Notorious Gang Figure

Shots rang out at 12:30 this afternoon at the corner of Amara Avenue and Dean Street as students of St Ignacio Primary School were out for lunch and a line had already formed at Kick Down Fence. The crowd scattered as Edward Saldano Jr, otherwise known as Scrubby, fought for his life - a fight which ultimately proved futile.
Saldano was a notorious gang figure who had been targeted in the past. And aside from the many witnesses of his demise, the entire ordeal was captured on surveillance cameras.

Jomarie Lanza broke down the events leading up to his murder. Here's that story.

It was the peak of the lunch hour in the city when as many as 13 shots rang out off Amara Avenue, sending school children and parents scattering to all corners, fearing for their lives. It was at the intersection of Amara Avenue and Dean Street where 26 year old Edward Saldano Jr was cornered by his killer in broad daylight. And from the footage we obtained Saldano refused to go down without a fight.

Just minutes before he was captured on surveillance video riding his bike down Amara Avenue when he was approached by an armed individual just before crossing Dean Street. It started as a verbal confrontation that quickly unfolded into horror before the watchful eyes of residents, and the crowd purchasing food at Kick Down Fence.

As the shooter withdrew his weapon, Saldano sprung off his bicycle, first attempting to grab the weapon from his hand, without success, resulting in jumping onto his back in defense. But things took a grim turn from there. And the shooter never stopped firing until Saldano was down on the pavement bleeding out.

Seconds after a grey taxi van is then seen reversing into frame, as the driver steps out attempting to render assistance to Saldano, and with the help of bystanders they lifted him into the back of the vehicle and hightailed it off the scene to the hospital.

Saldano unfortunately was pronounced dead minutes later at the KHMH. ASP Stacy Smith provided us with those details.

ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer
"Police are investigating a shooting incident which led to the death of 26 year old Edward Saldano of an Amara avenue address in Belize city. The investigation commenced on Thursday 5th of March at approximately 12:20 Pm when officers in the precinct 1 area were alerted to the sounds of shots being fired in the vicinity of Amara Avenue. Officers proceeded to that location where they observed several expended shells and some blood on the scene the investigators proceeded to that Karl Heusner memorial hospital where they learned that the victim in that shooting incident was Mr Saldano. What the investigation has so far disclosed is that Mr Saldano was walking on Dean street when it is that he was accosted by a male person who is believed to have been known by him and a dispute arose and the male person, and this was captured on police camera, was seen retrieving a firearm which he used to fire several shots which resulted in the demise of Mr Saldano."

Given Saldano's criminal history, police are still working to establish a motive.

ASP Stacy Smith, Police Staff Officer
"One male person has since been detained in the course of this ongoing investigation. No clear motive has been established as yet."

The last time we interviewed Saldano was back in 2021 not long after his father had been murdered. Saldano was accused of escaping police custody at that time and was wanted for questioning in an unrelated case. He turned himself in, and today we took a look back at that interview that now has a harrowing perspective to it.

Daniel Ortiz:
"Is it possible that his killing was linked to some enemy of yours?"

Edward Saldano Jr.
"I feel like they just wanted to take advantage of my father to get to me. They chanced him because my father is a hardworking man. He doesn't bother anyone with trouble. He goes anywhere. He helps everyone. He is here for all of us, and now, they have left us without a father."

Teenager Fatally Shot In Punta Gorda

And there was another murder last night in Punta Gorda - this time, the victim was a teenager. 17 year old Jimmy Cus was fatally shot just before 8:00. 18 year old Darwin Meraz was also injured in the attack, which happened while the two were walking together on Cero Road. According to ASP Stacy Smith, police had tried to work with Cus in the past. She gave us more details on this murder.

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"The officers responded and upon their arrival, they observed the unresponsive body of Jimmy Cus, 17 years of age, which exhibited several apparent gunshot wounds. And they also met with 18-year-old Darwin Meraz, who also suffered a gunshot injury to the leg. What the ongoing investigation has disposed so far is that Cus and Meras were walking on a new road when they were accosted by a male person who fired several shots, resulted in the demise of Cus and the injury of Meras. Police have since identified a person of interest in relation to this incident, and that individual is now being sought. An angle that has been pursued is this incident's connection with a recent murder incident that occurred in Punta Gorda, Town. However, as more information is learned, that will be disposed to the media as it becomes necessary to do so."

Reporter
"Were the victims either the murder victim or gunshot victim, were they known to police?"

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"I spoke with the officer in command of Punta Gorda, Mr. Hamilton, and he did advise that his office and the community policing section of that formation have undertaken several rooms of mediation with a view to having Mr. Cus and Mr. Meras, who are very young in age, to be more productive citizens of society. So they were known to police and efforts were made to integrate them into productive practices. However, that proved to be a challenge."

Cotton Tree Man Says He Was Shot Unjustly By Cop

And another shooting occurred in Cotton Tree yesterday but this one involved a police officerÃƒ¢Ã¢â€š¬¦

There are at least 3 sides to every story, and tonight attorney David Mckoy is giving Akeem Jones' side. Jones is alleging that police shot him without proper justification. Jones was detained in Roaring Creek following an incident involving his brother. And now the family has retained Mckoy, who explained the nature of the case and why he feels his client was detained unjustly.

David McKoy, Attorney
"Circumstances surrounding him being shot is one that I would say that if it is true it is outrageous because it seems to be extremely unwarrantable. He apparently was at home with his relative 2 brothers, one of the brothers known to police and apparently this brother was wanted by police, and police was attempting to capture this person and he ran away so another brother told one of the police officers that oh you're upset that you were not able to catch my brother and as a result of that the police apparently. It is alleged that the police used force to hit the one that said it looks like you're upset."

"So the brother that got shot who is currently detained said certain things to the police and as a result of that he was trying to go home and he said when he apparently turned around that's when he got shot. Now I must say there is a specific area of law that is at play here whether it is that the police was justified or it was unjustified, the law at play here is justifiable use of force. generally speaking can use force, even cause death to an individual but the force must be proportionate and be commensurate with the threat that is faced and an unarmed person not reaching for a firearm or not posing a threat to the police or the member of the society should not be shot that should not happen."

"Now he has 48 hours to be here and he has a bandage around his arm he says that he is in pain he has lost a lot of blood so I don't think that the roaring creek police station is the appropriate place for him."

"I would say that the person who is being done an injustice is the person who is detained imagine being shot by police allegedly again, I say allegedly because there is another side to it the police side but the fact is he has been shot and the allegedly part comes into whether it is justifiable but the family, most of the family they are not incarcerated, they will be able to sleep tonight but imagine being shot by police having a gunshot injuries and having to sleep in a cell block which is a very terrible place to be in so the injustice is being done to the individual who has been shot and detained and if the circumstances which I explained is in fact true then it is extremely outrageous right so the injustice is being done to him and he will have the opportunity to take legal recourse separate on apart from whatever internal investigation that the police may launch into this matter."

Police Say PSB Investigating Cop Shooting

And today, ASP Smith explained that the PSB is already looking into the matter.

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"What I can say is that I've been advised that the Professional Standards Branch having learned of this incident visited Mr. Jones yesterday with a view to ascertain what exactly happened. Mr. Jones made certain statements and certain comments, sorry, and he was further advised that when he is ready to give a report, the Office of the Professional Standards Branch remains open to him for that purpose."

"Notwithstanding that Mr. Jones had not given a formal report, the officers of the Professional Standards Branch has commenced their investigation in relation to the allegations that we know that are in the media."

Reporter
"Has he been charged for assaulting an officer?"

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"I believe the charge that he has gotten and he's already gone before the court is this other economic. What I will say is that Mr. Jones was not the only person that was charged in this incident and not a person who I believe what his brother was also charged and police are also seeking a third individual as an incident, the incident that an incident that unfolded prompted police's review of a police surveillance camera and based on that the charges that are brought against Mr. Jones are such."

Julius Says It's Ministy's Duty To Create A Space For La Ruta Maya Viewers

Yesterday we told you that MIDH was stepping up and clearing parts of the river banks so that viewers could watch the race free of charge. Well today we spoke with the Minister, Julius Espat who explained that as a ministry, they believe it is their duty to provide that space for everyone. He added that it will also be open to vendors free of cost:

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"Well we have absolutely nothing to do with the decision that the venue was changed. But we monitor social media as government he have to and we saw that the people of Belize were a bit concerned that it was being put in an area that would not allow them to go in if they didn't have the adequate resources, and so we had two area that is for the government of Belize still after the bridge one side is two acres, the next side is about three and so CEO and I and the chief decided that you know, let's clear it up and give the people an opportunity, free of cost, to go out there, you have safe parking, if you want go out there and sell your stuff free of cost go deh strong, it just gives an opportunity for people to see the race. I don't wanna get into why it was changed or who changed it, cause that's not our responsibility but if we can help, I think that's our role as government, to listen to the people and find a way to give them the services that we believe they deserve"

He reiterated that the main request is that everyone that takes advantage of these free spaces keep it clean.

Julius Explains Why Belcan Bridge's Bid Went Over Budget

And in Belize City, the construction of the new Belcan Bridge is set to begin as early as April. The bidding process is over and the budget went a little over what was initially planned due to the additional infrastructure it will require. When asked, Minister Espat said that whenever the contract is awarded they will start immediately:

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"I think the Belcan is about 20 million approximately because it now includes the temporary vehicular bridge, so originally when we had put it out to bid the first time, it was only a pedestrian temporary bridge that we were going to put but after we analyzed along with the City Council, we realized that if we only put a pedestrian crossing it would create serious congestion in the city so we decided that the temporary bridge would also be vehicular traffic and so those bids came in already, it now financial evaluation and technical evaluation and so that should be out, I would say you should have the award been given in a week or two time."

Reporter
"So when is it set to start?"

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"Once the contract is awarded they start immediately"

Julius Tells BTL To

Reporter
"We know that you champion the people all the time. When it comes to the payment for the severance, the BTL severance."

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"Pay them. Pay them everything that you owe them. It's for them. If you were working for so long and didn't get pay you would be happy? Exactly. So pay them. Prime Minister has said to pay them. Prime Minister has said in cabinet to pay them."

Has Julius Changed His Mind About Proposed Speednet Acquisition?

And you'll remember Espat's remarks the first time we asked him about the Speednet Acquisition. But now that the matter has been put on a pause, has his stance changed? We asked him.

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"I have already made my comment, I would leave it to the people of Belize to decide that, as we said, we don't want it to have political interference, that was my stance and I will stick to that."

Julius Backs Up DPM

But despite not wanting to give any further comments on the proposed acquisition, he did stand behind Deputy PM Cordel Hyde's statement, reiterating that it is the people's decision and the people's money. He also said that no matter how they dance around it, it is not a private issue:

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"It is the people's decision, I said it before, we are here to manage and to spend the people's money. So we have to go back to the people when we spend that money, in debates in the house, in presentations in the budget, to ask if they're fine with it. I think now they are starting to do that, the consultation is ongoing, they're consulting, that's a process that you have to have and I was not in agreement, that any manager of any company that the people own can say that they don't have to consult with the people. That is my objection to what was said."

Repoter:
"And a? a business owner, your decisions made at the board level, is it influenced by any external factors? "

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"No No,you can't compare private business with public. In private I make the decision cause it's my money, and if I fail, I fail. Now if I am a private company that is owned by shareholders then I have to listen to my shareholders. But in this case who are the shareholders? Alright so you have to listen to the people, it's basic logic no matter what they tell you about legally right and morally right and ethically right, you could get round it legally but ethically and morally, you can't get around it, the people own it."

Cayo South Area Rep Investigated Cartel Claims In Valley Of Peace

A few weeks ago, we reported on a woman who claimed she was driving to Valley of Peace for work and before she could even get in the village, she was stopped by men who claimed to be working for a Mexican cartel. She was then allegedly told to ask her family for ransom money.

We asked the Minister, who is also the Area Representative of Cayo South, his thoughts. He said that he investigated it, but the community was unaware of any cartel activity.

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"I followed it up and nobody from the village saw anything or knew anything and the villagers are questioning, if a cartel held you up how nobody saw it, why didn't you come to police in Belmopan or roaring creek, why didn't you go to the police in valley of peace, why did you go to the media all the way to Belize City. That's what the people are telling me and so we haven't heard anything more from it. But why would a cartel in Belize ask you for pesos? I mean, we don't deal with pesos in this country. How will the lady get pesos? So all of that, makes everybody wonder."

BDF Ready To Send Soldiers North If Needed

And today the media asked the BDF Commander, Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez whether they have activated in the north after the killing of a cartel boss. He explained that with the new intake, they are prepared to send more soldiers to the border if they need to.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Velasquez, Commander - BDF
"It's a bit multilayered so we have intelligence driven operation. So we are monitoring the situation from an intelligent point of view. We have communication with our Mexican counterparts so anything that's happening over the border, We know instantly. we also have an increase in troops numbers in the northern border in operation northern fortress. Just recently we received vehicles and we received ATVs to bolster our presence and our patrols in the north. And also there was a building donated at the Corozal Freezone that we will be occupying in the next few days. So we are monitoring the situation, we have enough troops to deal with anything that comes up. And if anything big happens, we can reinforce the north with more soldiers. We just had an intake pass out Possibly we're having a new intake coming in this month so our numbers are increasing and if anything happens, we can bolster that northern area."

Why Were Soldiers Disgracefully Discharged From BDF?

There have also been reports that several soldiers were disgracefully discharged. Those reports suggested that the soldiers may have been abusing alcohol, which led to their dismissal. Commander Velasquez confirmed today that was one of the reasons.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Velasquez, Commander - BDF
"Well, the Belize defense force is a disciplined organization. And when members break up the rules, you either get punished administratively, you either get punished and return back to the ranks or if what they committed was grave enough, they get discharged. Discharge with disgrace means that they get no benefits and they are not allowed to reenlist into the BDF whatsoever."

Reporter
"We understand part of their discharge has to do with alcohol abuse, how true is this?"

Brig. Gen. Anthony Velasquez, Commander - BDF
"well being discharged with disgrace encompasses many different charges, different options that they committed. Alcohol abuse is probably one of them. Definitely. This is women's month, so these allegations that were happening in the past constantly are one of the reasons why people would get discharged. Soldier will get discharged for various reasons, for failing to show up on a duty or causing the loss of a life or the loss of a weapon. So various reasons why a soldier would get discharged including alcohol."

Will Belize Bow To US Pressure To Reduce Relations With Cuba?

Belize's diplomatic relations with Cuba date back to the mid 90's - but our friendly relations with the island nation go back to the 70's when President Fidel Castro was one of the first to pledge support for Belize's fight for independence.
But now, those long, friendly relations are under strain like never before - and that's because the United States is pursuing an aggressive diplomatic agenda to isolate Cuba and force the smaller nations of the Americas to re-think their relations with Cuba.
7News has received multiple credible reports that the US State Department is pressuring Belize to reduce its relations with Cuba - and if not, face penalties. The lobbying campaign may have gained momentum in Saint Kitts and Nevis recently when the recent CARICOM heads of government meeting was held. It included a meeting between the heads and the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. At that meeting, Belize's Prime Minister is reported to have been one of the first to speak up for Cuba which is facing a growing humanitarian crisis.

We asked the PM about it today:

John BriceÃƒ±o, Prime Minister
"Well, we will always have a good relationship with the people of Cuba. But I think they have been doing their rounds in the entire region. They've been going to every country, expressing their concerns. And as a sovereign nation, we listen to them. And at the end of the day, we think we do what we believe is the best interest of Belize."

Reporter
"Have there been any specific threats to officials?"

John BriceÃƒ±o, Prime Minister
"I don't think I can comment more than just that, because I think the discussions that we have between two countries it's supposed to be private and confidential. And I'm allowed only to be able to share that with the cabinet."

Reporter
"We see that countries are cancelling the medical brigades. Will Belize be taking this similar action?"

John BriceÃƒ±o, Prime Minister
"Well, we're looking to see what we can do to be able to keep our doctors here. There are presently at least, there are over a hundred of them in the Cuban brigade, of which atleast 45 of them are doctors. And as you all know, they have served us well. They serve us, especially in the rural areas where many of our Belizean doctors don't want to go. So we want to try to come up with a program to ensure that they could stay here and to be able to provide the services that our people need and deserve."

Police Department Says Gillett's Case Is With The Courts, Not Them

Yesterday, we brought you the plight of Luanna Gillett, who served in the police department for ten years until she was sexually assaulted two years ago. Though she has been trying to fight her case, she has yet to get justice. And she told us that she hadn't even gotten support from the department she served.

Today we asked staff officer ASP Stacy Smith about it.

ASP Stacy Smith, Staff Officer
"I would firstly like to empathize with the frustration of Miss Gillett, I am very familiar with Miss Gillett and also place on record that there is no desire on the department's part or there has been no attempt on the department's part to frustrate the course of having Miss Gillet's matter being duly adjudicated. As you have stated in so far as it relates to the department, when the matter was known, Mr. Dawson was arraigned before a tribunal. He went through the tribunal process at the end of which he was convicted and his dismissal was recommended. Mr. Dawson appealed that dismissal and the legal office of the department reviewed the notes of evidence and found that the decision of the adjudicator was summed in law and the recommendation for his dismissal was upheld. Mr. Dawson further appealed to the Belize Advisory Council and similarly the adjudicators of that council found that the tribunal that was held was sound and his conviction was safe."

"As it relates to the statements made by Miss Gillett in terms of the adjournment, I can confirm that indeed there were adjournments, but as you would know, the ultimate decision as it relates to the granting of adjournment lies in the purview of the court. I can also say that I've been advised by the officers attached to the prosecution branch in that location that the matter had started as back in July of 2026. However, at that time, Miss Gillett indicated that counsel for the defendant was someone who she had had discussions with pertaining to the case. So she was of the view that he was privy to information which may be used against her. It was a sound objection and the court ultimately sided with a recusal of the defense counsel in that case and that too caused the lay and another adjournment because Mr. Dawson had to seek another attorney. So as I said, certainly in matters of this type, I know that victims are not able to get the extent of healing that they need until the matter is fully adjudicated. And we are cognizant of that and we do our very best as it relates to all matters of these nature to ensure that they are adjudicated timely and that they are given the attention that is needed."

We also reached out to the ComPol via text yesterday. He answered after news time and said, quote, "We fully acknowledge the frustration experienced by victims when judicial processes extend beyond anticipated timelines, however, the pace at which a case progresses through the courts is not within the purview of the Police Department. Court scheduling, adjournments, and legal arguments are matters reserved for the Belize Judiciary and the legal representatives involved. Consequently, it is inaccurate to suggest that the police possesses the authority to either delay or expedite a matter once it is before the court." End quote.

Uniting Women In Law Enforcement

Today the police department held an event for the women in its rank. It was called uniting women in law enforcement, where several female police officers received awards for their hard work. The organizer Senior Superintendent Dehanne Augustine told us more.

Dehanne Augustine, Second in Charge, Belize District Admin
"As you know, we have Women's Month. We started with the first of March with Church Service. This event here today, this symposium, it will be covering important topics that we as women believe is very important for us for our growth. We have career development. We have about trauma, cancer. You know, these are topics that we do need and we, these topics are only not being heard of today. This is just an opportunity to more emphasize these topics, how important they are for our women. We also have, we also took this opportunity here to award some of our females. In Belize District alone, we awarded 22 females and it has to do with community service, the amount of arrests, the years of service, what do they give back, how do they contribute to the enhancement of our police department."

BDF Commander Says They've Drastically Reduced Incidents Of Sexual Assault

And the Commander of the BDF also gave remarks at the event. However, six years ago, the force was stained by numerous allegations of sexual assault against female officers. Velasquez explained that they have undergone measures to drastically reduce those incidents.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Velasquez, Commander - BDF
"Well, first of all, I'd like to address the problem right now. I like to describe it as a wicked problem. It's a problem that is, embedded in society and will not go away overnight. And just as a part of the society, the Belize Defense Force reflects that, we have had issues and we may continue to have issues, but I can reassure the people of police officers are very minimized at this point in time."

Reporter
"In the past the force was stained or marred by reports of abuse within training, Neglecting the concerns of its women. How would you describe the state of those issues currently and what has been done to effectively address those?"

Brig. Gen. Anthony Velasquez, Commander - BDF
"We have adopted a policy where we empower women, especially to report and to have these cases come up. They either go through he civil police if they wish or they do all anonymous type of reporting where perpetrators are dealt with any which way you can think about it. So the policy works. I have seen firsthand how it works because I've been participating in the administrative process of implementing the policy, and I can guarantee today's day that the situation is completely different in the Belize Defense Force for women. I'm not saying that the problem has been eliminated completely. It is a completely different culture in the Belize Defense Force in how we treat our women."

He added that over the past year, he is only aware of one report of sexual assault.

BDF Working With Universities To Build Its Ranks

And on Tuesday, the BDF was in Corozal at Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College. They signed an MOU which will hopefully lead to more students from the north enlisting in the force. Commander Velasquez told us more about the BDF's plans.

Brig. Gen. Anthony Velasquez, Commander, BDF
"We had a ceremony, just recently, at the Central Escolar Mexico Junior College where we had an MOU we signed with them for a partner where the BDF would benefit by getting scholarships from them and they would benefit by getting the benefit of our experience with their young students. And also it's a recruiting tool for us to bring more people from the northern Belize to the BDF. So it's a win win situation, symbiotic relationship. We have also been in consultation and talks with UB for similar type of consultation agreement where we will have an officer training corps where scholarships will be given to Belizeans to attend UB and then after join the BDF as officers. We also have a good relationship with Galen University through similar initiatives. At the end of the day, within the next two years or a little bit more, the BDF wants to open its own Belize Military academy where we will train our own officers in Belize and those are all the steps taken towards that end goal."

Can Belize Achieve 30% Of Conservation By 2030?

By the end of the year Belize is expected to hit the 30 by 30 target for our marine protected areas system. This means conserving up to 30% of our Ocean Space. And through networking events like ECOLENS, which provides an opportunity to exchange information between both public and private conservation partners, we should be able to achieve so much more in terms of conservation of our natural resources. Jomarie Lanza attended the ECOLENS Summit today and here's what she gathered at the event.

Roughly 150 representatives from the government, conservation organizations, academia and development partners attended the ECOLENS Summit that was hosted by the Protected Areas Conservation Trust and the Belize Fund for a Sustainable Future. One of the largest networking events to date centered on Belize's progress towards global biodiversity commitments. The Executive director for the Belize fund explained why today's event is important to their partners.

Dr. Leandra Cho Ricketts, Executive Director - The Belize Fund
"So the ECOLENS summit is a partnership between the Belize fund and the protected areas conservation trust both conservation trust funds that have been working to support the conservation of Belize's natural assets we both support the management of protected areas and the conservation of biodiversity so we felt it would be a great opportunity to partner and showcase Belize's leadership in this area and success that the country has had so far with a focus on people and nature, how Belize ensures that it continues to preserve nature for the benefit of the people. So it is an opportunity primarily for exchange, networking and you know sharing experiences, talking about things such as enforcement of our protected areas how well our protected areas system is being managed, how we use science in that how we finance our protected areas so it is bringing together a range of entities and voices that work in the space to share the experience of where we are, where we have been, where we currently are but more importantly to kind of look ahead and discuss where it is we want to go."

The goal is to achieve the 30 X 30 target, that 30% of Belize's territories are protected by 2030. The good news is that we have managed to not only achieve but exceed this 30% target for land, but still working our way towards achieving that 30% for marine protected areas. But what will happen if we manage to meet that goal before 2030? That's one of the discussions on the table at the summit.

Saul Cruz, Director - National Biodiversity Office
"So the National Biodiversity office is an office that has been established within the ministry of sustainable development to really lead biodiversity management from a national scale and also to look at the relationship we have under the convention of biological diversity and so we are that driving mechanism behind the biodiversity strategy and the protected areas policy as well so that is our primary role within the broader landscape. A forum of this nature is very essential so it really brings national players local community groups to our big funding partners and from the policy level the ministries that set that strategic path for how we foresee protected areas over the long term in Belize."

Each entity is doing their part, but has GOB been able to identify the gaps that they can fill? We asked the minister and here's how he responded.

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"Part of the problem is that these things take a lot of monies so the finance side is important but luckily we are looking at climate finance whether it is from PACT that is trying to get climate finance or looking at the national climate change office that looks at some climate finance and we have the ministry of economic transformation that has a climate finance unit and so we look at how we can bring all of it together looking at the projects that we have and as you know sometime late last year we produced out 3rd version of the national determined contributions. And so when you look at that it sort of gives you a picture of what the gap is in terms of the financing for implementation because it covers all of this we have to look at not only climate but biodiversity. Important also that we are looking at the little monies that we may have now because there may not be as much as we used to get before or as easy as it used to be to see when we do a project or a program that it incorporates biodiversity loss that it incorporates climate change and that it looks at pollution and the environment, it looks at desertification because of drought so that we might not have monies for each one but a program that can look and touch on all of these, of these areas."

Roaring Creek School Gets New Building For 200 Students

Our Lady of Fatima R.C School in Roaring Creek village has received a new building that is set to serve 211 students. The two story building includes seven classrooms and bathrooms. The building will also serve as a hurricane shelter. Jaleeza Roberts attended the inauguration and files this report:

Students at Our Lady of Fatima RC School will now have a safer and more comfortable space to learn. Earlier today, officials gathered for the inauguration of a new school building donated by the Government through the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing.

Minister of Infrastructure Development and Housing Julius Espat noted that projects like these were long planned but only became possible once the government had access to the necessary resources.

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"These are projects that we have had in mind for quite some time but as you are aware once you are in opposition, which I was for two terms, the resources just aren't there. But it's a promise that we made and it's a good feeling to know that we have been Able to keep our promise."

And with that promise, Espat believes that improving school environments is critical for students to succeed.

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"We have to invest more in our children, the one in Camalote is worse than this one where they had rat bats and rats and in fact we've found in some of the schools that some of the roofing asbestos so we are trying to comprehend and take it to a level, this is the future, you know that. We have to invest in our children and as I said in my speech, it is hard for our children to to be able to receive information when they're, the environment is not conducive to that."

And in that same light, Prime Minister John Briceno says education remains one of the government's highest priorities.

John Briceno, Prime Minister
"From the beginning we've been saying that we need to begin dealing with the social issues and education is a high priority of our Government. Education continues to have almost 25 percent of the budget and when we are able to come and build a building of this quality and a building that can also serve dual purposes not only as a classroom but also as a hurricane shelter, it gives you that feeling of accomplishment."

The building can accommodate up to 200 students and was designed to not only serve as classrooms but as a hurricane shelter. This may be the first of its kind in the Cayo South constituency, but not the last as discussion are already underway for another.

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"We will be repeating this exact same design in Camalote, it is in the budget. We had a budget consultation with Cabinet this week and it was approved so it's just a matter of going through the process in the house and the design is set already and we'll put it out to bid. These buildings cost approximately 1.5 million dollars for 7,500 square feet which brings this new building to about $200 per square foot inclusive of furniture."

Another school building is set to next be built in Camalote village.

MIDH's Budget Increase Means More Starter Homes

And after lobbying year after year for his Ministry, MIDH has finally received a budget increase based on what the Minister says he saw this past Tuesday. A major highlight of this ministry has been the famous "starter homes" that have provided Belizeans with brand new houses while only having to pay a 25% of its cost. So that increase is to build more homes but also for the roadwork leading to these places.

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"It was raised from 5 million to 8 million, so we got 3 million more and a separate 2 million was given to us for infrastructure for housing, what has happened is that with the 5 million, we were stretching it thin because we were not only building the homes but we were also doing roads reaching the homes and so now an extra 2 million was given to us so wherever we have a house that's in a really, in an area that hasn't been developed, we have the ability now."

"The John Smith Road, A two million dollar budget was given to be able to do infrastructure there in the housing development that they have, they have a housing development there that Minister Cordel had done for about 1,000 lots so 2 million dollars was allocated in the budget for us, so we can go and do some work there. So for the first time after 5 years of lobbying, complaining, beating, we got 3 million dollars, 5 million more, because it's 3 million for the houses and 2 million for infrastructure for the houses"

The minister explained that they have several factors to consider when they will decide what areas to target first.

Julius Espat, Minister of MIDH
"Right now, after the budget is read, the first meeting will be between the CEO, myself, the chief and the Housing Team led my Maurissa to look at what houses have been approved already meaning recipients that have been approved and what we are trying to do is to look at the houses that have lots that have easier access, because all of them have a need so we know that, everybody that has been approved they have a need so we're looking at is your house easier for us to reach and that would be the priority, apart from emergencies because we have also been helping people where their houses have been burnt down or somebody that's incapacitated or there're couple areas that aren't strict and so that meeting will be held right after the budget so I would say, ending of this month and then we will have a list of how many we can do and what the CEO and the chief normally do is they phase it out."

"Because we don't have enough contractors to be able to do everything at the same time, remember these are real low cost housing and the contractors are not making a lot of money, so we have to accommodate them and try to find a way maybe if its two in an area they can get a little bit more."

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