The Senate inquiry into Portico’s Definitive Agreement that was scheduled for today was postponed and the notification from the National Assembly building didn’t give a reason for it. However, the Principal of the Port of Magical Belize project, David Gegg, who was expected to give testimony at the hearing today did not attend. Gegg says that the invitation was found on his driveway by his assistant and addressed to his late father, Edgar Gegg. He also wrote a letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Eddie Webster, about the Senator leading the inquiry, Janelle Chanona. Gegg tells Webster about a letter sent by Waterloo Holdings C.E.O. Stewart Howard to Senator Chanona a couple of days before she had announced the launch of the inquiry lends itself for anyone to infer an appearance of bias by Chanona, and says that this without mention of other matters, suggests that Chanona is compromised and that she is incapable of objectivity. In the letter, Gegg casts criticism on Chanona and opined that no objective Belizean would believe the timing of the letter from Waterloo was merely coincidental. Gegg wrote that he will not subject himself to questioning by anyone who he thinks is biased. Gegg said that he is prepared to appear before the Committee, but on the condition that Chanona recuses herself. He also took a jab at the committee for referring to its own communication as an invitation instead of a summons. Gegg indicated that he needs notice three days prior to appearing before the committee to give him time to consult with his attorneys. News Five tried to reach Chanona for her reaction to Gegg’s letter but we did not get a reply.
A Ceaser Ridge resident visited our studio today to make a complaint against the Belize Police Department following the enactment of State of Emergency in Belize City. The resident, Ashley Flowers, says she opened her door at around 6 a.m. on Tuesday after hearing police officers out front. Flowers says she was unaware that a State of Emergency had been declared so she questioned the intentions of the officers and sought to cooperate with them. She alleges that two officers physically assaulted her, pulled a gun at her boyfriend who was taking a shower, and then left without detaining anyone or finding anything illegal. Here is what she told us.
Voice of: Ashley Flowers
Voice of: Ashley Flowers, Belize City Resident
“While I had them entering into the home I told them morning and I asked them what are they looking for and if I could help them. No reply, just one lady answer and ask you and who live here. Just my son, my boyfriend and my granddad. But, I could really know what the go on and how I could help. So, she ask, who dah your bway, weh your bway name? So I said he is in the bathroom taking a shower, but I just want know what is going on, no answer. That is when one of the officers started to kick in and stomp in the door and they managed to open it. My boyfriend just gets to pull up his pants, not even had boxers on or anything like that. While they kick open the door deh shout hands up, put up your hand. That is when I pull out my phone, because I was cooperating with the officers. But they got me to the next point where I was being disrespectful and using obscenity and I was asking the officer why would you point the gun into his face. When he noticed the person in the bathroom wasn’t who he was looking for he went from there and started walking in my direction. I started to back up because he was in my face. I didn’t know it was a state of emergency until he started choking me and said if I don’t know what is a state of emergency. After he choked me he stone me between a stove and some tools my dad had and he stamped me to the side and punch me to the face. I still have swelling to the side of my head and the scratches and bruises on the side of my stomach.”
Flowers told News Five that she sought medical attention for her injuries and is currently on painkillers. She also alleges that a female police officer squeezed her shoulder with force and only let go when she informed them that she suffers from a heart condition. Flowers added that her rights were violated, and she hopes that she gets her day in court.
Haiti finds itself amidst one of its most severe crises in decades. The collapse of the central government has left the prime minister stranded abroad, while gangs rampage through Port-au-Prince, to prevent the establishment of a new transitional government. However, in certain regions of Haiti, the memory of living in a functional state has faded. Tonight, we bring you a firsthand experience from a Haitian whose life has been turned upside down. Her name is Alexandra Pierre. She is twenty-five years old and says that this is the first time she has experienced such a crisis.
Alexandra Pierre
Alexandra Pierre, Haitian
“I’m 25 years old, I’ve never lived that situation in Haiti since I was born. So I’m used to, and somehow I’m used to the instability of the country. I’m used to regular strikes, mobilization in the streets. But we’ve never been in a situation where you cannot go out anymore. Usually you have the mobilization during the day. And at night you can spend some time outside. Even though you don’t have mobilization, everybody’s so afraid. So the streets are empty. And even during the day, everybody is afraid when you don’t have mobilization, you’re so scared that you don’t go in the street in just in case there is mobilization and everything is closed right now in Haiti, the main infrastructure schools are closed, they are online. Hospitals are closed. So the pharmacy are closed. So you’re afraid if you have any kind of injuries. If you are in any way injured, though, you don’t have the basic support to for your health. So that’s, that’s the situation right now in Haiti. And every time you’re here shooting, you’re so afraid. And it’s so regular right now. So even though sometimes a person is testing his gun just in case to be able to preserve itself in case of any attack and then when you have to go to the bank, I was telling I was telling you yesterday that I couldn’t have the meeting because Monday is when you go to the bank. You spent five hours in the line and then you cannot even have the amount that you requested to make every time you go. You can only have 100 US dollars due to the instability of the currency, the Haitian currency. Most of us going in and out of Haiti, we keep our savings in US dollars. It’s a more stable money and then you can change it to buy your groceries. So that’s why I have my savings in US dollars and you can only have 100 US dollars. So each week you spend five weeks five hours in the line to get 100 US dollars when the bank is open.”
Approximately two hundred armed gangs hold sway over Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince. They are wreaking havoc by burning police stations, releasing thousands of criminals, and perpetrating kidnappings and killings that force residents to flee their homes. They have pillaged hospitals and halted commerce. Persons have been fatally shot, decapitated, and burned in the streets. The violence is intense, and according to Pierre, it is not something someone forgets so easily.
Alexandra Pierre, Haitian
“Well, it’s not something that you can get over. It’s, it’s, it’s the violence and then You’re just trying to live with that violence because you have no choice. It’s either the gang or the inhabitants. So this is the situation and then I’m not telling that they did it, they didn’t do it right for cutting heads. I’m not telling that they, well, it’s just, It’s just a chaos right now. It’s difficult to have to stick to some kind of morality and say, okay, this is, you should preserve life. You should preserve dignity. It’s just, you should preserve your life. So, and then this is, I think, this is the violence. It’s the way they have killed the, the gang members for me. And this is the most cruel part I’ve ever lived in Haiti. And, I live in the island. It’s been 35 years. And then the, the prices are higher as well because with the gangs in every in the main entrance of the Capitol. So you don’t get the fruits as you used to, you know, get the rice as you used to. So even the money that you get hat you have, it has so much pressure on it. Then it’s not enough, right? Anyone can live with only hundred per week, and we are three in my family. So we are three on this hundred dollars. So, this is this is a situation and I’m very sad.”
The Statistical Institute of Belize held a press conference today to present its G.D.P. estimates for the fourth quarter of 2024. As well as the consumer price index, external trade statistics for February 2024, and the Consumer Confidence Index. Also shared was the breakdown of the Multidimensional Poverty Index, which is a measure of poverty across various dimensions of wellbeing, such as health, education, and employment. And living standards. News Five’s Britney Gordon reports.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
According to the Statistical Institute of Belize, the economy grew by three point two percent in the fourth quarter of 2023. This growth was attributed to the tertiary sector, which observed an eight point eight increase of about seventy point three million dollars in comparison to the fourth quarter of 2022. SIB credits this growth to the strong performance of the industries within the service sector.
Christopher Hulse
Christopher Hulse, Statistician II, S.I.B.
“The tertiary sector went from seven hundred ninety-seven point one million in quarter four of 2022 to eight hundred sixty-seven point four million for quarter four of 2023. This is an increase of seven point three million or eight point eight percent mainly driven by an increase in the hotels and restaurants industry, transportation. We see arts, entertainment, recreation. The industries that have a tie to the increase in tourism movement. Looking at the other services, admin and support services went up by four point five percent as we see an increase in BPO’s and also travel agencies and tour operators. So two things that are increasing, the call centers and since we have tourism movement we see the travel agencies and tour operators also increasing. We have increases in real estate, one point eight percent, human health, two point four slight decreases for wholesale and retail trade, communication, and other services. Adversely, the primary and secondary sectors contracted, undergoing a three-point one and two-point eight decrease, respectively. This puts the primary sector down by an estimated five million dollars and the secondary sector down by eight point eight million dollars. These declines were attributed to poor weather conditions that negatively impacted water levels and subsequently resulted in low crop outputs and electricity generation. Now, for Banana, if we look at the levels, that 21 3 is still low, But 2022 was such a down year that when we compare the two periods together, we will observe an increase. But compared to before 2022, we see that overall banana is still down. So we will have that trend for most of the crops, that for the entire year. If we look at the sum of it, it will be down due to the weather conditions for most of them. Now conversely, we see an increase for livestock. So overall, livestock saw an increase of eighteen point four percent, where we had cattle up by twenty-four point five percent, pig up by twenty-two point one percent and poultry up by eleven point two percent. So even though we saw declines in the crop, livestock offset that decrease, and that’s why when we look at the primary sector overall Even though the crops were affected, we saw zero point eight percent decline because of the livestock going up.”
External Trade reports from February 2024 revealed an increase of thirteen point seven percent of imports and an eight point one percent decrease of domestic exports. The most notable contributors to the increase in imports were machinery and transport equipment, as well as minerals, fuels, and other lubricants. The decrease in domestic export revenue was attributed to several key exports.
Ronald Orellana
Ronald Orellana, Statistician II, S.I.B.
“Animal feed revenue plummeted from ten point one million to two point eight million as exported quantities fell by more than two thirds during the period. Likewise, sugar exports saw a notable decrease of six point eight million, dropping from ten point seven million to three point eight million, with earnings down by sixty-four percent. Reduced exports of lobster products and shrimps during the period. Led to trip led to a three point eight million decline in revenues from marine products dropping from seven point one million to three point two million. Diminished volumes of orange concentrate also contributed to a downturn in exported citrus declining from four million to one point seven million. Despite the general decline in domestic exports, Bananas experienced a significant increase of seven point four million, surging from five point one million to twelve point five million, with quantities more than doubling for the period. Additionally, other exports category went up by one point eight million, from six point two million to seven point nine billion, due to wooden furniture and crude soybean oil.”
The Consumer Price Index shows that Belize experienced a three-point, nine percent increase in the cost of basic goods in February 2024. As observed throughout 2023 and into early 2024, higher food prices were the primary contributor to the overall inflation rate, followed by prices for restaurant services and home rental costs. The effects of the increase were slightly offset by the price of motor vehicle fuels, liquified petroleum gas, and international airfares, which were all lower than they were in February 2023. Statistician Melvin Perez explains.
Melvin Perez
Melvin Perez, Statistician II, S.I.B.
“So now looking at the major categories affecting the cumulative inflation rate of four point one percent. First, we have the food and non-alcoholic beverages category with prices increasing by seven point five percent and I must mention that this was the main contributor to the overall increase. It was followed by the restaurant and accommodational services, with prices increasing by twelve point six percent. Then we had the hosting water, electricity, gas, and other fuel, with prices increasing by two point one percent. Now looking at the last category in our list, we have the transport category, which recorded a decrease of eight point one percent. So now that we have identified the major categories affecting the cumulative inflation rate, now we will break down each one of them to see what contributed to the increase or decrease within the category. So first let’s look at the food and non-alcoholic beverages category with prices increasing by seven point five percent. The food subcategory alone was the main contributor in the category increasing. As prices rose across all types of food items, such as cereal products, fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meats, and cooking oil. Looking at the table, we can see that most of the items went up by almost more than ten percent. Specifically, natural milk, evaporated milk, powder milk, orange, celery, cilantro, onion, green corn, sweet potatoes, cassava, plantain, black beans, and sugar. Nonetheless, there were lower prices recorded for some items, such as flour, lime, cucumber, and sweet pepper. Now looking at the first two months of the year 2024, we can observe how food prices decreased from January to February. While looking at the same period in the year 2023, we can observe an upward trend in food prices, but when we compare the cumulative inflation rate averaging both January and February of 2024 to the same period of the year of 2023, food prices for the year of 2024 are still higher compared to the same period of the year 2023.”
On Tuesday, we told you about the illegal road built in the Chiquibul Forest by Guatemalans. That road originated from a town across the border and is believed to have been used for cattle ranching. It’s a serious problem that Friends for Conservation and Development (FCD) continues to face as the co-manager of the Chiquibul National Park. FCD’s Executive Director, Rafael Manzanero told News Five that heavy machinery was used to build this road, indicating that ‘big players’ are involved. He says that Belizean law enforcement authorities need to have a permanent presence on the grounds to prevent these types of illegal activities.
Rafael Manzanero
Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director, F.C.D.
“It is the first time that we are really documenting a road, you know, in terms of that magnitude. So it is one of our high concern to us. And so, it has already been validated, it is in the park, it is within Belize. It is by Guatemalans. And so now the point is what to do with that so in. I am glad that in some of the recommendations that we put forward are probably going to be pursued and thatis good for us.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Seeing the road, that, that means that heavy machinery was used to construct the road, which means that as we always suspected, we have bigger or wealthier persons behind these things happening in Chiquibul.”
Rafael Manzanero
“Yes, that’s correct. So we see that with heavy machinery, of course, those are more investments and these are not really done by poor people along the adjacency zone, but More than likely, we believe they are by cattle ranchers in terms of trying to find an area where to get water. We need to provide more for the cattle ranching activities in that southern zone of the Rio Blanco. So this is in the extreme south of the Chiquibu National Park.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Is it getting worse?”
Rafael Manzanero
“I think, I mean, if we start to look at in terms of the mobilization of people along the area it is not as extensive as before during the xatero days. But what we see is now a different kind of individuals involved in the territory. So these are more heavy investors, and I will say the cattle ranching activity is still within the 1 to 1. 5 kilometers of the western flank of the Chiquibul National Park and Caracol.”
Hipolito Novelo
“How soon is it expected for that road to be destroyed?”
Rafael Manzanero
“Well, we are going to continue on of course, along with the patrols on the ground, but I tend to think, you know, Hipolito that the destruction of the road, either by using dynamite or explosives, it will basically serve to show the kind of the action being done by Belizean authorities. So that is positive because you bet that I mean, I’ve known in Guatemala, people can go back again and fill it in back again and use it once over. So I tend to think that the 1st action, yes, it’s really to find a way how to destroy that and then to have a presence on the ground to ensure that people are coming back again to refill it or to use it otherwise.”
We also broke the news that Belize Defence Force soldiers destroyed two wooden bridges built by Guatemalans inside the Columbia Forest Reserve. Those bridges were used to facilitate the entry of trucks to extract timber such as rosewood and other precious woods. FCD reported that the illegal activity appeared recent, with amounts of timber stacked up. Manzanero says these activities are found dangerously close to the Machaquilha Conservation Post.
Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director, F.C.D.
“It was shocking to the extent of the area being used and occupied. We do know that illegal logging has been ongoing in the Columbia River way from the early 2000s. So, we do know there has been extraction of rosewood and other hardwoods from that area there, but basically looking at the construction of wooden bridges in the area, it really means that it’s not only forces that are coming in to extract the timber and moving it to Guatemala, but basically it’s also really truckloads that are using that kind of territory for the extraction of timber. More than likely it is Rosewood. If there’s any left around that particular zone there and then also Sapodilla that would be used because these are really more primary woods that are being used in Guatemala these days.”
According to Manzanero, two Cabinet ministers participated in a flyover of the Chiquibul Forest. Minister of Defence and Border Security, Florencio Marin Junior, and Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet, saw firsthand the devastation happening in the Chiquibul. Manzanero hopes that with this information, the government can act more appropriately.
Rafael Manzanero
Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director, F.C.D.
“We had the opportunity of taking the Minister of Sustainable Development Honorable Habet and also Honorable Marin from Border Security, we had the opportunity of playing them over the area of Chiquibul and Columbia River. And so they do have the firsthand information in terms of what is happening along that area, which you know, for me, I would just hope then that by themselves seeing it firsthand, they certainly do know the gravity and the magnitude of these problems. And that it really should be, you know, of course, at the governmental level, really to address, you know, these boundary issues. We have noticed that it does take that footwork’s, it does take the patrols, it does take to have a presence in the area. For But it needs to have a presence that is, and the key word is a person that is assertive. That is important because you can have men there, but if you are not really assertive, then you’re still cannot really be able to do the work. So, my feeling is that in the Columbia River, it has to be boosted up with that assertive move. We have documented from early this year that Columbia River really has a lot of other issues beyond the Chiquibul. So we feel that there is now a movement of more people, human footprint. Expansion in the Columbia River Forest Reserve and frankly, by seeing the kind of the bridges, that means that they have really felt a level of comfort. They have felt a level of confidence that they can be able to do an extraction of timber in truckloads from that area there.”
In December of last year, the Belize Peace Movement got the High Court to issue a consent order, requiring the Elections and Boundaries Commission to submit to the claimants a report with recommendations. Those recommendations have to do with how the redistricting process will be carried out. But the report has not yet been tabled for debate at the National Assembly, and today the Belize Peace Movement’s attorney, Arthur Saldivar, said they are concerned.
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Belize Peace Movement
“In terms of whether or not that proposal is one capable of addressing the malapportionment that was originally sought to be addressed, it falls woefully short. It is a joke. And I do believe that this is why the government is even embarrassed to even bring it to a debate because it will be thoroughly exposed for what it is – 100% exercise in gerrymandering where you’re talking about bringing people from Caye Caulker and making them a part of a constituency in Belize City, when you’re talking about leaving all of these constituencies in Belize City that are now obsolete, obscure in relation to their numbers, it is certainly something to be said in terms of seriousness or the lack thereof, of the administration in doing what is necessary to ensure that the democracy is given a fair chance of operating the way it should, but not only that. It is telling every person in this country who is of a mind to do things against the law, that you have a government that supports you. The Order was negotiated in good faith between both parties and it was signed off on. Where it has signed off on, there is a legitimate expectation that what was agreed upon will be carried through. In the least, you can debate that nonsense that is tabled before the National Assembly, vote it down and let the Elections and Boundaries be put back to do a proper job. But doing nothing is basically signing off on an unconstitutional state of affairs which will not bring about a legitimate government if an election is called. And I’m hearing this nonsense that there needs to be this census done before we get to do..”
Reporter
“It would have been better to have the data from that available.”
Arthur Saldivar
“Nonsense. You have already done a re-registration exercise. When it comes to the electorate and the re-divisioning of constituencies, it has nothing to do with the general population, It has everything to do with the voting population.”
