by Collin Nicholas
My Fellow Barangunas:
We have reached another milestone toward the social and economic development of Barranco. Today, Sunday, May 17, 2009 officially marks the date when the computer lab/internet cafe was inagurated at Barranco St. Joseph R.C. School. In attendance were Minister Eden Martinez and his wife, Minister Faber along with his wife and children, Mr. Oscar Reyes (Education Officer), Stanley Nicholas (Campus Administrator, UB, Toledo), Mr. Allister King (U.S. Capital Representative, Belize) and his wife; also in attendance were the school's principal, Mrs. Loma Rodriguez, the teachers, Mr. Kevin Zuniga and Ms. Reyes, along with the students, the Barranco community at large, and select individuals from Midway (the neighboring village). Mr. Alvin Loredo was the Master of Ceremonies. The ceremony itself was quite lively, especially with the few cultural presentations by the school children which included the singing of the national anthem in Garifuna, dancing punta, and the performance of a skit. Both Ms. Loma Rodriguez and Ms. Irma Gonzalez gave impressive presentations which highlighted all of the key points that everyone listening, including Barangunas in the audience, would like to hear. We are pushing our agenda forward with a quiet persistence; I stand behind the scene ensuring that all goes well...
Secondly, Vinland is proud to have the privilege to host the oil company as they conduct their oil exploration in the Toledo District. Whereas there is legitimacy in the call for a national debate regarding whether or not such activity should have been approved by the Government, or whether we should rather accept the position/s taken by the environmental groups/agencies such as SATIIM, the dynamics have been such that though we should perhaps question first and foremost whether the oil exploration (including the drilling) is in our national interest, as the "Fogotten District" and a long neglected community, it is imperative that we rather stand for what is in the best interest of BARRANCO!!! Brothers and Sisters this is the time to yell loudly at these relatively influential entities (The Government, SATIIM, the oil companies, etc.) to demand that the problem of the rapid erosion of our beach is addressed. This is the perfect opportunity to raise the matter and to get everyone's attention since they have all somewhat failed us in lending their support to the problem, while they falsely stand as protectors of the environment, and merely offer lip service to the problem. I voiced this position loudly and clearly at a community meeting in Barranco, and I have also repeatedly tried to coach those among us who are strategically positioned to make a difference. Irma did a very good job highlighting the problem in her presentation today, and I was proud to see Hon. Eden Martinez taking time to visit the beach in order to get a first-hand glimpse of the problem. Brothers and Sisters, the neglect of our beach must not continue, while the Government, SATIIM and the oil companies are all fully aware, and the oil companies are using the wharf on a daily basis. I will continue to be instrumental in alerting their attention to the very serious problem of our beach erosion; let's all push this forward!!!!
Having the oil company in Barranco has meant getting jobs for our people. As I informed our folks during the community meeting a couple of weeks ago, there will be so many jobs available that we will not be able to satisfy the demand. Well, on Friday, the gentleman responsible for recruiting workers needed 80 workers to work with their drilling crew and they could not find one additional man in Barranco who was ready, willing, and able to work!!! All of the men are working. At Vinland I am responsible for providing accommodations, laundry services, and food services. I have also hired a few of the women from Barranco to provide the services. The demand for me to hire workers corresponds with the number of oil company workers residing at Vinland. There is also a heliport across the street (adjacent to Vinland). Today was the first day that the helicopter did a few flights in and out of Barranco. It is expected that flights will become routine at least for the rest of this month. It is uncertain how long their operations will last, especially since the weather conditions have been unpredictable. Anyway, the interests of our village shall not be compromised.
Vinland also has internet services. For the moment I am restricting its use exclusively for the oil company, but I do plan to make it available to the public in the future.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge those who are building their homes in Barranco, or even just merely doing home improvement projects. Thanks to Don Trigueno, Evan Cayetano, Aurelie Alvarez, Dr. Joe, Rita Enriquez (expansion project), Doreen Castillo, Greg and Sheridan, Jenny and "Spoon", Dale and Steve Guiterrez, Alvin Loredo, etc.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowlege the very good work done by Alvin Loredo and his team with the old school building, and Augusto Castillo and his team with the police station. Awesome job guys!!!!
Lastly, The Minister of Works, the Hon. "Boots" Martinez, had promised us that a few months ago that they would provide us with enough material for our roadway to the cemetery. Well, they still have not yet delivered. Hon. Eden Martinez has again taken note of it, and has promised that he will personally look after it. I'll keep you all updated on the matter.
Best wishes to you all. God Bless.
Colin Nicholas