54 First-Time Land Owners in Valley of Peace Village
Just in time for Christmas, Prime Minister John Briceño, Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde, and Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat visited Valley of Peace Community bearing gifts. On Sunday, they all attended a short ceremony where fifty-four first-time land owners received their documents. It was a joyous and proud occasion for those recipients. The Government Press Office was there to capture the event. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Becoming a first-time landowner is a dream for many. Over the weekend, fifty-four Valley of Peace residents saw that dream become a reality. And, none other than Prime Minister John Briceño was on hand to present those land documents.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“It gives you a warm feeling, a feeling of satisfaction that all the stresses and hours of long work is paying off when you could see the smiles in the faces of these first time land owners. Many of them are young and that they get the opportunity to have a piece of land. When Minister Espat invited me to come and join him here, how can I say no? Valley of Peace is a village where these are hard working people. They toil the soil and have been very successful establishing this community. Many of them are now from El Salvador and now to be here to claim Belize their home I wanted to be here to tell them that our government wants to continue to work with them.”
Adelia Ical is one of the many recipients. She spoke from the podium about her gratitude for what she says is an early Christmas gift.
Adelia Ical
Adelia Ical, Land Recipient
“I want to thank and give glory to the almighty god for making this event a resounding success. From the depth of our hearts we thank our honorable Prime Minister John Briceño for spearing his valuable time to grace this event and sharing his experience. Overall, for all the great work you have done, not only in the Cayo South but the entire country of Belize. A piece of land is something that we all dream about. Now, we can all proudly say this is my land and what a great gesture this is towards us on this Christmas time.”
Julius Espat, the Area Representative for Cayo South, says Sunday’s event was very emotional for him and his constituents. He spoke about his partnership with Cordel Hyde, the Minister of Natural Resources, to secure land for the villagers.
Julius Espat
Julius Espat, Area Representative, Cayo South
“You see all around here and you see a lot of land and it is owned by large land owners. Little by little we are carving out the pieces that are left so that our young ones cam have a future. We have started with these fifty-four and there is another piece we are working on that I think most of the young ones in the village will have an access to a piece of land. This is their first phase. After they get their title they will apply to see if they can fall into the housing program we are working on.”
Cordel Hyde
Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
“The economy is booming. Business is blooming for the business people. Everywhere you go there are big buildings going up, roads being built, nice house being built. Construction is happening at a pace that we have never seen before. But, the challenge for this government is how to we transform that and transfer all those beautiful things into the lives of ordinary people. What is the point of having all this beautiful statistics and the country is glowing, its blooming if ordinary people lives are not being improved for the better.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
