Speaking after the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Garcia said consultations with key stakeholders on this issue will take place over the next two weeks, “before we get back to the principals.” Reiterating that the ministry only received this proposal on Wednesday, Garcia said it is yet to be studied in detail.

He said this will happen on Monday at a meeting with the Chief Education Officer and other ministry officials.

Following this, Garcia said meetings will be arranged with TTTUTA and the National Parent Teachers Association (NPTA). The minister said the views of teachers and parents in particular are critical in reaching a final decision.

Admitting that several issues have been raised over the last 24 hours regarding this proposal, Garcia said, “We feel the parents have an important part to play in all aspects of education. Where this is concerned, we would want to have consultations with parents before going forward.” He continued, “We have to engage in some in depth discussions on all these issues which have now been presenting themselves.

As soon as we have completed our discussions, we would be better able to make a pronouncement.” Garcia said the proposal has merit.

Regarding a problem with laboratory facilities at the San Juan South Secondary School, Garcia said a contractor has been selected to refurbish those facilities and he hoped this would be done in the not too distant future.

Wednesday’s Newsday report on the situation at the Port-of- Spain Prison and at Golden Grove in Arouca is likely just the tip of the iceberg. With an aging criminal justice infrastructure (some of which dates back to colonial time), it is little surprise that the State has had to tender over time for special measures to deal with these unwelcomed guests. But in recent times, it seems, the situation has become more fraught .

Truly surreal scenes were described in Wednesday’s report .

People contacted Newsday, from behind bars, to complain that rats are everywhere including in eating areas, in cells, in bathrooms, in kitchens, in prison officers’ quarters .

Videos showed rodents going about their business, oblivious to the attention they were attracting .

Is there any more striking symbol of how poor prison conditions are? Earlier this month came reports of a water shortage at the Carrera Island prison. The situation was so bad the prison authorities had to allow prisoners to bathe in the sea under their supervision .

Newsday understands that years ago, a contract was given to a local pest eradication company to exterminate the rodents and that company undertook a major fumigation of prisons. However, the contract has since expired and with the latest rat infestation, executives of the prison authorities sent tenders for companies to bid for a new contract .

While that process is underway, the rats are multiplying at a rapid rate, putting both prisoners and prison officers at risk .

This raises a number of questions .

What is the reason for the sudden upsurge of this hazard and could it have been foreseen? Why has retendering for what should be a rudimentary maintenance issue taken so long? Is the situation affected by the physical conditions? Is there some vulnerability in prison design that has allowed rats to proliferate? If large rats are sneaking in and out, what is sneaking in and out with them? This is not only a matter that should be brought to the attention of the Ministry of National Security .

It potentially involves local government and the Ministry of Health .

The later, in particular, has an interest in ensuring all public health concerns are contained. And make no mistake. While seemingly limited to behind prison bars, this is a matter that has the potential to affect well beyond .

There is a fear that both prisoners and prison officers could fall ill from rat-borne diseases including leptospirosis, and rat-bite fever. There is also the risk that people coming into the prisons, such as visiting family members, could suffer as well .

President of the Prison Officers Association, Ceron Richards, has accused the Government of placing the issue on the back burner .

“Calls for help on this issue, just like our pleas for stab-proof vests and CCTV cameras to be installed, are being ignored and in some cases bogged down by bureaucracy,” claimed Richards. “The Government knows they are dealing with prisoners who cannot leave the prisons and prison officers who are too devoted to walk off the job. So we have to take what we get. The only thing consistent with the State is their excuses and the fact that they are not dealing with this and other problems.” It is easy to castigate “the Government” at large when administrative officials fail in their jobs. Missing from Richards’ account is an indication of when and to whom complaints have been addressed .

However, it is clear enough in our view that more needs to be done by the State to modernise and sanitise the penal system. The system should be about rehabilitation, not a case of men and mice .

Brooks told PAEC members that the main challenge is accessing gas in the short term and the NGC is working assiduously on that front. Reiterating that a target has been set to complete a gas sales agreement for Venezuela’s Dragon Field by July, Brooks said teams from the NGC, Shell and Venezuelan energy company Petr?leos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA) are working hard to achieve this goal. He added, “Quite recently we were able to sign off on the BP Angelin contract.” Brooks explained, “These activities will not solve our problems but certainly they will help us to fend with the times.” Brooks said the period beyond 2019 to 2023 period is critical for this country, “to see how we tee up” the required supplies of natural gas.

Arizt?a made the statement at a press conference held on Wednesday to introduce the media to this year’s CineLit: a literary film festival held annually during the NGC Bocas Lit Fest.

The conference was held at National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), Hart and Abercromby Streets, Portof- Spain. Arizt?a was joined by his colleagues; Dolores Kunst, deputy head of mission, Argentine embassy; Tania Estevez, counselor, Dominician Republic embassy; Panamian ambassador Carmen Gabriela Menendez; Oriol Sola Pardell, deputy head of mission, Spanish embassy; Carmen Gil Erazo, deputy head of mission, Costa Rican embassy; and Mexican ambassador Jesus A Lopez Gonzalez.

The eight-day literary film festival will screen 27 films based on great literary works from Latin America, Spain and even TT , with three films on the late Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott being shown.

CineLit began on April 18 with a screening of Histiorias del Canal, which tells the story of five lives influenced by the building of the Panama Canal, at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine campus. The embassies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Spain and Venezuela, jointly, put together this year’s CineLit.

The festival is in its second consecutive year. Arizt?a said, “Culture is beyond geographical space. Culture is beyond established regions and this is behind the concept of CineLit.” “Caribbean culture and Latin American culture, that lies only seven miles away from the shores of each other, can be enriched through dialogue…. The ideas of others can enrich our ideas and our creativity.” “The cultures of Latin America and Spain want to continue with this dialogue. CineLit is that attempt through its cinema, its film.” “We are so close but something happens that we appear to be divided in spite of the distance of seven miles between our respective geographical and cultural worlds.” When asked about ways in which the divide could be bridged, Arizt?a and his colleagues mentioned several projects to deepen ties between their respective countries and Latin America.

Arizt?a mentioned that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley would be visiting Chile, in late May for bi-lateral talks on trade, energy and other issues to, “narrow the gap.” While, he said, language can be a barrier, the films have English subtitles which bridges the linguistic barrier between Latin America and TT .

The films will be screened at three locations; NALIS’ AV room, UWI St Augustine’s Centre for Language and Learning auditorium, its Film Unit on Carmody Road, St Augustine and the Alma Jordan Library’s audio visual room. The official launch, with a free public screening of The Motorcycle Diaries, will take place today at NALIS’ amphitheatre, at 7pm.

He has been identified as Samuel John of Henry Street, Orange Valley. Police said that at about 7 pm John and another man went out to sea near the fishing port in a pirogue and then transferred to a trawler. Police said the men had gone to do repair work on the trawler and while doing so, a rope which was fastened from the boat to the trawler became loose. The police were told that John jumped into the sea to stop the pirogue from drifting away. It was there he got into difficulties and disappeared.

Speaking to Newsday yesterday John’s cousin Jerome Mendoza, 30, said he believes the waters may have been rough.

“My cousin has been a fisherman for the past ten years, so I know something went wrong in the waters,” he said. Mendoza said he was informed that the man who accompanied John could not swim and was unable to enter the sea. “He told us he heard Sammy cry out for help, but he could do nothing to save him and by the time he was able to get help it was too late.

When help came and everyone used their flashlights to search for Sammy he was gone.” Mendoza said relatives believe John drowned but are hoping to recover his body to get closure.

“Everyone is still in disbelief that he is gone. It is really sad to know what happened.”

Pegus, who has been in the fashion industry since the 1970s needs little introduction.

Her string of achievements are hard to miss, among them the Chaconia Medal Silver in 2010 for her contribution to the country’s fashion industry.

Now, those seeking to get their hands on her work no longer need to call and make an appointment but can, instead, visit her self-titled store at Long Circular Mall, Port-of-Spain. Pegus had many stores before, but for a while, ran a private atelier by appointment only. But now Pegus’ style and fashion can be easily accessed by, simply taking a trip to the mall.

Although the store opened on January 25, it will officially be launched on Sunday with an exclusive pre-view of her new collection, Dougla.

The atelier launch and pre-jazz 2017 collection, is a two-fold presentation, with the pre-view, serenading the Claudia Pegus (CP) shopper and the continuation being shown to the wider public at Tobago Fashion Coda on April 27.

Normally, Pegus would be showing in Tobago at this time but she decided to, “give [her] clients something for their patronage or for their continued loyalty to the brand.” The pre-viewing is just that. The event is for select clientele by invitation only, those “who supported me over the years.” When Newsday asked her if it was a very exclusive event, Pegus defined exactly what that meant to her, saying, “The thing is when people say ‘very exclusive’ I like people to understand what ‘very exclusive’ means…it does not mean leaving out people.

It means showing appreciation for the people who have kept me going.

“That is what very exclusive means to me. It means showing appreciation for the clients. I don’t charge them a fee to come and see the gift of my skills or how they have stimulated my imagination and the many ways I can say thank you to them. You can’t put a fee on thank you,” she said.

The collection was born after she was invited to a Mehndi night last year. “At a Mehndi night in 2016 I encountered the Dougla. A black Trini sister marrying a white Canadian under Hindu rites and given away by an Indian brother. Like a rare bird, the Dougla captured my imagination, haunting my creativity, teasing me on the ‘what next’ watch.” Dougla, she explained, is not a model but rather a person, with style and attitude.

A shopper who, “wears the CP design style” and transforms Claudia’s concept into personalised style.

For Pegus, “Dougla is a statement of all things Trini. Dougla expresses love for country and love of self. It’s Claudia, caught up in this mix of beauty and ingenuity, offering an experience, a collection, a pelau of races, colour and creatives.

It’s Claudia, as she continues to make her mark and leave her stamp in true trini style.” Every inch of the space drips Pegus, from her large initials, CP, on the walls to the pictures of famous women whose styles she likes, whose styles feed her creativity.

Among these, a picture of American singer, songwriter and activist, Nina Simone.

“Everything that you see in the store is part of the substance that feeds my creativity,” she told Newsday.

Her ability to focus was partly credited for her longevity in the fashion industry, and she never loses sight of two things fundamentally important to her – continuity and the power of thank you. “I would like to be able to sit back and see someone else take the leading role which would be the result of mentoring. I would like to see continuity.

Continuity is important to me,” she said, while highlighting that she had, in fact, chosen a successor, Michael Marquis. Marquis has been Pegus’ protege for the past five years. Pegus said he came to her “green”, from working in the hospitality industry.

Pegus said Marquis had a passion and would often come to her, “after work, during lunch, before work” to learn. Although he had no formal training in the industry, his passion and focus were qualities she could not overlook.

This year Easter Sunday in Arima took on a different type of celebration as party lovers rose from as early at 4 am to participate in an inaugural J’Ouvert party. Titled Full Extreme Cooler Party, the event was held at The Plantations, Sorzano Street, Arima and hosted by Monday evening mass band, Arkadians Sports Club.

The club provided food and paint and revellers were asked to wear any the club’s branded T-shirt and walk with their drinks.

While the vibe of the party took a little time to build, the truck shooting out water on paint-covered revellers created a Carnival- type atmosphere.

Arima Mayor, Lisa Morris-Julian was in attendance, and despite her attempts to avoid being splashed with paint, one high-spirited reveller ensured that did not leave the party with her clothes clean.

Independent Senator David Small, a member of the PAEC, outlined this recommendation during a news conference at Tower D of the Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre on Wednesday.

Addressing this issue at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Smith said, “They are working on that right now.” He reminded reporters, “We inherited Life Sport and what went on with the Sport Company.” Stating that his ministry is working “very closely” with SporTT chairman Michael Phillip and his board to comply with the PAEC’s recommendations, Smith added, “So far, so good.” Small said the PAEC found the Sport Company had seven CEOs from 2004 to 2015 __ three were fired and three resigned. In its submission to the PAEC, the Sport Company said the compensation package for the CEO post did not attract the quality of individuals to fill this position.

The company also said the high turnover of CEOs was compounded by the high turnover of its board, line minister and permanent secretaries since 2014.

In its report on the company, the PAEC said proper protocol was not followed regarding the hiring of De Edge Consulting Ltd on January 7, 2011, to do an organisational review and redesign of the Sport Company.

That exercise cost $1.06 million.

As a result of this exercise and the dismissal of employees, the company faced several lawsuits from these persons.

Settlements from nine cases cost the State in excess of $2.5 million, with legal representation for one of these cases costing $137,000.

The PAEC also found the company was operating with an unapproved 2012 to 2016 plan; there was a lack of sports registered; was ill-equipped to manage projects under its purview and lacked a strategic approach to sport development.

This according to the NGC which issued a statement on recent discussions over construction of the Methanol and Dimethyl Ether plant at Union Industrial Estate. The plant will cost $1 billion to construct and completion is expected in the fourth quarter of 2018.

On April 11, NGC Group Chairman Gerry Brooks accompanied by NGC President Mark Loquan and VP Finance, Narinejit Pariag, met with senior representatives of Mitsubishi Gas Holdings, Massy Holdings Limited and JBIC to discuss the complex. Also in attendance at the meeting in Port-of-Spain were CEO of Massy Holdings Limited Gervase Warner and Executive Chairman of Massy’s Energy and Industrial Gases Business Unit, Eugene Tiah.

The NGC release said discussions centred around several matters including the progress of the plant with Mitsubishi officials and Brooks assuring representatives of the JBIC, that CGCL had made excellent progress to date.

“Mitsubishi engineers also intend using the dry season to advance construction to ensure critical deadlines are met. CGCL’s role in Trinidad is integral given that it currently employs approximately 500 persons, many of whom are drawn from the community of La Brea.

Additional employees will be recruited over the next phase of the project,” NGC stated.

Brooks also updated JBIC on a number of initiatives to improve the short to medium term gas supply, including Trinidad Region Onshore Compression project (TROC) in the third quarter of 2017 and Juniper, scheduled for the third quarter of 2017.

Citing the recent successful negotiations for gas supply with bpTT and the Angelin Project, NGC said Brooks “underscored the future potential of other game-changing initiatives such as gas from the Dragon field, currently progressing apace with PDVSA and Shell; exploration of over 150 small and marginal fields; future possibilities of supply from the Rio Caribe and Soldado fields and unconventional sources that would provide resolution in the medium to long term.” According to Nakaba Aoyagi, Director, Project Executive Advisor, CGCL, the JBIC contingent, “had a positive impression on NGC’s future gas supply plan” and were reassured that NGC and GORTT were committed to resolving the supply/ demand balance by greater coordination and collaboration with the players in the value chain.

Caribbean Gas Chemical Limited (CGCL) is a joint venture consortium comprising NGC, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Incorporated, Mitsubishi Corporation and local conglomerate Massy Holdings Limited. JBIC is the main lender for the billion-dollar CGCL project.

Newsday understands Dick will celebrate his 60th birthday on May 10 but will proceed on his retirement nine days earlier.

DCP Dick is currently in charge of crime in the police service and recently was in charge of the investigation into the execution of senior state attorney, Dana Seetahal.

During that inquiry, Dick proceeded on leave and returned to the service last year.

Contacted yesterday, Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams confirmed that Dick will be retiring in May. He said he did not wish to comment further on the contributions made by Dick, but promised to do so closer to the retirement date. However, he noted, “DCP Dick still has a lot of work to do.” Colleagues yesterday however, described the DCP as a knowledgeable officer and added that he had vast experience, having worked in the Homicide Bureau and other arms of the police service including the Police Mounted and K-9 Branch.

Efforts to reach DCP Dick on his retirement proved futile.