2024-12-24 - Channel 5 Belize

Some Teachers Receive Payment, B.N.T.U. says Distribution Process Flawed

The Government of Belize has started paying the overdue increments owed to teachers, but the battle isn’t over yet. On Friday, Belize National Teacher’s Union President Nadia Caliz mentioned that most teachers still hadn’t received their payments, even though the school managers had the funds. On Monday, CEO of the Ministry of Education Dian Maheia explained that the money is still being distributed and should reach the teachers soon. We asked Caliz for an update on the rollout of these payments. Here’s what she had to say.

On the Phone: Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.

“ For the B.N.T.U. right now, we need to gather our own data. And by getting our own data, then we’ll be able to see that what the ministry said is correct. What I do know from our end is that some of our teachers are telling us that they have not received increments. Others are saying that they’re still waiting. But what I find very interesting is the conversation I’ve been having with some managers. They were first asked by the ministry to submit a list of names of the persons who were due increments. And they submitted those names. The list was sent back to them with either those names, some being taken up, and additional names being added on. Funding was then sent for those names. What some managers are also telling me is that they have the funds. The challenge that they are having is actually getting it to the teachers. What we from the B.N.T.U. are concerned about The mechanism being used to pay these teachers because they have to have documentation to show that these teachers receive these monies and that there’s a signature there to prove that while the ministry said that the managers will have to provide them with that same info, we want to make certain that it is actually our teachers who are receiving these funds and nobody else. At the end of the day, we our mandate is that teachers be paid their allowances and their increments. I also want to use this platform to tell my teachers, if you have not received the increment, you have not received the allowances, please go to your management so that they have a record of that. If you’re owed for years, go to your management so that they have a record of that. So after going to your management, I am going to encourage you to find all the education centers countrywide. There is one in every district and you also register the fact that you have not received your increments and you have not received your allowances because they need to have a true picture of who these teachers are just saying that it has been settled and it’s not with the management. Do they have a true picture? That’s the question. That is not really enough for us. We need numbers. The same way we’re going to be looking at our numbers, we need numbers from them as well. That is what we want.”

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Teachers Still Waiting for Payments Despite Promises

B.N.T.U Says Ministry Cannot Wash Their Hands of Missing Increments Issue

On Monday, the CEO of the Ministry of Education, Dian Maheia, urged teachers who haven’t received their increments to report their cases to the ministry for help. Nadia Caliz, President of the National Teacher’s Union, backs this call and encourages union members to document any issues they’re facing with the payments. We spoke with Caliz today, and she stressed the importance of keeping the Ministry involved until every teacher gets paid.

Britney Gordon

“Yesterday, the ministry told us that if teachers are having any trouble with accessing these funds that have been sent to them, that they can go to the ministry. Is this a step that the union members are taking as well to file a complaint to them and have them investigate it?”

On the Phone: Nadia Caliz, President, B.N.T.U.

“It needs to happen because one of the things I said to Mr. Fonseca when I spoke to him, and even when I asked my executive secretary to write him, that they need to put a mechanism in place where teachers can go and report that they have not received these funds, since they are claiming that they sent the funds to the management. So I support that mechanism, yes I do, because I want my teachers to be paid. The distribution process will be a problem because not all of the managements have the mechanism to deal with the number of persons that they have. The biggest right now, most of the complaints that we’re getting come from Catholic teachers. The complaints were not getting increment Catholic teachers, the majority not getting allowances, Catholic teachers, majority backlog majority Catholic teachers because we asked for management. So it is clear that there is something wrong with the whole operations where the Catholic management is concerned. If we get the complaint, let’s say five complaints within an hour, four of those will be Catholic teachers. I sound very much concerned with that too. So yes, I want them to go report to the ministry and I want the ministry to have proper records of who they are and which management it is. It is key. Our teachers know they are at the middle of all of this. Whatever mechanism is in place, they are in the middle. They are caught in the middle. They are caught with the war between the unions, the ministry, the management. They are the recipients of this. They are the ones who need to get the increments. They are the ones who need to get the allowances. They should not be, go to this one, go to that one, go to that one. But, in an attempt to separate, I do support going to the ministry. I do support that. Because they need to begin to see what the union has been saying to them. They need to begin to see the true numbers.”

How the High Court Plans to Resolve U.D.P.’s Leadership Beef

The court has laid out a plan to resolve the leadership dispute between Mesop Area Rep. Moses Shyne Barrow and Albert Area Rep. Tracy Panton over the United Democratic Party (U.D.P.). Here are the key points: The claimants need to respond to the defendants’ answer and defend their counterclaim by January sixth, 2025. The defendants must reply by January fifteenth, 2025. Disclosure requests are due by January seventeenth, 2025, and the process must be completed by January thirty-first, 2025. A joint pre-trial memo is due by February fourteenth, 2025, and written submissions on key issues by February twenty-eight, 2025.The court will decide if the October twentieth, 2024, meeting was a valid national convention and if Panton is still a U.D.P. member. These decisions could resolve or narrow the disputes. The claimants’ attorney must prepare a trial bundle by March fourteenth, 2025. Oral submissions are set for March thirty-first, 2025, with each attorney getting two hours. The court encourages mediation during this time. Both parties must appoint a local firm of attorneys in Belize to avoid confusion. Attorneys must confirm their authority and identify lead counsel by January sixth, 2025. The court stressed that these deadlines are mandatory, with changes allowed only under exceptional circumstances. Earlier this year, senior U.D.P. members filed a court action against Tracy Taegar-Panton and Phillipa Griffith Bailey, alleging they unlawfully seized the U.D.P. Headquarters on October twenty-eighth, 2024. They seek an injunction to reclaim the property and prevent further unauthorized actions. They argue that Panton’s actions disrupt U.D.P. operations and harm its reputation ahead of elections. Barrow also filed contempt orders against Panton for not complying with a November eighth, 2024, judgment. They sought a three-month prison sentence or a five-hundred-dollar fine, payable within seven days, failing which the prison term would apply. They also request costs, and any additional relief deemed appropriate.

Amado Badillo Swindles Customer Out of Vehicle, Again

Forty-five-year-old Amado Badillo, owner of Prestige Auto Sales, has been charged with obtaining property by deception. His arrest came after Teresa Flores filed a report on December nineteenth. Badillo has faced similar accusations from unhappy customers who claim he took their money but didn’t deliver the vehicles they paid for. In January, a doctor from Caye Caulker took legal action against him for not delivering a 2020 Ford Ranger pickup, a deal worth sixty-five thousand dollars with Dimas Sansorez dating back to April 2023. Earlier today, Badillo appeared in the lower courts to face the latest charges. On December nineteenth, 2024, Teresa Flores, a thirty-five-year-old receptionist from Ladyville, went to the Crimes Investigation Branch at Queen Street Police Station. She reported that on November fourteenth, 2023, she got a call from Amado Badillo, someone she had known for over ten years. He offered her a black 2018 Ford Focus for fourteen thousand dollars. Flores said she gave eleven thousand dollars to Badillo’s driver, Raydon Popper, that same day. An hour later, she got confirmation and an electronic receipt from Badillo via WhatsApp. On November seventeenth, 2023, Badillo visited her workplace and took her to Holy Redeemer Credit Union, where she withdrew the remaining three thousand dollars and handed it to him. Badillo promised the car would arrive in Belize within two to three weeks, but it never did. Flores followed up with Badillo multiple times, including on December fifteenth and twenty-ninth, 2023, May eleventh and thirteenth, 2024, and October twentieth and twenty-fourth, 2024. Despite her efforts, she never received the car or her money back. Badillo, who was unrepresented, appeared this morning before the Chief Magistrate, where he was read a charge of obtaining property by deception. Badillo pleaded not guilty to obtaining property by deception and since the prosecutor had no objection to bail being offered to him, the Chief Magistrate granted him bail in the sum of ten thousand, plus one surety of the same amount or two sureties of five thousand dollars each. Conditions to his bail are that he must stay away from Flores; and he is not to be arrested and charged with any other offenses whilst out on bail. It was at this point that Badillo told the court that he would have to make one contact with Flores since she has a vehicle that belonged to him. According to Badillo he had given her a vehicle to use in the interim her vehicle arrived in Belize. The prosecutor then informed Badillo that he will have to have a third-party contact Flores or he will be in violation of his bail condition, and he will risk going to jail if found in violation of the conditions of his bail. Badillo’s next court date is set for February twenty-sixth, 2025.

Industrial Engineer Spared Prison Time After Pulling Out Gun in Public

Tonight, an industrial engineer is lucky to be home for the holidays instead of behind bars. Sigfrido Ernesto Diaz Trigueros, a 34-year-old Salvadoran national, was accused of pulling his licensed 9 mm pistol on a bus conductor at the Michael Finnegan Market in broad daylight. After spending a night in police custody, Trigueros saw the charge of aggravated assault with a firearm dropped. This morning, Trigueros appeared in court unrepresented. The bus conductor, Bryton Morrio, took the stand and requested no further court action against Trigueros. Morrio explained that they had reached an agreement to settle the matter out of court, with Trigueros compensating him for the damage to the bus. The prosecutor confirmed that Morrio was acting of his own free will and not under pressure. With no further evidence, the Chief Magistrate dismissed the charge, and Trigueros was free to go. The incident occurred on December 23, 2024, when Morrio reported that Trigueros had pointed a gun at him and threatened to shoot him. Morrio had initially reported the incident to the police, leading to Trigueros’ arrest. However, with the matter now settled, Trigueros can spend Christmas with his loved ones.

No Arrests in Shooting Death of Huard Ramirez

At Monday’s press briefing, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hilberto Romero gave updates on several recent incidents, including the tragic shooting death of seventeen-year-old Huard Ramirez in San Ignacio. ACP Romero also mentioned that they are waiting for information from their Mexican counterparts about a shooting involving a Belizean in Chetumal over the weekend.

Isani Cayetano

“Is there any word on a possible arrest for the individual who shot and killed Huard Ramirez in San Ignacio/Santa Elena recently?

ACP Hilberto Romero, Regional Commander, Eastern Division

“No directive has been given and so no one has been charged.”

Reporter

Police efforts to mitigate accidents and drunk driving?

Hilberto Romero

“Again, we have our checkpoints up, highway patrols, and there will be a lot of enforcement when it regards to the traffic offenses. So we ask for the public’s assistance. I know there’s a lot of traffic due to the shopping areas and we want everybody to be safe.”

Isani Cayetano

There was a shooting incident in Chetumal over the weekend involving a well-known Belizean person in the underworld. Has there been any communications with the counterparts in Mexico with respect of this incident?

Hilberto Romero

“Investigations are being done at this time and we are still awaiting the facts.”

Police Department Warns Against Illegal Use of Fireworks

This Christmas, many Belizeans will be lighting up firecrackers and fireworks, even though many of them are illegal. From a safety standpoint, firecrackers are risky because they can be unpredictable, burn at very high temperatures, and easily start fires, which can damage property and endanger lives. They can also cause serious injuries. Earlier today, Deputy Commissioner of Police Bart Jones appeared on Open Your Eyes to warn about the dangers and illegalities of using fireworks.

Bart Jones, Deputy Commissioner of Police

“I want to warn those persons as well because there are a number of persons on social media who are offering these things for sale and that is also prohibited as well. Certainly, if it is an uncustomed good and the customs department, if large quantities are caught, we are going to hand that over to the customs department. We know that for uncustomed goods, the penalty is three times the value. So certainly, that will be happening over this entire Christmas holiday.”

Fine for Illegal Fireworks is Up to $5K

D.C.P. Jones mentioned that the Belize Police Department has increased patrols nationwide, and officers will be on the lookout for illegal fireworks. He also noted that the fine for unauthorized use can be as high as five thousand dollars.

Bart Jones, Deputy Commissioner of Police

“We’ve been cracking down, our patrols will be out, especially during tonight and New Year’s Eve, old years, as they call it in some jurisdictions, to deal with that situation because we know that it will occur. The fireworks persons are properly licensed, they would have to submit basic information as to who is going to discharge, where and the fire department must be informed. The law says that a fine of up to five thousand dollars could be charged and five dollars, in addition to the five thousand dollars, five dollars for every pound of firecrackers or illegal… even illegal fireworks. If you brought in the fireworks and did not get a permit, then you could be charged up to five thousand dollars, plus five dollars for every pound that you are caught with.”

April Martinez

“And while you are patrolling, are you going to be looking for these things?”

Bart Jones

“Yes, we are going to be looking for it and because most of the times, sadly, kids are involved, police would just normally take them away and warn the parents, that kind of thing.”

Christmas Wishes in Belize City

It’s Christmas Eve, and Belize City is alive with activity. The sidewalks are packed, and the stores are bustling with last-minute shoppers hurrying to finish their preparations. Despite the ticking clock, there’s still a chance to make one last Christmas wish. This morning, we hit Albert Street to find out what people are hoping for this year. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Christmas Day is almost here, and you can feel the excitement everywhere. Whether it’s the delicious food, the presents, or just a break from work, many Belizeans are eagerly looking forward to it. We spoke to a few people to find out what they’re wishing for this year.

Britney Gordon

“What are you wishing for this Christmas?”

‘Daffy Duk’ Graham, Belizean

“ Health, strength, more money, and everyone to just spread the love.”

Britney Gordon

“What are you looking forward to the most of all?”

‘Daffy Duk’ Graham

“The food.”

Britney Gordon

“What’s your favorite?”

‘Daffy Duk’ Graham

“Ham and turkey. And the cranberry.”

Kiarraa Budd, Belizean

“The food.”

Britney

“What’s your favourite?”

Kiarraa Budd

“The Turkey.”

Britney Gordon

“Do you cook or do your parents?”

Kiarraa Budd

“My parents.”

This season many Belizeans wished for continuous health and strength for their family and friends.

Naya Bodden, Belizean

“Happiness, health, strength, life and land. That would be good too.”

Chantal Ferguson, Belizean

“I guess I just wish for everybody to be safe and happy with their family. I’m just going to that.”

Britney Gordon

“Have you already prepped everything? Gifts wrapped, food cooked?”

Chantal Ferguson

“I just gwen do that but my aunty di cook.”

One Belizean, Shirley Jones is asking for prayers to improve her own health this season.

Shirly Jones, Belizean

“ Just feeling better cuz I inna lotta pain right now.”

Britney Gordon

“Okay, So that’s what you’re most hopeful for”

Shirley Jones

“Yes ma’am.”

Britney Gordon

“So you’re having a lot of Christmas prayers this season.”

Shirley Jones

“Yes ma’am”

Britney Gordon

“ So what do you ask people to pray for you?”

Shirley Jones

“Fi health and strength.”

And perhaps the most excited for Christmas are the children all over the country. We asked a few of them what they’re hoping Santa will bring them this year.

Zanaeh, Six-year-old

“A car.”

Britney Gordon

“What kind of car? What colour?”

Zanaeh

“Purple.”

Britney Gordon

“What are you excited to eat tomorrow?”

Zanaeh

“Cake.”

Britney Gordon

“ What do you want for Christmas this year?”

Benny, Five-yea-rold

“A car.”

Britney Gordon

“ What would you like for Christmas this year?”

Soraye Romero, 12-Year-old

“A phone. An iPhone.”

Britney Gordon

“What are you most excited for tomorrow?”

Soraya Romero

“What will happen tomorrow. The dancing.”

Benny

“Merry Christmas”

Zanaeh

“Merry Christmas everyone.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

GST Free Weekends Curbs Christmas Eve Rush

The final hours before Christmas are here, and as usual, the streets of Belize City are alive with bells, music, and shoppers grabbing those last-minute gifts. But this Christmas Eve is a bit quieter than usual. Over the past two weeks, Belizeans have flocked to stores for the government’s GST-free shopping weekends, leading to packed shops and long lines. Store owners say there are fewer last-minute shoppers this year. Andre Salgado, General Manager of Quality Poultry Products, mentioned that despite the lower numbers today, business has been good overall.

Andre Salgado, Manager, Quality Poultry Products

“ It’s been great. Sales has been good today. Of course you’ve seen better days. But I think that is associated with the no GST weekends because the last two weekends has been crazy chaotic, lovely at that. It has been good. So it’s been, it being Christmas Eve today. It’s really good.”

Britney Gordon

“And how has turkey sales been in specific?”

Andre Salgado

“Turkey sales has been great. We have seen better turkey sales as well. However, we do understand that a lot of people don’t do turkeys for Christmas. But for what it has been, the sales has been really superb.”

Britney Gordon

“What makes a good turkey and a perfect Christmas dinner turkey?’

Andre Salgado

“It depends who you ask. Some people are professional cooks. Some people brine their turkey in salt and sugar probably about two days before and then season. For us, What makes a good quality turkey dinner is as long as you have quality cultured turkey, premium butter turkey on your table. Then that is what makes it the best turkey in my opinion.”

Britney Gordon

“For those Belizeans that waited until last minute to come and get something and perhaps not have purchased their turkey or their ham or whatever else yet, what would you say to them is available here for them to come and get?”

Andre Salgado

“Okay, so I know what you’re going through. I understand you. Maybe today was your PD. Maybe you just got your salary today. Whatever the circumstance may be. Maybe you’re just a dad who literally forgot to get a turkey today before, right? So we do have turkeys we do have sizes available for your specific need. If you’re a two household or if you’re a bigger household, of course, we have whatever size range turkeys. We still have them available here at Quality. We do have distributors throughout the entire country who also have quality premium turkeys. So that’s great. When you go to whatever store, it may be your favorite grocery store, your favorite supermarket, make sure it says quality premium on it. Then that’s how you know you get the best turkey. But yes, we do have for everybody come on down, come to all of our branches countrywide. Of course, by the time this year is hopefully it’s not too late, but we do have some branches closing until eight o’clock tonight.”