SPJC inaugurates Hon. Manuel Heredia Hall

The Hon. Manuel Heredia Hall was officially inaugurated on Thursday June 2nd. With its three classrooms, the facility will also provide extra space for the High School during the daytime. This came just under one year of the official ground breaking ceremony for the building.

Present for the ceremony were; Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation; Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education; Principal of San Pedro High School (SPHS) Mr. Emil R. Vasquez; Mr. R. Angel Nuñez, President of the San Pedro Junior College (SPJC); Mr. Gustavo Ellis, Dean, San Pedro Junior College; Mayor Elsa Paz, members of the media, other special invited guests and students.

After a welcome address by Mr. Vasquez, the ceremony continued with entertaining presentations by the new SPHS band, solo skit by Josie Lopez, a cultural presentation by Emily Gomez and Ismael Kay and other presentations.

Offering special addresses were guest speakers, Mr. R. Angel Nuñez, Hon. Patrick Faber and Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. After much entertainment and inspirational talks, Mr. R. Angel Nuñez and Mrs. Martha Guerrero had the distinct honor of unveiling the plaque. This was followed by the blessing of the new building by Rev. Fr. Daniel Lemence Nuñez and the cutting of the ribbon by Hon. Manuel Heredia, Hon. Patrick Faber and Miss. SPHS 2011-2012, Miss Miriam Rodriguez.

Located on the SPHS grounds, the facility came about through the joint efforts of Hon. Manuel Heredia Jr. and President of the SPJC, Mr. Angel Nuñez, who lobbied for funding. Funding for the construction of the new structure was eventually secured through Grand Belizeans Estates Limited in exchange for a parcel of government land on Northern Ambergris Caye. The building was constructed at an estimated cost of $350,000.

PM Barrow meets with President/CEO of BEL

Press Release - Belize Press Office, Belmopan - June 10, 2011 - The Hon. Prime Minister met today in his Belmopan Office with Mr. Lynn Young, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Belize Electricity Ltd (BEL) to discuss the current financial position of BEL.

Also present at the meeting were the Legal Counsel in the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Secretary.

The Prime Minister asked Mr. Young to convey to FORTIS INC., the majority shareholder in BEL, the Government’s interest in purchasing majority shares in BEL so as to assume control of the company.

Mr. Young undertook to immediately relay this message to FORTIS INC. and to convey their response as soon as possible.

In the meantime and in order to ensure an uninterrupted supply of power from CFE and other producers to BEL, and also to provide time for possible negotiations with FORTIS, the Government has agreed to pre-pay a further sum of BZ$4.0 million toward its future utility bills with BEL.

Ends

SPHS' Hollywood Prom Night 2011

It was a HOLLYWOOD affair at Grand Caribe Belize Resort as graduating students from the San Pedro High School walked the red carpet for their night of celebrations of the successful completion of their four year secondary education.
With a Hollywood theme, graduates and their dates started making their way to the entrance of the Gala Event around 8:00pm, while hundreds of residents gathered to cheer on their favorite graduate. Colorful gowns and tuxedo suits were the order of the night.

Daisy Howe wins Magnum's 2011 Outstanding Service Award

Magnum Belize Tours established its annual Outstanding Service Award in 2006 as a way of acknowledging individuals from all aspects of the Belize Tourism Industry who go the extra mile in helping Magnum agents to provide clients with the ultimate vacation experience.

The 2011 recipient of this prestigious award is SunBreeze Hotel's Daisy Howe. Daisy was naturally very surprised to find out that she had won, and as such was at a loss for words. However, she was very happy, and simply stated that "hard work pays off...I cannot put into words how I feel!!"

Magnum Belize is a network of professional travel planners who make it a point to inspect every resort and hotel showcased in their catalog. All together, their staff has 60 years of experience in customizing travel packages to Belize.

BTB hosts 11th Annual National Tourism Awards

San Pedro shone once again at the BTB Awards. Tourism stakeholders and special invited guests were at the Old Belize venue on Wednesday night (June 8) to honor outstanding businesses and individuals in the tourism industry.

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye is one of the premier tourism destinations in the country, and as such, there were several nominees from La Isla Bonita. Following are the San Pedro recipients, as well as the remaining winners of the night.

TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice: San Pedro, Top 25 Destinations in Central/South America

Enes Ramirez (Anderson), Tour Guide of the Year

Minister's Choice: Romel Gomez Sr (Rubies' Hotel)

TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice - The Phoenix:

Best Service in Central/South America

Relaxation & Spa in Central/South America

TripAdvisor Traveler's Choice - Xanadu: Best Service

Umalali

Special Recognition Awards went to Fort Street Tourism Zone's Giddyup Horse & Carriage Tours, and the Hair Braiding Association (Ruth Smith & Carol Jones).

Lifetime Achievement: Placida Leonora Requena nee Guerrero of Requena Charter Service in Punta Gorda.

Hotel of the Year: Chaa Creek, Cayo District

Frontline Person of the Year: Althea Scheble, Chabil Mar Villas

Restaurant of the Year: Maya Beach Hotel Bistro, Placencia

Small Hotel of the Year: Table Rock Jungle Lodge, Cayo District

Tour Operator of the Year: Avadon Divers, Placencia