|
Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English |
PM Assumes Interim Defence Portfolio Following Marin Sidelining, Did He Have A Choice
Tonight, the country has a new Minister of Defence, and it's a familiar face. After more than 24 hours of deliberation, the Prime Minister has taken up the portfolio himself - on an interim basis.
This follows yesterday's announcement that former Defence Minister Florencio Marin is taking a 90-day leave of absence amid an ongoing ministry audit. In reality, the PM sidelined Marin after this station exposed reports that, between 2021 and 2025, Marin allegedly steered supply contracts to favoured, well-connected companies.
Sources say the PM and his advisors scrambled to find an interim replacement. But after exhaustive deliberation, the PM ran out of viable options and decided to take the reins himself.
So a release this afternoon announced that he will serve as Minister of National Defence and Border Security in the interim while an audit of the Ministry of Defence is ongoing. The Prime Minister was also holding the Foreign Affairs portfolio, which the returning Francis Fonseca has now taken back up.
Other configurations were considered for the Defence portfolioâ€"including shifting Ramon "Monchi" Cervantesâ€"but as we will reveal later in this newscast, Cervantes is also linked to one of the BDF's top ration suppliers.
Prime Minister Claims Ignorance Over BDF Boots Procurement Issues
And now, as the new Minister of Defence and Border Security, the PM will have to figure out some of the supply issues for the BDF and Coast Guard - because many favored suppliers are linked to politicians in his party.
Today in Orange Walk, he turned to a well-worn defence and told CTV-3 that he was unaware of what was happening:
John Briceño, Prime Minister
"And if there was any wrongdoing, being public officers or politicians, they will have to answer. I am not going to cover this up because this cannot continue within any government. We have been taking a number of steps to be able to address this. I was unaware of what was happening. Again, I saw about the boots and well, they sent me a letter, and what did I do? I sent it to the minister and said, "Hey, this is what they are saying, take a look into this." They came to me and now I am trying to find out, and the concern... nothing was really going on. I spoke to CEO Usher and he says he is going to compile the information on the boots because the price that is being quoted by the media is the price without duty and without transportation and then the GST and so forth, and yet the price that was purchased included all of that. And now he is saying when you do comparables of the both of them, it comes up about the same. So I told him, "Make that known to the media. It is important. It is important for us to show we are taking action." We are going to do better. We are setting up the central procurement unit. We hope the legislation should be passed by the house and senate before the end of this year, and that will then be able to centralize how we purchase goods and services for the government of Belize."
Leaked 2021 Warning Letter Exposed BDF Boot Procurement Irregularities
Of course, it's a red herring to mention duty because everything GOB imports is duty free.
But, even if the prices are comparable, the fact isâ€"the provision of boots did not go to tender, and a contract for hundreds of thousands of dollars was executed without going to the Contractor General as required by law.
And what about the warning letter exposing the red flags being ignored? The PM claims he just passed it down the lineâ€"but he should have read it. Jules Vasquez obtained a copy of that 2021 warning, and here is what it says:
On 25th March, 2021, the local agent for Altama boots, KSBJ Fashions, wrote to the Prime Minister to bring to his attention irregularities with the handling of this public tender for BDF uniforms.
It says, quote: "we feel that it is of interest to you and the people of this country to procure items using the right procedures and prices…We have since verified that… the items were in fact imported and no tendering was done….which would make it illegal and brings into question the integrity of the parties involved."
They also asked him to review the procedure and, in the public interest, correct what had been done incorrectly.
But, the Prime Minister did nothing. Those boots were purchased for substantially more than the best available local price.
When asked about it yesterday, the PM said, "what letter?"
Reporter
"Did you inquire or take any action?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"I really don't remember the letter, that's 2021 I mean, I get thousands of that. I'm not trying to deflect but whenever it's something like that would happen I would pass it on to the Ministry for them to deal with. They are the ones that look after that so but I genuinely don't remember. I haven't seen that letter."
A clear and explicit warning of irregularities which would result in soldiers and taxpayers not getting the best value for money… and the band played on.
That pattern of acquisition with the same supplier continued for years - we saw boots being purchased for those inflated prices as recently as 2025.
Politically Connected Companies Dominate Lucrative Defence Supply Chain
And now, as the new Minister of Defence and Border Security, the PM will have to figure out some of the supply issues for the BDF and Coast Guard - because many favored suppliers are linked to politicians in his party.
Today in Orange Walk, he turned to a well-worn defence and told CTV-3 that he was unaware of what was happening:
And inflated prices are what government may have been paying when they bought rations from the politically connected companies that dominated the BDF supply chain. They are A & Y Fresh Vegetables, J & J Imports, Kukulcan, and Mount Pleasant Fresh Produce. We've already told you the story of the Mira-connected Mount Pleasant or MP Farmsâ€"which is at a distant fourthâ€"but as Jules Vasquez found out, at least two of the other top three suppliers appear to have had a deep political connect. Here's his investigation:
Kukulcan Company Limitedâ€"it is a major supplier of rations to the BDF. In the fiscal year 2023/2024â€"which is the only year for which we have a tenderâ€"they were the third biggest supplier, with 2.2 million dollars.
But did Kukulcan get to that prime position through connections or merit?
The owners of Kukulcan are Bryan Enrique Tzul of San Joaquin Village, Olguin Elmer Hall of Ranchito Village, and Susan Daniels, also of Ranchitoâ€"all close associates of their Area Rep and former Minister of Defence Florencio Marin. Daniels is reportedly Marin's secretary.
The SmartStream leaks we have received show a four-year transaction history for Kukulcan Company Limited spanning 2021 to 2025; however, while the system log reflects a total of 1,303 records, our 20 screenshots only capture a fraction of them, leaving over 1,000 transactions still unseen.
But those 204 leaked payment records totaling 1.8 million dollars suggestâ€"once againâ€"a deliberate strategy to circumvent the $10,000 oversight threshold.
93% of the payments we have seen are below $10,000.
One of the notable ones above $100,000 dollars was from the PM's office and dated December 13, 2021.
Further, on March 1st of 2022, 21 payments were processed back to back in a single dayâ€"you'll see a staggering succession of the same figure: $6,683.30.
In 2025, there were 9 consecutive invoices run on a single day, for $9,912.50 eachâ€"right at the threshold limit, 87 dollars below.
We note, though, that this leak is less than 16% of the payment records in SmartStream.
But Kukulcan was in third place; who were the other top suppliers?
Number one would be A & Y Fresh Vegetablesâ€"registered in April 2021, they were paid 3.6 million dollars for their supply of 29% of the BDF rations.
But who is that company?
Leaks from company records show that they are from Corozalâ€"Antonio Patt and Yolanda Patt from Chunox Village.
In second place, J & J Importsâ€"a company registered in 2022.
In the fiscal year 2023/2024, they got 3 million dollars in business from the BDFâ€"that's 24% of the BDF rations. And who is this company?
That is Enrique Javier Requena & his son, Jamir Requena from Orange Walk, close relatives to PUP Minister of State Ramon "Munchie" Cervantes.
And while these business owners may have political connections, did the public get value for money?
On the only tender document we haveâ€"it did not.
Kukulcan, for example, was consistently priced above competing vendors in meats and seasoningsâ€"the two categories that make up the bulk of its contract value.
Ground chicken, shrimp, and fish fillet alone account for over $137,000 in annual overpayment relative to the cheapest available alternative.
If the Ministry had consistently sought out the best possible priceâ€"the cheapest available supplier for every comparable itemâ€"there would have been a potential annual saving of $287,800.
New Spreadsheet Leaks Reveal Politically Connected J and J Imports As Apex Suppplier
And this evening we received 17 more screenshotsâ€"these ones for another politically linked supplier: J & J Imports out of Orange Walk. They operated under a twin-identity: J & J Imports, and its principal, Enrique Javier Requena.
The system logs reveal fourteen hundred and fifty-seven rows of records for J & J Imports alone. We only have a small sample of those, but what we have seen follows the usual threshold-hugging pattern. We'll have a closer look tomorrow.
Minister Osmond Didn't Want to Touch Politically Connected BDF Vendors
And today the press asked one of Oscar Mira's party colleagues about this practice of keeping the bulk of the BDF supply chain amongst politically connected vendors.
Minister of State Osmond Martinez didn't want any of that:
Reporter
"How do you look at the accusation of the NTUCB that in the case of the MIRA scandal, they were not evenly appliedâ€"the gods or the pie was not shared around?"
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"I would prefer not to comment on that, specifically opinions that they are giving. I think the Prime Minister will beâ€"he has spoken about it and he is the best person to address this issue. And he has been taking action, so it would only be fair for us to leave all these things in the hands of the Prime Minister, who is addressing it in a responsible way."
Retrospective Analysis: How the Prime Minister's Tune Shifted on the Mira Scandal
It's been just a little over a month since Oscar Mira caused Alberto August to get charged for cybercrime, and since then the leaks of many sub-10,000 dollar payments to his family members have been exposed. Initially the PM was in denial, but he is now singing a new tune. Jaleeza Roberts analyzed how time can make the difference:
May 30th, the day that changed the life of the Miras, it's the day that Alberto August was charged for cyberbullying. While the Mira family saga is still unfolding, Prime Minister John Briceño's position on it has steadily evolved.
4 days after Mira first made the complaint, the PM upheld Mira's right to do so:
John Briceño, Prime Minister
"I think that Oscar Mira also is a citizen and if he feels that someone is slandering him he has every right to go and make a report and so he made the report which is his constitutional right and then the police picked up Mr. August. I don't know the entire details and he got bail on Sunday. So I think Oscar Mira has every right to be able to make a report against him under the cyberbullying law."
But two weeks later he conceded that the complaint had taken a disproportionate toll:
John Briceño, Prime Minister
"We have to able to learn to accept public criticism and my advice to any aspiring politician is if you want to be able to be a public servant, if you want to serve the people, stay away from social media. We can't undo what has happened, it's for him to be able to learn from his very very very costly and painful experience."
Now yesterday, after the DPP discontinued the case with Alberto August, he came around to a full 180 and said he agreed with her and offered it as a cautionary tale to all politicians:
John Briceño, Prime Minister
"I would like to make it very clear that we need to be careful as politicians. I don't think that the public have a problem if a politician were to sue anybody because they believe they have been aggrieved or they have been slandered, but I think the public has a problem when they would feel that the minister is using the state to go after its enemies. But I just feel strongly that we should not go down that… we should not go down that road, because once you go down that road, then others can then take abuse of it, and we should not allow that."
The Prime Minister's perspective may be evolving, but his first instinct to defend Mira's ill-conceived complaint spoke volumes. It betrays a party unable to self-reflect and self-correct until it's forced to. And for Mira, this newfound wisdom comes too late to save a political future now hanging in the balance. Jaleeza Roberts for 7News.
Councillor Bernadette Fernandez Refuses UDP Central Executive Convention Ultimatum
Tonight, the 7-time UDP San Ignacio Santa Elena Town Councillor Bernadette Fernandez has been notified by the UDP Central Executive that she must participate in a convention if she wants to run for an eighth term.
We spoke with Councillor Fernandez who explained that she will not participate in any convention. She views it as disrespect after being elected for seven successive terms, topping the polls a number of times, including as recently as 2024. Reports to 7 News also indicate that Mayor Earl Trapp has indicated that he is prepared to stand in solidarity with Fernandez and will speak with the party leader urgently to reverse course on this decision:
We have been informed that there is currently an emergency town council meeting scheduled for 6:30. Party Leader Tracy Panton issued a press release stating that the matter is being dealt with.
Bold Allegaitons Made on 7News, But Sustainable Development Ministry Awaits Official Misconduct Report on Chief Forest Officer
2 weeks ago we reported on Chief Forest Officer John Pinelo, who was accused of accepting inducements from businessman and forester Cesar Godinez.
Screenshots of deposits Godinez sent to Pinelo's account have surfaced along with a company document showing Pinelo is a partner in one of Godinez's companies.
The Prime Minister said last week that he had ordered the CEO to conduct an investigation into this very serious allegation.
Yet, when we asked the Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet about it today, he said that no official report has been made to the Ministry of his misconductâ€"so the investigation has not progressed:
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"Yes, he was given instructions by the CEO to prepare a show-cause letter, and so he has prepared that and my understanding is that letter is supposed to be submitted to the CEO sometime today. Forward to that, then analysis will be made based on what he has presented on his letter and based on the allegations, because to date, one of the questions asked was that we have not received an official report from the person who is accusing him of wrongdoing. Yes, Mr. Pinelo is also on 2 weeks vacation; he has not been put on administrative leave because of the same situation that we have nothing concrete in regards to something official against him. Whether or not a decision will be made, I cannot tell until that investigation is complete. And so on whether I believe one or the other, that's not for me to say, and I do not want to influence in any way the outcome of the investigation."
Frieendly Fire injures Soldier in Mountain Pine Ridge Training Accident
A BDF sentry was shot in the thigh by a recruit's stray bullet during a live-fire exercise at Mountain Pine Ridge.
BDF Commander Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez told us via Zoom today the injury was not life-threatening, noting that multiple safety measures were in place to prevent this:
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commander - BDF
"The soldier who got shot was on sentry duty, meaning that he was there as a lookout to ensure that vehicles or any civilians or anyone else does not enter the training area during the live fire. He was about close to about three-quarters of a mile, 1.2 kilometers away from where the shooting was happening. Okay, so he was a fair distance away. And the shooting was going on and then he felt a burning sensation in his upper right thigh. And it was assessed that there was a bullet in his leg. It was not a life-threatening injury; there was minimal bleeding. He was taken to the San Ignacio Hospital, where he was treated and the bullet was removed. And he was then transported to Price Barracks, where he's undergoing further treatment until just before he's being released. I'd just like to emphasize it's not a life-threatening injury, and it was a relatively minor injury considering all the circumstances."
"So immediately after the incident and before that time, there were all measures in place to ensure that accidents don't happen and that people don't enter the live fire area inadvertently. So immediately when this happened, training was canceled, the shooting stopped, and an investigation team was launched from Price Barracks to go there and do an assessment. That investigation is ongoing and is about to be wrapped up anytime. Thereafter, we will make an assessment based on the investigation and the recommendations from the lead investigator on whether to continue training or not."
The soldier has since been listed in stable condition.
Minister Martinez Defends Outturn Despite Lowest Sugar Production in Three Decades
The cane crop closed on June 20th and the outturn is disappointing: It's the lowest volume of cane produced and delivered in 34 years. This is also the least amount of sugar produced.
We asked Minister Osmond Martinez, who is responsible for the sugar industry, about this today and he disagrees.
Reporter (Jomarie Lanza)
"The cane industry numbers are in and it shows the lowest amount of cane produced and delivered in 34 years, lowest amount of sugar produced also. As the minister of the sugar industry, do you feel any responsibility for this?"
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"I respectfully disagree on it because the tons of sugar are higher than last year, so the conversion of caneâ€"tons of cane to tons of sugar conversionâ€"was much better this year. And while in the north, the harvest has been put to a close for this year, nonetheless in the west we continue toâ€"they are still harvesting. They still have about 70 to 90 tons of sugar in the fields which they are presently harvesting, so it is not completed as yet. But definitely, from the numbers that we have in the north, there is a slight increase in terms of sugar, and in the west, there will be a significant increase in sugar."
Social Investment Fund Secures Continued Caribbean Development Bank Funding
We met Martinez today as the Belize Social Investment Fund was about to receive its largest amount of funding through the Caribbean Development Bank under its Basic Needs Trust Fund. SIF held a launch ceremony today as they prepare to begin their 11th cycle under the program. Jomarie Lanza was at the event:
Belize and the Caribbean Development Bank are marking a historic milestone in their 56-year partnership. Today, they officially launched the 11th cycle of the Basic Needs Trust Fund. The programâ€"which designs community projects for vulnerable areasâ€"is getting its biggest boost yet. Belize is set to receive just over 10 million US dollars in grant funding for this new cycle. CDB's Vice President highlighted the achievement today, calling it a major step forward for inclusive development:
Dr. Isaac Solomon, Vice President, Operations, Caribbean Development Bank
"So, in 25 years, we have invested 23.79 million dollars across 79 projects in education, water and sanitation, capacity building, and so on. So, this new cycle, we are allocating 5.2 million USD. It is now up to the Government of Belize to program that 5.2 million dollars that they see fit, but again, to appeal to the most vulnerable in our communities."
Dr. Isaac Solomon
"The Caribbean Development Bank is a multilateral development institution with very stringent policies and procedures of the high standards, and so we apply those standards across all our interventions in all borrowing member countries."
SIF has identified 6 new projects for this upcoming cycle, and their executive director gave us the details on what those exciting new developments will be.
Carlos Tun, Executive Director, BSIF
"There are two sectors that BNTF works with: the education sector and the water sector. For the education sector, we have four programs or four subprojects, I would call itâ€"the Kiddy Kinder in Corozal, which is a preschool; the construction also of a primary school, that is St. Paul's Anglican in Corozal; and also the Pete Lizarraga Preschool in San Estevan; and the St. John Baptist School in St. Joseph, that is in Toledo. And then we have 2 water sectors: Fire Burn in Orange Walk and Otoxha in Toledo."
Carlos Tun
"It is very important in terms of what we do at the bank; we have to follow the guidelines of the bank. First of all, we have to start off by getting a consultant, and at this point, we are getting those consultants. The consultants will be doing the design, and after the design, then we will hire a contractor to do the implementation and reconstruction of the works."
Reporter
"What is the timeline for that?"
Carlos Tun
"We already started with getting the consultants, so we estimate by the end of this year we should already have those designs, and by the end of next year, we are supposed to get the contractors, and that will take us maybe to a year of implementation."
Economic Transformation Ministry Queried on Open Tender Awards to Mira - Related FAST Construction
And while the multilaterals applaud the Social Investment Fund—that statutory board has been criticized recently for awarding too many contracts to a firm linked to Oscar Mira's brother.
Now we know that SIF uses the open tender process—and contracts are awarded based on that.
But, could there be a fly in the works?
We asked Martinez as the minister of state for the economic transformation about what that tendering process will look like for the construction of these upcoming projects, and how contracts are awarded
Reporter
"How does the ministry, or more so CDB, ensure that the funds being spent under this initiative—we are talking about over 10 million dollars—that it is spent in a transparent manner and that specific companies are not looked at favorably or biasedly, just given reports or allegations that Mira-related family businesses like Fast Construction were looked at favorably?"
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"Yeah, fair question. So historically, one of the reasons why the implementation of projects is delayed—I mean, we are implementing a project that was designed way back in 2010, you know, with CABEI—the reason why it is delayed, and most of the time it takes some time, is because the Government of Belize does not have the authority to spend any funds that come from multilaterals or development partners under the recurrent budget. Normally, it will require the no-objection of the bank at every step. And if the government were to spend any fund without the no-objections from the bank, then the bank will practically say, you know, the government will have to carry that project on its own with government funds. And so, working with multilaterals is complicated. Many ministers and ministries hate it with a passion, but it is one of the most transparent ways of working. It takes time, but the multilaterals practically accompany us on every single step of the way."
Reporter
"Can you confirm whether Fast Construction ever received a contract to do works under this initiative through SIF?"
Osmond Martinez
"I believe they did. You will have to check with the executive director of SIF, but I believe they did. And they did with everyone that has received any contract, whether it is under the BNTF or any other program within SIF. And it has to go through the multilaterals; they need it to go through the procurement system, which the Ministry of Finance and the Contractor General are a part of as well, and in addition, the development partner."
SIF Director insists On Stringent Multilateral Oversight on Infrastructure Projects
SIF's executive director also went on to explain that the bank is very involved in every step of the process as the project comes to life:
Reporter
"Has Fast Construction ever won a bid from SIF in the past?"
Carlos Tun, Executive Director, BSIF
"Okay, I will need to be very straight, right? We follow the guidelines of the bank and we have had some allegations on Facebook that really it's a situation in which people have to be really have evidence of what they're saying. Of course, FAST is a company that bids not only FAST, we have Jovan Construction, we have other construction like Vega. We have also CM construction. We have several construction companies that work with SIF."
Reporter
"Does the owner review who gets the tender? Who wins the tender is that a part of the monitoring process?"
Carlos Tun, Executive Director, BSIF
"That's a very important question. And I need to clarify as well. The CDB follows what we call the prior review section. The prior review type of method requires CDB giving us the no objection. For every phase in the procurement plan and every phase in the procurement evaluation then CDB needs to give us a no objection for us to continue with the other phase."
Reporter
"Yeah. But that is just a circle you are saying essentially yes. Fast construction has won a bid from... how much bids have they won?"
Carlos Tun, Executive Director, BSIF
"So far FAST construction has only win one under BNTF 10. The ITVET."
Reporter
"And in terms of any other bids for any other projects under say they want it?"
Carlos Tun, Executive Director, BSIF
"Well, we, we are starting a new set of projects. So again, this possibility that they can get as well. Again there's we follow the guidelines of the bank. And the bank also reviews our evaluation. And until they give us no objection, we can proceed in contract signing."
Minister Osmond Martinez Denies Threshold Hugging Payments in His Ministry
And while SIF's process is under multilateral scrutiny—what happens at the Ministerial level at Economic Transformation? We asked Martinez whether his ministry facilitates payments hugging that ten thousand dollar threshold:
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"For the grocery bags, it's 20... a little bit over $20,000."
Reporter
"And do you accumulate, say for Christmas, as the Cabinet Secretary has indicated some area reps do, so that they can give more during Christmas time?"
Osmond Martinez
"You know, there is a culture that practically during Christmas time, we won't only give to the families that are seriously in need, you know. And when we deal with communities like mine, for example—I deal with a lot of small communities, I represent 21 small communities, one large village which is Bella Vista, which is actually larger than Punta Gorda Town, and Punta Gorda Town. And so in the villages, the practice is that you give to everyone in the community, so you won't only give to those that have need at the end. Practically, the villages that I represent, all of them fall within the poverty box, so it would be unfair just to give to one. And we don't play politics. So even for those few—because there were very few who voted against me, who might even speak badly about me sometimes on social media—when the time comes, we give to everyone. And that is a practice that we have, and you all can verify."
Reporter
"Not playing politics also applies to the suppliers who are there in your division?"
Osmond Martinez
"Well, I deal with—during Christmas time, the one that provides the massive amount of supplies for me is Caribbean Chicken. And the reason why we use Caribbean Chicken is for two reasons: one is because they help us with the distribution, so normally the Mayan communities, they don't have refrigerators or anything, so they would have to take the chicken maybe on December 24th or 23rd. So they help us with the distribution, and it also helps me with that cause. And the second reason is because they are patient with me sometimes when it comes to payments. And you can verify that with Caribbean Chicken—they have been very generous with me. Sometimes the payments are not there on time, and they will wait for me."
Toledo East Representative Outlines Local Sourcing for Grocery Bag Distribution
We also asked Martinez about government's grocery bags system. We've already seen Belize Rural South's "Andre-Bucks" to pick up goods at his niece's store, and we know that the Prime Minister's office paid MP Farms for Oscar Mira's grocery items.
But what about Martinez in Toledo East? He gave us some details on his distribution of grocery bags and where his supply comes from.
Reporter
"And in other times, or other suppliers you do have, can you categorically state that they are not family links?"
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"I don't know if I should say fortunately or unfortunately, but my family doesn't have any sort of supermarket. So it is Caribbean Chicken we deal with, and then we have two Chinese stores in Bella Vista and we deal with them, especially when there are funerals whereby people would ask for some kind of support. So sometimes we just call them, we get a credit from them, and then we end up paying them."
Reporter
"Have you done any checks to see if your ministry has done any business with MP Farms?"
Osmond Martinez
"I haven't, but I don't think we have. But I haven't, and we would be more than happy to welcome anyone to check."
Prime Minister Prays for Proposed Central Procurement Unit
And while each area rep has his politically favored supplier—the system is wide open for wanton abuse. And now, to clean it up, the PM is again floating the idea of a central procurement unit. He explained how it will work.
Long Delayed Procurement Overhaul Plan Backed by Minister of State
Martinez says he supports the idea of a central procurement unit—even if it slows down things a bit.
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"No, the Central Execution Unit is an excellent idea. It is actually one that we have been contemplating for quite some time, actually from the time Senator Coye was the Minister of State. We have been talking about it from when I was the CEO because it will help for the government to purchase in bulk, and at the same time, it will help to get some additional discounts in that aspect. And it is very important as well that we have a limitation of procurement officers, which means that if you have a procurement system with the appropriate specialists, it will help big time."
"And I think that is an excellent option, one that we have conducted studies with IDB similar to the Central Executing Unit. Because the Central Executing Unit, which is different from the Central Procurement Unit, was established about three or four years ago when I was the CEO in the Ministry of Economic Development, and we did it with the intention of one, being able to retain the professionals, especially where we have limitations on professionals such as procurement officers, monitoring and evaluation, and project managers. So we have been conducting that study and I think that study is almost finished, so it is something that the Prime Minister has been working on for quite some time now."
We should note that the idea of a central procurement unit was first floated six years ago and nothing much has happened since.
Would Ozzie Have Accepted the Defence Portfolio?
And even though the Prime Minister has appointed himself as the new interim Minister of Defence, we asked Martinez whether he would have taken the seat if asked.
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"No, I have not. I am focused on the Ministry of Economic Transformation. We have some medium and long-term plans that we have been working on with the Prime Minister, so at no point have I been offered it, and I serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister."
Jomarie Lanza
"Is it that you feel you would not be best suited for this position, or you don't have the expertise in that area?"
Osmond Martinez
"I serve at the pleasure of the Prime Minister. Where he feels that I can serve better, that is where I will serve. Nonetheless, my expertise is in economics and I believe I am in the right place at this moment."
Jomarie Lanza
"But if he were to offer it to you, would you take it?"
Osmond Martinez
"It is something I would have to think about, pray about it, and discuss it with my family."
The Three M's On Cabinet Leave: Mai, Mira and Marin
And though Martinez won't be taking up the Ministry of Defence portfolio—there are three M's currently on Cabinet leave: Mai, Mira, and Marin. We asked Martinez what he thinks about his absent cabinet colleagues.
Jomarie Lanza
"Presently, there are three ministers on a leave of absence. How does this look for the PUP?"
Osmond Martinez, Minister of State, Ministry of Economic Transformation
"You know, the optics will always be the optics in politics. Nonetheless, I don't think the optics are—from what we see on the ground, and especially with the people I represent, you know, people want to see the work get done. And people have been seeing that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Briceño, the amount of work we have done is unprecedented. The community, especially those that were neglected for many years, they are finally getting to see basic needs as simple as water—the water system being connected to them—and electricity being carried on to them. But the optics—the optics, we always have to balance the optics, and of course it will have an impact. But in my view, we just have to stay focused and continue to work."
Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us
|
Email
Print