7 News Belize

PUP Mayor Forced To Find Financing?
posted (September 1, 2017)
Now, our colleagues from CTV 3 have spoken to the Mayor about the accusation, and he's released documents to support his rebuttal that it is certainly not 30 million dollars, and he is not locking away half of the subvention.

The contract we've seen is for just under a million dollars, and in a case of perfect political irony, the construction company being paid to do this work belongs to the UDP's Orange Walk Central Standard Bearer, Denny Grijalva.

His company, De-Mars Stone Company, has been contracted to repair 10 streets in Orange Walk, and today, the Mayor explained that he had to make the repayment arrangements because Central Government neglected Orange Walk Town.

Here's how he explained it:

Kevin Bernard, PUP Mayor - OW
"How can he say that we borrowed money from the government of Belize? I have said this over and over and over and unless he has not been listening or playing plain dumb, we have not gotten any support from this government. Where does Mr. De La Fuente get that a payment plan extended over the period of years which I explained this morning very clearly to the residents of Orange Walk - is that saying that I got a loan from government of Belize."

"We got into an agreement with De Mars Stone Company for the paving of 8 major streets in our town and these streets include Tate Street, Munoz Lane, Cinderella Street, Bethias Lane, Progress Street, San Andres Street and Arthur Street. Those are the 8 streets that that contract covered. For a total of $999,456.00. Yes we may have said extend the payment plan over a period of time which is I think 11.5 years. For me that is not a problem. What the government or the UDP operatives are trying to fool the Belizean people or trying to lie the Orange Walkenos in saying that we have binded future councils and by committing more than 50% of our subvention on a monthly basis towards that contract. It's a total lie. The payment schedule as you will notice has monthly payments of $5,000. For him to get up now and use that as his platform to say that we borrowed money from the government of Belize. Tell him to bring me any loan note. Tell him to bring to me any proof that the government of Belize has given Orange Walk Town Council any loan. He is a liar."

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