House member succumbs to cancer

Out of the nation’s twenty-nine political constituencies, his was the biggest…and tonight Cayo South is without its elected leader, Agripino Cawich. Cawich, who also held the post of Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance and Home Affairs, succumbed to cancer on Friday, after being flown to the United States for treatment. Details of the funeral have not been announced, but arrangements are being made for the return of his body to Belize, where he will be buried with all the honours of a state funeral. Cawich, born in the village of San Narciso in the Corozal District, originally made his mark in the field of agriculture, gaining a first degree from the University of Florida and a Masters from the University of Arizona. He put that knowledge to work in the sugar industry where he achieved prominence at B.S.I.. Cawich entered politics in 1998, winning the Cayo South seat for the People’s United Party and keeping it in the 2003 election. He is survived by his wife Ana and six children. Agripino Cawich: dead at age fifty-six.