Brianna Bennett - Greater Belize Media

Muy ‘Ono Resorts Celebrate $1 Million in Donations

Today, eight resorts under the Muy ‘Ono brand celebrated a remarkable milestone: their first million-dollar philanthropic achievement. Since 2018, these resorts have been committed to giving back, except for 2020 when the pandemic halted global economic activities. With today’s donations to those in need, they have collectively donated the funds to the community. The celebration took place at LifeNet Belize, a church-based organization in Belmopan. News Five’s Marion Ali was there to capture the moment and brings us this report.

Pastor Paul Cassanova, Manager, King’s Children’s Home

“Whoever came up with the idea, I believe is inspired. It gives us the notion that all the tourism industry is doing is not only for those at the top, but we get the crumbs, and the crumbs taste nice.”

Marion Ali, Reporting

The crumbs that Pastor Paul Cassanova speaks of are those that eight resorts in Belize have been giving out to needy institutions since 2018. The beneficiaries include homes for children and the elderly.

Reynaldo Malik, Chief Operating Officer of Muy ‘Ono Resorts

“The leadership at Muy ‘Ono, we don’t participate in selecting those. The selections are made by the employees at our individual resorts. So you will see, if you notice the recipients here today, that they’ve came from a wide variety of locations: Dangriga, further south, Cayo, Belmopan, Cotton Tree, et cetera. And that’s because the recipients being selected by the employees, represent where the employees actually live, not necessarily where the resort is located.”

Today, several institutions once again benefited from the generosity of Muy ‘Ono’s philanthropic efforts, as shared by the brand’s Chief Operating Officer, Reynaldo Malik. Among the recipients, King’s Children’s Home received a generous donation of fifteen hundred dollars from one of the resorts. Pastor Cassanova expressed that this contribution will significantly support the home’s needs.

Pastor Paul Cassanova

“I’m especially impressed with the fact that they have a program where it’s philanthropic and we are able to be beneficiaries of it. It’s unlike anything else I’ve seen within the business community. I think the way they have it set up speaks volume to the heart and the mind they have to reach out to the community and serve the community. We do really appreciate it.”

According to Malik, had COVID not interrupted the workflow in 2020, this million-dollar milestone would have been long realized. But the pledge continues.

Reynaldo Malik

“We would have certainly gotten past one million last year. As a matter of fact, I mean, we were on track in coming off 2019. That was then the very best year for tourism, and we were on track toe. Enjoy a tremendous year as an industry and not more, you know, as well for 2020. But unfortunately, what happened happened, and it set us back on. But we’re glad that we’ve no made it. 1 million mark and to your point, we’re hoping that we’ll be able to get the two million faster than we got to 1 million.”

Malik explained that the donations come from a portion of the profits made from booking as well as from patrons.

Reynaldo Malik

“The moment you book a room at one of our resorts, we donate an automatic amount out of that. So, the amount varies by resort because all, some of our resorts are different sizes than the others. So, for instance, at Hopkins Bay, that amount is a dollar U.S. per night. So if you book, you went and stayed there for five nights, we would donate five U.S., we put five U. S. away. When you’re checking out, we hope that you enjoyed your stay with us and we ask you to match that 5. We generally get about forty percent of our guests to participate in the program. So of the one million dollars donated, if you want to do the math, we’ve contributed about seven hundred thousand ourselves and the other 300, 000 came from guests putting some funds into the kitty, so to speak.”

The effort is one that Prime Minister John Briceno encouraged other businesses to take as an example of not only creating jobs, but to give back to the community.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“When you look at what your organization has been doing, and that today you’re reaching the million dollar mark, I wish that more companies can see what you’re doing, and that then they would be either inspired, or feel a little bit ashamed, and say that we also have to do our part because he has a lot of needs.”

Marion Ali for News Five.

Belize Assumes Chairmanship of the Permanent Council of OAS

Belize has taken on the Chairmanship of the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) at their headquarters in Washington DC. During a formal ceremony on October fourth, Ambassador Victor Fernandes of Barbados handed over the ceremonial gavel to Ambassador Lynn Young of Belize, marking this significant transition. Belize steps into this leadership role at a crucial time for the hemisphere. Ambassador Young’s appointment highlights Belize’s strong commitment to regional cooperation, democracy, and development—key principles of the OAS. In his acceptance speech, Ambassador Young expressed a deep sense of responsibility in leading the Permanent Council and reaffirmed Belize’s dedication to the core mission of the OAS.

Lynn Young, Ambassador, OAS

“His Excellency Nestor Mendez, Assistant Secretary General, Ambassador Fernandez, colleagues, distinguished guests, permanent representatives. It is with great humility and a deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you today as the newly appointed chair of the permanent council for the Organization of American States. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to the members of this distinguished body, to the members of this distinguished body for entrusting Belize with this important role and I extend my appreciation to our outgoing chair and his vice chair for their exemplary leadership during a challenging period of our hemisphere.”

Belize Hosts Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Workshop

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade is set to host a Regional Workshop on the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement for Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Placencia. This key workshop aims to boost understanding of the BBNJ Agreement, covering the rights and obligations it entails, and providing Caribbean SIDS with the technical support they need for joining and implementing the Agreement. The BBNJ Agreement acknowledges the unique challenges faced by SIDS and ensures their specific circumstances are considered. It also encourages their active participation in decision-making processes, alongside other developing nations. Earlier this year, Belize made history by becoming the first Caribbean nation to ratify this vital ocean biodiversity agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Aniceto Rodriguez Ruiz, EU Delegation to Jamaica

“Recognizing that the health of our oceans is deeply tied to the prosperity of coastal communities, sustainable development and global biodiversity. The Caribbean’s unwavering commitment during the negotiations was instrumental in securing this historic deal that is the BBNJ Treaty. And now there is another task [which] is to translate this achievement into action on the ground into reality. I would also like to commend the Caribbean nations that have already ratified the BBNJ Treaty, Belize and Barbados. This early ratification demonstrates the leadership and sets a powerful example for the rest of the world. I’m very happy to emphasize the European Union’s commitment to supporting DOALOS in organizing these capacity building workshops. In addition to the EU’s contribution to the workshop, I’m excited to highlight another source of financial and technical support for Caribbean states in implementing the BBNJ Treaty. The EU Global Ocean Program which will provide forty million Euros over six years, focusing on sustainable ocean use and technical assistance for developing countries.”

BBNJ in Line with Belize’s Medium Term Development Strategy

This ratification is right in line with Belize’s Medium Term Development Strategy, which zeroes in on marine conservation, stopping biodiversity loss, and safeguarding our oceans. Belize has shown its commitment through actions like the moratorium on offshore oil exploration, the ban on gillnets, and the creation and expansion of protected marine areas. These efforts highlight Belize’s leadership in ocean and marine preservation across the Caribbean.

Nicole Davison, British High Commissioner

“When CEO Mai of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade asked whether we were willing to fund this event, we felt very strongly that this was an area of mutual interest in which we wanted to work together. As many of you will know we recently had a general election in the United Kingdom which resulted in the appointment of a new government. A few weeks ago, in his very first major policy speech, the Foreign Secretary David Lammey stated that the UK government would put climate and nature at the heart of our foreign policy and that the ambition is for the UK to again become the world leader in this very important issue. And the fact that that was his very first major policy speech was on climate and nature I think underlines just where the UK is coming from on this.”

Charlotte Salpin, DOALOS

“Caribbean SIDS, in particular Belize, continues to play a leading role as we prepare for the entry into force of the agreement. Three of the thirteen ratifications to date are from the Caribbean SIDS, Belize, Cuba, and Barbados. Congratulations to those states that have either signed or ratified and, of course, hint, we look forward to welcoming others very soon to the BBNJ Agreement family.”

Belizean Athletes Compete At 2024 CODICADER Games

Goodnight and welcome to another edition of Sports Monday, I am Paul Lopez. Many of our high school athletes have been in El Salvador for the past few days competing in the 2024 CODICADER Games. Here are some of the stats coming out of the games. Team Belize played against Panama in its first matchup of the basketball tournament. Sadly, they fell to Panama, finishing the game with eighty-three points to Panama’s ninety-eight points. Our female football team from Belmopan Comprehensive High School has been dominating their tournament. On Friday they defeated El Salvador with six goals to two.

They also won Saturday’s match against Honduras five goals to one. Today they defeated Guatemala three goals to one. The male football team from Muffles College has been having a less pleasant experience at the games. On Friday, they were demolished by El Salvador in a game that saw Belize finish with zero goals to El Salvador’s eight goals. They suffered another defeat on Saturday at the hands of Honduras in a match that finished with team Belize, once again, not realizing any goals. Honduras finished with four goals. In Volleyball, Saint Catherine Academy defeated Honduras on Saturday three sets to one. On the same day Saint John’s College male volleyball team defeated Nicaragua three sets to one. Both teams advanced to the semi-finals as a result. On Sunday, SCA faced off against Nicaragua for a spot in the finals. Unfortunately, they fell to their opponents in a hard-fought game that ended three sets to two. SJC also lost in similar fashion to Panama on Sunday, three sets to two. The games will continue over the course of the next few days with more matches ahead for Belize, including Judo and Track and Field.

From the CODICADER Games, we bring you back home to the Belize City Civic Center, this year’s home of the Inter-Office Basketball League. The season is well underway. Several play-in matchups were held late last week into the weekend. Team Police and team Customs led Friday night’s matchups. Team Police in the black and white jersey. Customs in grey and black jersey.

Number three for Customs, Solis with the lay up on the fast break to put his team on the scoreboard. This was the first basket, four minutes into the game. Here, Saunders from Team Belize gets the turnover. Was that a kick ball? In any event, he is alone on the other end and made the basket. Number six for Police, Lino, with the hot hands from three, puts his team at nine points, with Customs trailing. The first quarter ended with team Police on top, with eleven points. Customs had eight. Solis with an early two points in the second quarter for Customs.

Smooth play here from Trapp, Ramos and Jones to get the inside bucket for Police. On the other end, Saunders skillfully uses the screen to work his way to the rim and get past every defender to make the bucket. Top notch ball playing there. Customs could not afford to let team Police extend their lead in the second quarter. They were unable to close the gap, but they worked hard enough to keep Police at an eleven-point lead at the end of the half. Customs came out of the locker room after the halftime break with fire in their eyes and completely turned the game around in a decisive twenty-three-point third quarter. Olivera with a three-point basket brings his team to thirty points and cuts down Police’s lead to six. Saunders with an open three. He makes the most of that opportunity. That basket tied the game at thirty-six a piece. The third quarter ended with Customs in the lead, with forty-two points to Police’s forty points. Customs did not let up in the final quarter, they scored a total of nineteen points. Saunders, Lino and Olivera were key players in the comeback. These players made most of the baskets. Customs won the match, with sixty-one points. Team Police led through the entire first half, but ultimately lost with fifty-three points.

Staying on basketball, we have also been following the 2024 William Dawson Sprite Basketball Tournament. On Saturday we covered a match between Boulevard Ballers and defending champions, Hard Rock Boys at the Yabra Green Basketball Court. The defending champions are in their signature yellow and white jersey. Boulevard Ballers are in blue and red. Justin Wade for Hard Rock with the layup. Boulevard Ballers’ Jacob Westby maneuvers his way to the rim for the layup, putting his team on the scoreboard four minutes into this one. Raheem Thurton showing off his skills on the other end. Dale Smith is left wide open, and he makes them pay for that error.

The first quarter finished with Boulevard Ballers on top, with ten points. Hard Rock Boys had eight points. That two-point lead was cut down to one point at the end of the first half. Boulevard Boys had twenty-one points. The defending champs had twenty points. Hard Rock Boys were able to hold their opponents to eight points in the third quarter, while they managed to score twelve points and take a three-point lead. That third quarter run was led mainly by Raheem Thurton who scored eight of those twelve points. The fourth quarter was the Hard Rock Boys’ best quarter of the game. They scored fourteen points, led by Earl Johnson. A hard-fought game by Boulevard Ballers with some big-time minutes from Jacob Westby. Ultimately Hard Rock Boys won that game.

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

Man Allegedly Sets Common-Law Wife on Fire During Dispute

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and tonight we have a chilling report from Independence Village. According to the report, a woman was set on fire by her partner during a dispute on Thursday night. The details reveal that thirty-year-old Karima Logan and her common-law husband, twenty-four-year-old Travis Lopez, got into an argument inside their home. During the altercation, Lopez allegedly dragged Karima outside, doused her with gasoline, and set her ablaze. He then reportedly tried to extinguish the flames by placing her in the shower. Logan has since reported the incident to the police. She was initially taken to the Independence Polyclinic and later transferred to the Southern Regional Hospital, where she received treatment for severe burn injuries. News Five has learned that Logan described the incident to the police as an accident. This morning, Commissioner of Police Chester Williams addressed the incident.

Reporter

“Sir is there anything you can tell us about a domestic incident last night. I think a man might have lit his wife on fire.”

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“No, I don’t know about that.”

Why wasn’t Andre Perez Investigated After Drug Find in San Pedro?

It has been a week since police in San Pedro discovered a quantity of suspected cocaine on a boat owned by Area Representative Andre Perez. In the immediate aftermath, the Belize Police Department issued a statement essentially exonerating the Minister of Blue Economy from any criminal wrongdoing. The statement clarified that Perez’s vessel was at a boatyard awaiting repairs and that, acting on information from residents, police conducted a search of the boat. However, public criticism has been mounting, with many arguing that Perez was never subjected to a thorough criminal investigation, despite his ownership of the vessel used to stash the narcotics. Here’s how the Commissioner of Police responded.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The department is not one that would act based on what certain sector of the public may want to see us act on. We act based on evidence and we must be objective in terms of how we carry out our functions. If you have a vehicle and your vehicle experiences mechanical problems and you take your vehicle to a mechanic garage, you park it there for six months, you don’t go to that mechanic garage and check on your vehicle, your vehicle is left open and the mechanic has access to it, the garage is an open area and people have access to the garage. If police were to go and find drugs in your vehicle after six months, would it be fair to say that the drugs belong to you?”

Isani Cayetano

“The counterargument, as far as I am understanding, however, is that, for instance, if the police conduct a raid or a search at a residence and they find illegal items in there, then automatically it’s ascribed as your property.

Chester Williams

“But again, you hear what you said, at a residence. The boat was not at Mr. Perez’s residence. Mr. Perez lives miles away from the boatyard. The man does not live there. If there was anybody to be held to account for that drugs in the boat, it would have been the owner of the boatyard. But even they could not be held to account because the boatyard has so many ins and outs. People go in, and as I said before, the police went there based on intelligence that was given to them by people who live in the area having seen these drug men going to the area. Do you expect me to charge the minister for something that there is no nexus between him and that object? I can’t do that mein.”

Home Affairs Minister Weighs in on San Pedro Drug Bust

We also spoke with Home Affairs Minister Kareem Musa, who backed the stance taken by the Commissioner of Police concerning the drug bust on Minister Perez’s boat. Musa, who is also an attorney-at-law, asserted that there is no direct link between Perez and the narcotics discovered on his vessel. Here’s his explanation.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“It’s a very unfortunate situation that can happen to any citizen of Belize, regardless of the position that you hold. It could happen to members of the media and I am certain that you would likewise hope that the police investigate the matter the way that they did Minister Perez’s boat. From all the circumstances, all the facts of the case, it is clear that police received a tip based on suspicious individuals who had been traversing the area, and so it wouldn’t have been just a random search of Minister Perez’s boat. It was based on information provided by a member of the public, that police were able to go on the boat and locate the drugs. And so, it’s a good thing that it was located prior to Minister Perez even using the vessel because from all the information, it had been months that he had actually used the vessel. So it’s not a situation whereby police had pulled over Minister Perez in the course of using his vessel.”

Major Crimes are Down, Except for Murder

Aside from murder and unlawful sexual intercourse, major crimes have decreased in 2024 compared to the same period from January to September last year. This morning, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Commissioner of Police, and the top brass of the Belize Police Department convened to review the latest crime statistics and develop strategies to further reduce these numbers. Since January, there have been seventy-one recorded murders and one hundred and eighteen reported robberies. Additionally, incidents of burglary, theft, and rape have also declined. Commissioner of Police Williams presented these encouraging figures to his colleagues in the department.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I put together a presentation, an overall presentation where I outlined to the officers where we are so far for this year, where we have been at the end of each quarter, outline to them how we got to where we are, and I also told them in my presentation what I want us to do collectively, together for the rest of the year so that we would be able to defeat the numbers for last year. I am extremely passionate about what I do, saving the lives of Belizeans is important to me and as I said to them, we finished the month of September with three murders above last year’s figures around the same time. My objective is for us to work our butts off for the rest of this year to defeat the number for last year which was eighty-seven. So, in other words, we’re at seventy-one murders right now, that puts us at sixteen below last year’s figure and I am pleading to my commanders for us to work together in order for us to be able to defeat that sixteen so that we can end up with either eighty-seven or less murders. I also outlined to them the strategies that I want us to do to be able to ensure that we would be in a position to defeat the numbers.”

What’s the Police Department’s Crime Fighting Strategy?

With the latest figures showing an uptick in murders compared to the same period in 2023, the Commissioner of Police is crafting a proactive crime-fighting strategy to prevent this year’s numbers from exceeding last year’s count. He is relying on the Leadership Intervention Unit to ensure that interventions and mediations occur whenever tensions flare between rival gangs.

Isani Cayetano

“You’re going into the fourth quarter of this year, what is the outlook? Is it that the police, in trying to keep these numbers down, will take on now a more proactive, as opposed to a more reactive approach to policing?”

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Certainly, and that’s my thing to them this morning, that we need to be more proactive in terms of our approach. We don’t want to respond. I even said to them, if it is that they hear that there is an issue brewing between two different gang groups, we must step in, do intervention, do mediation, get LIU involved, get Mr. Nuri involved. Let’s see how we can stem that before it reaches a stage where somebody’s getting killed because once somebody’s getting killed the problem becomes greater because then the other side wants to retaliate and so we need to do what we can to avoid getting to that stage.”