Benque Viejo Del Carmen Is the Only Thank the Citizens of Benque Viejo Town Offices in Benque
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50c 1 January, 2011 Volume 2, Issue 1 El Chiclero BENQUE VIEJO TOWN CO UNCIL Happy New Year! Benque Not Only Cleanest Town, But Safest In December, Benque Viejo came the help of everyone. “Fighting crime is “THE POLICE AND THE COM- home with the prize as Cleanest Com- everyone business,” he said. MUNITY WORKING IN PART- munity in Belize, and now as the crime Please call 911or 823-2038 if you NERSHIP FOR A SAFER BE- statistics are compiled for most of 2010, need help or would like to assist with Benque is revealed as the safest commu- information to assist in fighting crime. LIZE” Benque Police Sub Forma- nity in Belize, according to Superinten- dent Ralph Moody, Commanding Offi- From the Mayor’s Desk cer of the Benque Viejo Police Sub- Formation. As Mayor of financial banking institution. Benque Corporal Gonzales, in charge of Benque Viejo Del Viejo should see the opening of a fi- Carmen, I have nancial banking institution in 2011. Crimes and Investigations Branch, said had the great This accomplishment, certainly his- Benque had a total of 238 Reports from honor of being toric in magnitude, is deserving of January 2010 through November, and able to serve our our town, for here is a town of rich, of those, 26 were forgeries committed by town, and to rep- centenarian history, a town than one person. resent it nation- since 2000, has shown 72% popula- ally: it is some- tion growth, the third- fastest grow- He said of the 238 cases, there were thing for which I ing town in the entire nation of Be- 54 convictions, 41 dismissals, 41 were shall eternally be lize. withdrawn, 2 acquitted, 51 are awaiting grateful to all Ben- But the inexorable transformation trial, 34 yet under investigation and 15 queños. While the that progress and development have undetected. past 11/2 years have brought their inher- set-off in our town does not stop ent challenges, I am confident that the “We compare our information with here. Now, I can inform you that your recent winning of “Cleanest Community Benque Viejo Town Council has a Belmopan and San Ignacio,” he said. in Belize” title, heralds the coming of yet fully-formed Project Development “For example, San Ignacio had 20 bur- more tangible and visible progress in the Unit comprised of a Peace Corps glaries in a month. We had one in Suc- form of capital projects for our town. Volunteer serving as a grant winter, cotz in November (solved), none in Oc- Just as July 2010 saw the reopening of and a JICA Volunteer as a profes- tober, one in September (solved).” the Telemedia Branch Office in Benque sional architect. It is precisely this after much lobbying with Telemedia and sort of audacious vision that has en- Nationally Benque still has the lowest Central Government, I am able to in- dowed the council with its own innate crime rate he said. form you that similar, robust lobbying is institutional and organizational ca- Superintendent Ralph Moody said going on for the establishment of a full- pacity to develop and simultaneously that he and all members of the Benque time Social Security building in Benque. pursue projects from amongst vari- Viejo Police Formation would like to So too have BEL and BWSL been en- ous potential sources, not only GOB. gaged to have them re-establish their Benque Viejo del Carmen is the only thank the citizens of Benque Viejo Town offices in Benque. Council that boasts such unit in the and surrounding villages for their great Today, as mayor and town council, we entire nation. support in making Benque the Safest not only advocate for reopening of all Among those projects being pursed Town in the entire country in 2010. the major utility companies branch of- by the council’s PDU are: (a) the for- He said he looks forward in making fices, but we are in the process of finaliz- mation of a Tourism Strategic Plan our town safer in the coming year with ing, under the able leadership of Hon. (continued on page 2 MAYOR) Erwin Contreras, negotiations with a P a g e 2 El Chiclero January 1, 2011 (continued from page 1 MAYOR) for the town (b) a tourism enhancement pro- A Passion for the Nativity ject for the entrance of the town (c) a mu- nicipal/corporate park adoption program Betty Castellanos started building her But it grew from and (d) the development of a new town Nativity scene this year on December15, there, starting in cemetery on the Arenal Road . working nights and weekends. No sim- 2004, she said. We are also developing a dynamic pro- ple Holy Family, Wise Men and She has a model of gramme with our local young artists and Sheppards with their flocks, her layout the Catholic it is expected to kick-off in 2011. Through includes 103 different Nativity sets col- Church here in cooperation with Hon. Contreras, the town council is procuring a job position lected from Belize, Guatemala, Cuba, Benque, complete for a Youth Officer, who will augment Panama, El Salvador, St. Kitts, Puebla precisely these type of youth and artistic MX., Mexico City, the USA and Jerusa- activities in Benque Viejo del Carmen. lem. And to all this we are to add the GOB/ Her original scene has a baby Jesus World Bank Belize Municipal Develop- that is about 150 years old, she said, “My ment Project (BMDP) that will see the great-great-great-great grandfather’s.” investment of $30Million Belize Dollars in seven municipalities, Benque Viejo Del Carmen being one of them. As early as May 2011, Benque Viejo should receive $800,000 BZD that, as agreed upon by Benqueños at a Town with lights and a procession out front, a Hall meeting on March 2, 2010, will be Maya village, a cornhusk Nativity, crys- spent on the immediate refurbishment of tal Nativity, mountains and a waterfall. streets and drains in the central, down- town part of Benque, the historical area The floor surface is covered in pat- of the town. Streets such as Church terned colored sawdust or various seeds Street, Churchill Street, Burns Street, and beans. “I have 8 colors of beans,” Wyatt Street and others will at long last she said, “and mostaza, cilantro, alpiste, be restored to their once fully-functional cebada, anis, romaro, lentejas, linasa, forms. garbanzo, ajongoli, soya and maicillo.” I have heard it said that Benque has lived its Golden Age and that we must re- look into Benque’s future: we are a tal- live that once, past age. I am not so sure Orchestra Audition of that notion but I am completely con- ented, intelligent, and vibrant people. vinced, however, that our town is soon to Let us continue to build a better com- Applications Available enter one of its most prosperous ages; in munity, our Benque Viejo del Carmen, together, as one. fact, I am brimming with confidence as I Auditions for the Mexico tour of Or- chestra of the Americas is now open, according to Shari Williams, Communi- Letters to the editor…. cations Officer with The National Insti- tute of Culture and History (NICH). Editor; strategies that can be very helpful to our Musicians 18-30 years of age by July children. To our Principals I must say 1st, 2011 are eligible for participation, There are many times that mention and thanks for welcoming the opportunity she said. Appllications must be re- comments are made on activities that are and to JICA volunteers thank you and ceived by February 1st, and will be outstanding, but there are many activities May God Bless You. that go unmentioned or unnoticed. I be- evaluated by the YOA faculty and re- lieve that the Education of our children Councilor sults posted by March 2011. should be of utmost importance to each Ms Williams said applications are and every one of us since they are the Ana Melita Castellanos free, and will ONLY be received through future of our country. the form found in http://www.yoa.org, (Editor’s note: see story pg. 6) and filled in according to the instruc- I therefore thank the JICA (Japanese tions. All videos must be uploaded to International Cooperation Agency) for YouTube according to the instructions Letters to the editor must be signed by the work that the volunteer Kota and his on yoa.org, where the required excerpts friend Mr. Hideki Hirami [ a science spe- the author, and might be edited for will also be found. cialist] have been doing. They have gone length. They are the opinion of the She said, “We hope that Belizian mu- to all our Primary Schools to present their author and not necessarily endorsed by sicians will take advantage of this op- Science Project. They want to motivate El Chiclero. Personal attacks will not be portunity. Please do not hesitate to con- students to love science making the printed. Please join the discussion and tact YOA with your questions and com- teaching of science more interesting and ments. Good Luck and we hope to hear express your opinion. child centered. It is these ideas and of your success.” January 1, 2011 El Chiclero P a g e 3 Some people say that Sushi is a We Japanese people love our culture Chapter 2: very easy food to prepare, because it is and cherish our nature and climate. Notebook only rice topped with raw fish, but the Though modernization or westerniza- simplicity is misleading. If Sushi were tion changes our life and culture in From Japan easy, more people would make it, like some ways, we should preserve our wonderful culture.