Last Friday's House Meeting ended with the Prime Minister doling out a blistering address, cataloguing the assorted land holdings of Florencio Marin Juniour.
It was a pre-emptive strike because the PUP planned to have a press conference today to discuss the lands holdings of the friends and family of two UDP ministers.
So, the PUP press conference, ledy by Marin Juniour was put in the unenviable position of starting out at a deficit - with Marin having to explain away his alleged ownership of hundreds of acres of lands - and in particular, 128 parcels of land in the village of San Jose Palmar.
Here's how he countered the PM's allegations and then went on his own offensive:
Jules Vasquez Reporting
These are the lands that show up in the Land Department computer system when you enter the name Florencio Marin Junior. It shows over 128 pieces of land allegedly held in San Jose Palmar.
But he says it's not so, and he brought the Chairman form San Jose Palmar to back him up
Hon Florencio Marin - PUP Deputy Leader
"I think that this is where the Prime Minister's credibility completely went down the drain because he never emphasized this just one time. He said it 3 times in his presentation that I have properties in the Nuevo San Jose Palmar. First of all, again, that is false. Plus you never said that I had one property, you said that I had 128 pieces of land in that village. Now, why that is completely false is because for those of you who know Nuevo San Jose Palmar, and the chairman of the village, Mr. Orlando Balam, is here next to me with a copy of the list of all the lands in that village. That particular land was given - I don't have the specific dates - but that particular land was given to the people of that village, and no one can give out that land any which way they want."
Orlando Balam - Chairman, San Jose Nuevo Palmar
"Mr. Florencio has not even an inch of that land in our village. For you to get a parcel in San Jose Nuevo Palmar, you need to be a descendant from the elders that came from the Yalbac area."
So why is Marin Jr's name in the lands register so many times? Well the chairman says it was his father - who was at today's event - who first set aside the lands to be held in trust by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Orlando Balam
"When the father of Florencio Marin was in Government, he was the trustee because he was the Minister of Lands. When you see Hon. Marin Jr., this doesn't mean that he owns them."
How that changed from Marin Senior to Junior is a mystery almost beyond comprehension - he calls it mischief
Hon. Florencio Marin Jr.
"How come this didn't come out in 2008? You think that this could have been hidden? I don't."
Jules Vasquez
"So, how do you view it? Is it an error or an invention?"
Hon. Florencio Marin Jr.
"I more think that it's an invention, a figment of an imagination."
But while he started out the day defending his position, Marin Jr. was there to go on the offensive - against Minister of natural resources Gaspar Vega
Hon. Florencio Marin Jr.
"You see, we have several parcels of land for a Ms. Diana Rosado. Our investigation shows that this is the daughter of the Minister, where she has property in Orange Walk, Mountain Pine Ridge and Corozal. You have Mr. Zamir Vega, a nephew of the Minister, who has land in San Pedro Town. He purchased it for $2,000. Mr. Omir Vega, has - at least here - 3 properties in San Estevan Village, Borden Canal, and Mount Pleasant in Cayo, and there you have the different prices for which he purchased them. You have Ms. Leticia Vega, who we believe is niece-in-law - if that is the best way to say it - which has two 30-acre parcels in the village of Trinidad, and purchased each for $3,900. We have Ms. Karen Vega, who purchased 13.5 acres for $2,206,75."
And the list goes on - and though the six and a half minute recital was less than inspiring, indeed the friends and family list - 37 names for 11 persons alleged to be relatives of Vega's - does raise eyebrows for the sheer volume of it. The Prime Minister has suggested that Vega does need to answer for it:
And while Marin focused on Vega, Senator Collet Montejo focused on his former opponent Rene Montero:
Senator Collet Montejo
"Alejandro Montero, a direct family member - a direct brother has 4 acres on North Ambergris. Miguel Montero has 10 acres on North Ambergris, again, 4 acres on San Pedro Town, North of San Pedro Ambergris, Alejandro Montero, another brother, Samuel Montero, 4 acres on San Pedro Town, 8 acres, Rolando Montero - brother - North Ambergris Caye, Rene Montero himself, 10 acres North of Ambergris, Jaime Montero, 5 acres North of Ambergris, and there is more and more. We then have Rolando Montero again, 5 acres in the Mountain Pine Ridge, and it's interesting because they acreage in the Mountain Pine Ridge, when I speak to this one, it is because it is very dear to us. In the previous PUP Administration, the Mayans of San Antonio fought long and hard to have the Elijio Pantin National Park reserved for future generations. Quite a bit of this land in the last UDP Administration was removed from the reserved, and part of this that Orlando got was land that was for the Mayan people of San Antonio."
And while all these documents and transactions do warrant attention - the bottom line is that the PUP will have a hard time convincing a wary electorate very familiar with land grabs:
Hon. Francis Fonseca - PUP Party Leader
"Regardless what people have to say about what took place in the past, we are absolutely committed to ensuring that this type of thing does not continue in Belize."
We tried to reach both Ministers Vega and Montero on their cell phones - but were unsuccessful...
