Phillip Ramsey

The Secondary School Festival of Arts, an annual national programme organized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, continues to provide a platform for young Belizean talent to showcase their creativity in music, dance, and performance. The initiative brings together secondary schools from across the country to compete at the district level, with top performers advancing to the prestigious Golden Showcase. This year’s San Pedro edition formed part of that national programme, highlighting the island’s contribution to the arts.

San Pedro’s Herla Ortiz proudly represented the island at the 80th annual Queen of the Bay Pageant, held on Saturday, August 30, at the Belize City Civic Center. While she did not capture the crown, Ortiz distinguished herself by placing among the top five contestants, earning recognition for her grace and elegance on stage.

Residents of San Pedro once again answered the call to support their community by participating in a blood drive on Saturday, May 3rd. The event took place at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II, where 50 individuals turned out to donate. Following evaluations, 41 pints of blood were successfully collected.

The Belize Red Cross, San Pedro Branch (BRCSPB) held five blood drives during 2021, collecting 156 pints of the vital liquid. One of the drives collected blood from recovered COVID-19 patients to provide anti-bodies to those recovering from the virus. This was one method administered before vaccines against the virus were made available.

Originally scheduled for Saturday March 14th, the Belize Red Cross San Pedro Branch (BRCSPB) postponed their blood drive at the Polyclinic. The San Pedro Sun spoke to Phillip Ramsey, a representative of BRCSPB about the sudden postponement. He said that he received notification via email from the Blood Bank Unit in Belize City that the drive needed to be postponed, “due to the nature of the COVID-19 situation”. The email stated that they were making necessary arrangements to prepare for possible progression of COVID-19 and that they would follow up about rescheduling. The cancellation however, highlighted an issue affecting San Pedro: the lack of a blood bank. Residents have to rely on organized blood drives, instead of being able to go to a designated donation center at any time.

On February 28th, Projects Abroad Belize volunteers, in collaboration with other agencies, hosted a community health fair at the Central Park in San Pedro Town.

The Belize Red Cross, San Pedro Branch (BRCSPB) held their last blood drive of the year on Saturday, December 14th at the Dr. Otto Rodriguez San Pedro Polyclinic II.

Belize’s Phillip Ramsey has won the title of Mister Jade Universe 2018 held in Guatemala City, Guatemala on Saturday, August 11th.