P.C.C. Working On Paying Vendors for Services after Payment Delays

Anthony Chanona

Over the last six months, the People’s Constitution Commission has expended four hundred and sixty-three thousand dollars of its one million, thirty-five thousand dollar budget.  That’s according to P.C.C. Chairman Anthony Chanona. But, the commission has been facing serious cash flow issues and it’s due to the red tapes in the Ministry of Public Service’s Smart Stream System. Chanona says that the commission has been unable to pay its vendors on time. The irony of the situation is that the work of the People’s Constitution Commission is being restrained by the very same time-consuming procedures in the public service that Belizeans have railed against for years. Chairman Chanona spoke with reporters in Belize City today about the financial challenge.

Anthony Chanona, Chairman, People’s Constitution Commission

“This has been a challenge and commissioners have been patient with the process, but more importantly there is a lot of frustration within our creditors and vendors. The government system of paying out bills, invoices require a procedure and process. It was very difficult to identify who will be our vendors to get them into the system so that they can get their payments out on time. That window of not having them in the system created a backlog that really and truly frustrated the process, slowed down the process and fortunately we were able to have some backdoor conversations that address the need for the PCC to manage a portion of its own funds to expedite these payments while we build the protocol and requirement of putting persons into the vendor system. As we go to Boom on Sunday and we are now going into the villages, the persons brining panades or tamales, you can’t tell that person get into the vendor system. I mean the reality of inflation and bread and butter issues instruct that you have some petty cash to pay these bills as they incur. The man coming to BNE today, we had an event with ninety workers that bus man had to put fuel in his bus. I can’t tell him for two hundred and seventy-five dollars, wait until the vendor system spits out your money. WE are now at the stage where these payments can paid and expedite and we apologize to all the vendors who have provided us with the service and waited all this time to get their money. Our funds have now dried up. We have now gotten ahead of this backlog. We will be working all of next week, we started today to make good on all the backlog of payments.”

Paul Lopez

“These delays are at the risk of the risk of the commission being labeled a “malpago” commission.”

Anthony Chanona

“That could be as well but we don’t bad pay if we are being on our payments.”