San
Pedro Daily  |
Wednesday, July 1,
2009 Belize's Only Daily |
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OAS Foreign
Ministers Condemn Honduran Military Coup
The Organization of American States met in
Washington today in
a special session to condemn the coup against Honduran President Manuel
Zelaya. Foreign ministers from all member states including Belize were
represented. No formal statement has been issued yet but a similar
meeting was also held at the United Nations where the ousted president
also won overwhelming international support.
Zelaya intends to return to Honduras this week and the plan is that Presidents of Argentina and Ecuador will accompany Zelaya along with the heads of the Organization of American States and the U.N. General. The interim leader named by Congress, Roberto Micheletti, has warned that only an armed invasion could restore toppled President Manuel Zelaya. Micheletti noted also the possibility of invasion from other Latin American countries but vowed that Honduras was ready to fight. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said that any aggression toward Zelaya from Micheletti's government should prompt a military intervention by the United Nations.CH7 New Stricter
Building Standards
If you recently took a drive around Belize
City or along the
Northern Highway you probably notice a number of buildings under
construction you might have asked yourself “just how safe are these
structures?” It is a question that really can’t be answered until a
disaster strikes like a hurricanes, a floods and yes, even an
earthquake. Throughout the Caribbean region there is a growing need to
ensure the safety and quality of lives and buildings.
The CARICOM regional organization for quality and standards in their 2005 – 2007 plan of action has committed to creating safer and more efficient buildings. CROSQ hopes to achieve this objective through the establishment of a regional building standards project that will be implemented in each of the fifteen CARICOM member states. Today Belize did its part by launching its national technical sub committee. What does it mean for the future of construction in Belize? That’s what we tried to find out. Jose Trejo, Director - Belize Bureau of Standards “You go around and you see the kind of construction that is taking place. I believe in any building that I walk in this country I want to ensure that it won’t collapse on me.” The structural damages caused by hurricanes, floods and the recent earthquake emphasize the need for the construction of safer buildings in Belize. Presently most architects and designers use the building code of the country where they studied and not the 1999 Belize Building Standards, the Belize Residential Codes or the Caribbean Uniform Building Code. That means many structures may not be ideally suited to withstand Belize’s environmental rigors. 
Cadet Henderson, CEO - Ministry of
Works
“It is just that you it isn’t well recognizes and well known and it is not legally binding, it is not by law that you must use it.” Such circumstances lead to all kinds of disasters that are not only unique to Belize but to the rest of the Caribbean. So as a result the CARICOM Regional Organization for Quality and Standards, CROSS, through funding from the Caribbean Development Bank has established a regional building standard project. RBS will create a modern and comprehensive set of building standards for the region and put in place the management structure that will monitor and implement the standards. In Belize a fourteen national technical sub committee, the NSTC will implement the RBS project. One of the local member is the Belize Bureau of Standards Director Jose Trejo. Jose Trejo, “Well it means that safety comes first and what we’re trying to do is change the culture of the way we do things in this country and as you can see standard plays a huge role in terms of its use. We anticipate that there may be some resistance in the beginning but I think with a strong public awareness program, working closely with the drivers of the process like NSTC, we will be able to change the way we do things. Standards is a process, it doesn’t take overnight for us to implement the standards. Gradually it will take on. Yes we understand that there are poor segments in society that may see this as an obstacle but we are hoping that as s spin-off from the project we will be able to establish some guidelines specifically for small scale buildings. And the central building authority will form part of the legal arm in terms of the enforcement of this standard.”  But with so many
properties already being auctioned or mortgaged, the question is can
Belizeans really afford what will be required?Jacqueline Godwin, Do you if there is any system in place to help in terms of funding so that people who want to live in homes that meet the standards of this project will be able to do so? Jose Trejo, “Well I don’t know of any specific programs and I think that perhaps the Ministry of Housing will probably indicate to you what is the kind of assistance they are giving to these segments of society. So I really wouldn’t be able to give you a specific answer on that. But again I have to reiterate that the purpose of this is to improve the quality of life.” And according to the RBS coordinator Michael Wood that quality of life is not expected to come at a high cost to the residential or business owner. “That to build according to the code will cost about five percent more than it would to build not according to the code so therefore the cost is not that much more. It is like doing something incorrectly and then correctly. We do it correct from beginning, the cost is not that much more. Five percent for your safety is much better than having to have it rebuilt  together.” Cadet Henderson, “Applying the code doesn’t necessary mean that it will be more expensive. In fact it just gives you a better guarantee that the building will be more appropriately designed to suit that locality, whether it is on an island vulnerable to tidal waves or the in the hills where it has more wind exposure or in the south where there is seismic influence from earthquakes. It is very likely that certain design costs would go up but by and large two or more storeys, it is mandatory by law that an architect or an engineer participate, rather than just a technician. The extra the home owner will pay to make sure that your home is compliant with a code gives you a better guarantee that it will survive a disaster. So it is worth it.” Jose Trejo, “I think this is a process and part of the process requires us to do sensitization and education of the general public and again this is a process that will not happen overnight.” And while the NTSC was launched today, the RBC project won’t be implemented for another few years. Jose Trejo, “Basically it has to go to COTED the Council for Training and Economic Development and once the council of Ministers agree to establish building code for the region then that goes down to each member state for implementation at the legislative level. So it takes a process so it would take roughly between two years or three years before we can effectively start implementing it.” The NTSC is made up of representatives from the Met Department, the Association of Professional Engineers, the Association of Professional Architects, the Belize National Fire Service, the Central Building Authority, the Bureau of Standards, and the Ministry of Works. Jacqueline Godwin reporting for 7News. The code of good practice for the preparation adoption and application of standards published by the World Trade Organization are being used to shape the regional building standards.CH7 Government Going E
Governments across the Caribbean are going
E - and by “E” we
mean electronic. That is why administrators from 9 CARICOM countries
are in Belize this week formulating a policy for the effective
implementation of regional e-government and information communications
technology. It is facilitated by the Caribbean Center for Development
Administration – CARICAD – and Belize’s Ministry of the Public Service.
They told us how going “E” can revolutionize the way government does
business – from applying for birth papers and passports online – and
paying your income tax – at the touch of a mouse.
Freya Parham-August, Director of Governance Improvement “Technology is the way we move forward. Government as well would like to adopt and has been adapting the use of technology in offering government services and E-government is really governance using technology as a medium for us to offer services more effectively.” Adam Montserin, E-Government Advisor – CARICAD “Like most Caribbean islands have government services that are characterized by long lines, inefficient service, it takes almost a painstaking effort to get simple things like your birth certificate, your driver’s permit, your passport, and a lot of Caribbean countries are plagued by this type of government service. So what E-Government does is it provides a way how government can provide more effective efficient services based on the customer which is to assist their needs. So they can stay at home and really interact without having to travel to stand up lines to really do the things that are characterized now more efficiently and effectively.” Freya Parham-August, “We would like to at some point in time where persons are able to not only download forms but also be able to apply for their licenses online, be able to apply for a passport online. In time we see ourselves offering those services online but for now it is important that we have a structure in place that we can move from there to accomplish these goals and it is also very important that we have key stakeholders involved so that it could be a collaborative process that all who are involved in it have a say in how it is that we move forward. We would want to develop a model that can be adopted through the region as that structure of how we administer E-Government.” CH7 NOTICES
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Vacation Bible School
will be held at Holy Cross Anglican School every
week day in July. VBS is open to all children in the community from
ages 5 to 12 and is free of charge. The program starts at 9am and
finishes at 11:30am. A mid-morning snack will be served to the
children. Please send your children to this exciting time of learning,
arts and crafts, Bible stories, sports, singing and dancing! For
additional information call Holy Cross School at 226-3456. The Office
is open Monday through Friday from 8:30am until 2pm.
THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
Everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he is best suited Napoleon Hill
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© SAN PEDRO DAILY, PO Box 45, San Pedro Town, Belize. Inquiries to editor@sanpedrodaily.com |
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