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The April 28th, 2013 issue of The Capital Weekly is online HERE
This Week's Stories:
- Darrell versus Santino: Another UDP Challenge in the Making?:
That UDP Mayor Darrell
Bradley has within a short time
proven himself to be a decisive
and effective political leader is
without question. And that many
within and outside the UDP expect
him to make the logical transition
from City Hall to National
Politics is not much of a secret.
What is not too clear is where
and how exactly he intends to enter
that arena of National Politics.
That is until Thursday of this week
when Bradley confirmed to Channel
Seven News that he is in fact
interested in Caribbean Shores:
"Persons have approached
me from Caribbean Shores. I'm
talking about members of the
Caribbean Shores Committee.
That's an area that I have very
close contacts with. I worked previously
on Carlos Perdomo's campaign.
I assisted him in public
relations. I have very strong contacts
and ties in that area. Persons
had approached me for running
in that area. I will say at this moment
that is not something that
I have ruled out and I am actively
considering that as an option.
But at this present moment, my
total focus is directed at being an
effective Mayor. The city has a lot
of challenges and I am in no way
thinking on any kind of elections."
- Belmopan's Bernard
Bestowed British Honour:
Four Belizeans have
been honoured at the Belize
House for their selfless and outstanding
contributions to Belize.
The honourees include
Senior Counsel, Mr. Denys A.
Barrow, who was awarded the
insignia for Commander of the
Most Excellent Order of the British
Empire for his distinguished
service to Belize and the field of
law; Commissioner of the Supreme
Court and Senior Justice of
the Peace, Mr. Patrick Alexander
Bernard, was bestowed with the
insignia of a Member of the Most
Excellent Order of the British
Empire for his dedication to the
Public Service. Also receiving the
insignia of a Member of the Most
Excellent Order of the British Empire
were Mr. Pen Cayetano for
his wonderful and numerous contributions
to music and art; and
Senior Justice of the Peace, Ms.
Crispina Hyde, for her selfless service
to education and community.
- Yanira Wins! New UB President:
The University
of Belize Student
Body held
elections over the past week,
and Yanira Garcia emerged
as the new President of the
Student Government, beating
out four other candidates
for the position, namely incumbent,
Hope Abadi; and
challengers, Anthony Bedran
and Caramyn Reid.
Yanira Garcia garnered
234 votes. Coming in second
(10 votes behind Yanira) was Caramyn Reid with 224
votes. Third was Anthony
Bedran with 140 votes. Incumbent
Hope Abadi came
in last with only 55 votes.
The other persons
elected to the Student
Government are:
Luis Mendez Jr.(Vice
President); Jasmine Thompson
(Financial Controller);
Felix Mai; (Secretary of Legislation);
Jamira Serano (FEA
Senator); Victor Cayetano
(Secretary of Programming);
Daniel Smith(F.S.T
Senator); Elenita Norales
(Nursing and Allied Health
Senator); and Kent Welch
(Secretary of Sports); Yadira
Argueta (Administrative
Officer); Shahira Quiroz;
(Secretary of Advocacy); Liane
Torres (FMSS Senator).
- Belize's Tourism Figures Up
for First Quarter of 2013:
by Laura Esquivel Frampton
Director of BTB. The Tourism Statistics are
in for the first quarter of 2013, and
once again, the news is great.
Those figures show that
the hotel sector registered revenues
of $60 Million since January.
Overnight arrivals were as high
as 93 Thousand during that period.
In March alone, overnight arrivals
reached a record high of 35
Thousand in a single month. Even
Cruise Tourism, which had been
lagging behind, showed an encouraging
increase in arrivals.
Speaking with Channel
Five News this week, Director of
the Belize Tourism Board, Laura
Esquivel Frampton, said:
"We're happy to say once
again that we have another record
breaking months this year. In fact,
all of this year, so far-January,
February and March-have been
record breaking in terms of overnight
arrivals. Overall, and this includes
the airport and all the other
ports of entry, January saw 17.1 percent
increase; February saw 11.59
percent increase; and March saw
an 11. 03 percent increase.
So, cumulatively, for the
quarter, we are seeing a 13.02 percent
increase in Tourism Arrivals
for the overnight sector.
- Count Our Blessings!: Delroy Cuthkelvin
Chairman, Editorial Board:
Last week,
we reprinted a news
story from the Caribbean
about the fact
that the Economy
of Barbados had not
only failed to register
any growth during
the first quarter of
2013, but had actually
contracted or shrunk.
That was bad
news for the Economy
of a nation which
is the wealthiest and
most developed in
the Eastern Caribbean,
and which has
for some time now
enjoyed one of the
highest per capita incomes
in the region.
This week, we report
on the notable increase
in Belize's Tourism
figures, which
is only one sector of
our Economy that recorded
GDP Growth
in the past year of 5.3
percent. While we do
not yet have the overall
figures on the performance
of Belize's Economy for the first
quarter of 2013, all projections
are that when
the final figures come
in for the current fiscal
year, we would
have again registered
considerable growth.
- PM Barrow meets UN Sec Gen in New York; Foreign Minister and CEO Join Him for CARICOM Meeting:
Prime Minister,
the Hon. Dean Barrow
left the country on Sunday,
April 21, 2013 on official business
to New York and Haiti.
In New York, the Prime
Minister had an audience
with the Secretary General
of the United Nations, His
Excellency, Ban Ki-Moon.
Prime Minister Barrow
briefed the Secretary General
on Belize's position on the
upcoming Referendum in
October and on the Special
Agreement with Guatemala.
The Prime Minister's
visit to New York is being coordinated
by the Office of Belize's
Permanent Representative
to the United Nation.
In Haiti, the Prime
Minister meets with fellow
Heads of States of the Caribbean
at the Fifth Summit
of Heads of State of the Associates
of Caribbean States
on 25th and 26th April, 2013.
There, in Haiti, the
Prime Minister is being
joined by Minister of Foreign
Affairs, Hon. Wilfred
Elrington, and Chief Executive
Officer in the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador
Alexis Rosado.
Prime Minister
Hon. Dean Barrow returns
home to Belize on
Sunday, 28th April, 2013.
- Belmopan Bandits T-Shirts for Sale:
Fans of the Belmopan Bandits
Football Club are advised
that the official Bandits
Team Jersey is on Sale
at a price of $50.00 each.
Visit our Team Facebook
page at www.facebook/
belmopanbandits or email
us at bmpbanditsfc@gmail.
com or call: 626-8362.
Dress Like a Winner !
- Oh How Sweet It Is! Residents of 'Young Bank' Community get Potable Water:
Residents of
Young Bank, a
community on
the outskirts of
Camalote Village in the Cayo
District, now enjoy quality,
potable water twenty four
hours a day thanks to a Social
Investment Fund (SIF) and Belize
Water Services Limited (BWSL)
project, which aims to improve
and expand water supply to
rural communities in Belize.
The project was officially
inaugurated on Sunday
afternoon, 14 April 2013 during a
brief ceremony in Young Bank.
Young Bank is located
about � mile on the Valley of
Peace Road off the Western
Highway and is a relatively new
settlement behind Camalote
Village with a population of
approximately 470 Belizean
residents, who were original
immigrants from the
neighboring Central American
republics of Guatemala, El
Salvador and Honduras.
Prior to the project, the
residents suffered immensely
from the lack of potable water
especially during the dry
season, when they had to rely
on outdoor water reservoirs
and delivery water trucks.
- New Drainage Project Addresses Infrastructure
Needs In Buttonwood Bay Area of Belize City:
A d r a i n a g e
project that
will address the
infrastructure
needs of over 600 residents in the
Buttonwood Bay area of Belize
City was officially launched
during a brief ceremony on
Monday April 22, 203 at the
Canaan Seventh Day Adventist
High School compound.
The project will
be implemented by the
Social Investment Fund in
collaboration with the Belize
Water Services Limited
(BWSL) and financed by the
Government of Belize through
a loan from the Caribbean
Development Bank (CDB).
The project is
estimated to cost $941,316.00.
"This project exemplifies
New Drainage Project Addresses Infrastructure
Needs In Buttonwood Bay Area of Belize City
the Government's seriousness to
address the infrastructure needs
of Belize City and to improve the
living conditions of residents
in the Buttonwood Bay Area,
despite the economic challenges
facing our country," Hon.
Santiago Castillo, Minister of
State in the Ministry of Finance
and Economic Development
and Area Representative
for Caribbean Shores, said.
The project will entail the
construction of approximately
5,700 linear feet of Ferroconcrete
lined drains with covers
for sidewalks, the replacement
of new driveways and walkways
and installation of new culverts
and wing walls. In addition,
water mains and service
entrances will be relocated and
new service connections will be
installed. It will focus on Park
Avenue, Pike Crescent East and
Pike Crescent West, E Street
and Buttonwood Bay Boulevard.
- Faith Lift
By Zelda Hill: Are you on Solid Rock
or in Sinking Sand?:
Ho p e -
f u l l y,
by now
y o u
h a v e
been convinced that no
government has the answers
to the problems that
plague us as individuals,
families and societies.
National and global
events may have also
caused you to question
whether there is a God. And
if you believe God exists,
you may have questioned
whether He cares about us
and our world. Take heart!
Although our world
seems to be spinning out of
control, God is ultimately in
control. However, God exercises
His permissive will to
help us understand that we
could never be better off under
our own rule than under
His. But still we stubbornly
reject His way and prefer to
become dependent on leaders,
governments and earthly
systems to ease suffering,
cure terminal illnesses
and to bring an end to all
the crime and violence.
- Spreading the Love:
the Love
"A friend in need is a
friend indeed." That's exactly
what Honourable John
Saldivar is to Matilde Cerna,
a 40 year old resident of Salvapan
in the Belmopan area.
Matilde lost her mobility
as a result of Diabetes
which resulted in an operation
being conducted on her feet.
She is the mother
of four children, all boys.
One of them is 15
year old Wilser Echavarria,
seen in the photo along
with his mother and Belmopan
Area Representative,
Honourable John Saldivar.
He says the entire family
is very thankful to their
area representative as they
are a household with limited
means, struggling daily to
make ends meet, and could
hardly afford the cost of purchasing
the wheel chair which
his mother absolutely needs
to be able to move around
in her present condition.
- Upgrading Belmopan's Infrastructure
Waiting Sheds - Shuttle Buses - Paved Streets:
In the Old Capital,
Belize City,
the revolutionary
upgrade in infrastructure
spearheaded by that
city's Mayor, Darrell Bradley,
has been receiving much
publicity, and deservedly so.
In the new Capital, Belmopan,
under the leadership
of Mayor Simeon Lopez and
his City Council, much is also
happening in terms of the overall
upgrade of the city's infrastructure,
through a number
of projects which are all a part
of the comprehensive master
plan to transform the Nation's
Capital into a modern city.
Thanks to the World
Bank funded Belize Municipal
Development Project (BMDP),
monies obtained through the
good stewardship of the Dean
Barrow Administration (a total
of $30 Million aimed at
providing much needed infrastructure
in seven major municipalities
Countrywide) are
being spent on the rehabilitation
and upgrading of a number
of streets in the Capital City.
- At Long Last! Potable Water Finally Coming to Belize River Valley:
On Wednesday April 24,
2013, Hon.
Edmund Castro, Area Representative for
Belize Rural North, along with
Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister
of Rural Development, and
Chairman of the Belize Water
Services Limited (BWSL),
Alberto August, broke ground
for a $7.8 Million water project
in the Belize River Valley.
The project will see some
550 families in nine villages in
the area benefit from safe, potable
water supplied by BWSL.
Work has commenced immediately
on the project, and within
90 days Scotland Half Moon
should become the first village
to be supplied with water. As
the project progresses along the
river valley, the other villages
will be hooked up to the system.
The project will be completed
in December of this year.
- CEO and Commander Complete Course for
Senior Officials in Republic of China on Taiwan:
CEO in the Ministry
of National Security, Colonel
(Ret.) George Lovell and
Commander of the Belize Defence
Force, Brigadier General
David Jones have both completed
a three-week National
Development Course in the
Republic of China on Taiwan.
The course, which ran
from April 1 to 19, 2013, was for
senior level Government officials,
both military and civilian.
The participants were educated
on a wide range of issues and
challenges that Taiwan faces,
with a view to explore how those
experiences and the response to
them could be translated, adopted
and applied to the issues
and challenges confronting developing
nations such as Belize.
There was extensive and meaningful
exchange on Military and
Police matters, but knowledge
was also imparted on a wide
range of non-security topics, including
the Economy, Industry,
International Cooperation and
Exchange, both Technical and
Educational as well as Cultural.
- Caribbean Disaster Managers Converge in Belize; Two-Day Planning Session Conducted at Radisson Fort George Hotel:
A two-day session
was
conducted in Belize
on April 17 and 18, 2003 by the
Technical Advisory Committee
of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency
Management Agency
(CDEMA). It's a committee that
is made up of National Disaster
Coordinators from the 18 members
states of the Caribbean and
participating regional bodies.
The purpose of the two-day session
was to formulate a five-year
regional strategic plan for the
period 2013-2018.
Speaking with the local
media at the start of the two day
session, the Executive Director
of CDEMA stated, "Well I think
that one of the first challenges
we face is changing the culture
of our people to understand that
disaster risk is a development
issue. It is not simply a response
issue. With that said, we also
need to look at the collective
capacity of our region to deal
with the requirements for
responding to catastrophic
events, and I think what we are
trying to do as an organization
is to link development, the
macro-economic framework
of countries, to this disaster
resilience issue. I think if we can
show clearly the relationship
between the development,
economic prosperity, which all
our countries are now striving
to achieve, then we can perhaps
influence a little bit of the
politics."
- Over 25 Attend Prosecutors Course:
In order to improve
the effectiveness of
the Police Department
and other law
enforcement agencies in Belize,
a Prosecutors' Course is being
conducted at the National Police
Training Academy in Belmopan.
Speaking with the Government
Press Office, Superintendent
Flowers of the National
Police Training Academy said:
"This morning we started
a two-week prosecutor development
training course for members
of the Police Department;
that is from the ranks of corporal
and sergeants; and we also invited
members from the Fisheries
Department, as well as Belize
City Municipal Traffic, personnel
who deal with court procedures. It covers the basic prosecution;
introduction to prosecution,
as well as formulating
charges, and presenting a case in
court, all the process that comes
with that; how to, and what is
needed in a report, when you are
presenting; How to brief your
witness or your police officers
who will be witnesses in Court.
- John Saldivar Basketball Classic; Inter-Site Tournament Organized by Belmopan Basketball Association:
The John Saldivar
Basketball Classic
is an Inter-
site Competition
managed by the Belmopan
Basketball Association on behalf
of, and with the gracious support
of the Hon. John Saldivar.
The Tournament is unique
in that it not only divides players
by geographical zones. Also it
serves as a bridge between Basketball
generations as teams must
be comprised of senior players,
over 35 players and under 18
players. This unique format allows
for the transfer of basketball
knowledge from older generations
to younger generations.
The tournament has six
teams, those being: The New
Site Falcons, Site 7, Tiger Town,
Police Housing Areas, Piccini
Extension/Cohune Walk and
Roaring Creek Christ for Life.
- LeBron James and Kevin Durant: The Rematch that Everybody Wants to See:
It took all of six hours
Sunday night to
reaffirm a sentiment
that spent the
last six months germinating:
Anything less than a rematch
of the 2012 Finals between the
Heat and Thunder will be a
disappointment. It won't be a
disaster if one - or even both
- of the league's top-two teams
stumbles on the way to the
sequel, but it will be a letdown.
Heat-Thunder II is the
rare scenario in which virtually
all angles of analysis lead to
the same conclusion. Want to
see the best players? LeBron
James and Kevin Durant are No.
1 and No. 2 again this season.
Want to see the best teams?
The Heat had the league's best
regular-season record and the
Thunder finished second, while
Oklahoma City posted the best
margin of victory and Miami
ranked second. Love offense?
Miami was first, Oklahoma City
second. Love defense? Both
teams finished in the top seven.
- ELECTIONS & BOUNDARIES DEPARTMENT
Public Notice:
The Elections and Boundaries Commission, in accordance with Part II, Sections 6 and Part VI, Section 35 of the
Village Councils Act, Chapter 88 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2003, hereby release the official schedule for
Village/Community Council Elections 2013
In all villages nomination opens at 9:00 a.m. and closes at 10:00 a.m.
No asterisks denote Poll closes at 1:00 p.m. * Denote Poll closes at 3:00 p.m. ** Denote Poll closes at 5:00 p.m.
- Alumni Achievement Award:
Hon. Liselle Allamilla receives from University of Idaho:
The Senator, Honourable
Lisel
Alamilla, Minister
of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable
Development for Belize,
has been honoured by the
University of Idaho's College
of Natural Resources (CNR),
as the winner of its "2013 International
Alumni Achievement
Award". She was presented with
the award at a banquet honoring
outstanding CNR alumni
and students in Moscow, Idaho,
on Thursday, April 18, 2013.
Minister Alamilla was
nominated for this award due to
her outstanding achievements,
including her appointment as
a minister in Belize's Cabinet,
her selection as winner of the
2012 Whitley Award for Nature
and her selection as winner
of the 2010 Marsh Award
for Conservation Leadership.
- Contracts Signed to Begin Road Project
In Santa Elena - San Ignacio Area:
In a brief ceremony
held on Monday, April
22, 2013, at the Ministry of
Works and Transport Conference
Room, contracts were
signed for Lot 4 of the 4th
Road Project to begin works
on the Santa Elena/San Ignacio
Bypass Project, which
includes the upgrading of
Joseph Andrews Drive in San
Ignacio up to its intersection
with the Benque Viejo Road.
The project, which is Development
Bank (CDB) and
the Government of Belize,
was awarded to Norman Reimer
of A & N Construction.
The Ministry of Works will
be assisted by supervision
consultants, Becker International
Consultants Limited.
In addition to the aesthetic
and infrastructural
improvements, the BZD $5
Million project will bring
economic benefits and employment
to the area. The
works are expected to be completed
in eighteen months.
- Southern Zone Again
Lowest levels of Crime in March of 2013:
Last Wednesday,
April
17, 2013,
Minister of
N a t i o n a l
Security, Hon. John Saldivar
presented a Certificate of
Award and a Cheque of
$1,000 to Senior Superintendent
Robert Mariano,
who heads the Southern
Zone and is also the Officer
Commanding the Dangriga
Formation, which forms
part of the Southern Zone.
The Cheque of $1,000
is for the best performance
by the Southern Zone, and
the Certificate of Award is for the best performance
by the Dangriga Formation
in the Month of March.
- Belize Welcomed Home Her Very
Own Yoga Master, Yogi Charu!:
Belize recently
welcomed
home one of
her very own,
internationally acclaimed
yoga master, Yogi Charu!
The 37 year old yoga
practitioner and teacher, Yogi
Charu, was born in Belize City
and grew up on Prince Street.
He was first introduced to yoga
at age 15 through his classmate
and lifelong friend, Alexander
Aguet. By age 16, determined
to deepen his yoga practice and
his understand of life through
the science and philosophy
of yoga; the young Belizean
set off on a journey that took
him to places like California,
Hawaii, India, Hong Kong,
Japan, Australia, Germany,
Poland, Sweden, several countries
in Africa, and New York
where he currently resides.
More than 20 years after
leaving Belize; after years of
studying yoga and meditation
with adept yogis, after living
as an ascetic yogi in the Himalayas,
after years of teaching
yoga around the world, after
making a name for himself
as an authentic yoga master;
Yogi Charu has returned
home to Belize to share his
knowledge of yoga with us.
- Belmopan Kids and Youth Cup 2013:
(Organized by Belmopan Football League)
- Good Things Happening in Cayo Central:
Basketball Court Upgraded - Tournament Kicks Off:
This past weekend,
the Rene Montero Basketball
Tournament kicked off in Santa
Elena. The tournament in
itself is significant news, but
what is perhaps bigger news
is that its is taking place on a sporting facility, the Santa Elena
Basketball Court on Carmen
Street, which has been greatly
rehabilitated and upgraded through the commitment and
effort of the same Area Representative,
Hon. Rene Montero.
The rehabilitation and
upgrade included the installation
of 1500 watts light bulbs
on all posts; electrification of
both bathrooms and the snack
shop; connecting water supply
to the court; installation of two
brand new toilets and sinks for both bathrooms; hang metal
doors on all 3 structures, and
a metal window on the snack
shop; total renovation of the
fence and installation of 2 new
gates, the front which is a slide
gate and the back a swing gate;
construction of a concrete
drive-way at the entrance of
the court.
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