Bay Islands Attorneys Vote

The favorite to win was the Patria y Justicia [Fatherland and Justice] movement, headed by Gustavo Solórzano. “He is a personal friend of mine, we were classmates in Law School,” said Alejandro Tugliani, who ran on the FJ ticket in Roatan. “There are two philosophies – the collective interest of the chapter and personal interest of everybody. I represent the collectivity.”

The vote followed the February 3 internal vote within the movement. “Two years ago it was more friendly, this was more hostile,” remembers Tugliani. “I think the other side is a bit self-motivated. (…) There was a lot of political interference.”

CAH is a political entity, as it proposes 15 candidates for the Honduran Supreme court every seven years. The CAH’s power to appoint candidates for the Supreme Court then has tremendous command, as the Supreme Court appoints nine appellate judges, 66 first instance courts, and 325 justices of the peace. “Some people [within CAH] have political motivations,” said Tugliani.

The CAH Roatan began in 2012 and there are currently around 250 attorneys in the Roatan CAH. “We are a small chapter, but strong,” said Paula Bonilla, running as second vocal in the Vindicator Democratic Front.

Officially, four movements took part in the primaries and three of them formed an informal coalition under the Frente Reivindicador Democrático [FRD] umbrella. “We started late, but we have them sweating,” said Paula Bonilla. “We are winners. That is our joy, that is our pride.”

Two years ago it was more friendly, this was more hostile.

“I worked at the supreme court of justice for 12 years,” said Breisy Banegas, who has been residing on Roatan for two-and-a-half-years. “Now I am “Juez de Letras” in the Bay Islands.”

The winner needed 50% of the votes plus one. After the voting closed at 5 p.m., the votes reflected 129 cast for Alejandro Tugliani and 58 for Breisy Banegas. “Ever attorney who was on Roatan did vote,” said Tugliani. “I am very happy that we inspired everybody to come,” said Tugliani.

In the national elections, Gustavo Solórzano ended up winning. His competitor, Karla Alegria, national leader of the FRD came in second. She was offered the position as vice president.

After just 12 years of existence, the CAH Roatan chapter is gaining influence at the national level. Bay Islands is a place where big real estate deals are done, and some sizable companies on a national scale are based: RECO, BIP, Galaxy Wave, and Sun Corporation to name a few.

After 228 days of Restrictions Roatan Sees Drastic Drop in Covid-19 Patients

The local business community leaders are taking notice. “I think we are heading for herd immunity,” said Kenny McNab, owner of Bay Islands Petroleum (BIP) and Utila Dream. “Just about everyone in the office had it.” One person working in BIP, an older employee in his sixties, had to be hospitalized but was sent home after a brief stay.

By December the majority of us should have had the virus and should have the antibodies.

Samir Galindo, GM of Anthony’s Key Resort noticed a trend of fewer patients seeking help at the resort’s clinic that is open to the public. In Augusts and September, the AKR’s health clinic was averaging 100 patients a day. In October these averages dropped to around 30 patients. “By December the majority of us should have had the virus and should have the antibodies. We should have the herd immunity,” said Galindo.

Roatan’s main COVID-19 exam and treatment center in French Harbour has also seen a drastic drop in patients. “There are 10 patients at the French Harbor Covid center, while a month ago there were as many as 60,” said Steven Guillen, president of the Little Friends Foundation that maintains the French Harbour COVID-19 center.

It looks like herd immunity on the island could be reached much faster that in urban areas on the mainland where population has a variety of options where to get food and where to go for medical care. This good news is not reflected in the media reports, or government policies.

The controlled media’s reports of constant “jumps in cases” actually describe the Covid-19 virus’ natural progression towards extinguishing itself out in herd immunity. Any virus needs to constantly find new hosts to survive. When it has no more people to infect, the then it dies out.

Looks like herd immunity on the island could be reached much faster that in urban areas on the mainland.

The Honduran government has never even discussed the strategy of isolating the vulnerable to the virus and providing food and medicine delivery services to the elderly, and the sick. Unlike Sweden, South Dakota or Belorussia, Honduras has fallowed in the footsteps of countries that has shut down and isolated the healthy preventing them from going about their lives.

The Honduran government decree 58-2020 that mandates wearing masks for anyone over three years of age in groups of five people or more. While mask wearing law was supposed to “flatten the curve,” it never meant to stop the virus completely.

“Social distancing is counterproductive. If you mingle you get exposed to different diseases on a smaller scale. And you build up resistance,” says nurse Peggy Stranges, founder of Clinic Esperanza in Sandy Bay. Stranges echoes the many health professionals that are critical of the “shut down and mask” policies. These professional voices have been systematically censored and ridiculed by the controlled media.  “Masks don’t control viruses, they control you,” said Dr. Lee Merritt of the Frontline Doctors group that is fighting the controlled media narrative.

The Honduran government has never even discussed the strategy of isolating the vulnerable to the virus and providing food and medicine delivery services to the elderly, and the sick.

Bay Islanders are finally getting an accurate view of how deadly the virus was in their community. The government’s exaggerated and unreliable statistics reported that 38 Bay Islanders died of COVID-19 since March. Bay Islands department with over 130,000 people has an annual death rate of over 1,000 and 38 deaths fall within statistical margin of error.

The Honduran government has never conducted a cost benefit analysis of the possible death by COVID-19 versus death from the policy of lockdown, forced mask wearing and deferred medical treatment. As a consequence of the lockdown hundreds of Roatanians have decided to defer treatment of cancer, hypertension or diabetes out of fear of going to place where they come in contact with COVID-19. The repercussions of this government “miscalculation” will be felt for generations to come.