Please help a fallen brother!

A fundraising drive will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
Luis Uribio, better known as, 'Wicho' is in dire need of medical attention.
Time: 9:00 a.m. until
Place: Central Park
BBQ, Rice and Beans, Pastries and soft drinks will be on sale
Please make an effort to stop by and show support!

PUP candidates start campaign in San Mateo

The seven candidates for the People’s United Party (PUP) have hit the ground running. Announcement of the slate was recently made and according to Chairman and Candidate Andre Perez, “we were eager to start talking to the constituents to find out what their issues were.” One of the areas most affected by lack of government support, according to Perez, is the San Mateo Subdivision which was the area of greatest concern for the candidates. The conditions in which the constituents are living are to some extent deplorable and the PUP Seven were there to hear the cries of the people.

Mayoral Candidate Baldemar Graniel, along with Marina Kay, Ana Cal Najarro, Ian Pou, Andre Perez, Vianie Perez and Debbie Spain spoke to individual household members ensuring to take time to discuss the possibilities that a new administration might bring. “We are not promising to fill in the entire area as has been previously promised but yet nothing has been done. The priority for these residents is to get proper road access and that is one of the issues that we will be tackling,” commented Graniel.

The road to elections in March 9th have already started to get paved. In the near future, all candidates will be presenting their agendas. Read more in our Tuesday Edition of The San Pedro Sun Newspaper!

Road to 09' - Meet the PUP slate!

The People's United Party (PUP) presented their slate which will contest Municipal Elections on March 4th, 2009. Pictured below are (l-r) Ana Najarro Cal, Ian Pou, Debbie Spain, Mayoral Candidate Baldemar Graniel, Marina Kay, Andre Perez and Vianie Perez.

A dynamic PUP seven - ready to serve!

In the coming weeks, The San Pedro Sun will introduce to you all the candidates from all the parties that plan to contest the elections. Below find mini-bios of three candidates from the PUP.

Mayoral Candidate, Baldemar Graniel

Baldemar Graniel is a 58-year-old “son of the soil.” Instrumental in the development of the island, Graniel served as one of the first councilors when the island was first named a town. As one of the first “political fire starters” on Ambergris Caye, Graniel had his hands full. Since then he has lead the troop as Mayor of San Pedro Town from 1992 – 1994. However, he was also a founding member of the San Pedro Lions Club, one of the leading community service oriented organizations on Ambergris Caye. As a member of the Lions Club, Graniel has served in the capacity of Lions President (1985 to 1986 and 1995 to 1996) but has also achieved the highest position within the Club and has lead the country’s Lions as District Governor.
During his terms serving the community, Graniel was instrumental in the development of the island, especially as it relates to the Boca del Rio Area. “At that time, Boca del Rio was comprised of London bridges and had no potable water to speak of. During the time we served, I worked closely with WASA (Belize Water Services Limited) and assisted in the implementation of the water system in that area,” he explained.
As a member of the community, Graniel also assisted in acquiring the island’s first water pump. “We used to operate with bucket brigades. We were still a village and we worked hard in getting a pump to assist in the extinguishing of fires.” Helping his brother out, the Graniel brothers operated the first water taxi and water ambulance on the island.
Today, Graniel is still part of the San Pedro Lions Club and as such, has acquired the position of Director for the San Pedro PolyClinic (a Lions venture). Through his directorship, he has been a liaison between the Government of Belize and the Lions to get the best benefits for the health of the community.
A father of four, Graniel seeks the betterment of the community and through his decades of experience plans on bringing out the best that the island has to offer.

Ana Najarro

Originally from Salvador, Ana Najarro has lived in the country of Belize since she was two months old. Her family first settled in San Ignacio and Najarro moved to San Pedro 12 years ago. Since then she has established herself as a successful businesswoman. Her first job on the island was as the assistant chef at Fido’s Courtyard, but today, the 28-year-old mother proudly runs her own businesses, namely Dianita’s Deli and Marcito’s Store both located on North Ambergris Caye.
As a strong woman in business, Najarro has understood the importance of budgeting. “Knowing your revenue and expenses, makes you understand and realize the way to move the business forward. As a voter, there are many things that one would like to get accomplished. However, not realizing the budget we may be quick to criticize. As such, being at the council will help me realize the way to move the island forward.”
Coming from Salvador, Najarro has found a desire to assist her fellow countrymen in any way that she can. She has served as Advisor on the board of the San Pedro Salvadoran community for the past seven years. Helping, volunteerism has always been in Najarro’s blood. Through that desire, she has taken part in the Red Cross and in the various radiothons that have been organized to help those in need.
“I understand that helping people does not necessarily mean getting involved in politics. In something that people consider ‘dirty’ but it only gets that way because of the players involved. If it is looked at it positively, then it does not have to be dirty. It is all a matter of keeping the best interests of the people at heart.”

Andre Perez

Established as the proud owner of Casa Pan Dulce and Agua Dulce, Andre Perez is recognized as a savvy entrepreneur. A father of three beautiful girls, Perez, originally from Orange Walk Town, made Ambergris Caye his home 12 years ago. Casa Pan Dulce has grown leaps and bounds and Perez has become a respected figure in the industry. Protecting the rights of the 38 bakers countrywide, he has been named President of the Baker’s Association. As President he has been the liaison between government officials, bakers and consumers. When the flour crisis struck, Perez was instrumental in the negotiations between the present administration and the bakers; in the end the consumers benefitted.
In San Pedro, Perez was one of the founding members of the San Pedro Business Association (SPBA) where he served as Vice President for three years. Through the efforts of SPBA in collaboration with the San Pedro Town Council, the cobblestone projects came to fruition. Perez also formed part of the Ambergris Caye Chamber of Commerce and worked hard to integrate the local business community in their ventures. “As part of ACCC we wanted to bridge the gap and include the local businesses.”
With eight years banking experience, Perez is certain that he can work hard towards the benefit of our community.

Santa visits kids in San Pedro

Tis' the season to be jolly, and over the weekend, hundreds of San Pedro's children got a very special visit from Santa Claus, along with some much deserved Christmas presents. Smiling kids, some good and even some naughty, were all treated to some Christmas cheer.
On Sunday, Santa visited the Lion's Den, where several hundred kids anxiously awaited their turn to sit with Santa. Also on that same day, the San Pedro Town Council held its annual gift giveaway at the Central Park. Here, kids were called by their names and one by one they climbed up to the stage to meet the 'big red robed guy', as some kids stated. With over several thousands in gifts and surprises, no child went home empty handed.
Here are a couple shots of the Christmas cheer!

This little girl recived a doll for x-mas.
While most kids were delighted to meet Santa, some were a bit shy.

The Central Park was packed with eager kids and their parents as they waited for their turn.

Santa forgot to bring this little girl the RIGHT gift, she seemed a bit upset.

Santa visits with kids at the Lion's Den.

Children get their picture taken as a fond memory of Christmas 2008.

Seems you have been a good boy huh Davin?!

Aaron gets a gift from Santa too. Smile!

RC School Burglarized - AGAIN!

Between Friday, December 12th and Thursday, December 18th the Infant 1 classrooms at the San Pedro Roman Catholic School were broken into. The culprit (s) entered through a window which faces the alleyway. Once they had gained entrance to the first class, the made a hole on the ceiling and crawled unto the second classroom. Another hole was made and the ransacking of the middle class began. The third classroom did have something that the robbers managed to take – a Toshiba laptop belonging to Teacher Apo. Police officers were alerted to the incident and investigations began, however no leads have been received.

Bacalar Chico Field Guide to be launched

Long in the making, this field guide was finalized through the funding from Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation Programme (COMPACT). It was an effort by many that made the fruition of the guide a reality. However, at the forefront of it was Director of Green Reef Mito Paz, had for years the dreams of printing a guide such as this one. With many great things being shaken up at Bacalar Chico, the manual came at an apropos time. With many more visitors to the area, students, professors and tourists, A Field Guide to the Natural History of Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve will certainly prove to be highly informative.

This important guide will be officially launched on Sunday, December 21st, 2008 at Rico’s Bar and Grill at 3:00 p.m. All are cordially invited and books will be available for purchase then. Read more on this story in our Christmas edition of The San pedro Sun!

Gwen Lizarraga Girls & Sadie Vernon boys are basketball champs!

The Gwen Lizarraga High School girls and the Sadie Vernon Technical High School males are the national ATLIB basketball champions, after winning the two day tournament hosted by the San Pedro High School under the auspices of the Association of Tertiary Level Institutions of Belize (ATLIB) at the Angel Nunez Auditorium on December 12 and 13th. In a much heated competition, the nationals brought out seven high schools from across the country to fight for the hoops title in beautiful La Isla Bonita but only one would reign supreme.

Free throws for the Gwen Lizz team...
Securing the ball...
Nice layup in traffic..

3 point attempt ....
Sadie Vernon boys took home the net as kings of the court..

So did the Gwen Lizz Girls....respect!

In the male competition, Sadie Vernon Technical High defeated the Sacred Heart College in an exciting encounter 58-53.

In the girl’s side of things, the back to back champs of Gwen Lizarraga came in with a mind set for a three peat. And so they did! Congrats on the 3Peat!

The Sun will have more on this story in our Fridays Christmas edition of The San Pedro Sun!

Beach & Underwater Clean-up

White Sands Dive Shop in cooperation with The Project AWARE Foundation’s Go ECO – Explore, Conserve, Observe campaign has adopted a mile of Ambergris Cayes beach. The mile of beach begins at Las Terrazas/Journeys End Resort and extends Northward to Mata Grande. White Sands Dive Shop Manager Emiliano Rivero commented.” The Beach will be patrolled and cleaned regularly of plastics and glass with an emphasis placed on not disturbing naturally occurring beach wash such as sea grasses and drift woods necessary for the prevention of erosion and biodiversity of the area. We are not just cleaning the beach we are protecting it. This barrier island beach is a part of the reef system and were going to treat it with the same respect we give the corals.”AWARE ECO educates travelers about keeping natural areas pristine and encourages tour operators to implement environmentally responsible business practices. Tourism is the world’s largest industry and travelers are increasingly concerned about their destination’s environmental condition. San Pedros divers and industry leaders have a responsibility to preserve local resources they depend on every day. Project AWARE ECO Operators Such as Ambergris’s White Sands Dive Shop provides customers with experiences that enhance visitor awareness.

Holy Cross "rocks" for Christmas!

It's the Holiday Season and gift giving is in the air! Although legend says only 'bad' little girls and boys get rocks in their Christmas stockings, the staff and students of Holy Cross Anglican School were recently delighted to receive tons of large rocks!! A local businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous, gave the School $2,810BZ to be used for land fill and suggested that rocks be purchased to provide a breakwater for the much needed sand. It was the businessman's hope that his gift would encourage more folks in the San Pedro community to share their blessings with Holy Cross which offers low tuition, fees and a free feeding program to 512 children on the Island.

His generosity has already inspired Mr. Martin Martinez of Martin's Boat Service to reduce his regular price of a boat load of rock and to volunteer his time in positioning the rocks. Mr. Martinez is shown above with several students from Holy Cross who are assisting in this project. In addition developer, Mr. Jeff Pierce has promised to fill three acres of School property as soon as the rocks are in place.

One gift can certainly inspire others and Holy Cross Anglican School is very thankful to the San Pedro businessman, Mr. Martin Martinez and Mr. Jeff Pierce. Donations of land fill, food for the Feeding Program, gently worn tennis shoes and cash contributions are always needed and greatly appreciated!!! Please contact the School Office at 226-3456 or Mr. Vernon Wilson at 610-3425 to share the blessings of this joyful season with the children of Holy Cross Anglican School.

Bush fire warnings

Last night just before sun down, the South Ambergris Caye Neighborhood Watch (SACNW) patrol alerted the San Pedro Fire Department of a bush fire that had started in the vicinity of the WASA pond. Immediately, fire personnel were dispatched to the area and by 8:00 p.m. the fire had been completely extinguished. Members of SACNW on the scene complained that the fire began where old thatch had been dumped on the side of the road. A couple weeks ago SACNW had carried out a clean up campaign. Shortly after, members found someone dumping trash on the side of the road. This same old thatch was what caught fire. It is unknown how the fire started and who the culprit(s) were.

We'll have more on this story in next weeks issue of The Sun!

Dangriga's Ilagulei are Regent Cup Champions!

The 2008 RF&G Insurance Cup championship came to a dramatic close on Sunday at the Ricalde Stadium in Corozal Town as Dangriga’s Ilagulei stunned the Corozal Nizhee team to take bragging rights and the 2008 championship title. In what turned up to be a best of two series, Dangriga’s Ilagulei won the series with a 3-2 goal aggregate. Game two ended 2-1 in favor of the home team Nizhee but after game one Ilagulei came in with a one goal lead in this two game series. Photos Courtesy of William Ysaguirre! We say Congratulations to Dangriga’s “Roots”/Ilagulei for being the best ball club this 2008 season!We also want to say kudos to Oliver Hendricks of Juventus who came up with the most goals this season, regular season MVP honors went to Vallan Simms of FC Belize, Best Forward Dean Flowers of Juventus and Kareem Haylock of Llagulei proved to be the best midfield in 2008, Best Defense went to Vallan Simms, Best Goalkeeper Stanley Reneau of FC Belize, Best Rookie Raphael Rivero of Nizhee, Lionel Welch of FC Belize has been voted Best Manager, Best Coach Anthony Bernard of FC Belize and MVP of the playoffs Lisbey Castillo of Llagulei. Let’s do it again next year boys!

Video upload of the Day!

3rd Annual Holiday Lighted Boat Parade lights up the seas!

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Holiday Boat Parade lights up the sea!

Boats of every shape and size were imaginatively adorned with decorations that captivated the senses and stimulated imaginations at the 3rd annual lighted Boat Parade. Seafarers and landlubbers of all ages were dazzled by the highly-watted, joyously-spirited and oh-so-bright parade that was anticipated by many. This year, the sparkling spectacle saw more than 10 decorated vessels parading against a dark December sky and delighted those watching from the shore. Here are some highlights....

A complete listing of all the winners will be provided in our Thursday edition of The San Pedro Sun! Stay tuned....