Oceana Honors Captain Romi Posthumously

Another OCEANA hero is Captain Romaldo Badillo. Romi, as he was fondly called by family and friends, was also honoured posthumously on Saturday. A number of Belizeans whose lives he impacted in various ways spoke glowingly in his memory.

Glis Marin

“From the time we were growing up Romi use to run away when we were little boys, he use to get whipping for that but he just loved it and anything with the sea Romi use to love. He was always someone who loved the marine life and anything that the sea was around he used to love. He was always somebody that liked the Marin life protected the environment, anything with the sea, not only the sea the river too because he would always tell us about the manatees. He was always passionate about anything that belongs to the sea. Hear what he used to tell us, anytime we used to go out anywhere he used to always tell us, buoy if we gwen wi gwen swim, dive…anything snorkel he would say make sure you don’t stand on the reef you know damage the reef or anything. The lee fish you catch throw them back. The times we used to hang out the guys used to say lets raid the traps and get the small lobsters, Romi used to go with us but he used to tell us throw them back in the sea, we will come back for them when they are bigger, then they are nicer. He always used to try protect anything to preserve the environment especially the marine life. He was very well good at that.”

Beverly Wade

“He loved all aspects of the sea and there wasn’t one aspect of working in the sea that Romi didn’t master. He was one of the most sought after person no matter what area he was working in because he always strived to be the best and he always did the best at whatever he was charged to do at the end of the day. Could you believe it, today I have units dealing with enforcement, unites dealing with research, units dealing with logistics and in the early nineties Romi Badillo was all of these things.”

Romi passed away on May sixth 2015.