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| San Pedro Daily |
Thursday, August 7,
2008 Belize's Only Daily |
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SAN PEDRO PREPARES FOR
COSTA MAYA FESTIVAL The island of San
Pedro is preparing to host thousands of Belizeans and visitors over the
next couple of days. The annual la Costa Maya festival kicks off
tomorrow evening on the island. Greg Vernon of NICH shared the
highlights of this year’s festival.
Greg Vernon, National Institute of Culture and History “It’s a full line of entertainment and pageantry that we will be seeing here on the island of San Pedro; we are very happy to say that as of today we can see the island getting busier and busier and I know for a fact that some of my friends were trying to book hotels and they are still having a hard time getting in but we are still saying that there are rooms here at the beautiful island of San Pedro. This year we will be seeing the delegates in the La Reina de la Costa Maya International Pageanmt and these delegates will be coming in from Panama which is a first for the La Reina de la Costa Maya Festival and also returning for this year’s 2008 pageant will be Costa Rica and so we are happy to say that we have all Central American Delegates vying for the title of La Reina de la Costa Maya and also Mexico and so we should be having a very full night tomorrow the 7th at the Old Football Field here in San Pedro. We will also be having some fantastic entertainment; we will be having Melanie Gillett out of Burrell Boom and also the New Generation Dancers, the San Pedro Dance Company and also the great Nelita Castillo who will be lining our entertainment for our audience. This year we will be having an after party after the pageant right at the old football field. Friday is the opening Gala and the traditional flight dance presented by the San Pedro Dace Company accompanied by the Ballet Foklorico Dance Company out of Quintana Roo along with Grupo de Danza of El Salvador and they will be opening the festival along with the ambassadors and ministers of Government and the Mayor of San Pedro. After the opening gala, there will be a mega concert by Supa G and Clandestinos out of Honduras. Saturday night will be our biggest night and we are looking at Grupo Brindis who will be our very special International Artists for that night along with Cruz Infante out of Mexico and doing their thing will be the Belize National Dance Company and Grupo Clash out of El Salvador. Sunday will be Natalie Arceo and Natalie is no stranger to the island of San Pedro and she will be backed by the Islanders Band also out of San Pedro, Perfect Fusion Rock Band out of Belize City, Dennis Wolf who is no stranger to the island and he will be doing his country and western style along with the great Mexican comedian Chupitus.” The Costa Maya festival runs from August 7 to 10. Read More Mangrove
alteration
moratorium in effect – working group slated to meet Friday Adele Ramos Even though they might
appear to be
an unwelcome sight of inconsequential bush to some developers, Belize’s
mangroves have major ecological, and therefore economic, significance.
Their value lies largely in their ability to provide protection for
Belize’s precious landscape from erosion and other structural
degradation - thereby protecting our world famous coral reefs, as well
as to provide a vital nursery ground for some of Belize’s important
fishery resources and a haven for endangered wildlife, such as crocs.
But with development projects encroaching more and more on this very fragile mainstay of Belize’s coastal terrain, authorities decided way back in February to impose a nationwide moratorium on the alteration of mangroves, while experts in the field undertake a comprehensive stocktaking of Belize’s mangroves. Even with the moratorium in place, enforcement has been a challenge. On June 25, 2008, the Forest Department had to write a developer, Reagan’s International, calling on them to cease mangrove clearance, citing regulations for the protection of mangroves and a possible fine of up to $1,000 and/or 12 months jail time for contraventions of the regulations. Wilber Sabido, the Chief Forestry Officer, was the person who issued that cease work order, but when we tried to reach him for further information we were informed that he was not in office. Working group leader, Marcelo Windsor, deputy chief forestry officer, who is holding over for Sabido, spoke with Amandala. He said that the last such comprehensive study was undertaken by Dr. Simon Zisman, who was contracted by the Government. He said that a new review is urgent, so as to update the country’s mangrove protection regulations, as well as to determine the true status of mangroves countrywide. To this end, the working group is slated to meet on Friday, Windsor informed. The working group will
draw
expertise from various Government and non-government arms, including
the Department of the Environment, Health, Reefs, the Belize Audubon
Society, and the Association of Protected Areas Management
Organizations (APAMO).
The Belize Country Report: Forestry Outlook Study for the Caribbean by the Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources, which we obtained from the website of the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), says that, the 1992 study by Dr. Zisman described the composition, range, and distribution of the mangrove forests of Belize. That report indicated that the mangroves occupied about 771 square kilometers or approximately 3.4% of Belize’s national territory. The Forestry Department report cited above says Belize has three main species of mangroves: red (Rhizophora mangle), black (Avicennia nitida), and white (Laguncularia racemosa) are found growing in this order with increasing distance away from the salt water of the sea coast. It added that 6 mangrove communities are identified in Belize: (i.) over-wash mangrove, (ii.) fringe mangrove, (iii.) riverine mangrove, (iv.) basin mangrove, (v.) hammock mangrove, and (vi.) saltmarsh with sparse mangrove (also referred to as scrub mangrove or mangrove savanna). The new mangrove study to be undertaken this year, said Windsor, will first review baseline data at the Forestry Department. Windsor told Amandala that the moratorium remains in effect for 9 months. Read More NGOs get ready to select
Senate representative  Consultations on the proposal to expand
the Senate
have been held
countrywide and before this can become law the Constitution will have
to be amended. But before this can take place, the N.G.O. community is
organising to elect their first representative to the expanded senate
which will grow from twelve to thirteen members. This morning those
organisations outlined the process for the selection of their member.
APAMO, the Association of Protected Areas management Organisations, is
spearheading this initiative.Yvette Alonzo, Coordinator, APAMO “This is something that the government has committed to expanding the Senate so that it can include this new seat on the Senate. So we have to wait until this has been completed, which we understand will be the end of August, early September, so that when that comes into effect, we’re ready with our representative to just jump in and be able to participate in the Senate immediately.” Marion Ali “How seriously do you think that your representative and the issues that he or she will represent will be addressed being that these are social issues, environmental issues that tend to always get less attention from whichever government?” Yvette Alonzo “I’d say that it’s an opportunity for us to have an N.G.O. representative on the Senate now and that’s the reason why we’ve taken it very seriously. The N.G.O. networks of Belize have come together—eight of them—and basically we’ve outlined a process, roles and responsibilities not only for the Senator but also for the Advisory Committee and the networks so that they can support the Senator in pushing issues that affect us from all sectors; social, environmental, economic, and so we hope that now we have great opportunity to certainly have better importance at that level.” The election is tentatively set for September fourth. N.G.O’s who wish to submit the names of their nominees for the election process may send an e-mail to APAMO at: apamo@pfbelize.org to find out more about the prerequisites. Deadline for nominee submissions is August eighteenth. And in related news, the Belmopan announced today that copies of the Bill to Recall Elected Representatives before the expiration of their term in office, are now in circulation. Those wishing to submit their views and comment can so do to the Secretary of the Cabinet, Office of the Prime Minister. Read More RECALL OF ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES BILL
The Office of the Prime Minister
announces that in keeping with the
Government’s Manifesto promise, a Bill to provide for the recall of
members of the House of Representatives before the expiry of their
normal term of office has been prepared and is being circulated to all
stakeholders for their views and comments. The Bill supplements the
provision already made in the Belize Constitution (Sixth Amendment)
Bill for the recall of elected representatives.
The Bill provides a simple mechanism for the removal of an area representative if the electors are not satisfied with his overall performance. It is expected that this measure will deepen democracy in Belize and enforce greater accountability of area representatives to their constituents. Electronic copies of the Bill are available at the Government’s website www.governmentofbelize.gov.bz . Hard copies may be obtained from the Press Office, Belmopan. Members of the public are encouraged to study the Bill and freely express their views as to any proposed amendments. All comments and suggestions should be addressed to the Cabinet Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister, Belmopan. Read More NOTICES
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Editor:
Every time there is a festival or carnival here in town, huge semi trucks attempt to maneuver through our narrow roads. This blocks up traffic for blocks and poses a safety issue for drivers, pedestrians, and kids. Will someone explain to me why they are not made to move these silly trucks at night when traffic is minimal?????? They always seem to be driving at 8am when traffic is at its heaviest. jenni sharp THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
The trouble with being punctual is that nobody's there to appreciate it Franklin P Jones |
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 www.grandcaribe.com debbiewade@gmail.com
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© SAN PEDRO DAILY, PO Box 45, San Pedro Town, Belize. |
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