Belize is also exploring options beyond our northern border for additional electricity supply, as our consumption has exceeded projections by four years. The Prime Minister mentioned another potential agreement to secure more electricity for Belize. This comes after a recent discussion he had with a company outside of Mexico.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I spoke the day before on the same Tuesday night. I met this young man from the Garza family. They are going to be providing the electricity for the four seasons. And their plan is to, well, they just want to meet you because it’s a big investment. I’m talking about the possibility of maybe they could sell. So I explained to him, you have Caye Chapel, Caye Caulker and San Pedro, or Ambergris Caye. and with submarine cables, you can easily do that. And again I said, but look at Mexico. Listen, we have this agreement. And they were planning to come like around December, but now they want to fast track probably sometime this month or early next month to come and look at Belize, because a part of their investments are so they build transmission lines, especially in the north where you have a lot of private producers of electricity and they need to get on the transmission line to distribute. I said, well, right now the transmission line that we have, in the next few years we’re going to max it out. We need to build another transmission line. And the media says, you know, that’s something we do. You could come and look and maybe we can build the transmission line and then we lease it out as opposed to BEL or government putting the money in. So there’s a lot of opportunities, a lot of excitement about Belize. So we’re workingon the issues of energy.”
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
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
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
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.”
Former Belmopan City Administrator Sherlene Julien has stepped forward to clear her name amidst controversy. Julien’s name appeared on a leaked list of Innovabel Estate land recipients from within the council, suggesting she acquired six parcels of land through two companies, Ajalon and Associates Limited and Almeya Consulting Limited. In her statement to the media, Julien firmly denied ever owning a company named Almeya Consulting Limited. The document also claimed that Julien’s son received two parcels, with all eight properties allegedly sold to her for a thousand dollars each. Julien refuted these claims, stating the document is intentionally misleading and full of errors. She clarified that she received four parcels of land, less than an acre, as part of a legally negotiated employment contract. The value of these parcels was deducted from what she was owed for nearly three years of service to a financially struggling city council. Julien contends that the accusations are baseless, aimed at tarnishing her professional reputation and undermining her contributions to the City of Belmopan. She also expressed that the situation has caused undue distress and reputational harm to her son and family.
A family is homeless tonight after a devastating lightning strike destroyed their house. Remarkably, lightning struck the property twice on Wednesday afternoon, tragically claiming the life of their pet in the first strike and igniting a fire in the second. This freak incident has left the family heartbroken and desperately seeking help from the community. News Five’s Paul Lopez brings us the story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
A home in Georgeville went up in flames on Thursday afternoon. The victims of the fire, a young family, lost everything. We spoke with the owner of the destroyed wooden structure, Vannesa Guzman.
Voice of: Vannesa Guzman
Voice of: Vannesa Guzman, Fire Victim
“This dah mih something that we never expect because I was not at home at the moment. I was with my mom when my little brother called me and told me that my house was on fire. I didn’t believe him at first but then he video called me and showed me that the house was smoking out and when he came and checked the house it was already too late.”
The circumstances surrounding the fire are nothing short of shocking and are certainly not a common occurrence in Belize.
Vannesa Guzman
“When they told us who it happened, ih mih really shocking. I never believed lightening cause something like that. We pitbull get it first then he dead. Then we house get it next.”
Guzman’s brother lives on the adjacent property. He ran over to save some of the household items, including items purchased for her son’s birthday party that was to be held on Saturday.
Vannesa Guzman
“He mih the try get some stuff, but by the time he get up the step the house just explode. Then everything, we cant save anything. We lose everything, like nothing we stay. But I just, I try be strong. It hurts a lot. We wont say it does not hurt. These are things we can recover, but we had memories. I had memories from my baby and we were looking forward to his party. He was so excited. He did his countdown and when he see that his house was burning it hurt him a lot. Up to now, he still stay frightened.”
Guzman and her family lost everything to the freak fire. They are now seeking assistance from the public to get back on their feet.
Vannesa Guzman
“I just hope we could get the little help that everyone says they could help. I just pray that they do, cause we nuh got nothing. So, we really appreciate, with all my heart. Anything wah work for us.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez
You can reach the family at 608-1088 and 627-6361 if you wish to offer any assistance.
The Financial Services Commission (FSC) serves as the regulatory and supervisory authority for Belize’s non-banking financial services. In 2021, the Government of Belize enacted the Securities Industries Act, which expanded the responsibilities of the former International Financial Services Commission, transforming it into the FSC. Now, the FSC oversees the securities sector and the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry. Although legislation to regulate the securities sector has been in place for the past four years, the FSC is actively working to raise awareness about the investment opportunities within this sector. Today, they hosted a press briefing to shed light on these opportunities and provide further information.
Claude Haylock, Director General, FSC
“You really should care because I mean we are starting the process of regulating the securities market in Belize. Securities have always been in Belize. It is there but it has never been in a regulated and formularized way. Basically securities are stocks, bonds, people buy shares in companies. People are able to invest in that way. As the company prosper the shares increase in value. Their little part in that company increase in value. There are some Belizeans who own shares in BTL. When those companies do well, they do well. It gives Belizean an opportunity to invest in other things, rather than having a bank account and lets be frank, we all know. You getting little or nothing in bank. It probably cost more to keep your money in the bank than what the bank gives you in interest rate. Securities gives Belizeans another opportunity for investment and to grow wealth. I think that is an important objective of government to broaden, democratize capital in Belize. Belize is a very bank centric economy. The introduction of securities will give Belizeans other ways to invest in the market.”
One example that Claude Haylock, the Director General at the Financial Services Commission, highlighted is an Initial Public Offering or IPO that the San Pedro Town Council recently floated. This IPO is valued at twenty-eight million dollars. The FSC is not responsible for promoting such opportunities. They exist to build investor confidence and awareness while carrying out their regulatory responsibilities.
Claude Haylock, Director General, FSC
“Let me give you a real example right now. We have just approved, I shouldn’t say the word approved, under the Municipal Securities Act, the San Pedro Town Council has floated and IPO to the tune of twenty-eight million dollars which if Belizeans, the IPO is put out there, Belizeans can look at it and subscribe to it. They can buy a piece of that bond offering. It is an attractive interest rate, an attractive rate of return, so why not. We are not here to promote that. That is not what we do as regulators. I just wanted to give that as an example of a practical way that we are starting to deepen the investment market in Belize. There are others that are warming up. We have nine registrants under the Securities Industry Act, sixteen, so there is real activities take place. There are brokers, dealers, agents, so Belizeans have an opportunity to be able to engage these people to look for investment opportunities other than holding land or keeping the money in your bank account or hiding it under your mattress.”
So, how does one go about launching an IPO or any other investment opportunity? According to Marlos Kus, the Director of Licensing and Authorizations at the FSC, the first step is to submit the necessary documentation to the commission. He elaborated on the detailed process and the rigorous oversight involved, emphasizing the commission’s commitment to ensuring that fairness and transparency are at the heart of every investment opportunity.
Marlos Kus
Marlos Kus, Director of Licensing & Authorisations, FSC
“Any municipality or company that wants to do an IPO, the first thing they need to prepare is a prospectus. The Municipal Security Act outlines what should be in a prospectus. The main reason for the prospectus is for the issuer to disclose all the risk or the information that the material investor would need to decide as to whether they should invest in this offering. The commission does not express anything on the merits of the offering. What we issue is a receipt that they have filed this prospectus. When an investor sees that it is not to say oh this offering is good. It is that we have ensured that the offering has disclosed all the material information. So, an investor should look at the prospectus, look at it from the beginning to the end and make that decision, should I invest in this? To develop a market we need to educate the Belizean people because this is relatively new to everybody, so we need to start there.”
Many of the terms used to describe investment opportunities available to Belizeans are often too complex for potential investors to understand. This complexity is a key reason why many Belizeans are not taking advantage of these opportunities. To address this, the Financial Services Commission is launching a smart investor awareness campaign during World Investor Week, from October seventh to thirteenth. This week is recognized annually by the International Organization of Securities Commissions, of which Belize recently became an associate member.
Nilda Sosa
Nilda Sosa, Director of Operations & Corporate Services, FSC
“All IOSCO members and supporters, such as IDB, the World Bank Group and partners of IOSCO to promote this global initiative will be launching investor initiatives and activities. There will be competitions that will focus on the importance of investor education. There will also be webinars and workshops with the objective of educating the public in the different areas that were mentioned. From our perspective, the FSC will be launching an investor center website where resources and tools can be accessed with that investor center, we host the official webpage for World Investors Week and all the resources, information that we will sharing with the public can be accessed through our website at FSCBelize.org.bz. We will also have complementing that a free webinar that FCS will be coordinating for the public. This webinar is called Smart Investing a Guide to Navigating the Securities Landscape. This will be complemented to the FAQ segment we will have.”
In May, former Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador discussed with Prime Minister John Briceño the possibility of increasing Mexico’s power supply to Belize by five megawatts. Although that discussion did not come to fruition, this week, PM Briceño held a similar meeting with the new Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum. Today, Minister of Energy Michel Chebat informed News Five that President Sheinbaum assured them that the existing arrangement would be honored and that they would explore ways to increase the power supply. The meeting also included Mexico’s new Minister of Energy, Luz Elena Gonzalez Escobar, and her team.
Michel Chebat, Minister of Energy
“Present at that meeting was also the head of the CFE from whom we actually purchase electricity. It was a very fruitful discussion. We discussed several issues, including the agreement for Belize to purchase energy from Mexico, we spoke about Belize’s energy security, which is very important for us. We also spoke about Belize’s energy security, which is very important for us. We also spoke about the basic needs of energy of southern Mexico and Belize and discussed a little bit about how we could go about addressing the issues on both sides of the border. I think our meeting was the first meeting she ever had since taking over this position, but she did assure us that all the agreements we had in place with the former government will be respected and will be honored. And we looked also – and obviously we discussed the possibilities of increasing that as we had done with the former president. And there is that commitment to look at that and to see how best we can get that done. I think one of the important things that did come out of this meeting is a commitment from the new administration to continue working with Belize to make sure that we have the energy supply that we need. And we also agreed that we’re going to have a joint working group that will of course consist of BEL and PUC who are going to be meeting regularly with our Mexican counterparts to see how best we can push forward these agreements.”
We also asked Minister Chebat to respond to allegation of voter fraud that his political rival in Cayo North, Dr Omar Figueroa had brought forth this week, he said that because the matter is now before the courts, he could not, but offered to give a comment after the court has dealt with the case
Every day, Belizeans come across stray animals wandering the streets, often hungry, injured, or pregnant, relying on human kindness for survival. Unfortunately, help is hard to come by for these creatures, who are frequently viewed as nuisances and public health risks. Humane societies across the country are striving to address the problem, but with limited resources, the situation is becoming increasingly dire. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Belize faces a significant issue with stray animals. Across the country, thousands of pets are abandoned or left to fend for themselves on the streets. As these strays scavenge for food, they often scatter trash, and tragically, many fall victim to traffic accidents daily. The responsibility of managing this growing problem falls on the shoulders of dedicated volunteer teams. Liam Woods, a volunteer at Belize City Animal Aid, shares insights into the crucial work his group undertakes to address this pressing issue.
Liam Woods
Liam Woods, Volunteer, Belize City Animal Aid
“We do a whole bunch of work. Scattered, would not be the word, but something similar. cause we all have our jobs and responsibilities, school and so forth. So we tend to go every Saturday to our foster home. We take care of all the animals that we have up for adoption, cause we have to maintain them. Bathe them, take care of their ticks and fleas, monthly preventatives, and heartworms. Food is a big issue actually. On our last bag of dog food today. So we’re looking for donations or else we’ll pull from our fund, which the funds are low.”
Just this week, dozens of animals were rescued and are in desperate need of a forever home. When animals become strays, the likelihood of them getting pregnant or impregnating another animal increases; further exacerbating the issue.
Liam Woods
“I’d say, it’s really bad. Because, and it’s not even people’s fault. The thing is, spaying and neutering is an expensive procedure. And to do that you require responsibility and care for your animal. And that’s why one of our main objectives right now is to restart the program with the spay and neuter clinics for a heavily discounted price. That’s just a bit problematic right now because we have issues finding and sourcing doctors. But yes, I’d say it’s quite bad, the abandoning and neglect.”
To prevent this, the BCAA requires that those looking to adopt animals from them to have a fenced yard.
Liam Woods
“We are really against tying animals because that’s a whole different issue in itself. Thank you. But just keep them enclosed, because once a dog goes and hits a female, they say that males can smell it from miles away, and they will pack her, and then the pregnancy will just continue and continue.”
Woods pointed out that the window between rescuing an animal and finding a foster home is shrinking, as funds and space become increasingly scarce. Presently, the Belize City Council does not directly handle the rescue of stray animals. However, in the unfortunate event that an animal is run over or dies by other means, the sanitation department steps in to ensure proper disposal of the body. Sanitation Manager, Simeon Alvarez, elaborates on this process.
Simeon Alvarez
Simeon Alvarez, Sanitation Manager, Belize City Council
“Our sanitation department’s role is just to ensure that we remove the carcass whenever we get a call or a request. That means we only remove the animals in they have died. In respect to the amount of stray dogs, it’s directly the responsibility from the Public Health Department and the Ministry of Health. They normally collaborate with the council and do dog eradications I think quarterly.”
Previously, animals were rounded up and euthanized by the council, but the program was put on hold after backlash from various humane societies.
Simeon Alvarez
“However the Humane Society, I think, had an issue with it. I believe they wrote the council one time and they wanted to see how we can improve and enhance the eradication of dogs. I think they prefer we rehabilitate the dogs them and try to find Owners or some persons who will want to adopt the stray animals rather than eradicate them the way we do.”
To some, euthanasia might appear to be the easiest solution, especially for those who feel threatened by stray animals or find them a nuisance on their property. However, since this issue largely stems from human actions, humane societies argue that these animals shouldn’t be punished for circumstances beyond their control. Despite their best efforts, the noble aim of saving every animal is a challenging goal for these groups to maintain.
Liam Woods
“That is very extremely difficult for all of our volunteers collectively to do. Because as you mentioned, we all have our own jobs, our responsibilities at school, issues at home, everything we have to take care of. And we’re living in a society where you have to work you need to do that out of your free time, and free time is very limited, an issue that we’d really like to resolve throughout these coming years is to gather more volunteers, people interested, outreach, as I said, to help us with this issue.”
As the problem persists, the teams dedicating their time, energy, and resources to save and dispose of these animals, hope that more people can come together to find a solution fair to both the animals and the people living in their shared habitats.
Simeon Alvarez
“Stray dogs compound the waste management stream in respect to that, even the mental patients, the people that dig up the garbage like I said, stray dogs. The increase of that definitely affected our city tremendously. And I believe we need to find a solution for it sooner or later with the human society.”
