2024-05-23 - Channel 5 Belize

More Than $3 Million in Damages Caused By Wildfires in Toledo

Wildfires have destroyed more than six hundred acres of farmland in Toledo District over the past three weeks. An initial damage assessment conducted by the National Emergency Management Organization estimates over three million dollars in losses. More than two hundred families have been affected, the equivalent of just under a thousand residents. They describe these events as the worst they have seen in their lifetime. Compounding the challenges brought on by wildfires is an extensive period of drought and little to no access to water in some villages. News Five’s Paul Lopez traveled to Toledo today. He filed the following reports.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Over six hundred acres of farmland, in addition to a vast expanse of forest, have been destroyed by wildfire in Toledo District.

Novelo Chiac, Blue Creek Village Resident

“That is our, that is where we get our food and we call it our home because we get our lumber there and stuff for our house.”

This is Novelo Chiac, a resident of Blue Creek Village in Toledo District. For the past two weeks, wildfires have been burning through his community.

Novelo Chiac

“Last week Friday the fire reached close to neighbors on this side and we couldn’t find no help.”

Paul Lopez

“Is this the worst you have ever seen?”

Novelo Chiac

“This is the worst one, yeah.”

Wildfires are not uncommon in these parts at this time of year. But increased temperatures, coupled with the absence of rainfall for more than a month, have led to a wildfire fire crisis in Toledo. We came across a brushfire that was growing quickly on a hillside in Blue Creek. Most of the hilly terrain in this community is covered with lush rainforest. At the foot of this hill, one family was on high alert as the fire threatened to destroy their life’s work.

Voice of: Nelson, Blue Creek Resident

“This has been an area that my dad has invested in. You can see a lot of cacao trees, coconut trees. So what I went and did earlier was try to create a little path as close as I can to it so that in case it reaches down we have our little spray pump there, assuming that it wouldn’t get as big as how it is in other areas around that side.”

Nelson and his family have already lost four acres of corn and two acres of pepitos to this year’s wildfires. Government trucks deliver water to communities in the area almost on a daily basis for general use due to limited water access caused by the drought. Creeks have dried up. River levels are at an all-time low. With limited access, villagers who come together to fight fires are required to travel long distances to fetch and carry water in buckets and gallon bottles.

Voice of: Nelson

“It is a little hard because it is dry, everything is dry but we are trying to salvage what we can because this is the daily livelihood of us here in the village and we rely on this house. This thatch house, it may look small and thing but that is somebody’s home and that is where somebody is living but it means a lot to them.”

West of Blue Creek lies Santa Cruz Village. Both communities are separated by the flaming hills. Francisco and his family live in the village on of top a hill that provides a panoramic view of the smoke-filled horizon and scorched earth. Overwhelmed by the smoke in the air, Francisco has had to relocate his wife and children several times over the past few weeks. His experience has been similar to that of his neighbors.

Voice of: Francisco, Santa Cruz Village Resident

“Deh same farm pumps we use to do chemicals in the farm and the five gallons to go for water wherever we could find water source. We don’t have specific like the water system is down foe the moment, not down to say that it is not working but we are out of water under the ground so we don’t have that much availability of water anywhere around close.”

It has been established that most of the communities in Toledo live off the land. And for decades, farmers have been practicing slash and burn, a method used to clear forested land for farming. Ironically, this traditional method, practiced by villagers, is believed to be one of the root causes of the fires that are leveling farms in the village. There is now a growing call for safer agricultural practices and stricter penalties for law breakers.

Voice of: Francisco

“To me that is something that could be dealt with with some type of care. The thing is with slash and burn is that we as the farmers we depend on those and that is our main source of food. Without those, if we can’t do that then we can’t plant crop this year. I think the solution to that is when there is slash and burn it shouldn’t just be one person out there to do the slash and burn we need to ensure there is enough water around and man to out the fire if it goes out and off thr limit. And before that we need to make sure we do the fire pass around it and make sure it is wide enough not to pass the fire to the other side.”

Voice of: Nelson

“I would hope that out leaders would come together just like they did for the COVID19 regulations and implement it and be strict about it. We are destroying this environment. What will we have for the future?”

Reporting for News 5, I am Paul Lopez.

PM Briceño Joins NEMO On Flyover in Toledo

The National Emergency Management Organization activated its operations last Thursday in Toledo District. Since then, NEMO has been partnering with Belize Defense Force soldiers to deploy aid and assist residents in putting out fires. According to NEMO officials, teams are being deployed to various communities on a regular basis. By their account, firefighting efforts run past midnight most days. NEMO’s National Coordinator Daniel Mendez and Oscar Requena, the Area Representative for Toledo West, held a press conference this morning in Machaca to provide an update on the efforts. There, Requena announced that Prime Minister John Briceno would be joining them on a flyover of the affected areas this afternoon.

Oscar Requena , Area Representative, Toledo West

“Right now it is really to get on the ground to see first hand what is happening to get a thorough assessment and evaluation and really to quantify the damage so as to be able to put together in place a plan to address the needs both short term and long term. Today the Prime Minister is going myself, Minister Perez, along with captain Mendez and other fire experts and NEMO personnel to get a first hand view of what the situation looks like, because as you are aware the Prime Minister was out of the country I believe he came in yesterday. So certainly we are all working together, all the Government agencies and even our partners and stakeholders are working together so that we can respond adequately to the situation on the ground. Fire continues to be a major problem every year in the Toledo District. I think this year has been the worst we have ever seen and certainly moving forward we need to find a way to put in place a very viable plan. A community based plan together with the Government agencies and all stakeholders to ensure that as much as possible this kind to occurrence is mitigated as much as possible.”

A Call for Law Enforcement Against Negligent Burning Practices

NEMO representatives and Area Representative Oscar Requena were also asked about growing concerns over the use of slash and burn practices by farmers. One reporter questioned what will be done by authorities to penalize farmers who act with a degree of negligence. NEMO says its priority is to first put out fires and provide aid for those affected. Requena says, it is time for farmers to revisit the issue of burning.

Reporter

“Not to point fingers at anybody but the reality in Toledo is that some of these fires are caused by humans, negligence, is the organization doing anything to find out who are these individuals and what will be done to avoid this from happening again?”

Kenton Parham, Toledo Coordinator, NEMO

“At this stage our priority is trying to contain and suppress the fire and look at the impact to farmers. If an agency wants to pick that up later on they might. I don’t know if that is something that might be very difficult to pinpoint on who but our focus is on suppressing the fires and getting aid to the affected population as quickly as possible after the assessments are done.”

Oscar Requena, Area Representative, Toledo West

“I am aware that there have been instances where it is actually people going in and lighting. What has to be done, and I agree with Mr. Parham, at this point the focus is on trying to contain the fires, trying to be as supportive to the community out there but we cannot overlook that side of the equation in that as community members we have to be more responsible in how we deal with fires. There are clear regulations in terms of what farmers must do when they go and light a fire. They have to create a fire pass. They have to ensure they inform the Ministry of Agriculture. They have to pick certain time to light the fire. They have to make sure they have enough help in order to contain the fire in the event it escapes. But really what has happened, to be honest, we have not seen enforcement of the regulations. I think the time has come for us as farmers, I am a farmer myself and I don’t burn, for years, I have over fifteen years of not burning and I think it is time for us as farmers to revisit the whole issue of burning.”

Toledo In Desperate Need of Rain to Fight Fires

And finally, from Toledo, NEMO and the Toledo West Area Representative are already planning to prevent such an occurrence during the dry season in 2025. One idea being discussed is the establishment of fully trained community disaster response teams in every village. For now, the only real answer to the fires blazing across the district is rain.

Daniel Mendez, Coordinator, NEMO

“What we also need to do from the NEMO perspective is continuing to expand the concept of community disaster Response teams and to ensure that each community has a team that is able and has the equipment to manage these incidents and be able to lead before help arrives.”

Paul Lopez

“Is the only hope of crossing this bridge rain?”

Oscar Requena, Area Representative, Toledo West

“I really think to a great extent it is only rain. That is the first step. Because of where these fires are, unless we are able to get some sort of air support which is very expensive and also because of th3 areas where the fires are currently at, if we do get rain that would be the first hope to be able to get the fires out. Otherwise it would have to be just fighting them, boots on the ground, going in and trying as much as possible to suppress those fires.”

Policeman Gets Two Years for Sexually Assaulting a Minor

A police officer from Santa Clara Village, Corozal District is serving a two-year sentence at the Belize Central Prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a minor. Twenty-seven-year-old Melvin Canul was convicted and sentenced to jail time this morning when he appeared unrepresented in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court. The police constable was accused of squeezing the buttocks of a seventeen-year-old girl back in September 2023. The incident happened near Lopez Mateo Park in the King’s Park area. In her report, the teenager said that shortly after four p.m. on September twelfth, she was at a police booth on 17^th Street where she was returning a flag she had borrowed from a cadet instructor. While folding the flag, a Hispanic officer whom she did not know, passed by and squeezed her on the left side of her buttocks. When she turned around, she observed that the policeman was standing behind her. Canul was subsequently arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the charge of sexual assault and was offered and met bail in the sum of three thousand dollars. In court today, Chief Magistrate Jayani Wegodapola found Canul guilty of the charge and sentenced him to two years in prison.

Marvin Cal Charged for Manslaughter After Fatal RTA

Forty-seven-year-old Oscar Mayen Rhodas, a Guatemalan truck driver, lost his life in a fatal road traffic accident along the Boom/Hattieville Road eleven months ago during a road traffic accident. A Dodge Dakota driven by a security guard, twenty-six-year-old Marvin Cal, collided into a pickup truck that Rhodas was traveling in. The impact caused Rhodas to be flung from the pan of the vehicle and onto the road, fatally injuring him. This morning, Cal appeared in the lower courts where he was read three traffic and indictable offenses, including manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct and drove motor vehicle without due care and attention. No plea was taken from Cal, who was unrepresented, and bail was granted in the sum of eight thousand dollars, plus two sureties of four thousand dollars each. Until the matter is disposed of, Cal is to report to the Hattieville Police Station every Tuesday and Friday, beginning May twenty-eighth. He returns to court on July twenty-second, 2024.

Is Belize Central Prison Fit for Diabetic Inmates?

Convicted attorney Oscar Selgado was back in court today where his legal team is challenging the conditions at the Belize Central Prison. Selgado, who is yet to be sentenced after being found guilty of abetment to commit murder, is a diabetic and says that he is having a hard time in jail given his illness. In recent appearances before the High Court, Selgado has complained about the medication being administered to him, as well as the food being fed to him behind prison walls. This afternoon, several prison officials, including Chief Executive Officer Virgilio Murillo and doctor Javier Novelo, were questioned about the existing conditions at the facility. Following today’s session, attorney Arthur Saldivar spoke with reporters.

Arthur Saldivar, Attorney-at-law

“When the doctor tells you that he does not get the ability to taste the diabetic food himself, and the man responsible for the prison also tells you that he doesn’t eat prison food, one cannot be confident in the quality of food; one, that inmates with diabetic conditions receive at the prison. And when you get to appreciate that of the total compliment of medical staff of fourteen, there are only six civilian staff with no nurses and eight inmates who are unpaid, with one doctor, for a population of more than one thousand, two hundred and fifty, a ratio of more than ninety inmates to one medical personnel, so-called, with limited training, most of them, no man, it’s a travesty. It’s a travesty.”

Reporter

You raised the cases of, I believe two prisoners in particular, Mr. Abadi, there may have been three that you mentioned, but then the prison officials and the CEO countered, and the doctor as well, that he died because he stopped eating and was suffering from depression.

Arthur Saldivar

“Well, if the quality of food is so poor that it can barely be stomached, I don’t believe that anyone would be capable of eating it. It’s really remarkable that the prison official brought a list of twelve persons who are the persons affected with diabetes, but we know of two persons that have died, who have also suffered diabetes. That’s a high death rate in terms of percentage of persons with diabetes.”

Saldivar Says There’s a Hypoglycemic Crisis at the Prison

According to attorney Saldivar, two past inmates have succumbed to diabetes related complications within a year of being incarcerated at the Belize Central Prison. He says that too little blood sugar has become a crisis at the prison.

Arthur Saldivar , Attorney-at-law

“One cannot be confident that in person in Mr. Selgado’s condition could really survive. Both Abadi and Coye died within a year and when it’s being admitted that there’s only one doctor and that doctor is not there all the time, it really gives pause to any right thinking person. Better must be done. This is a privately managed facility and I don’t appreciate them saying it’s a non-profit because they get paid.”

Reporter

“Yet, the CEO says an ambulance is on standby and he also said that they have a Whatsapp group. If the doctor assigned to the prison does not respond immediately when there is an emergency with a patient then they take the patient by ambulance to a hospital in Belize City.”

Arthur Saldivar

“But the doctor also tells you there is a hypoglycemic crisis, within thirty minutes, in the worst [case] scenario, that person may be dead.”

Reporter

“Yes, but they are saying that they can manage the patients, they do have the ability to check their glucose levels, their blood levels and such. So you don’t have a patient who would reach that stage and also, they say family for the inmates can take food for them.”

Arthur Saldivar

“All that sounds well and good when they are saying it here. But we know that what is said and what is practiced are many times wide apart in terms of the reality of the situation.”

Brain Drain Persists in Health Sector

Brain drain is when a significant number of persons leave an industry in search of better opportunities or working conditions. Over the past two years, the K.H.M.H. has lost around fifty nurses and doctors and, during COVID, twenty-five staff members stepped away, placing a heavy burden on those who were left behind to cope with the growing number of patients. Brain drain is the focus of our story for our Belize on Reel segment this week and we’ll use the nursing profession as one example of how brain drain can affect a system of work. News Five’s Marion Ali reports.

Marion Ali, Reporting

Developing countries like Belize face fierce competition in meeting the payscale and benefit standards that exist for employees in specialized fields of work in developed countries. The nursing profession is one area that has lost a lot of workers over the last three years.

Andrew Baird is a practical nurse at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital and sits on the board of directors as President of the KHMH Workers Union. He says the benefits in developed countries are far greater.

Andrew Baird, Practical Nurse, K.H.M.H.

“In Belize nurses do not have as much benefits as one would think. Out in the U.S. and other parts of the world, prior to leaving Belize, these nurses are offered signed bonuses. And signed bonuses are around $3,000 to $5,000 U.S. per nurse, per month. And these nurses are also being offered homes – a place to stay. The benefits and the conditions are even much more and the least to say, the salary that is being given to the various nurses in the outer world.”

Renita Pop is the President of the Nurses Association of Belize. She shared statistics with us, indicating that nurses who study in Belize are still leaving the field. She compares the migration of nurses from 2021 to 2024.

Via phone: Nurse Renita Pop, President, Nurses Association of Belize

“It has been noted that more nurses are requesting license verification and most of the times when our nurses do this it’s because they’re preparing to leave Belize, not necessarily leaving the profession, but leaving the country to practice nursing elsewhere. There has been an 11 percent decline from 2001 to 2024, practically saying that we’ve lost over 100 nurses from 2021 to present.”

According to Pop, registered nurses have recorded the highest number of healthcare professions that have left in search of greener pastures. Nonetheless, there are efforts by the Ministry of Health and Wellness to fill the void.

Andrew Baird

“I know that the Ministry of Health has been trying to come up with ways to get nurses from other countries like within Central America and even back to the Philippines.”

Via phone: Nurse Renita Pop

“What we have done from the association part is the lays with the Ministry of Health and Wellness – retention packages to keep our nurses home. And at our last conference a proposed retention package was presented, which we are hoping that it comes through, where the chief nurse and the Minister of Health are working hand in hand to present a paper to Cabinet, which will include a variety of incentives for the remaining nurses that are here in Belize. And of course, the ministry continues to assist by providing scholarships for speciality fields such as midwifery, operating room nurses, scrub nurse, and public health nursing.”

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has been offering scholarships to attract nursing students; however, Baird says that even at the end of a four-year program, there aren’t enough nurses in the healthcare sector. At the K.H.M.H., there is still a shortage of about thirty nurses in various areas. What it does, according to Baird, is extend their shifts. He looks to the ministry to find quick workable solutions.

Nurse Andrew Baird

“In reference to scholarships, scholarships – you’re looking at four years from now. I’m saying the ministry. along with all the stakeholders must prepare a long term and a short-term plan to fix the issue of nurse shortage.”

Marion Ali

“What would be your suggestion for a short-term solution?”

Nurse Andrew Baird

“Maybe we should dig back into some of the retirees.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

B.M.D.C. Says No Import Permits for Carrots

Earlier this week, the United Democratic Party raised an issue about carrots purportedly wasting away on farms in San Carlos Village. The Ministry of Agriculture was quick to refute those claims made by Opposition Leader Shyne Barrow and pointed out that no importation permits have been issued for carrots to be brought into the country since November 2023. This morning, representatives from the Belize Marketing and Distribution Cooperation, B.M.D.C., also weighed in on the issue, reiterating government’s position.

Sergio Tillett, Senior Projects Officer, B.M.D.C.

“The B.M.D.C. as one of the main arms when it comes to the distribution and marketing of produce does its best to ensure that our farmers do have the market whenever it comes to local production. And, as such, our ministry has done quite a job to ensure that we do site inspections, we do field visits to ensure that when we have enough production we don’t apply for an import permit. And even if we did, the ministry monitors that and they will never give us either because they have their extension services that monitor the amount of production in the country. We have figures as to what is the weekly consumption of every vegetable, so once we notice there is enough in the field there is no import permit. And that’s how we control what is there. So, one of the concerns that we have is that lots of the times whenever there is local production, the prices tend to be high and carrots is not really a necessity.”