of Belize City. We have to stay pahn track if we will get the bridges done, and fix the streets, and the drains and the parks, and help young people.”

The candidates all attached their signatures to the manifesto during the presentation of the document today. Belize City, which forms one of the nine municipalities that will hold elections on Wednesday, has eleven of the sixty-seven seats countrywide. Marion Ali for News Five.

P.U.P.’s Bernard Wagner Says Political Alignment is Key

The political climate in San Ignacio and Santa Elena makes for an interesting one all because for the past three years, the Mayor and one of the councillors were U.D.P., while the remainder of the councillors were P.U.P. While that equation brought on its own challenges due to continued internal bickering among councillors and a mayor that did not see eye-to-eye, history has shown that most times, city or town halls that hail from the opposing side have even more challenges when they have to work with a different government. Today, the P.U.P.’s Mayoral candidate for Belize City, Bernard Wagner agreed that having political alignment makes the work easier and that much more can be accomplished, and that the team that he has is one that is formidable with a positive energy.

Bernard Wagner, Mayoral Candidate, P.U.P

“The main thing there is about ensuring that you have a national and a sub-national government working in tandem. That’s what development occurs when you have synchronicity and you have the same energies and you have the sub-national and the national being at the same political persuasion. That’s how development occurs in any modern city. Clearly, the pandemic was always an issue with us getting on track because that really took away from all our resources. I know that has been getting back to where it normally is. And we are confident that we are able to work in tandem with national government to drive development for the city.”

Reporter

“Mayor, specifically on drainage, what is the commitment if you win again?

Bernard Wagner

“Getting back to the basics -drainage. We have done a lot of streets, and drainage is always not sexy, but we want to ensure that we get back to the basics: chopping the grass, digging the drains, ensuring the streets are maintained, the parks are maintained, but never forgetting that we have 730 streets in the city, and some of those still need the occasional repairs. I believe that this team really, have a better type of energy, positive energy, always important in any team. You can’t say what will happen in the future, but you’ll, manage it.”

Bernard Wagner Says Campaign Financing Comes From the P.U.P.

One of the questions posed to Wagner had to do with the source of campaign financing. The former mayor said that financing for their campaign is not an issue that he is responsible for or tasked to come up with. In fact, Wagner indicated that it is his party’s national entity that is tasked with coming up with the funds for their campaign. And as for the coverage of the campaign, Wagner said that while he could not walk the city’s over seven hundred streets to reach every household, they’ve covered quite a lot by splitting up in groups.

Bernard Wagner, Mayoral Candidate, P.U.P.

“I just do my campaign. That is essentially what I do. I can’t worry about funding, who fund the ads – that is from a national perspective. So I don’t get involved with that. I make sure my energy is focused on the campaign.”

Reporter

Have you reached all divisions now?

Bernard Wagner

“I’ve went to all divisions, I may not have went on all streets. That’s very tough – 700 plus streets but I’ve covered a lot of ground and by splitting up the teams we have been able to maximize our efforts.”

Abandoned House Burns Down On Jane Usher Boulevard

An early morning fire gutted a house on Jane Usher Boulevard today. The incident occurred around four thirty a.m. and while no one was injured, the small wooden structure was completely lost to the flames. Residents in the area claim that, while the house belongs to a Mister Belisle, it remained abandoned as far as they knew. For more information, we spoke with Kenneth Mortis from the National Fire Service.

Kenneth Mortis, Fire Station Supervisor, National Fire Service

“The information is still forthcoming in the sense that, we haven’t really gotten a chance to speak to the owners yet. We know that the Jane Usher Boulevard and what they call the Mudd Street here. The structure was a twenty by twenty four wooden structure, zinc roofing. Unconfirmed reports is that it was abandoned, which again we need confirmation from mister Belisle. As we know that abandoned and unoccupied is basically two different categories. We can definitely say that the building had no electricity. But, like I said, the hours the fire was detected, it didn’t prove or didn’t give us much assistance from neighbors who could have pointed out whether they saw something out of the ordinary or anything to that effect, whether it was a malicious act, that is yet to be determined from the investigators and I am hoping that we can have something before the end of today.”

Britney Gordon

“What was the response time on the fire and how long did it blaze for?”

Kenneth Mortis

“We got the call approximately 5:01. I would say within seven minutes we were on the scene. We managed to control the fire after twenty minutes of firefighting, I would say, and then another thirty-five minutes, more or less, that was when total extinguishment took place.”

Britney Gordon

“So being that you have not been in contact with Mr. Belisle, who contacted the fire department?”

Kenneth Mortis

“We received a call from the police department this morning. After such, as per norm, we dispatched two trucks to the scene with a total of six firefighters and they were the ones responsible per se to bring this fire under control. Minimizing the damage to that one particular structure, versus whereby any other nearby structure were at risk. So we managed to control it before that happened.”

Procurement of Funds for New Court Complex in Final Stages

In January, we heard the Chief Engineer Evondale Moody describe how much infrastructural work the court building that once housed the Treasury Department underwent. Moody also spoke of the level of intervention that the other court building that faces the Battlefield Park also needs to undergo. Well, the construction of a brand new court complex will get underway next to the Eleanor Hall Finance Building on Chetumal Street, as soon as the procurement of funds and the design of the building are done.

Chris Coye, Minister of State, Finance

“I think that’s in its final stages with the Social Security Board. So far as I understand, the transaction documents as it relates to the equity subscription by Social Security. Those have been approved by the board and so the next, I believe the next step is towards concluding those. I believe if I recall correctly was around $50 million. It was contemplated [that] two additional structures similar to the existing one – the existing finance building – so it would be about a hundred thousand square feet additional space that would then consolidate, the government offices. One building would be used for the judiciary, so the judiciary will have a new home that includes the different levels of the judiciary. So that would have to be more customized. And then the second building would be for other government facilities.”

Former Lands Minister Appears Before Senate Inquiry

Today, the Senate Special Select Committee resumed its inquiry into the Portico Definitive Agreement. Hugo Patt, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources, was the first witness to testify before the committee. Patt was much more cooperative than his former lands commissioner, even though he did not see any of the questions relevant to the motion at hand or the committee’s terms of reference. Dean Barrow, the former Prime Minister, appeared as legal counsel for Patt. A majority of the questions posed by the committee focused on those November fourth, 2020 land transaction approvals at the Ministry of Natural Resources. This time, questions were focused on seven companies that reportedly received nine parcels of fifty-acre lands, and why all seven companies had the same director. News Five’s Paul Lopez reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Hugo Patt, the former Minister of Natural Resources, testified during today’s Senate Special Select Committee’s inquiry. Patt was the minister responsible for that department from 2018 up until the 2020 general election.

Hugo Patt, Former Minister of Natural Resources

“Whenever applications were submitted the process was very straight forward. Applications were submitted, made it through the process and eventually it ended up with me. As long as the application was recommended and it had met all the requirements then it was approved”

Kevin Herrera, Senator

“What would have been some of those requirements?”

Hugo Patt

“I could not get into the details but of my mind, as long as the person is a Belizean that person could apply and another important one for the ministry is that whenever a parcel of land was applied the ministry had to make sure it was national lands in order for it to be processed.”

The committee, as it did with the former lands commissioner, continued to pose questions related to more than a dozen land transactions that were approved on November fourth, 2020, days before the last general elections. Those lands, located in the vicinity of the proposed site for the Port of Magical Belize, were divided into fifty-acre parcels and many were sold for below five thousand dollars each.

Kevin Herrera

“Would you recall whether or not Portico had applied for lands under its own name?”

Dean Barrow, Attorney

“Madam Chair certainly the general questions that the Senator is asked, he tries to be helpful. But I must reiterate that once the questions become specific regarding Portico and any application made in the names of Portico for lands. I think that is outside the terms of reference.”

The committee noted that it had documents from within the Ministry of Natural Resources showing that four hundred and fifty acres of land within in the area in question were approved for sale by the Ministry of Natural Resources to seven separate companies on November fourth, 2020. The same director was listed for all those companies, businessman Sunjay Hotchandani.

Senator Bevington Cal

“While approving these lands, especially for companies, would it be a concern to have differn5t companies applying the same day and same directors, would that be a concern?”

Hugo Patt

“Senator, whenever applications were accepted it is because they met the requirements. Whenever applications met the necessary requirements those were sent for processing.”

Kevin Herrera

“Mr Patt, would you recall a company called Keystar Limited?”

Hugo Patt

“Senator with much respect I don’t see the relevance of that question, nether to the motion or terms of reference.”

Kevin Herrera

“Would you recall a company called Fire Sky Limited?”

Hugo Patt

“With much respect, I don’t see the relevance of your question so I will exercise my right.”

Kevin Herrera

“Same question, Vision Pro Limited.”

Hugo Patt

“I will reserve my right as a witness not to answer.”

Kevin Herrera

“Alkaline Limited.”

Hugo Patt

“I will reserve my rights not to respond to that question.”

Kevin Herrera

“Building Blocks Limited”

Hugo Patt

“Same Answer”

Kevin Herrera

“Kill Switch Limited”

Hugo Patt

“Same Answer Senator”

Kevin Herrera

“Build Zone Limited”

Hugo Patt

“Same Answer Senator”

Kevin Herrera

“The common director in all those companies is an individual Sunjay Hotchandani. Would you be familiar with him sir?”

Hugo Patt

“I don’t find that question relevant to the motion or terms of reference. So I will exercise my right as a witness to decline to answer, with much respect Senator.”

The committee further noted that three of those parcels were sold to Portico Enterprises. Two that were bought for five thousand dollars from the Government of Belize were sold off to Portico for fifteen thousand dollars. Interestingly, one parcel that Key Star Limited reportedly bought for thirty-three thousand dollars was also sold for fifteen thousand dollars.

Bevington Cal, Senator

“For the Belizean people to know, we got a document from the lands department that was shared to you that you don’t want to read, but I will read it for you. Coastal lands are usually sold at four thousand per acre and all of these lands issued at east of northern lagoon were sold at five thousand three hundred.

Mr. Patt with simple math, fifty point one acres of land on coastal lands is valued at two hundred thousand dollars. All of these were only sold for five thousand three hundred dollars. To me that sounds like a lot of revenue lost by the government of Belize during your tenure.”

Hugo Patt

“While the question is irrelevant to the Definitive Agreement I will have to state for the record that the social rates the ministry applied then had been there for time immemorial. It is not something I instituted. But as the former minister of natural resources I saw it as my duty to ensure that each and every Belizean gets a portion of land at very affordable and social rates.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Brandon Gillett will go to Trial for Firearm Offenses

Thirty-eight-year-old Brandon Gillett, a court bailiff, appeared before the Chief Magistrate for a second time earlier today. As we’ve reported, he was arrested and charged in December 2023 for firearms offenses. This morning, when Gillett appeared in court, he requested a sentencing indication. He was informed that, by law under a section of the Firearms Act, the minimum sentence is five years. However, the Chief Magistrate, using her discretion as it relates to first-time offenders, can impose a lesser prison time for someone with no previous convictions. In Gillett’s case, she could sentence him to one year. Upon hearing that, Gillett told the court that he is prepared to go to trial and, with that, his case was further adjourned April thirtieth. At that time, Gillett is expected to be provided with disclosure in the matter and a new date for trial will be agreed upon. A search of Gillett’s residence in Los Lagos on December twenty-first, 2023, turned up a Springfield .223 rifle which was altered, as well as a nine millimeter pistol. He was charged with five counts of altering a firearm. He remains out on bail since December twenty-ninth after he was able to pay the ten thousand dollar sum.

Trio Accused of Murder Rejects Partial Disclosure

Three alleged suspects, accused of the grave yard murder of eighteen-year-old Gabriel Tillett, appeared in court today to receive disclosure, however, they rejected the partial disclosure that the court was offering them. They are twenty-eight-year-old Samuel Trapp, twenty-three-year-old Robert Lamb and twenty-six-year-old Kevin Lanza.

The trio appeared before the Chief Magistrate this morning where they were provided with partial disclosure in the amount of seventy-three pages. Lamb expressed his disappointment with the partial disclosure and told the court that it is unfair for the prosecution to provide them with only part of the evidence despite the fact that the period for disclosure had already expired. Lamb, Trapp and Lanza said that they will wait for full disclosure in the matter. Tillett was found dead inside the Lord’s Ridge Cemetery on July fourth, 2023. He had been lying face up with multiple injuries to the face.

Squad 97 Hits the Streets for Cleanup Campaign

There is a new recruit squad presently at the National Police Training Academy in Belmopan. The cadets are completing a program that sees them learning the theoretical and practical aspects of policing. Earlier today, they were out in the field assisting various communities in Belize City with cleaning up their neighborhoods. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

This morning in Belize City, teams of recruits from the Belize Police Department descended on various communities. The men and women who have enlisted in the law enforcement agency did not hit the streets to make arrests or restore order. Instead, they were in Lake Independence and other neighborhoods to lead a cleanup campaign, as well as to familiarize themselves with residents in those areas.

Insp. Ryan Timmons, Regional Training Officer, Eastern Division

“This is the Recruit Squad 97. Recruit Squad 97 is over two hundred plus recruits who are currently in training. Right now, we have over about sixty plus recruits doing community service today. They are giving back to the community that they serve.”

Among them is Renisha Martinez. She comes from a family of police officers.

Renisha Martinez, Police Recruit

“I had two biggest role models in my life that were police officers and also growing up into a family home as that, it was inspiring to me. I always wanted to be a police officer and actually, to get this opportunity to be here is a blessing.”

Today, she is with her fellow recruits and together they are beautifying neighborhoods across the city that are considered hotspots. They are also taking the opportunity to meet the people who live there.

Renisha Martinez

“We are actually doing some house to house meet and greet. We are doing this for the purpose itself which is to build a closer relationship with the people, also with ourselves, the law enforcement agency, also to protect and to provide safety for the people. So it’s also a good initiative to give back to our country and to be very thankful for everyone around.”

Also in Recruit Squad 97 is Rakeem Dawson. His reason for enlisting is to remove the stigma that is attached to the Belize Police Department. He boasts that his recruit intake is the most educated of the cadets taken in by the department.

Rakeem Dawson, Police Recruit

“There is this negative cloud over the police department. I know the entire country knows what that negative cloud is. I have a passion for serving my community and I believe that this is one way that I could give back to my community by helping to protect and serve. Some of the values that I’ve learned since joining Squad 97. We are young, energized and [Squad] 97 is actually one of the most educated squads to date. Most persons have an associates or even a bachelor’s degree in this squad. So the value here is to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the police department through two hundred and thirty-four recruits strong.”

According to Inspector Ryan Timmons, the objective is for the new recruits to learn interpersonal skills by engaging with members of the community at different levels.

Ryan Timmons

“Community interaction, community participation, community inclusion. We are going towards the area of community service, that they are giving back to the community that they serve.”

Isani Cayetano

“For an initiative like this, Inspector Timmons, one would want to think that perhaps you guys could have gotten some of the residents from this area to help to cleanup their neighborhood as well.”

Ryan Timmons

“Yes, and I need to mention that this is an initiative that we are partnered with the Belize City Council’s Sanitation Department, the community, the recruits, and other police officers. We were in the community from yesterday talking about what we are doing. Everyone sees it as something positive, like what I am saying, community interaction. When they are finished with the cleanup, they will be doing a meet and greet, going door to door, talking to members and residents of the neighborhood getting their feedback direct and concerns that they have for the police.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

The U.D.P. Belize City “Economy, Environment and Equity” Manifesto

The United Democratic Party’s Belize City Municipal slate launched its manifesto this afternoon. They invited reporters to the Battlefield Park in Belize City to announce the plans outlined in the manifesto. Giving consideration to the fact that, for the most part, paper-based manifestos are outdated and everything is now moving digital, they have also made the document available online. Nelma Mortis, the U.D.P. mayoral candidate, explained that the manifesto is based on three pillars.

Nelma Mortis, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate, Belize City

“Here is a sample of it. This is an unusual way of launching a manifesto but my team represents one that is innovative. We think about digitization, technology and sustainability. So our manifesto is built on three pillars, which is unusual and some people are still struggling to internalize what it is saying because it is not totally aligned with the traditional manifesto and the act of the city council. However, urban planning requires us to reflect on this triangle which looks at economic growth, environment, and lastly equity which looks at social access.”

Alisha Craig, U.D.P. Councilor Candidate, Belize City

“This is our manifesto here. We decided to be a bit creative because the paper based one people look at it and get lost. So here at the back of the manifesto we have a QR code. So you take your cell phone, your camera out and you scan the QR code and it will take you to the link.”