Tourism Minister Boasts About New Subdivision

Manuel Heredia Jr.

In September of last year, News Five aired a story on which three hundred lots had been surveyed and granted to residents as part of a proposed subdivision for the expansion of San Pedro Ambergris Caye. But it turned out that at least half of the lots were submerged in several feet of water. Since then, Belize Rural South area representative and Minister of Tourism, with the approval of Cabinet, was able to secure another parcel of land…four hundred acres to be exact, several miles north of the initially proposed site. Manuel Heredia told News Five about the plans for that new subdivided area and how Petrocaribe funds will be rolling into San Pedro.

Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism

“I am so glad that you brought that issue because today I can tell you and I can invite you to go and see the subdivision that we have done, what we decided, because indeed I have to accept that a subdivision in low area as had been done in other parts of the island. But politics unfortunately is the name of the game and the Opposition will use it to their advantage. But in this case, it worked to my advantage because Cabinet decided to give us four hundred acres of what was vested in BELTRAIDE which is far better land that what we were using. We created a concept plan of what we want to do in those four hundred acres, leaving over there open spaces for another hospital, another police station, fire station, schools…you name it and we will have it over there. And with sufficient spaces because it is three, four, five acres that is being left for this particular types of infrastructure. And because of that, you have seen; now you can go six miles of road because of the Petrocaribe. You can go six miles of road in very smooth road that nobody imagined could happen on the island of San Pedro. And very shortly, there will be the commencement of another three miles more apart from the six and when that three is finished, another three miles to get us to the Battle Jones Airstrip that hopefully—probably I will not see it—but hopefully in the near future, there is two hundred acres reserved for an international airport. By that time, there is a three thousand acres that Social Security has, three thousand that the Koreans have and those are potential that probably in the near future, you will see mega projects happening over there with the complement of this international airport and thanks to Petrocaribe, twelve miles of beautiful road.”