2025-04-09 - Channel 5 Belize

Over a Dozen Groups Attend Meeting to Reject Cayo Rosario

Several concerned groups in San Pedro are rallying against the Cayo Rosario project and have devised a plan to halt its progress. At a public meeting on Tuesday night, the groups, united under the San Pedro Citizens for Sustainable Development, announced their intention to lawyer up and prevent Cayo Rosario from disrupting the seabed around the island. While the six-acre island is private property, the surrounding sea is part of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve. The citizens are firm that, regardless of any approval the developer has from the Department of Environment, they do not want the project to impact on the sea. Here’s News Five’s Marion Ali with more on what the islanders had to say about Cayo Rosario.

Concerned Citizen #1

“Our home is your home but we have rules if you come here. You cannot destroy it.”

Concerned Citizen #2

“No structure over the water. They started at a hundred and ten approved, they went down to forty, my brother, they’re not going to get even one.”

Concerned Citizen #3

“Don’t destroy the islands; don’t destroy for development. Build your development around what exists.”

Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro

“This is not about colours and this is not about pointing fingers to who approved or who didn’t approve. We need to fight so that in the future these things don’t happen but we need to fight so that this one doesn’t happen.”

Concerned Citizen #4

“We need to fight; we need to go to Belmopan and do a demonstration. Don’t be afraid.”

Concerned Citizen #5

“Yes, I’m emotional because I love that Belize is ours and I’m going to fight teeth, hands and feet to show that this is what we want.”

Marion Ali, Reporting

Tuesday night at the San Pedro Lion’s Den was heated, with tempers flaring and emotions running high. The crowd gathered to voice their strong objections to the Cayo Rosario development. According to a revised Environmental Compliance Plan signed by the Department of the Environment and the developer in 2020, the project can move forward if it meets the environmental requirements. Just last week, government agencies reviewed the project again and gave it the green light. Right now, Cayo Rosario has an unfinished cement structure standing over the sea, connected to the island by a pier. This is the model for the other thirty-nine structures they plan to build, which means driving hundreds of piles into the seabed to support the buildings and piers. San Pedro Mayor Wally Nunez, who is also a licensed tour operator, attended the meeting. He understands the residents’ concerns and says he’s standing with them in this cause.

Wally Nunez, Mayor, San Pedro

“Even though Cayo Rosario doesn’t fall under the Town Council’s jurisdiction, and we have expanded our municipal boundaries, and it still doesn’t include Cayo Rosario, even though it’s that part of our jurisdiction, it directly affects our people. It’s the livelihood of our fishermen, of our tour guides that visit these islands, and so we have to be concerned. So, I came here today not only as a mayor, but also as a tour guide; also as a resident to listen out and to be informed more than anything else about what is the situation with Cayo Rosario. I’m here to stand with my people and we will fight the fight if that’s the case.”

We tried to get a comment from Belize Rural South Area Representative and Blue Economy Minister, Andre Perez, but had no luck. So, we asked Mayor Nunez about their discussions on the topic to find out where the minister stands.

Wally Nunez

“I have reached out to him and I know that himself as well as Hol Chan were trying to fight this not to happen. However, there are permits already issued and if that is the case, then there are some legalities when it comes to these things. So, we’re just looking at different options and partnering with the San Pedro Citizens for Sustainable Development.”

Oceana, represented by Alyssa Noble, as well as the World Wildlife Fund, represented by Nadia Bood, were on hand to lend their support to the fight against the project.

Nadia Bood, Senior Program Officer, W.W.F.

“Only through your voices can there be changes. When communities are effectively engaged, change will happen. So I commend you guys and we will be there to support you along the way.”

Alyssa Noble, Communications Director, Oceana

“There are Belizeans everywhere who are fighting this fight, and we’re going to continue fighting this fight, if we don’t take a stand now. So we’re here to show support, we’re here to support; we’re here to lend experience, expertise, because this is not new.”

The Hol Chan Marine Reserve, established in 1987, aims to protect marine areas where endangered species thrive. Interestingly, no one from Hol Chan attended the meeting, but former Director Miguel Alamilla, a trained marine biologist, is fully backing the groups opposing the project. He mentioned that during his time leading the Hol Chan Marine Reserve, he fought hard to keep the sea around Cayo Rosario untouched.

Miguel Alamilla, Marine Biologist

“The whole idea was to keep it pristine, natural for the fishermen to maintain their livelihoods for maybe perpetuity. Bonefish feed on those sandy flats and those researchers – that’s why I question the validity of that research because if you go there, you see white sand, but within that sand there’s a lot of organisms and crustaceans living within that eco-system and that’s where the bonefish go and feed.”

When the developers of Cayo Rosario purchased the six-acre island in 2008, the Hol Chan Marine Reserve did not include the sea around the island. The reserve was expanded in 2015 and that was when the sea around the island became a part of the reserve. Despite everything, the groups firmly believe that private property doesn’t extend to the surrounding sea and that no development should interfere with it. The public meeting was led by the San Pedro Citizens for Sustainable Development. The organization has over a dozen group members comprising tour operators, environmentalists and concerned residents. The San Pedro Tour Operators Association, chaired by Roberto Canul, is one of its members.

Roberto Canul, Chairman, San Pedro Tour Operators Association

“If they destroy those flats, you will never see the marine life, the fishes, the bonefish, the tarpon, the permits that visit those areas. You will never see that again. We just saw a video the other day of people being chased from the area because of the development that is happening there, and we don’t stand for those type of things.”

The Environmental Compliance Plan states in Point One that clearance is given to Cayo Rosario Development Limited for the construction of, among other things, overwater bungalows, an arrival dock, an outdoor pool, an island villa, island cottages, a beach club and an education center. Dr. Abdiel Perez, another marine biologist, explained that the activities in the sea have already had a negative impact on the seabed.

Dr. Abdiel Perez, Marine Biologist

“Just that area in the south, where they are already putting a lot of the material hosted at least eight hundred to a thousand bonefish easily at any time. Because of all of the development, there’s nothing there now. All the dredging, all the noise, all the material that they’re dumping is changing the entire bottom.”

The concerned groups are planning to hire a legal expert to help them navigate the situation. They’re also setting up a GoFundMe account to cover their expenses. In the coming weeks, they plan to create videos showing the damage that’s already occurred and seek international support to halt the project’s progress. Marion Ali for News Five.

The concerned groups had also rejected the Blackadore Development Project several years ago, which had a similar plan to build overwater structures. That project did not materialize as a result. News Five has tried to get a comment from the representatives of the Cayo Rosario project, but our efforts have been futile.

Luis Marin Gunned Down in Majestic Alley Home

Today, a family is heartbroken after twenty-four-year-old Luis Marin was tragically shot and killed in his home in Majestic Alley. According to the police, around ten p.m., Marin was hanging out with a family member in his apartment when a man approached and opened fire, fatally wounding Marin. The police arrived at the scene around a few minutes later and found Marin’s lifeless body. He was rushed to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, but sadly, he was pronounced dead on arrival. There are whispers that this murder might be connected to the weekend shooting of Jamal Hyde in Belmopan, which has already led to several arrests. However, the police have yet to confirm the speculation.

Government Employee Charged for Stealing 43 Chromebooks

A government employee is in hot water, accused of stealing forty-three Chromebooks from the Government Bookstore on Saint Joseph Street back in February. A police investigation led to the discovery of nine of the devices all the way in Orange Walk. This morning, Ezbert Felix Ramclam Junior, also known as ‘Suga,’ a warehouse manager for the G.O.B., was arraigned in the Belize City Magistrate’s Court on Coney Drive on a single charge of theft. The allegations state that between February eighteenth and February twenty-eighth, 2025, in Belize City, Ramclam dishonestly appropriated forty-three laptops valued at thirty-three thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two dollars, belonging to the Government of Belize. Represented by attorney Ronnell Gonzalez, Ramclam Junior pleaded not guilty to the charge. With no objection to bail, the magistrate granted it at three thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount, or two sureties of one thousand, five hundred dollars each, which he met. Ramclam Junior is due back in court on June fourth, 2025. On Saturday, March twenty-ninth, 2025, Ingrid Acosta, a project coordinator at the Project Execution Unit in the Ministry of Education in Belmopan, reported to the Crimes Investigation Branch that unauthorized persons had removed forty-three Chromebooks from a storage facility at the Government Bookstore compound in Belize City between February nineteenth and February twenty-eighth, 2025. The C.I.B. investigated and on Wednesday, April second, police recovered three of the devices in San Lorenzo Housing Site in Orange Walk Town. Further investigation led to the discovery of five more Lenovo Chromebooks, confirmed to have been stolen from the Government Bookstore’s warehouse. The laptops were taken to Belize City and handed over to the police. As part of the investigation, police recorded several statements from individuals in Belize City and Orange Walk. One report from a fifty-nine-year-old entrepreneur in Orange Walk stated that a man known as ‘Suga,’ who works at the Government Bookstore, sold him nine Chromebooks in February 2025. Consequently, Ramclam was detained on Monday, April seventh, 2025, and charged with theft on Tuesday, April eighth, 2025.

Leroy Almendarez is a C.E.O. Once Again

Today, it was announced that Doctor Leroy Almendarez has been named the new Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy, and Logistics. This news comes less than three months after Almendarez stepped down as C.E.O. of the Social Security Board, a position he held for just four months. Governor General Dame Froyal Tzalam appointed him on the advice of Prime Minister John Briceño. Before his brief stint at the S.S.B., Almendarez spent six years as the Executive Director of the Belize Trade and Investment Development Service (BELTRAIDE). Although the reason for his sudden departure from the S.S.B. was never disclosed, Almendarez did say that his time there was, quote, “a pleasure and something I embraced with vigour,” end quote.

2025 Election Delays Progress on Maya Land Consult Order

This week, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) held a virtual hearing with the Government of Belize and the Maya Leaders Alliance to check in on the progress of the Maya Land Rights Consent Order. This order, agreed upon in 2015, aims to recognize the land rights of the indigenous Maya people. Lead government attorney Andrew Marshalleck provided an update on how things have been moving forward since the last hearing in late January.

Andrew Marshalleck, Lead Government Attorney

“The National Assembly was dissolved on the eleventh February, just days after the draft was presented to the Cabinet subcommittee. The result is that they have not looked at it and have not reverted. The general elections were held on on March twelfth, and on March seventeeth, a new minister responsible for Indigenous Peoples Affairs was appointed. I managed to meet with him on Friday and briefed him as to where we are. He brings a new perspective and new energy to the effort. But he reminded me, and he’s right, that having been previously a minister of state that he was not in cabinet when all the briefings surrounding this issue were presented to that body. So we’ve had to start process of bringing him up to speed on everything. And we hope to accomplish that this week. The ministry is still without a Chief Executive Officer, but we expect one to be appointed. Shortly, our points of contact haven’t yet been completely established. The previous chief executive officer has been accommodating on a request to put us in touch with the new minister, but that is transitional. The three deliverables remain deliverables is the long and short of that. We will have to try to get those papers before what I expect will possibly be a new cabinet subcommittee as soon as we’re able to. And the next step is, remains, the next steps remain the same, but the elections have intervened and have caused delays.”

Concerned Villagers Report Land Violations at Golden Stream

More updates to come out of the CCJ hearing between the Government of Belize and the Maya Leaders Alliance were the concerns of land violations in Golden Stream Village, Toledo District. Court Authority Rosa Solario explained that she requested documentation from the government relating to concerns of violations in Golden Stream Village.

Rosa Solario, Court Authority

“They are very focused on encroaching activity, which began on December twenty-ninthth of 2024 by third parties without their prior consent, prior consent of the village and there’s a number of allegations. I mean, there’s land clearing, there’s registering interest in land, trespassing on land, but also destruction of property. And the complaint addresses seven thousand acres in the village of Golden Stream. And this is all on the part of third parties as background, your honors. This is the second complaint that I have received related to the Golden Stream Village. The first one, I issued a report on June eighteenth, 2020, and it was a similar complaint in the sense that it was dealing with a license permit that was actually granted to conduct salvage logging in the Golden Stream River without consultation and consent. And when I actually visited the villages in 2020, this was actually one of the villages that I had the opportunity to visit as well. in terms of what would be great to hear from the government or know from the government when they, when they share their response or information or relevant documents, one is whether there has been any sort of investigation on the title or licenses that are at issue. This complaint, basically like the circumstances around these activities and also whether they communicated the existence of Maya land rights right before granting this title or license. And one concern that I have looking at the complaint is that it shouldn’t be up to third parties. You know, whether they decide whether the CCJ consent order applies to them or not. I mean, this is something that we would want the government to inform third parties before granting any sort of title or licenses.”

Youth and Sports Budget Passed by National Assembly

On the Open Your Eyes Morning Show on Tuesday, Devin Daly, the new Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, emphasized the need for more efficiency within the ministry. He dropped some big news about the current budget and hinted at changes to the staff structure. His comments have sparked quite a buzz among youth advocates, sports fans, and the Public Service Union. Everyone seems to agree that the Department of Youth Services and the National Sports Council need a major revamp. But the P.S.U. insists that any changes must be carefully planned to avoid hurting real people. Meanwhile, youth advocates are pushing for more inclusion and a stronger commitment to investing in sports and developing athletes. News Five’s Paul Lopez dives into the details.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

On Tuesday morning, Devin Daly, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, stirred up quite a bit of controversy. He revealed that the Ministry of Youth and Sports has to split a budget of seven and a half million dollars.

Devin Daly, Minister of State, Ministry of Youth and Sports (File: April 8^th, 2025)

“The reality is we have accessible to us, about seven and a half million between youth and sports. However, seven out of that seven and a half million is on salaries. We are using five hundred thousand between youth and sports to really bring program work.”

But this isn’t breaking news. What Minister Daly mentioned is actually outlined in the Government of Belize’s approved 2024/2025 budget. A whopping ninety-five percent of the just over eight million dollars is allocated to recurrent expenses like salaries, travel, subsistence, materials, supplies, and operational costs. That leaves only about five percent, or five hundred thousand dollars, for rehabilitation programs, skills training, and maintaining sports facilities.

Devin Daly

“I don’t really believe that any taxpayer would be satisfied with getting that amount for sports and youth work within this country.”

Daly’s comments come just four weeks after he stepped into his new role as the junior minister in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, alongside Minister Anthony Mahler. With his background in professional sports and youth development, Daly is seen as a great fit for the job. Now, the challenge is to figure out how to run these important portfolios more efficiently and effectively. According to Ishmael Nicholson, the Commonwealth Youth Ambassador to Belize, youth participation in all areas of governance has nearly disappeared.

Ishmael Nicholson, Commonwealth Youth Ambassador to Belize

“In economics we learn that at a certain point where you have so much employees that the efficiency will continue to decrease. So, in economics we learn that more employees, less efficiency. So if the ministry believes that we have to cut to create more efficiency, and of course if we do it in a practical and proper way through its evaluation and assessments then I believe the youths will back it up, one hundred percent.”

A closer look at the five hundred thousand dollars earmarked for youth and sports investments reveals that no funds were allocated for youth development services in 2024, nor for youth programs and initiatives. The Youth for the Future Participation in Governance line item also got zero dollars. But what can you really expect from a budget that’s stretched so thin?

Ishmael Nicholson

“The most important thing that is missing for the ministry, beside the budget, is the national youth policy, which is the foundation for which the department will create the strategy for it to create more opportunities for growth for young people. So without that the department does not have a proper strategy to engage young people properly because that strategy is absent and youths are not involved within the department effectively and meaningfully we create youths becoming at risk in which we are suppose to prevent youths from becoming at risk youths.”

The sports budget paints a similar picture. Not a single dollar was set aside for youth programs and initiatives. Instead, more money was allocated for buying furniture and equipment—forty-six thousand dollars—than for maintaining sports facilities, which only got forty thousand dollars. This has resulted in poorly maintained facilities across the country and a serious lack of investment in athlete development.

Devin Daly

“As a government, our job is too fold, making sure that facilities is upkept and kept to a certain standard and work with the federation to ensure that the competition and development side of youth sports and senior sports is caried out. One of the things that is dear to me is to make sure we keep these facilities to a certain standard and we have to apply pressure and ensure the federation are carrying out tournaments in the facilities we provide.”

But with the way the current budget for youth and sports is set up, there’s no financial wiggle room to boost youth involvement in governance through the DYS or to improve the maintenance of sports facilities. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

Will Cutting Staff Increase Efficiency at DYS and NSC?

So, the 2024-2025 budget has highlighted some serious financial gaps in the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The big question now is, how are they planning to fix this in the new term? One idea on the table is to bump up the budget. But will that really plug the leaks? Another, more likely, proposal is to cut down the number of employees in the Department of Youth Services and the National Sports Council. The Public Service Union is clear about this: if job cuts are going to happen, there needs to be thorough consultations and a real understanding of how it will affect those who lose their jobs. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the details.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

The Department of Youth Services and the National Sports Council have been working with an eight-million-dollar budget, but ninety-five percent of that goes to recurring expenses like salaries. This leaves just five percent for youth and sports development, which Minister of State Devin Daly and youth advocates say is far from enough. One proposed solution is to increase the budget allocation for the new fiscal year to better support these crucial programs.

Devin Daly, Minister of State, Ministry of Youth and Sports (File: April 8^th, 2025)

“Before we look at an increase in budget, we have to look at the reality of what we can do with this money and the only thing that I can say at this time is more monies need to go into facilities development and also sports and youth development , and I know that is something that both directors believe and agree with. So, if the ministers and both directors agree then the necessary changes need to be made.”

According to the Public Service Union, these changes will likely result in a thirty percent staff cut between the two entities. PSU President Dean Flowers acknowledges the reasoning behind this move but emphasizes the need for transparency throughout the process.

Dean Flowers, President, P.S.U.

“What prompted our response was led first and foremost by the concerns brought to our attention by affected staff members who called into a meeting and informed that some of them will be without a job in the coming days. We do have members particularly in the Department of Youth Services. We do recognize the rationale. I think that it is no secret that across the public service there is great inefficiencies, inefficiencies created by the very politicians that we elect each and every election cycle. So if it is there will be an attempt to fix those, it has to be done comprehensively. It has to be done recognizing we are dealing with people.”

The union argues that letting go of a hundred employees without first tackling the long-standing inefficiencies, alleged corruption, and potential ‘ghost workers’ would be detrimental.

Dean Flowers

“The term ghost workers would have become famous, maybe eight years ago when we recognized that where the government payroll is concerned, a lot of people are on the payroll who have not worked a day within the public service. There are files in the public service that simply have an employment letter in there. These are files opened years ago, people who are on the payroll. It has an employment letter. That approval has been given for John X. He does not take vacation leave, does not take sick leave. There is absolutely nothing else in John X files other than approval that was given by the ministry of finance for him to be employed in an open vote capacity.”

According to Daly, the ministry’s approach is not simply about taking jobs away from people, but rather to create greater efficiency within the Department of Youth Services and the National Sports Council. Daly points out that many of these employees have been around since before the current administration took office.

Devin Daly

“We are about continuity and about finding the most effective unit and team to carry out the new mandate. When we look at the staff, a majority of these staff predates this administration. We have staff that is there for twenty something years, fifteen something years, and that is the majority at both of the organizations. So politics aside, which it is never aside, it is a problem that the precious administration never addressed.”

Dean Flowers

“You cannot have efficiency if you have a work force that is not contended or working under fear. So they must be a consultation. There must be inclusion in the decision making process so that you have buy in. But also there must be the safeguarding of people’s livelihood to the greatest extent that we possibly can preserve that. That is the angle we are coming from. We are not here to stop the necessary overhaul that is needed within these two department, or the wider public service on a whole but we believe the approach being taken is not inline with best human resource practices.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez

P.S.U. Calls for Greater Dilligence in G.O.B. Budgeting

As the National Assembly prepares for the budget presentation and debate ahead of the new fiscal year, there’s a lot of chatter about how the Ministry of Youth and Sports is being funded. This has led to some serious questions about the whole budget preparation process. Dean Flowers, the President of the Public Service Union, isn’t holding back—he argues that there’s not enough seriousness when it comes to putting these budgets together.

Dean Flowers, President, P.S.U.

“I do not engage in the budgetary exercises. I think that the public service union has consistently stated that there is little seriousness given to the preparation of these budgets. I know the approach has changed to the performance based. But if you look at all the budgets of the last twenty or ten years, not much has changed in terms of the program budgeting. I want to draw an analysis of the budget presented by the office of the auditor general. You will see that anything hardly change in that budget year after year, after year. The department’s targets or the personnel, it is just a cut and paste exercise. I say that to say that where the proposed budget for youths and sports is concerned, it might have had anything to do with what is being depicted int eh budget. It is just numbers throwing out there and no real analysis as to whether these things are actually needed or these cost area actually needed or going to the line items to which they are airmarked. This is a failure of the past auditor general to conduct audits of these ministries to ensure that what was approved was being spent for that they were approved for.”

P.S.U. Wants Ministry of Youth and Sports Audited

Flowers has also urged the auditor general to come forward and disclose whether an audit has been conducted on the Ministry of Youth and Sports to track how funds were used under the previous minister. He didn’t stop there—Flowers also called on Prime Minister John Briceño to explain if the current state of the ministry played a role in his decision to remove Minister Rodwell Ferguson from his position.

Dean Flowers, President, P.S.U.

“I am still waiting for the new auditor general to make a public appearance to lay out her plans on how she intends to carry out meaningful audits and especially risk audits on these high-risk audits that she knows exist. She knows they exist, but I have not heard anything. I am hoping we will hear from her on whether she would have conducted an audit on the transport department where Belizeans would have been denied services from that department by way of license plates and stickers for over two years, despite monies being allocated. We need to know where all that money. We need to know why the prime minister saw it fit to put Minister Feguson on time out in a corner under his ministry. The prime minister needs to come clean in terms of what occurred in the ministry of sports under the former minister, the ministry of transport under the former minister and what really occurred in the department of youth services.”