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And tonight in our second report from Cherisse Halsall and cameraman Angel Noble's trip south we take a look at what the Maya of Toledo think of Commissioner Greg Choc and the weekend's widespread call for his removal.

These were the words of Commissioner, Indigenous Peoples Affairs Greg Choc at last week's press conference with his Minister:

Greg Ch'oc, Commissioner, Indigenous Peoples Affairs
"Maya Customary law is that the decision and the authority for decision making rest at the village level with the villagers. What they're trying to do, what is being done is to corrupt a system. That's fundamentally the naked truth. It's to take a system, where the decision-makers are the villages, and they're now trying to make the alcaldes collectively take that control. The community as far as I'm aware has not ceded that authority to any organization, to any association or NGO. You don't get a blank cheque. Let me put it this way. You don't get a blank cheque from the Maya communities, from the Maya villagers. You don't get it."

Those words, played over the loudspeaker to this crowd at a TAA meeting in Laguna village over the weekend have struck a chord with many from those communities.

But we start tonight with the words of the TAA President:

Domingo Ba, President, TAA
"In my view the commissioner is the problem, Greg Choc is stopping and confusing the implementation and undermining the process of the implementation. He just wants to do his thing on his own. He refuses to listen and to respect the Alcaldes, he wants to reverse everything that we have already done including the mapping of our land within some of our communities."

And just before that rousing speech community members lined up to tell the country just what they think about the commissioner of Indigenous Affairs.

Villager
"If the Alcalde from each village can't know how to how to say it, don't have to address the problem from the villages then they call the leaders from the Alcalde association to address that problem. That's why it's important for the Alcalde association."

Prudencio Cucul, Villager
"Our commissioner is Mr. Greg Choc is stating that the TAA is useless but then I wouldn't agree on that one because actually. I know as a group if we, if we want to get in a group we form an association to represent us because for example I am a member of a group there at Indian Creek and I saw we selected 7 executives -in that association I know they are representing the villagers because the villager or the community is like a group so we select them or we elect them to represent us to go and voice up, how would I say."

"He is trying to remove what we had already in place even before my grandparents were born."

Cherisse Halsall:
"No, but he's not talking about the Alcalde system, the Alcalde system is fine he's talking about the TAA and the MLA that these are new systems that are not necessary, what would you say to that?."

Prudencio Cucul, Villager
"Well in my view the TAA and the MLA for me, are doing a good job for me because they are representing us. The TAA as I say that's an association because for example if the community is a group we have to elect the members that will represent us up there who are are the two Alcaldes and the Chairman. So we elect them so that they can get into that association so that they can have a say for our community."

Ligorio Coy, Chairman, Santa Ana
"Mr. Greg Choc was with us in 2009 and do you know what he did. Whenever we planned things to do he himself drove his vehicle to go and meet the government and the Prime Minister by himself. He had made those meetings with the government and he came back and inform us and that was not our plan. This is the behavior of Mr. Greg Choc, he would want that he is the only one doing things. It is very disrespectful what Mr. Greg Choc is doing, you know why because he was never ever elected as an Alcalde in Mayan communities. He learns this on paper. We live life, the association is the one that represents all the Alcaldes, the 78 Alcaldes in the Mayan communities. Every single Alcalde can't go and meet the Prime Minister, every single Alcalde can't go and address the concerns of the Mayan communities. We have this association to represent us. Greg Choc is lying to the nation, Greg choc is lying to the world."

Villager
"Mr. Greg Choc, as the chairman, said he is disrespecting all the communities of the Maya peoples. Without the Alcalde we cannot live a very good life, you know nowadays things are getting worse and worse and worse. So I would like to say that in this fight we will never give up. We will continue. We have stepped a long way and we are not planning to put our steps back. We are trying to move further ahead but we are trying to look at different ethnic people like the Garifuna. We are not just fighting for our own, we are fighting for it."

"In the long run it's for the new society that we are fighting for. I am not going to be here forever. So the communal land it's very important for us because otherwise if we are not fighting for this land the government will finish selling all our lands."

And while that's the opinion on the ground, we also got a more academic perspective on the role of the Toledo Alcaldes Association and Commissioner Choc's position on its relevance.

This evening, we did reach out to Ch'oc for comment but up to news time, he had not responded.

Hon. Dolores On The Defensive

But who did speak up for him was his boss, Minister of Indigenous Affairs, Dolores Balderamos Garcia. She appeared on Sunup on 7 where she wondered out loud if a cry for Choc's removal was really an attempt to get rid of her.

Still, she was measured in her discussion of the points of contention plaguing G.O.B's consultations in the south and told our hosts that while G.O.B. has made efforts to reach as many villages as possible, It's not realistic that her Ministry will be able to satisfy everyone.

Balderamos Garcia also told us that in her opinion, Flora and Fauna's ownership of the Bodden Creek property may not trump the communal land rights that designate them as the property of Indian Creek Village.

Audubon Anniversary

2 days ago, the Belize Audubon Society celebrated its 53rd Anniversary as an environmentally friendly NGO in Belize. In that time, the organization has grown from a small group of conservation-minded individuals to an NGO which co-manages some of Belize's most iconic natural wonders including the Blue Hole Natural Monument, the Halfmoon Caye Natural Monument, the Victoria Peak Natural Monument, and the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Today, we got a chance to speak with the executive director about that important milestone, as well as an award ceremony that will happen in a few days.

Here's what Amanda Burgos-Acosta told us:

The Belize Audubon Society The Society was formed in 1969 as a foreign chapter of the Florida Audubon Society.

The Challenge to The Cycling Powers

And from the conservation milestone for the Audubon Society, we report now on agitation from within the Cycling Federation of Belize.

A group of athletes and individuals tied to the sport have signed a petition to put their executive on notice that they want and full and proper election for the administration which will govern cycling for the next 4 years.

As viewers are aware, the Cycling Federation, which was once an association, has had its fair share of leadership drama. Today, two of the individuals who will be running for president and vice-president called an impromptu press conference to alert the cycling community to their push. Here's what they had to say:

He added, quote, "The General Secretary has received the petition and we will look into [it]". End quote.