2024-06-24 - Channel 5 Belize

Recognizing the Men and Women of Belize’s Public Service

On Friday evening in San Pedro, the Ministry of Public Service held an award ceremony to recognize the men and women employed by the Government of Belize. It’s an annual celebration where the dedication and commitment of public officers is formally acknowledged. On hand for this year’s event was Governor General Froyla Tzalam. Here’s News Five’s Isani Cayetano with the highlights from this year’s Public Service Awards.

Dame Froyla Tzalam, Governor General

“I ask you to raise your glass, to salute the public servants of Belize and to the continued delivery of efficient and equal treatment to all without ill will or favor. Congratulations to you all on your dedicated service and on behalf of a grateful nation, I salute you.”

Recognition serves as a powerful motivator. When public officers receive acknowledgement for their hard work, it boosts their morale and encourages them to continue performing at their best. It also reinforces positive behavior and dedication, contribution to a more engaged and committed workforce.

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service

“So on this Public Service Day, I am honored to stand here, I am honored to lead with other countries and other persons from around the world in saluting the women and men who have and continue to dedicate their lives to the highest possible calling, public service.”

A supportive culture enhances collaboration, teamwork, and overall job satisfaction. On Friday night in San Pedro, UB President, Dr. Vincent Palacio was the guest speaker at the annual Public Service Awards.

Dr. Vincent Palacio, Guest Speaker

“I am truly honored to stand before you today, again celebrating, again looking out for our public officers. When I walked into the space this evening, I looked at it and it was lovely. I said, our public officers deserve this and more. I’m so proud of you.”

Public recognition showcases government’s commitment to its employees. It also reflects positively on the administration’s values and leadership. Government’s reputation for appreciating its workforce attracts talented individuals and enhances public trust.

Henry Charles Usher

“It speaks about your workplace, about the health and safety in your workplace, it speaks about the application of technology. It speaks about a subject that we have to get very serious about, AI and how in the future it may replace a lot of workers. Recently, three landmark documentary achievements were made. Two bills were introduced in the last house meeting. One: anti-sexual harassment and two: dealing with disabilities, and third, a third, very important achievement after sixteen years, the collective bargaining agreement between the government and the bargaining agents of public officers and teachers was finally signed.”

Increased job satisfaction translates to higher productivity, benefiting both the officers and the community they serve. High retention rates also lead to stability and continuity in public services.

Dr. Vincent Palacio

“Let us take a moment to reflect on the significance of the work that each and every one of you do. The theme for this year’s celebration: The Belize Public Service, Honoring our everyday heroes. Public servants empowering communities, enriching lives beautifully encapsulates the essence of public service and the profound impact it has on the fabric of our society.”

Isani Cayetano for News Five.

Police Officers are Eligible as First-time Land Owners

Over six hundred applications have been submitted by the Belize Police Department on behalf of officers who qualify as first-time land owners. Through a partnership between the ministries of Home Affairs and Natural Resources, parcels of land are being made available to the men and women of law enforcement. It’s a worthwhile initiative that will see many owning a piece of property. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams agrees that the effort is commendable.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I must say that the police department is very grateful for the good gesture coming from our minister, as well as the Ministry of Natural Resources. I remembered when government changed in 2020, myself and Minister Musa discussed the issue of police land ownership as there were a number of police officers who were clamoring for land. In some cases, they were saying that they applied on numerous occasions and got no feedback. And we do believe that, yes, as police officers, you spend so many years serving this country in a way that many people would not want to. So, we thought it fit that it would be good for us to look at a land program and so with that we decided that we had to set a criteria and the criteria was that those persons who would apply would have to have at least five years or more service in the department. So there was a minimum period that you had to be a police officer to be eligible, and in addition to that we were looking for it to be first-time land ownership. So if you have not been given a piece of land before by the state then you would have eligible. If you would have gotten one passed down to you from your parents, that would not have disqualified you.”

Celebrating the Start of The Lobster Season in Belize

Lobster season will officially get underway in the next six days and fisherfolks have already deployed hundreds of lobster traps and shades to prepare for their first catch. With the opening of the season comes the buzz surrounding lobster fests. Three of Belize’s prime tourist destinations, San Pedro, Caye Caulker and Placencia host these events in July. Each has its own unique history and approach to these lobster-themed festivities. But one thing stands true across these communities, Lobster Fest presents an opportunity for significant economic gains among restauranters, hoteliers and fisherfolks. Over the weekend, the Belize Tourism Board organized a media field trip to San Pedro and Caye Caulker to speak with organizers and beneficiaries of the highly anticipated annual fests. In the first installment of this two-part report, we look at the history and economic benefits of Lobster Fest. In a subsequent newscast, we will look closer at how sustainable fishing practices are important to the longevity of the celebration. Here is that report.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

The start of a hunting or fishing season is seldom cause for celebration in Belize. That is unless it is the opening of the lobster season. By law, fisherfolks can catch lobsters within an eight-month period, starting on July first. On Ambergris Caye, residents celebrate this occasion with thirteen days of lobster-themed festivities. Rebecca Arceo chairs the committee that plans the annual event.

Rebecca Arceo, Chair, San Pedro Business Association

“Actually it was someone who use to live in the states who said they have pre-hunting parties. They would go out hunting and have a party and it was just kind of how you make it interesting for tourists but not make it more expensive, give them a reason to come and that it literally was born out of that idea.”

San Pedro’s Lobster Fest has been running for the past thirteen years. Initially it was only three days of celebration, a pre-party, an opening day party and eight booths. Today, it has expanded to include dozens of businesses, while attracting thousands of visitors to the island. Over the course of the thirteen days, the organizers host a Lobster Crawl. Each day the celebration is held at different business locations.

Rebbeca Arceo

“When tourist goes to an event, they meet other tourist, and they start travelling together to go to another event because it is like oh we met you yesterday so let us go to another event with you and then we have people that come back year after year because they met friends and meet up with those friends again.”

San Pedro Lobster Fest also gives restaurants an opportunity to earn extra income during a relatively slow tourism season. Chef Ana Najaro has been participating in the block party since its inception.

Ana Najaro, Chef

“I started with me being the solo at my booth to now having fourteen fifteen staff member for that night only. For me for my booth, I am not being boastful but sometimes I have a whole two lines waiting for food and to be served. Lobster Fest marks a very important night of the year for me.”

And, as Chef Jennie Staines, the executive chef over at Elvi’s Kitchen explains, Lobster Fest inspires restaurants to push the boundaries beyond traditional lobster dishes. She has won best lobster dish for four years, consecutively.

Jennie Staines, Executive Chef, Elvi’s Kitchen

“The perfect way for me is by boiling lobster and eating it with butter. That is the way I like it. But, lobster, the trick is never overcooking a lobster. I am very innovative so for the first year I did a lobster burger. The second year I did a hotdog. Thank god that every year I have participated in lobster fest I have had tails on the booth till late at night and one year I sold two hundred and fifty-six pounds of lobster.”

From San Pedro, we headed over to Caye Caulker, another prominent tourist destination in Belize. La Isla Carinosa holds the title of the longest running lobster fest in the country, after three decades of annual celebrations and two generations of planning committees. Porfilio Guzman is one of ten residents that started Caye Caulker Lobster Fest in 1994.

Porfilio Guzman, Founder, Caye Caulker Lobster Fest

“People worldwide and Belizeans look forward to Caye Caulker Lobster Fest because we dah the original. San Pedro and Placencia they come ten and five years after, but we have record and we have been registered as Caye Caulker Lobster Fest.”

The new generation of the Caye Caulker Lobster Fest Planning Committee is led by Sharry Trejo.

Sharry Trejo, Member, Caye Caulker Lobster Fest Committee

“It is very challenging. There are only seven of us in the committee. We are all business owners. We tend to leave our business behind a little bit to concentrate on the preparations for this festival. It is a lot. Sometimes it is frustrating, but our main goal is to ensure that the community are the sole beneficiaries. We don’t do it for ourselves. We do it for everyone here because this is the only festival that Caye Caulker has.”

Among the beneficiaries who Trejo speaks about is Ruby Jiminez, the chef at Elba’s Little Kitchen. There is also Elsa Guzman the Owner of Happy Lobster. Both women are from Caye Caulker.

Ruby Jiminez, Chef, Elba’s Little Kitchen

“Wooo, everybody is excited, everybody is prepping because events like this we get extra people on the island. We have to prepare extra and make sure we are all ready and ready to serve people lobster for lobster fest.”

Elsa Guzman, Owner, Happy Lobster

“If you notice for the last years we have less lobster. It is harder to get. Before we would not even have to call the fishermen. Now we have to call them.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

B.E.B.L. Best of Five Finals Series is Tied

Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. The B.E.B.L. 2024 best of five finals series began on Friday night and, folks, tonight we have a series.

The Benny’s Belize Hurricanes played their first two home games over the weekend. The Hurricanes made a statement in game one, defeating the Defenders by twenty-four points in a game that ended eighty-seven to sixty-three points. And when you look at the stats for game one, Glency Lopez and Amir Ross played big minutes and contributed eighteen and nineteen points, respectively, to the win. Marquise Cunningham, who always finds a way to get the inside opportunity, finished with thirteen points on Friday night. Daniel Estes also scored some big points in game one for the Defenders. He finished with nineteen points.

We have also been seeing more by way of play time and performance from Devin Daly who finished with eleven points on Friday night, right in front of Richard Smith who ended the game with ten points. 2024 B.E.B.L. M.V.P. Nigel Jones left a lot to be desired in that game, securing only nine points for his team off four field goals. So that is basically game one in summary. But game two was a different story for both teams. At the end of the first quarter Defenders led the game by six points with a score of nineteen points to Hurricanes’ thirteen.

A steal by Devin Daly at the start of the second and a foul at the other end. Daly using his size advantage. Victor “Vito” Evans on the other end of the court with the And-One finish. Devon Campbell guarded heavily by Amir Ross. Ross drew the foul and took a moment to celebrate with fans. Devin Daly putting his body on the line there to secure the rock.

Down by two points with seconds left in the second quarter, Glency Lopez worked his way along the baseline and made an impressive shot under the basket to tie the match at thirty points apiece at the end of first half. Early in the third quarter things got a bit physical between Campbell and Ross. Ross was initially T’d up after he head butted Campbell in the chest. But after reviewing the play, the referee found that both players were at fault. Campbell and Ross were kicked out of the game. Less than three minutes later, Hurricanes called for change to bring in Sidibe Bourama. Seemingly upset by the decision, Alex Carcamo took off his jersey and left the game. He walked back to the locker room. The Hurricanes were trailing by three points.

Moments later, Hurricanes’ Assistant Coach Bart Jones picked up his backpack and followed behind Carcamo. The match was tied at fifty-one a piece at the end of the third. Hurricanes down by one with seventeen seconds left on the clock, Kirk Smith Junior made a massive bucket to give his team a one-point lead. The Defenders were down with eight seconds, but certainly not out. Nigel Jones with the ball. He drew the foul on the inside and missed the bucket. Jones to the line. The first free throw to tie the game is good. Arguably his biggest free throw of the season, Jones banked it and gave his team the one-point lead. Evans tried for a two-point jump shot and missed. Eyan Rene with the second opportunity and he missed. The Civic erupted and the Defenders tied this best out of five series. Game three goes down on Friday night inside the Civic.

In some regional volleyball news, Belize’s Under- twenty-three National Female Volleyball Team is currently competing in the Under-Twenty-Three Central American Volleyball Championship being hosted by Honduras. Team Belize faced off against Guatemala on Sunday afternoon in their first match of the tournament. Despite the valiant effort, Belize fell to Guatemala in the fifth set. Tonight, they go up against Nicaragua.

Let’s now move into some football action. Belize’s football future is in good hands. The team to watch in this year’s Anthony Mahler Under-Thirteen Mundialito Tournament is Berger United. They may be newcomers but Berger United is dominating. On Saturday, they played against Ebony Lake inside the Berger Field.

One minute into this one, Berger’s Camron Brown cleaned up after Ebony’s goalkeeper stopped two attempts at goal. Two minutes later, Breylin Middleton found an opening in front of the goal and made it count.

Five minutes in and it was Middleton again with a long range shot direct to goal. Berger United went up by three goals. A minute later, Ebony Lake got some relief with a corner kick from Niroughn Arzu that hit target, much to the surprise of everyone on the field. Berger United won that game eight goals to two.

The third matchup of the day was between Sampson/Brown and Reality Youths. This one was a though matchup and it ended one goal to zero in favor of Sampson/Brown. At the twenty-sixth minute, goalkeeper Zion Clarke sent a ball flying to the other end of the field. It bounced once just outside of the penalty box and dropped over the goal keeper’s head and into the goal. The goalkeeper was clearly frustrated with himself.

Well folks that is all we have for you in tonight’s coverage of Sports Monday. Catch you in the next one.

Mabil Ha Celebrates Long-Awaited Water System

The Ministry of Rural Transformation and Community Development broke ground for the new Mabil Ha water system. On Sunday, the ministry held a ceremony at Mabil Ha Village, Toledo District, celebrating the start of the long-awaited project that marks “a significant achievement in our mission for rural transformation.”

According to the ministry, the project is a collaborative effort between the ministry, the Belize Social Investment Fund (BSIF), and the funding support from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

The project is designed with sustainability at its core and “will harness the power of solar energy and feature a backup generator on-site, ensuring a reliable water supply for years to come,” says the Ministry, “a significant achievement in our mission for rural transformation” to provide the people with “safe, clean, portable water.”

At the ceremony, Oscar Requena, Minister of Rural Transformation and Community Development said, “In two weeks time… we are going to see the work get started in Mabil Ha.”

Roaring Creek Police Station Comes Under Gunfire; Three in Custody for Questioning

On Sunday morning, a gunman shot up the Roaring Creek police station.

It is reported that the man in a white hoodie opened fire at the station at around 12:30. A police officer was standing in front of the building when the shooting began.

Fortunately, no one was injured. Investigators recovered eighteen expended shells at the scene. An adult male and two teenage boys are currently in police custody for questioning.

According to Commissioner Williams, investigators do not have “anything concrete” on the three detainees. The officer who was in front of the station when the shooting occurred is being interviewed. “We want to make sure that it is not something personal to him because that is another possibility that we are looking at”, Williams said this morning on Open Your Eyes.

Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage.

“We must condemn it as a society in the strongest terms. As the police department we are going to find who is the person responsible and bring him to justice, plain and simple.”

Atlantic 7-Day Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook

Tropical Weather Outlook

NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
2:00 PM EDT Mon Jun 24, 2024

For the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico:

Western Caribbean/Southwestern Gulf of Mexico:

A westward-moving tropical wave, located a few hundred miles east-southeast of the Windward Islands, is producing disorganized showers and thunderstorms. Environmental conditions appear conducive for slow development once the wave reaches the western Caribbean late this week.

Formation chance through 48 hours: low, near 0 percent
Formation chance through 7 days: low, 20 percent

Belize Maintains Tier 2 Status on US Trafficking in Persons Report

The government announced moments ago that Belize has maintained its Tier 2 status on the U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for 2024. According to the press release, this status reflects Belize’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking and protect victims.

“The Tier 2 ranking acknowledges Belize’s substantial efforts to comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government recognises the complexities of this global issue and is committed to continuous improvement and comprehensive strategies to tackle human trafficking within its borders. The report acknowledges Belize’s efforts in convicting two traffickers, the increase in the identification of victims, as well as an increase in trafficking investigations.”

Belize was praised for its cooperation with foreign law enforcement officials, which led to the arrest and conviction of a trafficker. The report also commended Belize’s ongoing sensitization campaigns, which, during this reporting period, provided awareness training to liquor licensing board members.

The report also raised concerns and recommendations. The government says it reaffirms its dedication to eradicating human trafficking.

The full report can be found here: https://www.state.gov/reports/2024-trafficking-in-persons-report/belize/

Stanley Moore Shot Dead, ComPol Williams says They Know Who the Murderer Is

On Sunday evening, a gunman targeted Joshua Gillett and Stanley Moore in the Lake Independence area of the Old Capital. Witnesses report that Joshua Gillett and Stanley Moore were travelling in a BMW when they were attacked at the junction of Mahogany and Santa Barbara Streets. Gillett, who was driving, sped to Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (K.H.M.H.) with Moore dead in the passenger seat. Gillett remains in critical condition.

*Stanley Moore (deceased) and Joshua Gillett (critical)*

Moore’s mother, Jennifer Wade, posted a screen-recorded video of a conversation she had with her son before he was fatally shot. Moore told her, “if anything happened to me right, I am just making you know that one time that it is the police them because they are (bleeping) with me for lone (bleep).” She advises him to head home. She said on her Facebook, “Three days ago on June 20th at 12:06 AM, I received a disturbing message from my son, and today I received the most heartbreaking news that my son was murdered. I need answers about my child’s death. The worst part about it is I’m not even in Belize City I’m in New York with family members and I can’t do nothing. I need justice for my child.”

When Police Commissioner, Chester Williams, appeared on Open Your Eyes this morning, he was asked about the incident. The commissioner said investigators know who the shooter is. “We already know who the individual is and we are looking for that individual.”

“Some may say, but what were the two doing there? That is not their area. But we cannot hold them accountable for that because this is Belize. We are free to move how we want. So you can tell me that I have to confine myself to one square mile in the country.”

*Vehicle that Stanly Moore and Joshua Garbutt were in when they were targetted in Belize City.*

Gillett is well known to the police. He has been charged with wounding, threatening words, dangerous harm, use of deadly means of harm, and attempted murder. He’s also been shot and injured. He is a resident of Conchshell Bay.

“We have this gang world issue. There are persons who are very thinned skin. They are very insensitive and it takes just a little to spark them. I have always said, we must do our work in such a way that we don’t allow one idiot to do something stupid and that would normally create that chain of events.”

Police Commissioner Chester Williams on Open Your Eyes.

According to Williams, the recent shootings all stem from an incident at the ‘Trinibad’ concert that took place in Belize City a few weeks ago. “We saw where it went from Southside, to Supal Street, to BLC, to PIV and now to Conchshell Bay. It only takes one sparks and it spreads like a wildfire.” Williams says that officers are working to prevent future incidents.

A second man was murdered over the weekend in Belize City. Fifty-year-old Dion Bowden was fatally shot early on Saturday morning. He was on Pitts Alley when the incident occurred. His body was found lying on the ground with several gunshot wounds. Police have arrested and charged thirty-five-year-old Jeffery Pott of Belize City for Bowden’s murder. The motive is not known yet.

Dion Bowden (deceased) and Jeffery Pott (alleged shooter)

Happening Now: Bus Owner Raises Concerns Over Impact of Belize City E-Bus

The owner of one of the Belize City bus runs, Phillips Jones, is holding a press conference at the Best Western Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel. Flanked by his attorney, Arthur Saldivar, Jones is voicing concerns about the potential impact of the Belize City E-bus initiative on their business. Saldivar stated that the Belize City Council’s new proposals could unfairly jeopardise some of the ten city bus runs. Tune in to News 5 Live at 6 for more details.