7 News Belize

BGYEA Breaks With Petillo
posted (May 15, 2020)
The community at mile 41 on the George Price Highway is known today as Harmonyville. But 10 years ago, it didn't exist. It was private land that the Government eventually acquired from a Taiwanese businessman who had not been paying his property tax.

But, before the Government could subdivide it, the Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association (BIGYEA), brought public pressure on the Barrow Administration. They were able to leverage the public support for the sentiment that regular Belizeans should have equal opportunity to become first-time landowners. They were basically squatters who pressed their cause until the Government finally conceded, and allowed them to keep the land.

One of BIGYEA's leading personalities behind that effort was Nigel Petillo. And, now, it appears that he has moved several miles up the road to make a similar move on another parcel of land, located at mile 44.

2 days ago, his organization, BIGYEA released a statement disavowing any connection to Petillo's new initiative.

Their statement says, "For clarification and transparency: the "...involvement with private lands in the Agricultural Area of Cotton Tree Village, near Benny's Warehouse at mile 44, George Price Highway, Cayo District" scheme is not an initiative of BGYEA…" end quote.

But, Petillo is pushing forward, and he says that there is a group of Belizeans insisting that he press this cause on their behalf.

This evening, he granted us a telephone interview to discuss a public meeting that he is arranging on Sunday at 11:00. Here's what he had to say about this parcel of land which he hopes that the Government will repurpose for poor Belizeans in need of land:

Nigel Petillo, Grassroots Activist
"For the past 2-3 months I've been doing research on that land because the villagers of Cotton Tree every time I pass they come buzz me at my house and they tell me that they were working on this land for a long time. They want to know what they could do, how we could talk to the government and try get the land. So I did some research and made a site visit and when I get there I was stunned a lot of farm was there. Out of this 2600 acres of land that I was made to understand is the remaining portion of land that a foreigner had just vacated. The man just left the land, haven't paid any taxes for years, I haven't heard anything about the individual. The people them started to work the land. You have people over 20 years working this land. They've watch people come in the area, get huge chunk of the land from government, but then they told them they have to move because the owner get this piece of land and they they go and chop another piece and so forth. So I decided well I will do some research and see how we can dialogue with the government and if possible dialogue with the owner and see how we can make this land available, but the land has been settled for quite sometime now, nobody didn't tell the people anything, nobody tell them to get off and so they believe that they have a strong case to try make this land be available for them in their community and by extension other Belizeans who wants to farm."

"We want to have a discussion. We are inviting the officials from the government, we are inviting members of the police department officials, the public at large - people who are interested in negotiating and discussing the alternatives and avenues to see how we could acquire this land and not only this land, but land throughout the country that are just sitting there for decades with no tax being paid. That's the main thing I want people to understand. We are not just acquiring any land, we are targeting lands that are sitting there for decades - 10, 20, 30 years, but the main thing here is that no taxes is being paid for over 12 years, no development on the land for some time."

Reporter
"The Ministry of Natural Resources have already send out a press release noting that what you are doing is or what these people are doing is technically squatting."

Nigel Petillo, Grassroots Activist
"You remember when the government move us out of the bugger for wanting to plant corn? The government tell us that what we were doing is wrong, stop what you are doing, we want that land to just grow in its natural state, meaning leave it for the bush to grow in front of the community and cover Harmonyville, no plant no corn there. That was the words of the government to us. That was a stupid decision by the government. Now rewind 5 years later you know what is happening in the buffer? people live in the buffer, cement houses in the buffer, electricity from BEL in the buffer, water from WASA in the buffer. There is no corn in the buffer. The government lied to us. The government tricked us, the government came and deceived us the grassroots people. They saw a strong independent movement was taking place, they saw that people were about to plant corn and creating revenue for their own community, but the government doesn't want that. They don't want you to be independent."

On Monday, the Ministry of Natural Resources sent out a press release warning that Petillo's new operation is considered squatting.

Their statement says, quote, "It has been brought to the Ministry's attention that unauthorized individuals are involved with private lands in the Agricultural Area of Cotton Tree Village, near Benny's Warehouse at mile 44, George Price Highway, Cayo District. The public is advised to be cautious not to engage in activities that lead to the illegal disposal of land and unauthorized occupation as persons will do so at their own risk...End quote.

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