Despite all the allegations being tossed about against Hon. Edmund ‘Clear the Land’ Castro, the undaunted area representative keeps on doing what he does best, representing his constituency. On Wednesday, November 13th, we found the two time area representative in the Sandhill community Center tending to the needs of his people. Speaking to Hon. Castro he explained that he holds officer hours at his Ministry of Works office every Monday where a lands officer has been attached to him in order for him to assist his constituents with land matters. Then every first Wednesday of every month he holds office to see his constituents in Bermudian Landing in the mornings and in Burrell Boom in the afternoon. Every second Wednesday of every month he holds office hours in Sand Hill and on the Third Wednesdays he holds office in Maskall in the morning and in Crooked Tree in the afternoon.
And the people he attends to are those like Deidra Dawson a young mother of 4 children ages 14, 7, 6, and 11 months. She was at the community center in Sandhill confirming that she will be added on to the list of persons who benefit from the BOOST program. According to Hon. Castro, like Dawson, an additional 170 persons more will be added to the existing Boost program in the Belize Rural North constituency. These persons will see the first disbursement on December 17th of this year. Hon. Castro says that it is through government programs like these he has been able to extend to the people of Rural North and he says he will continue to do so.
And even as he serves his people there are plans afoot by the PUP who are attempting to create mischief for him. Among them are Arthur Saldivar who is trying to mount a recall on Hon. Castro and Alverene Burgess and Channel 5 who have concocted a story of some visa hustle to involve the Area Representative. To Saldivar, the representative says he feels pity for him. “The people are firmly with me,” he categorically stated. “There is no way that he will be able to have 30 percent of the people sign a petition and much less be able to bring out 60 percent of the voters for a recall referendum,” stated Hon. Castro. Alverene Burgess and Channel 5 is another matter, last week the Area Representative sent a letter to them both, asking for a retraction, an apology and compensation to which they were given up until November 12th to reply. They have chosen to ignore the letter. Now the attorney for Hon. Castro is proceeding with full legal action against both Alvarene Burgess and Channel 5, and Hon. Castro is confident he will be vindicated in the courts.
