Carib Scope

分类： politics

  • Pierre: Cabinet to consider Joy St Omer inquiry request, but no decision yet

    Pierre: Cabinet to consider Joy St Omer inquiry request, but no decision yet

    Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has confirmed that his Cabinet will on Tuesday deliberate on a formal request from the family of the late Joy St Omer for an independent Commission of Inquiry, clarifying that the government has not yet taken a final stance on the proposal, neither approving nor turning it down.

    Speaking to reporters ahead of Monday’s pre-Cabinet briefing, Pierre emphasized that the request was delivered just ahead of last week’s scheduled Cabinet meeting, leaving no time for full deliberation. “That request came to me on Monday morning at 10:20, and the Cabinet met at 11,” the Prime Minister detailed.

    Unlike routine administrative matters, Pierre explained that authorizing a formal Commission of Inquiry demands thorough, collective review by the full Cabinet, and cannot be resolved with an impulsive instant decision. “A Commission of Inquiry is not something that I can just say yes or no,” he said. “I just want to make it clear that the Government is very concerned as to the circumstances that surround all deaths.”

    Noting that several Cabinet ministers were out of the country or otherwise absent on Monday, Pierre confirmed that even with an incomplete quorum, the body would begin its review of the family’s petition. When pressed for a timeline on when the St Omer family and the general public can expect a formal ruling, Pierre noted that the full process could take as long as 14 days from the date of initial consideration.

    Even if Cabinet reaches a final decision during Tuesday’s deliberation, the outcome must still complete a mandatory ratification process before any public announcement, the Prime Minister added. “If a decision is made today, it’ll be ratified next week,” he explained.

    Pierre pushed back against any claims that the extended process reflects a lack of urgency or concern from his administration over the 24-year-old’s death. “It’s not because we’re tardy, not because we do not care, but because there are processes, because Cabinet decisions are important decisions, they have repercussions,” he said. The Prime Minister added that the full Cabinet requires adequate time to weigh all relevant legal, procedural, and policy factors before settling on a final position.

    Last week, the St Omer family formally submitted a petition to the Governor General under the country’s Commissions of Inquiry Act, calling for an independent review of the systemic and institutional responses to Joy’s pleas for assistance in the lead-up to her death. The family has explicitly stated that it is not seeking to interfere with the ongoing criminal case tied to St Omer’s death, which is already working its way through the national court system.

    Instead, the proposed inquiry would focus on evaluating gaps in the institutional response to the case, including how protection orders were processed and enforced, inter-agency communication protocols, and existing procedures for handling reports of domestic and gender-based violence. If the inquiry or the review process identifies systemic flaws that contributed to the tragedy, Pierre confirmed that his government would move quickly to implement necessary reforms.

    “If the circumstances warrant any changes in the system, in the processes, the government will surely initiate it,” he said. The Prime Minister also firmly rejected claims that his administration had ignored warning signs or remained indifferent to the risks St Omer faced before her death. “I wanna say to you that the Government did not sit idly by and allow this young lady to lose her life,” Pierre said. “It’s something that we’re very concerned about.”

  • PSU Stands Firm on Revenue Authority Bill Concerns

    PSU Stands Firm on Revenue Authority Bill Concerns

    A growing public dispute has emerged between Belize’s national government and the Public Service Union (PSU) over the proposed Revenue Authority Bill, after Prime Minister John Briceño drew a clear line between the policy-making role of the state and the advocacy mandate of organized labor. In comments to reporters last Friday, Briceño emphasized that while his administration holds deep respect for the PSU as a representative of public sector workers, the division of responsibility is unambiguous: elected government sets national policy, and unions exist solely to advocate for the specific interests of their membership. Briceño added that he would outline the full details of the government’s efforts to accommodate organized labor when he addresses the House of Representatives in the coming days.

    The PSU has pushed back firmly against the Prime Minister’s framing, rejecting any suggestion that the union is overstepping its mandate by raising public concerns about the draft legislation. Union leaders confirm they accept that the elected government holds the constitutional authority to develop and implement national policy, but argue this responsibility does not eliminate the union’s critical duty to highlight flaws in proposed laws that could harm public workers, private sector employees, and the general public.

    At the core of the dispute are specific objections to key provisions of the Revenue Authority Bill, laid out by PSU President Dean Flowers. Flowers argues the proposed legislation would concentrate extraordinary power in the office of the Minister of Finance, granting the minister unilateral authority to appoint and remove the chief executive officer of the new Revenue Authority. In contrast, the draft bill leaves the newly created advisory board with severely limited oversight and decision-making power, a structure the union says undermines institutional accountability.

    The PSU has stressed that for any independent revenue authority to function effectively and fairly, it must be built on foundational principles of checks and balances, full transparency, and institutional independence from political interference. Concentrating the power to hire and fire the authority’s top executive in the hands of a single political office, the union argues, creates unacceptable risks of political influence over revenue operations and requires far more rigorous public examination before the bill can move forward.

    Union representatives clarified that their public campaign is not an attempt to usurp the government’s policy-making role. Instead, the PSU says it is exercising its legitimate right and responsibility to ensure that all policy proposals are weighed against the real-world impacts they will have on working people and ordinary citizens. The exchange has left the two sides trading blame over the preparedness of the new revenue authority framework, with no immediate sign of a resolution to the standoff as the legislation awaits debate in the national legislature.

  • Police asset seizure operation targeting 10 criminals at ‘advanced stage’

    Police asset seizure operation targeting 10 criminals at ‘advanced stage’

    Six months have passed since Saint Lucia Police Commissioner Verne Garde first made a groundbreaking announcement: local law enforcement had pinpointed 10 high-priority criminal targets whose illegally obtained assets were eligible for seizure. Now, in an exclusive update shared after inquiries from the St. Lucia Times, the top law enforcement official has confirmed the ambitious anti-crime effort remains a core priority – and it has now entered an “advanced stage” of development.\n\nThe initiative was first unveiled to the public at a formal police press conference back in February, launched as a central plank of a broader government campaign to crack down on the proceeds of organized and transnational crime in the Caribbean nation. At its launch, Garde outlined that investigators had already named 10 individuals suspected of accumulating real estate, cash and other assets through illicit activity, and authorities were moving forward with formal preparations to seize those holdings. The operation draws on the expertise and resources of multiple local agencies, including the police service’s specialized serious investigations unit, the national Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), and the Saint Lucia Customs Department.\n\nContrary to speculation that the high-profile announcement had stalled, Garde confirmed that investigative work on the initiative has continued nonstop. In fact, the interagency task force assembled for the operation held a progress assessment and strategy planning meeting just one day before the Commissioner shared his latest public update.\n\n“I can report up to [last Tuesday] the team met to strategise and to brief in regard to where we are in that regard,” Garde told reporters.\n\nWhile the Commissioner declined to share a specific timeline for when the first asset seizures will be carried out, citing operational security, he expressed clear confidence in the work the task force has completed to date. “We are doing well to present a very good product, and I am of the view it will be very successful,” he said.\n\nNot all of the cases are confined to Saint Lucia’s national borders, however. Garde revealed that three of the 10 target investigations have a transnational dimension, with assets or suspects linked to jurisdictions outside the island nation. That adds an extra layer of complexity to these probes, requiring the task force to coordinate closely with international law enforcement and financial regulatory partners. “With three of the matters, it’s more delicate because it’s somewhat of a transnational nature and of course our transnational partners are on board,” he explained.\n\nWhen Garde first launched the initiative six months ago, he left no question about the government’s end goal: to strip suspected criminals of the illegal wealth they have accumulated. “These people will be losing some of the property they achieved through nefarious activities,” he said at the time. “The targets are named already, and we are getting the packages ready to manage them. So the wealth they enjoyed before 2026, they will not enjoy it.”

  • NTUCB Demands BTL Chariman’s Removal by August 28

    NTUCB Demands BTL Chariman’s Removal by August 28

    On August 24, 2026, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) delivered a sweeping package of 11 formal demands to Prime Minister John Briceño, imposing a hard deadline of August 28 for a written response from the administration that is currently headed by Briceño, who is out of the country on an official bilateral visit to Honduras.

    At the top of the union’s urgent demands is the immediate removal of Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL) Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga, alongside sitting board members Moises Cal, Arturo Lizarraga, and Eric Eusey. The NTUCB anchors this call in three key controversies: a formal vote of no confidence from the Belize Communications and Workers Union (BCWU); board approval of a $90 million cable acquisition that has direct ties to the BTL chairman and the Prime Minister’s own office; and the union’s push for an $80 million acquisition of Speednet/SMART that was ultimately rejected. Critics note that the acquisition was backed only on a one-year financial review, far shorter than the standard three-to-five-year industry assessment period.

    Beyond leadership changes at BTL, the NTUCB has laid out a series of longer-term demands to be fulfilled within a 90-day window. The organization is calling for a restructured tripartite governance framework for BTL that includes reserved seats for both the NTUCB and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI). It also demands a overhaul of the Public Utilities Commission, expanding its membership to include representatives from the NTUCB, BCCI, Belize National News (BNN), the National Energy Association of Belize (NEAB), and the national government.

    Additional immediate and medium-term demands cover a broad swathe of governance and labor issues. The union wants the Prime Minister’s Office to appoint a dedicated full-time liaison to the union movement immediately. It also requires new whistleblower protection legislation and comprehensive campaign finance reform passed within 90 days. Another key policy demand is full enforcement of the 2023 Civil Asset Recovery and Unexplained Wealth Act, a law that grants the Financial Intelligence Unit authority to pursue civil recovery of illegally acquired assets without first obtaining a criminal conviction.

    The NTUCB also added calls for the long-vacant national Ombudsman position to be filled within 90 days, and echoed the Public Service Union’s (PSU) demand that the controversial 2026 Revenue Authority Bill be pulled from legislative consideration, sent back to committee for full, inclusive stakeholder consultations.

    A block of demands specific to the Belizean education sector lay out clear timelines for changes: the introduction of a standardized vacation schedule of a full July break and a three-week August recess within 90 days; adjustments to the salary scale for vocational technology teachers within 45 days; full repayment of withheld salaries for interdicted teachers within 60 days; and a formal government response within 45 days to demands for repayment of salaries that were forced back by the government from teachers holding expired teaching licenses.

    Finally, the union is pushing for increased public funding for the University of Belize, calling for the government to raise institutional subvention to a target of $15 million in the upcoming fiscal budget. It also demands the creation of an independent oversight body for university scholarships, to remove political discretion from the allocation process.

    As the deadline approaches, Prime Minister Briceño remains in Honduras for scheduled bilateral diplomatic talks, with no immediate public response from his delegation to the union’s demands.

  • NTUCB Demands BTL Chairman’s Removal by August 28

    NTUCB Demands BTL Chairman’s Removal by August 28

    As the Caribbean nation of Belize navigates mounting labor and governance tensions, the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) has tabled a sweeping 11-demand package to Prime Minister John Briceño, locking in a hard August 28 deadline for a formal written response from the administration. With the Prime Minister currently out of the country attending official bilateral talks in Honduras, the ultimatum has thrown a sharp spotlight on governance and accountability issues roiling the country’s key public and regulated sectors.

    The most urgent and high-stakes demand at the top of the union’s list is the immediate removal of Belize Telecommunications Limited (BTL) Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga, alongside four sitting board members: Moises Cal, Arturo Lizarraga, and Eric Eusey. The NTUCB anchors this call for leadership ouster in three core grievances. First, the Belize Communications Workers Union (BCWU), the primary labor body representing BTL employees, has already passed a formal vote of no confidence in the current board leadership. Second, the board approved a $90 million cable acquisition deal that the NTUCB claims has direct ties to Chairman Lizarraga and the Prime Minister’s own office, raising red flags over conflict of interest. Third, the board pushed forward an $80 million acquisition of Speednet/SMART that was ultimately rejected, basing its approval on just one year of financial due diligence – far shorter than the industry-standard three to five year review period required for major telecom mergers.

    Beyond the BTL leadership shake-up, the NTUCB has laid out a series of mid-term demands to be completed within a 90-day window. These include establishing a new tripartite governance framework for BTL that reserves formal seats for both the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the NTUCB itself, as well as a full restructuring of Belize’s Public Utilities Commission. The union is calling for the restructured regulator to include voting representatives from the NTUCB, BCCI, Belize National News (BNN), the National Energy Association of Belize (NEAB), and the national government, to ensure broader stakeholder oversight of critical utility sectors.

    Governance reform demands top the NTUCB’s list beyond the telecom sector. The union is calling for the immediate appointment of a dedicated dedicated liaison embedded within the Prime Minister’s Office to coordinate labor and stakeholder concerns, alongside legislation to strengthen whistleblower protections and overhaul campaign finance regulations, both to be delivered within 90 days. It is also demanding full, robust enforcement of the 2023 Civil Asset Recovery and Unexplained Wealth Act, a landmark law that grants the Financial Intelligence Unit the power to pursue civil recovery of illegally obtained assets without first securing a criminal conviction – a tool the union says is critical to rooting out public corruption.

    Other institutional demands include filling the long-vacant national Ombudsman post within 90 days, and supporting the Public Service Union’s (PSU) call to pull the controversial 2026 Revenue Authority Bill back to parliamentary committee for full, inclusive public consultation before any further progress on the legislation.

    The NTUCB has also advanced a slate of targeted demands focused on improving working conditions and funding for Belize’s education sector. For primary and secondary educators, the union is calling for a standardized, national vacation schedule of a full July break plus a three-week August recess to be rolled out within 90 days. It is demanding adjustments to the salary scale for vocational and technical (Vo-Tech) teachers within 45 days, full repayment of withheld salaries for teachers who were placed on interdiction within 60 days, and a formal government response within 45 days to longstanding calls to repay salaries that were incorrectly clawed back from teachers whose teaching licenses had expired.

    For tertiary education, the union is calling on the government to raise the annual government subvention for the University of Belize, incrementally increasing it toward a target of $15 million in time for the upcoming fiscal budget cycle. It is also calling for the creation of an independent oversight body to manage university scholarship allocations, removing political discretion from the award process to ensure fairness and transparency.

    As the deadline approaches, the Briceño administration has not yet issued a formal response to the demands, with the Prime Minister still engaged in official diplomatic engagements in Honduras as of the release of the NTUCB’s ultimatum.

  • PM Briceño in Honduras for Bilateral Talks

    PM Briceño in Honduras for Bilateral Talks

    On a mission to deepen collaborative bonds between Belize and Honduras, Prime Minister John Briceño touched down in the Central American nation on Sunday, kicking off a high-stakes official visit that will see top-level bilateral talks with Honduran President Nasry Asfura on Monday.

    Briceño’s arrival at Hernán Acosta Mejía Air Base came with a formal welcome from Pamela Handal, Honduras’s Subsecretary of State for Foreign Policy, who attended on behalf of President Asfura’s administration. The welcoming ceremony included full traditional military honors: a formation of cadet honor guards, a ceremonial trumpet call, and a red carpet procession for Briceño and his delegation, before official introductions and commemorative photo opportunities with Handal.

    In a small but meaningful detour from the official itinerary, the Belizean Prime Minister also took time to meet two of his country’s young military trainees, Fernando Valladarez and Perfecto Aldana, who are currently completing their training at the Honduran Military Academy.

    Monday’s scheduled head-of-state meeting is set to center on a range of priority areas where both nations share overlapping interests, including public health collaboration, expanded trade and investment partnerships, cross-border security coordination, and educational exchange programs. Beyond bilateral topics, the two leaders will also dive into pressing regional governance issues, a discussion that carries added weight as Belize currently holds the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA) for the second half of 2026.

    Briceño is traveling with a cross-governmental delegation that reflects the broad scope of planned talks: the group includes Kevin Bernard, Belize’s Minister of Health and Wellness, Narda Garcia, CEO of the Office of the Prime Minister, Julio Sabido, CEO of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and Oscar Arnold, CEO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

    Once the bilateral talks conclude, officials from both the Honduran and Belizean governments will host a joint press conference to outline the key takeaways from the meeting and announce any formal agreements reached during Briceño’s visit.

  • Chinese Embassy in the Dominican Republic accuses U.S. of ‘intimidation’ and defamation of Chinese tech companies

    Chinese Embassy in the Dominican Republic accuses U.S. of ‘intimidation’ and defamation of Chinese tech companies

    A fresh geopolitical flashpoint has emerged between the United States and China in the Latin American and Caribbean region, centered on competing narratives around Chinese technology firms and their regional operations. The confrontation erupted after U.S. officials publicly warned governments across Latin America and the Caribbean that Chinese technology companies carry unaddressed national security threats, prompting a sharp pushback from China’s diplomatic mission in the Dominican Republic.

    Washington’s core claims center on unproven risks of espionage, coordinated cyberattacks, and systemic disruptions to critical national telecommunications networks that could stem from reliance on Chinese technology suppliers. Beijing has flatly rejected these accusations, dismissing them as baseless, harmful smears that expose an outdated Cold War-era zero-sum mindset.

    In an official statement released from its Santo Domingo office, the Chinese Embassy laid out Beijing’s position clearly: it called on the United States to abandon its coercive approach and uphold the fundamental right of every sovereign nation to independently select its technology pathways and international cooperation partners. The statement further urged Washington to pivot toward more constructive action that supports, rather than undermines, regional stability and inclusive economic development.

    Beyond addressing U.S. allegations, the embassy also defended the track record of Chinese technology enterprises operating across the region, including in the Dominican Republic. It emphasized that all Chinese firms operating locally strictly adhere to host country laws and established industry regulatory standards. Beyond compliance, these companies deliver cutting-edge technological solutions at price points that are accessible to regional markets, while consistently maintaining secure, high-quality services for end users.

    According to the Chinese mission, Chinese technology firms have earned widespread trust and positive recognition from both local business partners and consumers across Latin America and the Caribbean. Their presence, the embassy noted, has delivered tangible economic benefits, driving infrastructure development, creating thousands of local jobs, and closing digital gaps in underserved communities across the region.

    This latest public exchange underscores the intensifying great power competition between Washington and Beijing over control of critical technology and telecommunications infrastructure across the Western Hemisphere. As the rivalry deepens, regional governments find themselves increasingly squeezed between competing pressures: navigating U.S. security demands while evaluating the economic and infrastructure benefits that Chinese investment and technology can bring to their growing economies.

  • Dominican Republic approves 20% minimum wage increase for construction workers

    Dominican Republic approves 20% minimum wage increase for construction workers

    In an official announcement from Santo Domingo, Labor Minister Eddy Olivares Ortega has confirmed that the Dominican Republic’s National Wage Committee (CNS) has greenlit a 20 percent across-the-board increase in minimum wages for construction workers and workers in related skilled trades. The wage adjustment was formally codified in official legislation Resolution CNS-04-2026, and was the product of successful tripartite negotiations that brought together worker representatives, industry employers, and national government officials to hash out a compromise that benefits all stakeholders.

    This wage adjustment is a core component of the current Dominican administration’s broader national wage strategy, which is designed to lift working households’ incomes without eroding the long-term competitiveness of domestic businesses. The updated minimum wage scales will roll out across all regions of the country in a phased implementation schedule, adjusted to give employers time to adapt to the new pay requirements without disrupting operations.

    Under the new framework, unskilled construction workers will see their daily minimum wage rise from the current RD$980.59 to RD$1,176.70. Skilled workers will get a bump from RD$1,072.85 to RD$1,287.42, while construction assistants will move from RD$1,260.34 to RD$1,512.40. Third-category machine operators will see their minimum daily rate increase from RD$1,636.80 to RD$1,964.16, second-category operators from RD$1,867.44 to RD$2,240.93, first-category operators from RD$2,334.67 to RD$2,801.60, and master craftsmen from RD$2,941.78 to RD$3,530.13.

    Per the terms of the resolution, the lower-tier wage adjustments for unskilled workers, skilled workers, assistants, and third-category operators will take effect sooner than higher-tier roles, while the wage hikes for second-category operators, first-category operators, and master craftsmen are scheduled to go into effect on June 1, 2027. The staggered rollout was structured to ease the financial transition for construction businesses that operate on tight project margins, policymakers noted.

    In his public comments following the approval, Olivares emphasized that the cross-party agreement underscores the critical value of inclusive social dialogue in addressing competing economic priorities. The negotiated outcome successfully balances construction workers’ widespread calls for higher living wages with the pressing need to preserve business sustainability and industry competitiveness, he said.

    Olivares also drew attention to the outsized role the construction sector plays in driving the Dominican Republic’s overall economic growth. The industry is a major engine of national job creation, drives large-scale domestic and foreign investment, and supports the ongoing development of critical public infrastructure and affordable housing across the country. The wage adjustment comes after a series of formal CNS negotiating sessions held between May and June 2025, which included full participation from both employer and worker representatives from the construction sector.

  • New Dominican Republic Penal Code circulates, ending 142 years under 1884 Code

    New Dominican Republic Penal Code circulates, ending 142 years under 1884 Code

    Santo Domingo – After more than a century of governance under the 1884 Penal Code, the Dominican Republic has ushered in a landmark update to its criminal justice system with the adoption of a brand-new criminal code crafted to align with 21st-century crime patterns and contemporary legal norms. The long-awaited legislative reform, formally enshrined as Organic Law No. 74-25 with subsequent adjustments via Law No. 44-26, overhauls core frameworks of criminal theory in the country’s legal system. Among its key structural updates, the code introduces the formal legal concept of mistake of fact and for the first time establishes clear criminal liability for legal entities, filling gaps that existed in the century-old legislation. In a significant expansion of the country’s criminal statutes, the new code adds a range of underregulated modern and systemic offenses to its official list of crimes: femicide, contract killing, forced disappearance, crimes against humanity, and cyber harassment are all explicitly codified for the first time. Alongside these new classifications, the legislation strengthens legal safeguards and protections for crime victims, addressing longstanding calls for improved victim rights in the Dominican justice system. To improve accessibility for legal practitioners, the code includes a new alphabetical analytical index that lets users rapidly locate specific offenses, legal principles, core concepts, and other statutory provisions. This practical tool transforms the published code into a go-to reference work for judges, prosecuting attorneys, practicing lawyers, legal academics, and law students across the country. Dr. Félix Humberto Portes Núñez, the editor of the published edition of the new code, framed the reform as an essential progressive step for the Dominican legal system. However, he also highlighted the need for rigorous critical review of specific provisions, including the rules governing sentence accumulation and newly increased criminal penalties. Dr. Portes argued that the ultimate goal of any criminal punishment system should be centered on the successful social reintegration of people convicted of crimes, a priority that must not be overshadowed by harsher sentencing measures. As of this announcement, the published edition of the new criminal code is available for purchase at Cuesta Libros, located on Avenida 27 de Febrero in the National District, as well as at all major legal bookstores throughout the Dominican Republic.

  • Suriname en Filipijnen willen economische banden versterken

    Suriname en Filipijnen willen economische banden versterken

    In a high-level diplomatic meeting focused on agricultural cooperation, Suriname’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Mike Noersalim and Philippine Ambassador Patrick John have reaffirmed their two nations’ shared commitment to deepening economic ties and advancing inclusive sustainable development across the agri-food sector.

    The bilateral discussion covered a wide range of promising collaborative opportunities across key agricultural sub-sectors, including rice production improvement, sustainable aquaculture expansion, and the adoption of cutting-edge agri-technological innovation. Minister Noersalim outlined Suriname’s ongoing strategy to strengthen its domestic agricultural industry, noting that the country is prioritizing innovative policy frameworks and strategic global partnerships to drive sector growth.

    Noersalim emphasized that both nations stand to gain from aligned cooperation on three core priorities: boosting regional food security, scaling up climate-friendly and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices, and supporting the expansion of local agri-based industries. He noted that these collaborative efforts are designed to deliver broad-based benefits not just for national economies, but for everyday populations in both Suriname and the Philippines. “We firmly hold that cross-border collaboration is the foundation of long-term sustainable growth,” Noersalim stated during the meeting. “Suriname has ambitious targets to modernize and decarbonize our agricultural sector, and with strategic partners like the Philippines, we can accelerate our progress toward these goals.”

    For his part, Ambassador John expressed strong optimism about the future of the bilateral agricultural partnership, confirming that the Philippine government is fully committed to supporting the implementation of all agreed-upon initiatives. The ambassador highlighted Suriname’s significant untapped potential in agricultural development and sustainable fisheries, adding that the Philippines is eager to share its accumulated technical knowledge and proven agricultural technologies to advance shared objectives. “We are ready to work side by side with Suriname to improve food security across our regions and deepen the economic bonds that connect our two countries,” John said.

    Looking ahead, working groups from both nations will develop concrete action plans over the coming months to map out how the Philippines can deploy its resources, expertise, and technology to help Suriname meet its agricultural development targets. “This partnership will allow us to transform our agricultural sectors and unlock inclusive, long-term sustainable growth for both our peoples,” John added.