Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca joined Minister of National Defense Florencio Marin Jr. in visiting the newly constructed Sarstoon Forward Operating Base on Thursday. It was Fonseca’s first trip to that southernmost end since assuming the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade at the start of the year. The Sarstoon FOB was previously built and inaugurated under the Barrow administration, but eventually fell into disrepair and the state of the facility was only made worse by the erosion that was taking place at the site. The Government of Belize has since invested significantly in refurbishing the facility and yesterday, the soldiers presently assigned to the location welcomed the ministers and their C.E.O.s, including former Brigadier General Dario Tapia.
Dario Tapia
Dario Tapia, C.E.O., Ministry of National Defense
“Today’s visit is to orientate the foreign minister, the new foreign minister, Honorable Francis Fonseca, who recently took over the Foreign Affairs Ministry, for him to understand what the Sarstoon is all about. We only hear [about] it and when we hear about it, it’s always on the news. The thing is it’s important that the foreign minister and the CEO from Foreign Affairs, along with some other members of his staff at Foreign Affairs, to have a firsthand look at what transpires here and what it’s all about to be out here at the Sarstoon. So we are glad that he was able to visit, along with my minister, to be here along with Commander BDF and others to see what is occurring now at the newly transformed forward operating base. Many Belizeans would recall that about a year or so ago, my minister, on his tour, visited here and he was appalled at the living conditions of our soldiers and he then made the decision to relocate the soldiers temporarily until we were able to rebuild this facility which we have now done. We have spent a significant amount of money, as approved by Cabinet, to have the FOB at a very livable standard and if when you walked around, you would see the improvements that we have done here. Not only in the living facility, but in the kitchen facility, the restroom. In addition to that, the earthworks that have been done here is very significant. We have been able to stabilize the ground here, put boulders to stop the erosion that was occurring here. We have built a marina that is about to completed and also the landing site for the helicopter that can land here, which we have tested and we have landed the Belize Defense Force helicopter here. And so the transformation has been tremendous from what it was a few months ago, to what it is now.
According to Foreign Minister Fonseca, it is important to maintain military presence at the Sarstoon FOB so as to deter illegal activity, including encroachment and drug trafficking.
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
”It’s been a very rewarding experience, you know, it’s something I certainly wanted to do. As you said, I took over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade on January first, and obviously, our territorial sovereignty is a priority issue for us at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So it was absolutely important for me to engaged with the Ministry of National Security and Border Defense and arrange this visit to the Sarstoon Forward Operating Base. You know, I talk about it all the time when I meet with our counterparts and when I attend any function where we have to speak on behalf of Belize. I talk about the importance of the Sarstoon Forward Operating Base. So I am very happy I was able to come here today, I had a very good briefing from the officers who are stationed here about the importance of the work that they are doing here. It’s about, first and foremost, establishing a presence, a military presence here, making a very clear presence that this is Belizean territory. But also, it’s about protecting our territory, our waters, our terrain, from illegal encroachments, illegal fishing, drug trafficking. So this is a very, very important base and my message to them today was that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is here to support the work of our Belize Defense Force.”
In this week’s installment of The Bright Side, we traveled to Succotz, where we discovered the first school to earn the Wow factor by truly embodying the spirit of doing more. The MORE campaign stands out as one of the Ministry of Education’s most comprehensive and thrilling initiatives to date. Embracing five fundamental pillars, the campaign challenges schools to demonstrate their commitment to being more digital, more healthy, more involved, more inclusive, and more creative and innovative. Sabreena Daly tells us more.
Sabreena Daly, Reporting
Jianny Humes is a standard six student who shared with me her love of animation. It was after sitting in her first computer science class in standard four that she realized her interest in animation transitioned to technology in its entirety.
Jianny Humes
Jianny Humes, Student, Victorious Nazarene School “I like watching animation videos about how people use characters to animate. And then, we started getting computer classes in standard four, and that’s when I started to develop most of my interest in this class. We’ve been learning how to program. One of the things we’re doing is we’re almost gonna finish the course. So we’re doing course F right now. And we’re using artificial intelligence to try to figure out what happens if we do something wrong or we program it wrong, wrongly.”
Jeremy Yacab has a similar interest. He shared his understanding of the concept of artificial intelligence and its functions.
Jeremy Yacab
Jeremy Yacab, Student, Victorious Nazarene School “I like Computer Science. It’s one of my favorite subjects, to say.AI means artificial intelligence and it is all about putting information to the computer and it will detect what information you’re putting and what you’re not.”
Both of these students are enrolled at Victorious Nazarene Primary School in San Jose Succotz, Cayo District.
Under the tutelage of Amilcar Vasquez, the students are delving into artificial intelligence where they gain insight not only into the fundamentals, but also the diverse methods through which users can effectively prompt AI to execute instructions.
Amilcar Vasquez
Amilcar Vasquez, Computer Science Teacher, Victorious Nazarene School
“We were looking a little bit at machine learning and how data is used to train computers, and we were basically touching the fundamental concepts of being able to train the computer the right way. So what I did was I purposely asked them to train it the wrong way and see if their program, their AI gave the desired outcome, which they noticed it didn’t. So they went back and trained it properly. And a lot of big concepts come into mind, you have the power to do things the right way.”
An educator of fourteen years, Vasquez has been with the institution since the beginning of his career, teaching primarily information technology. He asserts the numerous advantages associated with exposing students to IT at the earliest possible stage.
Amilcar Vasquez, Computer Science Teacher, Victorious Nazarene School
“The direct benefit is definitely how they can accomplish better things at the high school level. I always have my students come back and say, you know what, I went to high school and it was a breeze. But when they don’t get information technology at the primary level, they struggle from high school. And in university, I’ve heard university professors say, you know, there are students taking Programming 1, Programming 2 classes, five times over because they simply don’t have the fundamentals, the basics.”
While the basics of Information Technology have been offered at this institution for over a decade, Belize’s education system has shifted to embracing technology through the inclusion of computer science and technology into its national curriculum. Shirley Humes is the principal at Victorious Nazarene and shared what this meant to the institution.
Shirley Humes
Shirley Humes, Principal, Victorious Nazarene School “Before the computer science and technology curriculum was implemented into the curriculum, we had embraced IT, which is information technology; teaching our students just the basics of how computers work. So that was like an extracurricular for us. But when computer science and technology was implemented into the curriculum, we embraced it because we saw that our students could have taken advantage of what was being offered, something very new to our country, something very new to our school curriculum. We have a lot of our students who are rural, they come from rural areas. And they don’t have the opportunity to explore with a device or to be able to use a device at home. So this would be the only place where that can happen. And it has paid off because we have seen many of our past students going into high school and excelling and doing well because a lot of the things that they have to do for their work is digital. So it was something that we thought would benefit our students.”
The Ministry of Education recently unveiled its ambitious MoRe Campaign, aimed at inspiring educators and institutions to elevate their commitment to student development and revolutionize education in Belize. MoRe is anchored by five pillars – fostering greater creativity and innovation, deepening involvement, promoting health, championing inclusivity, and embracing digital advancement – the ministry keenly acknowledges that Victorious Nazarene, a school in a rural community, has been embodying the spirit of “MoRe” long before the campaign’s inception.
Dian Maheia
Dian Maheia, C.E.O., Ministry of Education
“The MORE campaign is easily one of the most comprehensive, exciting campaigns that the Ministry of Education has ever run. Actually, it’s what we call an umbrella campaign because It has five pillars and the five pillars really encompass just about everything right now that schools are doing and the purpose of the more campaign is quite simply to showcase what schools are doing so that we can encourage schools, students, teachers, communities to do more and to be more for Belize. Who would have thought that the first feature under the pillar of “Be More Digital” would come from a rural school and what we’ve seen at that school is just a fantastic effort from the teacher, from the principal, the way that they’ve embraced the code.org curriculum. It’s being taught from Standard 2 to Standard 6 at that school.”
For students like Jeremy and Jianny, they’ve expressed that the knowledge they’ve gained will be of use as they further their education. But the reality is that in rural communities like Succotz, there are a considerable number of students who do not progress beyond primary education. In response to this challenge, Victorious Nazarene is committed to providing its students with a comprehensive education, ensuring that they are armed with every conceivable advantage for their future endeavors.
Jeremy Yacab, Student, Victorious Nazarene School “Well, I could use it farther when I go to high school.”
Sabreena Daly
“Do you feel like you’ll be prepared for high school when it comes to what you’ve been learning so far?”
Jeremy Yacab
“Yeah, because I really want to go to high school.”
Amilcar Vasquez, Computer Science Teacher, Victorious Nazarene School
“I always say this: What if, and it happens, what if one of my students doesn’t go to high school anymore? Are they prepared to face the real world with just what I taught? And that brings a lot of questions to us because it might be unheard of, maybe in the urban areas, but it does happen. You know, for example, in Succotz and villages, some of them graduate and go right on to life. So we want to prepare them for both.”
Thirty-eight-year-old Brandon Gillett was back in court on Wednesday after being granted bail in the sum of ten thousand dollars for five firearm offenses he was charged with back in December 2023. The court bailiff, accompanied by attorney Orson Elrington, appeared before the Chief Magistrate where a date for full disclosure has been set for February twenty-eighth. On December twenty-second, three days before Christmas, Gillett showed up in court unrepresented and charges were read to him after police visited his home in Los Lagos to execute a search warrant for unlicensed firearms. They found two weapons, including a nine millimeter Glock pistol and a .223 Springfield Armory Rifle with several attachments for which he didn’t have written authorization from the Commissioner of Police. The search followed an incident that was recorded and shared on social media during which Gillett brandished the rifle in front of a group of churchgoers attending a funeral service here in Belize City. He was subsequently arrested and charged, remanded to custody for seven days, before being released on bail.
Incidentally, the Firearms and Ammunition Control Board announced earlier today that it will be conducting an audit and placing a moratorium on firearm licenses for .223 rifles. The release states, (quote), this decision comes as part of the board’s commitment to ensuring transparency, accountability, and the responsible management of firearms and ammunition in Belize. In addition to the audit, the Firearms and Ammunition Control Board has also decided to impose a moratorium on the processing of firearm licenses for .223 caliber rifles pending a review. This decision aims to ensure that the issuance of such licenses is done in a manner consistent and in the best interest of public safety, (end quote).
A Belize City man is wanted for aggravated assault after allegedly pulling a gun during an altercation. Thirty-three-year-old James Nunez told police that he was on his property when four individuals exited a black Isuzu Rodeo and began threatening him. Nunez says one of the persons attempted to steal some car parts from him and left some tools behind. That individual returned to retrieve the tools and reportedly punched Nunez in the face several times. Nunez told police that he pulled out a knife to defend himself. That is when his attacker allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams told us more.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“The report is that the victim was saying he was in front of his home sitting on a bucket and he was approached by two persons or three in a black rodeo. One, Randy August alighted the vehicle and approached him and inquired about some tool that he may have left at the victim’s garage while he was trying to steal some parts from some vehicle. So he came back for the tools. He and the victim had an exchange during which the victim took out a knife to defend himself and Randy told the girl that was with him to get the gun out of the vehicle. The gun was retrieved and the victim eventually ran and made a call to the police. Police responded and the Rodeo was intercepted. But Randy August and another person had escaped. I am not sure if he has been caught by police but certainly if and when he is caught it is a matter for the police to look at for aggravated assault.”
Last night, we told you about the San Pedro resident who was arrested and charged for the crime of obtaining property by deception, after allegedly impersonating Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde on Facebook to scam unsuspecting users out of money. Well, that woman, thirty-seven-year-old Ada Toro says that she is innocent and that she is actually a victim herself. In a report elsewhere in the media, Toro says that she, too, genuinely believed the person behind the Facebook page to be Minister Hyde. So, when money was reportedly deposited to her account with instructions to withdraw those funds and deposit it into another account, she believed she was working for the minister. Today, reporters asked the Commissioner of Police for his take on her claims.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“I don’t know much in terms of the intricacies of the investigation. That will be something within the knowledge of the investigators. I am sure there must be sufficient evidence for the investigators to have been able to draw down on her and arrested her. And let me say this, there are a number of scams going on social media and I think these scams are easy to detect if you apply common sense. I think some people might just see certain deals on social media and it might have moved them so much that they fail to do necessary due diligence that would have led them to know it is not genuine. I just want to say to people to be careful before you make any deposit to people who are offering you things online. There are several things you can do to verify that those persons are not authentic and then look for example the issue with the ghost vehicle. I don’t know who would buy a vehicle and not see the vehicle and for the person to tell you later on I done got the vehicle you need to send more money, you wah send more money and nuh see the vehicle yet. You must apply commonsense and you will find out some of these things there are not really true. In this case I believe the lady’s banking information was what was used. I don’t see who would use your banking information knowing that the money is not coming to you it is going to someone else. So that I find very strange. I am not saying that what she is saying is not true. But why would I enter into a scam, give your banking information, the money will not come to me it will go to you, it makes no sense.”
As we reported at the top of our newscast, a well-known street figure was executed in the Jane Usher Boulevard neighborhood on Wednesday night. The deadly attack on Troy Hyde, which also claimed the life of fifteen-year-old Lamisha Moody, came just a few weeks ahead of the March sixth municipal elections and it is believed that his murder is gang related. Earlier this week, former Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez raised concerns about citizen security in that part of Belize City considering that polling stations for two adjacent constituencies have been designated along Faber’s Road. Those constituencies are also homes to rival gangs that may come into contact with each other on Election Day. Here’s how Martinez puts it.
Anthony ‘Boots’ Martinez, Former Area Rep, Port Loyola
“This issue is with Elections & Boundaries and the Chief Elections Officer’s recommendation as to have a polling station da Port Loyola. Excelsior being a polling station da Port Loyola. My number one concern is citizen security, but apart from that, Excelsior High School is separated by a fence with St. John Vianney and Excelsior High School sits in the Queen Square constituency. Two thousand and nine people are asked from the Jane Usher Boulevard area to go to Excelsior to vote. One thousand, four hundred and forty people need fu pass through the same area fu go da Muslim School fi vote. One thousand, six hundred and odd people who vote in Queen Square are asked to go to St. John Vianney to vote. Yoh cyant get wahn hundred yard line, wahn hundred yard barrier from Excelsior to St. John Vianney, so da weh kinda case yoh wah have. Then yoh have the healthcare facility, the health clinic right beside Excelsior. My main concern, though, da with di various gang rivalry issues within the area. Yoh have Gill Street, yoh have LBC, yoh have Sunset, yoh have all kinda thing. My main concern da citizen security. I hope that the Chief Elections Officer would really consider citizen security. That’s my main concern.”
On Wednesday, we also asked Home Affairs Minister Kareem Musa about Martinez’s concerns. While he gave his assurance that things will go smoothly, a lot has changed overnight with the slaying of Troy Hyde. Earlier today, we also sought a comment from Commissioner of Police Chester Williams in the wake of the deadly shootings.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
“In all areas of Belize City, not just by Excelsior, but we are, of course, on high alert in all areas of Belize City and so we do not expect any form of violence whatsoever.”
Isani Cayetano
“The former area rep for Port Loyola had brought some concerns with respect of the polling station, ahead of the municipals, and the fact that it would seem as if though two rival gangs would be in close contact with each other in the Faber’s Road area. What assurances can be given for the police department to be present on Elections Day in that particular location?”
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Belize
“Well, the issue of polling stations is one that falls within the purview of the Chief Elections Officer and not the police. Certainly, in terms of the policing of the polling station on Election Day is the duty of the police and we will do what we must do and what we normally do around election time to ensure that there is sufficient security in the area to allow every voter to go to the polling station and cast their vote without any impediment and so we will be in the area to make sure we do what needs to be done.”
A total of one hundred and sixty-three candidates are vying for the sixty-seven seats that are up for grabs on March sixth for the municipal elections. According to an official report from the Elections and Boundaries Department, both the People’s United Party and the United Democratic Party have full slates across all nine municipalities. The People’s Democratic Movement nominated eleven candidates in Belize City. Eleven independent candidates were nominated on Wednesday and the Belize Progressive Party nominated seven candidates in Punta Gorda. Last night, we brought you coverage of Nomination Day from six of the nine municipalities. Tonight, we continue our Nomination Day coverage, starting with Punta Gorda.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Punta Gorda is the southernmost municipality in the country. Notwithstanding its geographical location, on March sixth, residents of the town will get an opportunity to decide which of the twenty-six candidates nominated on Wednesday will lead the town council for the next three years. The People’s United Party is fielding seven candidates, led by Carlos “Obeah” Galvez.
Carlos “Obeah” Galvez
Carlos “Obeah” Galvez, P.U.P. Mayoral Candidate, Punta Gorda
“This is a powerful moment, a wonderful feeling. This is the day where you officially become a candidate for your party. this is the moment the day and I am proud to put my name back on the ballot, thanks to the people of PG who came out from day one to support me. This is a proud moment to be a PUP. We have a great history, the peaceful constructive Belizean revolution. This party has a great history. I am proud to be associated, affiliated, and proud to be a member of the People’s United Party.”
The United Democratic Party also nominated seven candidates. UDP faithfuls gathered in front of the nomination station in Punta Gorda to show support for the team of candidates being led by Franklin “Kranka” Polonio.
Franklin “Kranka” Polonio
Franklin “Kranka” Polonio, U.D.P. Mayoral Candidate, Punta Gorda
“First of all I must say that it is a great feeling to see that we have past ministers in the person of Eden Martinez and Joseph Cayetano. We have past chairman also. So, of course we are very untied. The feeling we have is one of joy. We already know what time it is. After this we know it is time to continue going back to houses, listen to people’s cries, hear and continue to serve in whatever capacity we can.”
And, a part from the two major political parties in Punta Gorda, the Belize Progressive Party, a decade-old third party in the municipality, is once again fielding candidates. In spite of the party’s repeated failed attempts to succeed at the polls, on Wednesday, it nominated a municipal slate of seven candidates. Punta Gorda is the only municipality with BPP representation this time around. Their bid is being led by Anita Nicholas
“I can say it is overwhelming. I am overjoyed. This is the day, the day that the lord has made. The day that PG will go down to the history that it always needed, someone with a vision, someone who is intuitive and innovative to make a difference for our town, our town has been underdeveloped for too long. And, it is time that our town gets the change it rightly deserves. That is the reason why I decided to offer myself as the candidate for the Belize Progressive Party in honor and memory of the late Bap Marcel Palma. We continue his legacy.”
Five independent candidates were also nominated on Wednesday in Punta Gorda. Among them is Orlando Muschamp. He contested the Toledo East seat in the 2020 general election as an independent candidate. Muschamp is optimistic that the results at the polls on March sixth will be more favorable for independent candidates.
“It is a great feeling out here and it has been a difficult task to bring along this team, this working team, a team hailing from an election, a contractor, a professional business woman, Antony Gabriel another electrician and myself another business owner. I have my own business and we we want to offer ourselves to our community and the voters of Punta Gorda an opportunity , an option so as for them to see yes we do have the love for this community.”
Reporter
“What is the feedback like from the people in the town?”
Orlando Muschamp
“The feedback is simple, they are tired of seeing the red and the blue coming with people who are not qualified to do the job. The come, get nominated and that is it. You never see them again, receiving a stipend without filling the spaces to accommodate the people, with the public service we so dearly deserve in this community.”
In the March 2021 municipal elections, the United Democratic Party won only two of the sixty-seven municipal seats across the country. Those two seats were won in the twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio and included one mayoral seat and a councilor seat. The U.D.P.’s incumbent mayor, Earl Trapp is hoping to once again shift the tides back in favor of the U.D.P. out west. On Wednesday, Trapp was nominated along with a full slate of U.D.P. candidates. On March sixth, he will be going up against Matthew Preston, a sitting councilor in the twin towns.
The People’s United Party nominated Preston as its mayoral candidate, along with a full slate of P.U.P. councilor candidates. In Benque Viejo Del Carmen Town, P.U.P. incumbent Mayor Jorge Rosales is asking voters to support his bid for another term in office. Rosales and his team of P.U.P. candidates were nominated on Wednesday in Benque. The U.D.P. nominated Marco Tesecum, a former Benque Viejo town councilor, as its mayoral candidate along with a roster of councilor candidates. As the weeks progress towards March sixth, we will continue to follow what is taking place in each municipality.
