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Today the fearless Philloughby took the lead on this one:....

Phillip Willoughby, Deputy Mayor
"Now 19 years of service has; time had elapse and it will be coming to an end so through this medium I believe Waste Control has been in direct dialogue with the ministry and the minister and likewise the council will be dialoging with the private schools both Anglican and Methodist and other government school to say that Belize Waste Control will not be able to continue this free service and you need to come up with another strategy for your garbage to be removed and again the option remain as is either you contract the services of Belize Waste Control Limited or take it to the dump site yourself."

Jules Vasquez
"Why are you sweating fever for Waste Control? Waste Control is doing something which it appears to me will be unpopular. Why is it your business?"

Phillip Willoughby, Deputy Mayor
"Because at the end of the day the city's garbage that would be generated will definitely lie at the foot of the council where garbage is concern. I am not sitting or standing in line at the home plate wanting to bat for Belize Waste Control. I can't bat for Belize Waste Control."

Jules Vasquez
"But you are batting for Belize Waste Control. It seems that way."

Phillip Willoughby, Deputy Mayor
"I am not batting for Waste Control for any stretch of the imagination. Belize Waste Control provided free services to the schools. Belize Waste Control is simply saying that I cannot afford to absorb this cost for removing garbage from all schools across the city. That is simply what Belize Waste Control is saying."

Jules Vasquez
"The letter was just sent out last week. Shouldn't there was some dialogue on this so that schools could prepare so that budgetary allocations and adjustments could be made. Why is done unilaterally just before school opens?"

Phillip Willoughby, Deputy Mayor
"As I said prior to that I was brief that Waste Control was updating the ministry every step of the way as to the phases. Remember there is a district education office who runs and looks at the running of schools both primary, secondary and tertiary. It is through that vain or medium that this dialogue would have been express via Waste Control/Ministry. Now the matter of the garbage factors in the portfolio I hold that this will be a potential problem with all the other sanitation and garbage problem we have around the city. This will be another one to contend with. I am certain that with all party involve we will have to deal with this matter because you can't have a school garbage bin or trash can being over flowed with waste and then you have kids in their then you look at the health risks and you look at all the other risks that will evolve out of this matter. So where are we? Going back to the table and looking for the best possible solution to rectify this matter."

Jules Vasquez
"I am saying that sitting and that dialogue should have been happening over the summer months as it were. It seems that its happening now makes it seems particularly malicious on the part of Belize Waste Control."

Phillip Willoughby, Deputy Mayor
"That is vaguely speaking to my mind. I don't know that anything or any individual that I have work with has acted in any malicious fate towards one or another. That is not so."

Jules Vasquez
"But right now being a week away from the opening of school I am saying that you will be mismanaging instead of finding workable solutions, the time to find workable solutions was in June when school closed. Right now you are just trying to find what will inevitable be a mess, trying to fix a mess."

Phillip Willoughby, Deputy Mayor
"The issue of crisis management and so forth I believe that a contingency plan should have always been or should have been in place whenever Waste Control said that I cannot lo longer provide this service for the removal of your garbage for free. I mean after 19 years who am I to go and tell Waste Control that you have to or you should."

Jules Vasquez
"But a school isn't a business. The reason it was being provided cost free or it was being subsidize by Waste Control is because a school serves the intimate socially redeeming purpose and that is I assume Belize Waste Control's contribution because at the end of the day Belize Waste Control is paid by tax payers money."

Phillip Willoughby, Deputy Mayor
"Let's say because it's a school and then you are looking at all the social factors, if they then probably take the waste to the dump site then the city within itself can again after discussing with the ministry why not give a waiver for the schools, but we have to sit and discuss this thing. I would have wanted to say that there but that looks like it appeals you a bit, but all of our children are going to school Jules."

We did reach the head of the association of primary school principals Loreen Ciego. She was very surprised at letter and told us she knew nothing of it. We emailed her a copy and are waiting on a response.....