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00:00:00the studio is playing a lot of
00:00:17the studio is playing a lot of
00:00:17the studio is playing a lot of music this morning. You know,
00:00:18music this morning. You know,
00:00:18music this morning. You know, you're here. Raise it up a
00:00:19you're here. Raise it up a
00:00:19you're here. Raise it up a little bit again in the studio.
00:00:21little bit again in the studio.
00:00:21little bit again in the studio. Let's go.
00:00:25Alright. All of that this
00:00:26Alright. All of that this
00:00:27Alright. All of that this Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:29Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:29Thursday morning, July 25th. Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:30Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:30Thursday morning, July 25th. Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:30Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:30Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:30Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:30Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:30Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:30Thursday morning, July 25th.
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00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Thursday morning, July 25th.
00:00:31Welcome to the morning edition.
00:00:33Yeah, I hope that you had a good night.
00:00:35Did it rain last night?
00:00:36You all got some showers last night?
00:00:38No?
00:00:39All right, okay.
00:00:40Well, I know that the Met Office had said
00:00:42that over the next few days,
00:00:43we are going to be getting some showers, all right?
00:00:45So be careful on the roads out there, yeah?
00:00:48So here now, this thing about dengue.
00:00:51Dengue is causing me some anxiety.
00:00:53You know, I don't know about you,
00:00:55but I've started buying these liquids.
00:00:58I can't tell you the brand,
00:00:59but you know what I'm talking about?
00:01:00And creams and rubbing myself down
00:01:02because I don't want a mosquito bite me.
00:01:05I've gotten dengue twice in the past.
00:01:08So I don't want it again, all right?
00:01:10Because it could be deadly sometimes,
00:01:14as we are seeing, all right?
00:01:15So take every precaution out there to protect everyone,
00:01:20including the young people, the babies, the toddlers,
00:01:24the very young ones,
00:01:25and also the elderly people that you have in your homes,
00:01:29your elderly relatives, all right?
00:01:31And try to keep the house locked.
00:01:33I know you always want breeze
00:01:34because you're always feeling hot, right?
00:01:37But be careful, be careful in these times.
00:01:41Keep your houses locked, all right?
00:01:44Let's check out to see what's happening
00:01:45on the front page of the Daily Express today.
00:01:47Deadly dengue disease claims fifth victim.
00:01:51Cases rise from 57 in 2023 to 450 in 2024.
00:01:57Ministry reports, as I said,
00:01:58fifth dengue death lab confirmed cases at 450 infections.
00:02:02A decade after it last peaked in the thousands
00:02:04before dropping to 57 cases in 2023 and no deaths.
00:02:08The endemic dengue disease has returned
00:02:11to bite Trinidad and Tobago
00:02:13with a fifth fatality for 2024 and rising infections.
00:02:18The Ministry of Health yesterday confirmed
00:02:20the fifth dengue death with laboratory confirmed cases
00:02:23at 450 infections.
00:02:27Trinidad and Tobago has since, has since 1981,
00:02:31recorded 63,174 cases of dengue with infections
00:02:37mostly peaking every 10 years.
00:02:41Keep your surroundings very, very clean also, all right?
00:02:44So Moti ready to return.
00:02:46Injury forces Seema Lewis out of contention.
00:02:51Having tasted some success the last time he played,
00:02:54West Indies spinner Gudakesh Moti
00:02:56is eagerly anticipating the final test
00:02:58of the three-match series against England
00:03:00starting tomorrow at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
00:03:04Moti is fully recovered after a bout of flu
00:03:06kept him out of the second test
00:03:08played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham
00:03:10and is once again available for selection.
00:03:13He was replaced by off spinner Kevin Sinclair
00:03:16who took three wickets in the match.
00:03:18All right, so some sport there.
00:03:20Cricket, we know you like cricket, all right?
00:03:22So it's time to remind you about Trinbago,
00:03:24your nice feature.
00:03:25Remember to participate.
00:03:26You can email your videos and images to that address.
00:03:30Seeing it there?
00:03:32Yeah, so make a note of it.
00:03:34What do we have for our viewers this morning?
00:03:37Yeah, beautiful picture there from Anjali.
00:03:40Does it have some, I'm seeing some sprinkles on it.
00:03:44Yeah, yeah, morning dew, it could be morning dew.
00:03:48Actually, we'll call that morning dew, yeah?
00:03:50Morning dew, all right?
00:03:52So take that in, all right?
00:03:55So you have your coffee, your tea, get something to eat.
00:03:58We are coming back.
00:03:59We are going to be discussing the Dengue situation.
00:04:02♪ Baby, take that Catayas, honey ♪
00:04:05♪ Tap that Catayas, baby ♪
00:04:07♪ Swing the wheeze off the tension, Catayas, baby ♪
00:04:11♪ Push back Catayas, honey ♪
00:04:18What's up, you guys?
00:04:21I am Rem.
00:04:22And I'm Tina
00:04:30And this is Mia.
00:04:39What's up, you guys? I'm Ren. And I'm Kim. Welcome to Conversations with Ren and Kim.
00:04:51On our show, we dive deep into the stories that matter. From inspiring individuals making
00:04:56a difference to experts sharing their insights on the latest trends and topics. We're here
00:05:01to spark conversations that challenge, inspire, and entertain. Whether it's about art, culture,
00:05:08technology, or everyday life, we've got you covered. So join us every Saturday for Conversations
00:05:13and Unforgettable Moments. See you there.
00:05:17Morning.
00:05:18Morning.
00:05:19Listen, I just noticed something out. There are many people at the barbeque already.
00:05:24What is that?
00:05:25Girl, the man is passing up and down in front of here with a set of women.
00:05:30I really noticed some women living there, you know. And they can't even say as much
00:05:33as good morning.
00:05:34Well, listen, I wonder if it's human trafficking. You think it's that?
00:05:39So how can you spot and identify perpetrators and victims of trafficking? Many victims are
00:05:45found living and working together in the same place and sleep in shared and inappropriate
00:05:50spaces. Victims work excessively long hours. They often sleep in the daytime and work long
00:05:55nights. They are often escorted everywhere they go and may appear to be malnourished.
00:06:01They may show signs of physical abuse, drug, and alcohol use, and may also appear withdrawn,
00:06:07fearful, or intimidated. Victims who are migrants are often not in possession of their identity or
00:06:12immigration documents and have irregular immigration status. Perpetrators can be male
00:06:18or female and may appear to be managing or controlling the victims. And they may even
00:06:23at times appear to be the victim's best friend, boyfriend, or employer.
00:06:29We are the counter-trafficking unit of the Ministry of National Security Trinidad and
00:06:34Tobago, safeguarding human life.
00:06:45Um, I, I could, I rather, I try to be invisible when they're with you, but they see me.
00:06:53They always see me. Oh, how about my parents? They're doing great. Everybody's well. I have
00:06:59bruises and marks that I have to make up stories about when people ask. What they say? I fall off
00:07:06my bike. You know how it is? They beat me up and I'm tired of lying. Once, just once, I want to
00:07:13say, no, I'm not fine. Please, someone, just help me.
00:07:31Children have rights.
00:07:43So,
00:08:01baby,
00:08:14with the devils.
00:08:38All right. So, welcome back, everyone. Thank you very much for coming back.
00:08:41Um, so, I failed to, uh, speak about the Manzanilla Road. So, according to reports,
00:08:48the Manzanilla Road is ready. All right. So, first phase of repairs, first phaser
00:08:54of repairs to Manzanilla-Mayaro Road completed, CNN, up to international standard. Repairs to
00:08:59the Manzanilla-Mayaro Road were completed yesterday after parts of the road collapsed
00:09:04on November 23rd, 2022. You remember that? Because of heavy flooding. So, the Minister
00:09:09of Works and Transport, Rohan Sinanan, said the road, which took approximately one year to
00:09:13complete, was constructed to prevent any future collapse. He toured the new Manzanilla-Mayaro
00:09:20Road, which he said was the first phase of its reconstruction and cost $63 million. All right.
00:09:27So, what we can do right now, as I promised you, we are going to be speaking about the
00:09:31dengue situation this morning. With the fifth dengue death recorded and infections rising,
00:09:37residents in Siparia are growing concerned. Siparia Mayor Dunaf Meru joins us now to speak
00:09:42about the situation. Good morning, Mayor. Morning, morning, Marlon. Morning. Mayor,
00:09:48it's always good to speak with you. What's the situation concerning dengue for your burgesses
00:09:53in Siparia? Well, Marlon, we are seeing dengue cases throughout the region, and we know it's
00:10:04a growing concern for the burgesses and those who reside within the Siparia region. And not only in
00:10:10Siparia, we have the same situation in other corporations where they are affected by this
00:10:16dengue virus. We have been doing all we can at Siparia Corporation to deal with the situation.
00:10:25As you've been made aware, the Infect Vector Control Department
00:10:30has been down for a long time. And based on our calls for that unit to be up and running,
00:10:40last Friday, there was a meeting between the Ministry of Health, Regional Corporation,
00:10:48and all those units. It is my understanding from information received out of that meeting
00:10:54that the unit will become mobile as of Monday coming. They were down because they did not have
00:11:01a vehicle to move around. I understand that a vehicle will be made available tomorrow
00:11:07for the Infect Vector Control Department at Siparia, and they will be mobile from Monday
00:11:13to deal with the issue of spraying and taking the necessary measures to get rid of the Aedes
00:11:19mosquito. So Mayor, have you seen an uptick? Has there been an uptick in Siparia?
00:11:26Well, we are seeing on a daily basis, we are seeing cases and we are getting reports of
00:11:31increased cases throughout the region. Those are confirmed cases. Last week when I spoke to the
00:11:37media, we had over 300 cases, reported cases, confirmed and unconfirmed cases throughout the
00:11:47region. Only this week I had a report of a case right in my village here and one next to my
00:11:54village on the other side on the St. John's Trail side. And we are having numerous calls throughout
00:11:59the region and invasion of this mosquito have taken place in the Siparia region and we don't
00:12:05know for what reason, but what our understanding is that no spraying activities took place during
00:12:11the dry season to eradicate this mosquito. So just prior to the rainy season, as soon as the
00:12:18first rain came, we start seeing a rise in these dengue cases throughout the southern part of
00:12:24Trinidad. But Mayor, what is contributing to this uptick in dengue cases in Siparia? Is it that
00:12:32there are clogged drains in the area, there are high bushes in the area that have not been attended
00:12:38to, have not been cut? What's the situation? Well, Marlon, for my information that I've received from
00:12:44the Public Health Department is that these mosquitoes do not reside in water courses that
00:12:51drains and ponds and so on. They reside in clean water. These mosquitoes look for clean water. So
00:12:59it's like your water tank and utensils around your house that collect this clean water. They
00:13:05reside in that water. So it's not a case of these mosquitoes living in the drain or in any area in
00:13:12the lagoon area and so on. They more reside in the clean water and this, we have been trying to
00:13:21raise the awareness of the burgesses throughout the region to take some form of personal responsibility
00:13:29with respect to ensuring that around your surroundings does not have any utensils or
00:13:34any containers and so on to collect this water when rain falls and make sure that your water
00:13:39tanks and your barrels and so on are properly secured and covered. And have your burgesses
00:13:45been embracing this message? Well, you know, you will have some who will embrace the
00:13:53message, who will take this issue seriously, the dengue issue, and there are those who will just
00:14:00let that go by and when they are affected they will call the authorities and ask for spraying
00:14:04and so on. And while we talk about spraying, too, we have been looking at the impact the spray itself
00:14:10has on the environment throughout the region. And according to what the minister said, there is an
00:14:18issue with respect to the spray that has been used not only kills the Aedes aegypti, but it has an
00:14:28effect on the ecosystem with the birds, the fishes, the other mosquitoes. You know, there's
00:14:32a particular mosquito that devours the Aedes aegypti mosquito and when you over spray, there's
00:14:39an overkill and then you cause damage to the ecosystem by to the birds, the fishes, the other
00:14:45mosquitoes and so on and other species. Yeah, well, up to yesterday and the Minister of Health was
00:14:52really repeating his message. He recalled that the population was also advised that the indiscriminate
00:14:58use of these chemicals can result in the development of insecticide resistance within
00:15:03the mosquito population and may have an adverse impact on non-target organisms such as, as what
00:15:10you're saying, butterflies and other pollinators, candleflies and other insects. But Mayor, what has
00:15:17been the response, let's say, of the Ministry of Health, local government? Well, we at the local
00:15:25government level have been doing what we are supposed to do more than six weeks now. We have
00:15:30started an aggressive spraying throughout the region. We don't have a big unit. We have one
00:15:36ULV machine and three handheld machines that we go around with and it is utmost difficult to treat
00:15:43with the entire region of all the cases on a timely manner because I don't know if people
00:15:47understand that spraying exercise is not really the responsibility of the borough and regional
00:15:54corporation. Spraying exercise is usually the business of the Ministry of Health with the
00:15:59insect sector control department. But we really put that team in place to augment and assist
00:16:06when the insect sector control department falls short. So we have been receiving these reports
00:16:14and I think the population doesn't understand our role in this whole issue. The responsibility, as I
00:16:20say, really falls under the Ministry of Health in this matter. And as I said, the department
00:16:28at Siparia has been down for a very long time because they were not in possession of a vehicle
00:16:33to move around and based on that meeting last week they would have had where they came out of
00:16:37that meeting. The minister made arrangements to make available a vehicle as of tomorrow.
00:16:45So it is my understanding when I spoke with my public health officials at the borough yesterday,
00:16:50they told me that that unit will become mobile from Monday and we really appreciate that because
00:16:55they have a number of machines that they can use and do a larger area on a day than we can
00:17:03at the borough because of the limited supply of equipment and the chemical that is being used.
00:17:12But you know, Mayor, how do these things happen at regional corporations? And I'm speaking about
00:17:20island-wide because I suspect that when it comes to Siparia, you are talking about maybe
00:17:28thousands of burgesses in that area and a very wide area and you're telling us this morning
00:17:36that the insect vector control department, it has been down and it just doesn't have a vehicle
00:17:44and I'm sure it maybe doesn't have other resources. So how do these things happen?
00:17:52I actually tell myself and I think that what has happened is that they take it for granted
00:17:57that these things will not occur and with the rise in dengue cases, I think it took the
00:18:03ministry by surprise because they were not anticipating that this would have happened
00:18:08this year and they didn't make the necessary arrangements and they did not make the vehicle
00:18:14available. I understand that they have the chemicals, they have the machines, but they were
00:18:18not in possession of a vehicle. We had arranged to assist them on the 21st of June. I met with my
00:18:25public health officials and we had arranged to assist them by lending them a vehicle from the
00:18:31corporation or assist them in having one repaired and become mobile for use so that they can put
00:18:37their units on the road, but for some reason that was refused and they did not grasp that
00:18:44opportunity by the borough corporation to assist them to become mobile. Yeah. Mayor, if you'd allow
00:18:50me to move on to another issue that I'm sure that your corporation has to deal with because we are
00:18:58in the middle of the rainy season. How has your corporation been dealing with
00:19:06incidents of flooding and so on in your area? Well, thank God, Marlon, for this year so far
00:19:16we have not had any major floods. I know last week, midweek last week, I know the Pinaldebi
00:19:23area and other areas were affected by some serious flooding by some showers that occurred
00:19:28at on, I think it was Wednesday night or so. We were spared in the Siparia borough that we
00:19:34haven't had any major flooding so far, but as you know, flooding has become a national issue
00:19:41throughout the country, not only in Siparia, and only two nights ago at a budget consultation, I
00:19:47made the point that government has not paid any particular attention to flooding, not only in
00:19:52Siparia, but throughout the country. We see what happens in Port of Spain as soon as there is a
00:19:57little drizzle and we see what has been happening throughout the country in low-lying areas and
00:20:02areas that never flooded before is getting, is becoming flooded now with one shower of rainfall
00:20:09and I think the government need to put a plan in place to deal with this flooding issue seriously
00:20:16because with the effect of climate change and the weather pattern and so on, we are going to
00:20:22see more and more rainfall and increased flooding in the areas that continues to flood. The Ministry
00:20:29of Works and Transport have not really done much in the Siparia area with respect to clearing of
00:20:37their water courses. We were made available one excavator from the Ministry of Rural Development
00:20:43that they recently purchased and we have one excavator at the Siparia borough corporation.
00:20:49That is not enough to take care of the water courses that runs throughout the Siparia borough
00:20:55corporation and we have made several pleas to the minister with respect to having those water
00:21:01courses cleared so that we could alleviate the flooding. Not only are they declaring the water
00:21:06courses, but we have some of our water courses that have become very shallow and which need
00:21:12dredging. The new cut channel needs proper dredging. The volume of water that that new cut
00:21:18channel in Pluck Road takes into the Gulf of Paria is amazing. That water comes from all the way
00:21:24Moruga, Barakpo, Santa Flora, all those areas, drains and comes down into the Pluck Road area
00:21:30and we need to have those rivers and the water courses dredged. As we speak, I know the Salt
00:21:36River group that deals with flooding in that area, the non-NGO, has been making pleas with the
00:21:43Ministry of Works where the embankment of the new cut channel has been compromised and you
00:21:50will recall last year sometime, Heritage Oil Company had done some work in that area. They
00:21:57used the riverbank to access their fields and an enormous amount of damage was done to the riverbank
00:22:05compromising the riverbank. They came in during the rainy season last year and did some work
00:22:11and that riverbank broke when the first rain came. Last night I saw a video where Mr Edward Moody
00:22:17was complaining and showing some cracks on the riverbank where the riverbank is already
00:22:22showing wear and tear and ready to give away at the next high level of water. I am calling on the
00:22:28Minister of Works and Transport to ensure that a team comes down there to the Pluck Road area
00:22:33and check that because the vast amount of water that comes through that area when it's flooded
00:22:38Marlins, almost three and four feet of water down in that area there and we are asking the
00:22:43Minister to pay some particular attention to the water courses in that area. We are asking that the
00:22:49floodgate down in Woodland, that those gates are properly manned and ensure that those gates
00:22:54are functioning properly so when there is low tide those gates will open and allow the water
00:23:00to flow into the Gulf of Paria. But Marlon, while we are on this flooding issue, we have another
00:23:06challenge in my electoral district just about half a mile from where I reside here. A bridge
00:23:12that collapsed two weeks ago in St John Branch Street in Avocat. That bridge collapsed two
00:23:20Wednesdays ago. We have been making calls, myself and the Member of Parliament of Hyderabad,
00:23:26Mr Dr Lakram Buru have been making calls to the Minister. Since 2016-2017,
00:23:33Minister Sinanan visited that area in 2017 and looked at that bridge. That bridge collapsed
00:23:42into the Gulf of Paria. Not only the residents in that area, about 30 persons are marooned in
00:23:50their homes and cannot get out of their homes. They are locked in, their vehicles are inside
00:23:56and cannot get out of there. Most people are unable to go to work. What they are doing now,
00:24:01they are using a boat to cross the river where the Siparia Corporation have constructed a walkway
00:24:10to come out of the embankment of the river. And it is two weeks now, and neither Minister of Works
00:24:16and Transport, nor Minister Faris Al Rawi have indicated that any assistance will be
00:24:21forthcoming with respect to the bridge in the area. Well, yesterday, Mayor, the Minister was
00:24:29interviewed, was questioned about that, and he said that his ministry stands ready to render
00:24:34technical assistance in the matter of the collapsed bridge in Faisalabad.
00:24:38of the collapsed bridge in Faisalabad that you're speaking about. He said the collapsed bridge,
00:24:43that bridge doesn't fall under the Ministry of Works and Transport, but local government
00:24:48is saying that it is on private land. We don't have jurisdiction over the bridge,
00:24:54but we have made it clear that we are willing to give any technical assistance that is required,
00:24:59but it comes through a channel. It comes through the ministry of local government.
00:25:04So, Marlon, I want to ask the question this morning. The river that runs under that bridge
00:25:11that the Ministry of Works and Transport usually descends and clears goes to the sluice gate.
00:25:19If the river is maintained by the Ministry of Works and Transport,
00:25:24how come the embankment of that bridge is private property?
00:25:28The river falls under the Ministry of Works. They undertake work on that river from time to time,
00:25:33desilting and clearing and cleaning. So, to say that that bridge is on private property
00:25:38is an excuse by Minister Rohan Senanan, and I'm really disappointed that we make the excuse.
00:25:44Now, that bridge was constructed some years ago by an oil company, many, many years ago. I think it
00:25:51Many, many years ago. I think it started with the PCO, then went to Primara. Today, it has changed
00:25:57to Touchstone Limited. Touchstone was in touch with me about two years ago indicating that they
00:26:03want to reconstruct that bridge. Now, it is my understanding that there's a number of capped oil
00:26:08wells at the back there. So, it would have meant that they would have drilled wells at the back
00:26:14of that bridge going into that area because the company own lands in that area. Then the resources
00:26:21of that, those oil wells, the oil from there would have come out of there. Wouldn't the government
00:26:26would have benefited financially when those wells were in production? Wouldn't it have meant that
00:26:32they would have taken the oil from there and the government would have benefited financially in a
00:26:37way? And now, because the bridge has collapsed, you are saying that it is on private property.
00:26:42That is an excuse by Minister Rohan Senanan to wash his hands from that. We have 30 persons who
00:26:48are locked in in a community and can't get out. If there's a disaster in the back there
00:26:53for some reason and those persons have to get out of that area, that will be doomsday for them.
00:27:01And I don't want the Minister of Local Government or the Minister of Work understand the severity
00:27:07of what is happening in that area there. So, he says again, the government cannot just go
00:27:12on private land and build a bridge because there are liabilities. You have to get permission. So,
00:27:17there are certain things that I know the Minister of Local Government is working on.
00:27:21It is not a bridge that collapsed on a government road. So, that is really the challenge.
00:27:28Marlon, I have documentary evidence where a bridge collapsed somewhere down in the Irian
00:27:34area going down to point 40. That bridge was on private property as well. And because that was
00:27:42a PNM constituency, you know many times a Bailey Bridge when the Sephora Borough Corporation
00:27:47assisted the Ministry in putting down that Bailey Bridge in that area. And I asked the question this
00:27:52morning, I mean, where I sit, I am a politician. Had this been a PNM constituency, would they have
00:28:00given the same excuses this morning indicating that that is private property and so on? The
00:28:05government owe it to the population. They are persons who are taxpayers in this country as well.
00:28:11They pay their taxes. They pay their VAT when they purchase anything. They are entitled to
00:28:17services from the government. And if there is a crisis in an area, the Ministry has to find a way
00:28:23to deal with it expeditiously as possible because these people are locked in in a small area there.
00:28:30There are seven homes and over 30. When school opens in, are we going to sit by and allow that
00:28:36to continue? And when school opens in September, children who reside in the back, they cannot get
00:28:41out of there to come to school. Recently, there were about three or four persons crossing that
00:28:46river with a boat and the boat capsized and they all fell into the river. When rainfall and if
00:28:51there is flooding, the pressure of that water coming down the river to go down to the sluice
00:28:55gate to enter into the Gulf of Paria will be so high that the boat will be unable to cross that
00:29:01river. So, I'm appealing to Minister Subsinanan. I wrote Faris al-Rawi on Monday indicating the
00:29:07plight of those persons. The Minister and the Member of Parliament for Faizabad also wrote
00:29:13the Minister on Friday again that is about the third letter indicating what is happening there.
00:29:18And if some assistance has to come, all we are asking, please expedite it so that we can bring
00:29:23relief to the people because it's not something like a piece of plank you could take and just
00:29:27rest on the riverbank. It takes time to remove that bridge that has fallen into the river.
00:29:32It will take some time. It's a heavy, heavy, lengthy bridge. The bridge is over almost 60 feet in length
00:29:38and that concrete and that ironwork that fell into that river will take some time for them
00:29:44to remove it from the river itself. And we are asking them, please put a baili bridge so by the
00:29:50end of the vacation, the children will have access to come out of there to attend school.
00:29:56Mayor, is there, as it relates to that, is there one way in and one way out or are there
00:30:02other avenues by which people can can get in and out of the community?
00:30:08There is no other access in the community to get in and out of there, Marlon. That was the only access
00:30:13for people to get in and out of their homes there. As we speak now, they are using a boat
00:30:19to cross the river and come out. There was a heart patient. The day the bridge collapsed,
00:30:23had to get out of there to go to the doctor and she couldn't. They had to bring her out with a
00:30:28boat on the same day and now she's staying at her daughter's place out of her own home. She cannot
00:30:34go back home. Her husband and other children are at home and she's staying out of her home because
00:30:40the access in and out is a problem for her. So I am appealing to both ministers this morning,
00:30:45please. And you know, it is disheartening to know that something of this nature has happened
00:30:50and neither minister has seen it yet to see what is really happening in that area. Marlon, I made
00:30:58a point yesterday on another media that if we cannot get the assistance of this government,
00:31:03I will sit down and have a discussion with the member of parliament and maybe we will have to
00:31:08look at some international agency who will come in and assist us in getting assistance for those
00:31:13people there. If we have to embarrass the government to go foreign to look for foreign
00:31:17assistance and plead to get assistance for those persons, we are prepared to do that.
00:31:23Mayor, it's always a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you very much this morning.
00:31:28I'm thankful for the opportunity. Thank you very much. Bye for now, Mayor. All right, so it's time
00:31:32for a very quick break, but first check this out. We do have this image for you from a viewer in
00:31:37We're coming back, everybody.
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00:32:53Guardian Media Limited. I've definitely seen a difference in my knees, the stiffness in my hips
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00:33:15The world is in crisis. Distressing news are flowing from every quarter in the society and
00:33:23the hearts of many are failing them for fair. However, in the midst of these alarming conditions
00:33:30come good news. Jesus Christ saves, keeps and satisfies. This is the message of Daybreak.
00:33:50Fellas, things in Toronto and Tobago you know can be frustrating and we have the right as human
00:33:56males, as males, to be angry sometimes, to be frustrated sometimes, to be jealous. It's all
00:34:02natural, it's all normal. But what we don't have the right to do is to be abusive towards our
00:34:07partners. We have daughters, we have mothers, we have female friends. We wouldn't want abuse to
00:34:16be a part of their lives. So why make it a part of our lives?
00:34:22All right, so welcome back everyone. So Tobago fisher folk affected by the oil spill remain
00:34:49concerned that they may not receive any compensation from the Tobago House of Assembly.
00:34:54On the line now is president of the All Tobago Fisher Folk Association, Mr. Curtis Douglas. Mr.
00:35:00Douglas, thank you very much for joining us this morning. Good morning Marlon. Good morning to your
00:35:07entire team. Good morning to the entire Caribbean and the world. Yes. Mr. Douglas, what's the
00:35:14situation with you all? Well basically Marlon, even in the opening when you said we haven't
00:35:22received any compensation from the THA. This incident with the hydrocarbon is not really the
00:35:30Tobago THA fault. The fault really lies in the ombuds of the central government. Because as we
00:35:39speak, the central government is who's spearheading this entire task of cleaning up, investigation,
00:35:48and also to be able to give the people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago the facts finding
00:35:54evidence that will explain where this hydrocarbon come from, where this boat come from, and who is
00:36:01responsible. So it is really the responsibility of the government of Trinidad and Tobago. So when
00:36:07we say THA cannot, did not pay us. Number one, THA don't, doesn't even have a budget allocation
00:36:15for such atrocity that we see had taken place over the last six months. So it's really, it really
00:36:22falls and the responsibility is in line with the government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
00:36:28and the ministers or more so the minister who is in, who have the sole responsible for energy. And
00:36:35since six months, no government minister as such have, have really came out and had a conversation
00:36:45with the fisher folk, with ATFA, to say, well, hey, we are the central government and this is what
00:36:52is required. This is what needs to be done. Right? Because remember, all of this take place,
00:37:00and we are not the one that's responsible for this. We are not responsible. And so far,
00:37:06there is no information had passed on to us that we, that is workable for, I'm not even saying
00:37:13Tobago, for Trinidad and Tobago. Right? So when we talk about relief, when I see things happening
00:37:21in the Gulf of Para a couple years ago, immediately, immediately the government of Trinidad and Tobago
00:37:28would have assisted the fishermen at least, at least with some temporary relief immediately.
00:37:34But no, we are in Tobago. So here what? We're leaving behind God back. Right? So nothing has
00:37:41been done of substance for us. But you know, Mr. Douglas, Mr. Douglas, you have been speaking about
00:37:48this situation for the past few weeks. So is it that, and you have been all across the media
00:37:54speaking about it. So at no time over the past few weeks, or even up to yesterday, has,
00:38:03has anyone been in contact with you? Whether it is the central government, whether it is the THA,
00:38:09whether it is the Ministry of Energy? Well, the Ministry of Energy hasn't been contact me.
00:38:17No, the THA hasn't contacted me as yet. Right? None of the parties has contacted me. But I know
00:38:26we were supposed to have, was trying to have a meeting with the chief secretary, which he was
00:38:31committed to. And so at least that is a step in the right direction. But in terms of communication,
00:38:39because it seems to have a, it seems to me as it have like some form of communication
00:38:48between the government and the, the, the citizens of, of Trinidad and Tobago, more so Tobago.
00:38:56Because I mean, we all are, are national and we all are citizens. So I mean, communication
00:39:01shouldn't be hard. Shouldn't be hard. But it seemed to pull. Yeah. Watch out. So I'm seeing
00:39:09a report here where the finance secretary Petalanne Roberts has said that $50 million
00:39:16allocated for Tobago's oil spill cleanup efforts has not been received
00:39:21from the central government. So Mr. Douglas, what is the next step by your association?
00:39:27All right. So I don't know what way did you get that information, but I would have made a press
00:39:33briefing last week, Wednesday, and out of the coming out of the press briefing, I was arguing
00:39:39that nothing was done for the fisher folks and we need our money, but I don't know if no money
00:39:46has come to the fisher folk. I have no evidence of any money coming to, or for the fisher folk
00:39:54or for the displacement of the fishing industry in Tobago. Because Marlon, I want the listeners
00:40:00to understand the fishing community in Tobago is a big community, right? And we depend heavily
00:40:09on that for, to maintain and to mine our families. Now, Tobago economy or GDP based basically on
00:40:19tourism, fishing, and agriculture, right? And the fishing industry is one of the biggest industry
00:40:26on the island, right? So we were gravely affected by this. Now, it will be nice and respectful
00:40:36if some form of allocation could be had for the displacements of these fisher folks.
00:40:43Okay? Now, I am, I am, I am charged with the responsibility and also the legal responsibility
00:40:50to represent all Tobago fisher folk on this island, right? And hence the reason why when
00:40:58the fishermen and them is crying on my back and said, listen, I appoint you to do certain things
00:41:02to do it. So there's a reason why I have to represent the fisher folks. I am not here,
00:41:07Marlon, I'm making it very clear. I'm not here based on any political party, any political
00:41:12team, because what I see is happening in Trinidad and Tobago, everything that take place in this
00:41:17island is political. Some kind of political, I am not against the PNN, I'm not against TPT,
00:41:24I'm not against PDP, I'm not against UNC. The only concern we have is what is citizen of Trinidad
00:41:30and Tobago and more so the fisher folk and the fishing industry. And might I add to the populace
00:41:39that in case they don't know, the Trinidad and Tobago fishing industry is a multi-billion
00:41:46dollar industry. Hence, hence you find we have Bajans coming to our waters to catch offline
00:41:52fish because they know the wealth of what we possess in the government, in the Republic of
00:41:57Trinidad and Tobago. So my conclusion is that the fisher folk must be compensated,
00:42:03must be, must some form of relief, must be given to the fisher folk. What is the state,
00:42:11what is the state of the industry now as we speak following the oil spill in Tobago?
00:42:19Well Marlon, the state is basically, what would have happened, remember the the Ministry of Energy
00:42:25would have set, put a 500 meter perimeter so you cannot fish there. So just in there,
00:42:32so even the juvenile fish where it's close to the mangrove. Now this boat that we are talking about
00:42:38is still, is still cast in the floors, in the bosom of a reef, right? So that perimeter
00:42:48is still at large until it has been declared non-effective by the Ministry, it is still there.
00:42:54So the juvenile fish that was there were dying, so that means the fisher folk cannot go there to
00:42:59catch the bait, which is considered bait. And without the bait you cannot catch a bigger fish.
00:43:04You know in Sesame Street they teach you, you know, small fish feed on the weeds and,
00:43:08and, and the big fish feed on the small fish. That is what we are talking about. So the juvenile
00:43:13fish, we are unable to apprehend the juvenile fish to go out or to even go on the ground because we
00:43:18cannot go on the ground anymore, so we have to go further. So now we have to go 40 and 30 miles,
00:43:23right, to ensure, to ensure we have a yield. So in, in essence you will now have to spend more in gas
00:43:31and time. So when it takes you four, four hours to catch a 300 pounds of fish, now it taking you
00:43:37something like about 12 hours to catch that because in traveling it take about two hours
00:43:42and then to fish and then to come back because you're going longer now. So it, it have a whole
00:43:48effect. Remember, it's not the fisher folk alone, um, will be affected. It have the people who
00:43:54depend on the fishermen that coming in from sea. So the diasporas will come down. The vendors will
00:44:00be affected, right? So they now will be unable now to even have that turn over to, to feed and
00:44:08to maintain their business. And they have people who they used to be selling even on the side of
00:44:13the roads of Lambo who making a pie. So when the fishermen come in, because we are no stove out there,
00:44:18right? To buy something, somebody come in, they buy and eat, right? So all these people have a
00:44:23ripple effect on how it affected the economy, economy of Tobago, also the food industry in
00:44:31Tobago. So it's a ripple effect. So it, and not only that, to even push the envelope further,
00:44:37what they did not take into consideration or know or really find out the true heart,
00:44:41what is going on? Fishermen engine were damaged due to the oil spill because these same fishermen
00:44:49that are what we are talking about are the same fishermen who were the first responders to
00:44:56alleviate the direction of the hydrocarbon so that it doesn't infect or influx the entire Scarborough
00:45:05port so that we could be able to get all goods and services coming from Trinidad.
00:45:11But is there, is there, is there normalcy returning at all? Because we did speak about
00:45:17not only the fisher folk, we spoke about the vendors and I'm sure I remember speaking to
00:45:22someone who had owned, I believe, I believe a bar in the area or some sort of business
00:45:27has, is business returning to, to normal in that area affected? Well, I must say they would have
00:45:35done a tremendous job, right? It was a collaborative effort, I must say, between
00:45:41TEMA, the THA and the ODPM. I think they came up and they would have, they would have collaborated,
00:45:50would have shown unity and did a fantastic job in cleanup. I mean, we still have some pockets
00:45:56of oil still is leaking from the vessel and stuff like that, but that I believe in itself could be
00:46:02managed quite easily. But yes, there is a level of normalcy. Fishermen has now, vendors have now
00:46:09came back because they were removed from their normal base where they, where they apply their,
00:46:15their, their, their, their trade or their living and taken to another place. So now they have moved
00:46:20back into that vicinity, into that area and they are now being able to apply their trade to also
00:46:26now meet them living sustainable. No, it would be very, it was very hard because they would have
00:46:32lost, they would have, they would have lost a, a great deal, right? Because the road was shut off,
00:46:39the fish was there, nobody was coming there to buy because they're afraid of the infection
00:46:43and, and, and all of that. But there's a level of normalcy. And Marlon, as, as I'm saying to you,
00:46:48it's quite safe and serene to come to Tobago when you have time and your team to bathe in
00:46:54Pigeon Point, to even have a bath in Lambo and to go to the beach we are here still and
00:47:00you could even do a little snorkeling in certain areas. So, so yeah, we still are the best,
00:47:07bestest little republic in the, in the world. Mr. Douglas, you're a good ambassador for the
00:47:12fisher folk and for Tobago, I must tell you that. But what's the next step by your association?
00:47:19Well, our association is really, once we have that message, that information out,
00:47:24because we have, we would have seen where the THA have an under the, the fisheries department
00:47:31sustainable fisheries department of Tobago. I think, what is the name? The division of food,
00:47:41food security and natural resources and environment as sustainable development that is,
00:47:48it is based at Chauvin administrative complex at Millshaw, corn of Millshaw and Chauvin Road,
00:47:54Tobago. They would have started, they would have committed whereby the, along with the THA for a
00:48:02committee, a committee for Tobago, what is called OSRC, which is a group of people,
00:48:11of professionals that will be able now to have a, a visit of the losses
00:48:19to over the six months and beyond. So now we have a group of people investigating and also
00:48:26creating a, a document so that fishermen could have an application and fill out their losses
00:48:32to say, well, listen, I am a bonafide fisherman. I, my boat number is this. I would have lost
00:48:37based on this and any supporting evidence so that they will have a database and that data
00:48:43to have that argument to say, well, listen, because most what we see in Maryland, you know,
00:48:48if it is not documented, it is not done. Right? So we are seeing, but on the behalf of the THA
00:48:55is making that step, which I believe is the right step in the right direction to ascertain that
00:49:01information, to ensure that fisher folk had some form of relief. But I would like to see more
00:49:07been done to, for the fisher folks in this, because this is a part, you know, we need to pay
00:49:15a bit more respect to the people in them who is really solely responsible for our food security
00:49:21on the island. We need to show a bit more instead of, you know, not paying much tension to what,
00:49:29who feeds you, right? We need, we need some more attention to that. Mr. Douglas, is it that
00:49:35contractors have also been affected by, by this, um, not being paid? They too have not received funds.
00:49:44Right. So I, I was just speaking as, um, the, the president of all Tobago fisher folk. Now,
00:49:49in the terms of contractors, right? Contractors has only been paid one month, one month,
00:49:57one month, six months into this hydrocarbon, one month contractor has been paid. Come on.
00:50:05The, the, the, the THA would have sent them a, a, a cost of, I think, I don't want to misquote
00:50:12anyone because that is not my doing, of $153 million. I think they would have only received
00:50:2250 million. These are people, these are contractors who would have worked as seriously,
00:50:29as seriously to ensure we safeguard our Republic. And at least you could do is pay people for,
00:50:38for the job that they would have done, right? These, we have volunteers, we have contractors,
00:50:45people have done, people, equipment would have damaged. Even if I would have gotten an engine
00:50:51mash-up, let me speak to Tobago Palans, broke up, proper broke up because trying to save,
00:51:00trying to save our way, little island, right? So I believe more ethos and emphasis must be put
00:51:10into paying these contractors, right? We had the hoteliers who was, who was, who was allowing our
00:51:18counterparts, our brothers and sisters from Trinidad because there was no way to stay,
00:51:22to stay in the hotel, who would have been damaged from this oil spill, you know, on the, on the
00:51:26floor, from the hydrocarbon. Come on, let's, let's, let's be a nation of transparency and honesty and
00:51:34fairness and let's work together. This is how this belongs to us. So let's do, let's do the right
00:51:41thing. Yes. Right? So contractors have been paid, we have been paid. They have not been paid.
00:51:48President of the All Tobago Fisher Folk Association, Curtis Douglas. Mr. Douglas,
00:51:51thank you very much for speaking with us this morning. We do appreciate it and hopefully the,
00:51:55the authorities have heard your pleas and something is going to be done very soon.
00:51:59Thank you again, Mr. Douglas. Thank you and always remember, Tobago is open for free, free
00:52:05box. Come down, we have pigeon poncho and island pool. Come down, we have roast fish on the beach.
00:52:11You understand, we have lobsters in no man's land on the roasted. So come down, come down,
00:52:16right? Come up and have fun. Bye-bye. Bye-bye, Mr. Douglas. Good speaking with you. All right.
00:52:22So it's time for a quick break, everyone. But first we do have this image for you. It's from
00:52:26Winston Rattan in Cunupia. We're coming back.
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00:53:30for everyone. Hi, I'm Apostle Devines welcoming you to my television broadcast, Turning Point.
00:53:37I believe that this could be the turning point in your very life. Join me every second and fourth
00:53:43Sunday of the month at 6 a.m. for a dynamic turning point moment in your life. The Lord
00:53:49bless you. Have a wonderful day.
00:53:59How am I? I'm cool. I try to be invisible when they're with you, but they see me. They always
00:54:07see me. Oh, how about my parents? They're doing great. Everybody's well. I have bruises and marks
00:54:14that I have to make up stories about when people ask. What'd they say? I fall off my bike. You know
00:54:20how it is. They beat me up and I'm tired of lying. Once, just once, I want to say no, I'm not fine.
00:54:28Please, someone, just help me.
00:54:44Children have rights.
00:55:28We record our fifth laboratory-confirmed dengue-related death. I take the opportunity to inform the public
00:55:35that all state agencies continue to work collaboratively
00:55:40to reduce the mosquito population as far as possible.
00:55:46Two weeks after a bridge collapsed in Avocat, the government says it's willing to help, but
00:55:51there are challenges as the bridge was on private land.
00:55:55We don't have jurisdiction over that bridge, but we have made it clear that we are willing to
00:55:59give any technical assistance that is required, but it comes through a channel. It comes through
00:56:04from the Ministry of Local Government. So I have been in touch with the MP for the area, the Minister
00:56:09of Local Government, and they know we are on standby, but there are certain things that has to
00:56:13be sorted out. The government cannot just go on private land and build a bridge because there are
00:56:19liabilities. They have permission to go on. Somebody can say, what are you doing on my land?
00:56:24So there are certain things like that that I know the Minister of Local Government is working on,
00:56:27and the Ministry of Works, we are on standby to give any technical assistance or any assistance
00:56:32that they may require from us at this point in time.
00:56:36And in the weather forecast, dull, hazy, and breezy conditions will be broken up by patchy
00:56:42showers and partially cloudy intervals. Particularly in the morning, there is a medium
00:56:48possibility of one or two stronger showers and or isolated thunderstorms. Sometimes,
00:56:54especially near showers, winds might gust. Seas are smooth to moderate in open waters,
00:57:00with swells ranging from one and a half to two and a half meters in height.
00:57:12The TV6 Daily Health Tip is brought to you by OmegaXL.
00:57:17Welcome. Today, we dive into the importance of improving adrenal gland circulation and how it
00:57:22impacts your overall health. The adrenal glands, small but mighty, sit atop your kidneys and play
00:57:28a crucial role in your body's stress response by producing hormones like cortisol. When faced with
00:57:33stress or high blood sugar levels, your adrenal glands release cortisol to help regulate glucose
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00:57:45resistance, and contributing to persistently high blood sugar levels. This chronic stress
00:57:50response and high cortisol levels often lead to inflammation, creating a feedback loop that
00:57:55worsens metabolic dysfunction. This is why managing adrenal gland health is vital.
00:58:00To improve adrenal gland circulation, several strategies can be highly effective. First,
00:58:06acupuncture can stimulate specific points on the body to promote blood flow and energy balance,
00:58:11supporting adrenal function. Nutritional strategies, such as incorporating foods rich
00:58:16in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants like leafy greens, citrus fruits, and nuts,
00:58:21also enhance blood circulation. Herbal remedies, including adaptogenic herbs like licorice root,
00:58:28ashwagandha, and rhodiola rosea, can support adrenal function and improve blood circulation.
00:58:34Regular aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, or cycling,
00:58:39improves overall blood circulation and supports adrenal health. Practices like yoga and tai chi
00:58:44not only promote relaxation but also enhance circulation. Week by week, these practices can
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00:59:17illnesses and improving overall well-being. These improvements highlight the importance
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00:59:38keep your body in balance. By understanding their vital role and supporting their health,
00:59:42you can optimize your well-being and thrive. Thank you for joining me. Stay informed and
00:59:48proactive about your health. Your journey to a healthier, more vibrant life starts with caring
00:59:53for your adrenal glands. Remember, every small step you take towards better adrenal health
00:59:58contributes to your overall well-being. Celebrate your progress and continue to
01:00:02prioritize your health for a more vibrant life.
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01:03:17All right, so welcome back everyone. So, the University of the Western
01:03:27East is having a workshop to raise awareness about intellectual property law and rights
01:03:32and develop resources for the advancement of intellectual property law and policy.
01:03:37To share more about this, we do have Dr. Justin Khoo and Dr. Emma Perreault of the Faculty of Law.
01:03:45Doctors, thank you very much for joining us this morning.
01:03:48Thank you for having us this morning. Yes, thank you for having us.
01:03:51All right, Dr. Perreault, I want to begin with you because let's break down for our viewers
01:03:58this morning. It is not a new conversation, Dr. Perreault, but when we're speaking about
01:04:03intellectual property, what are we speaking about? Sure, so intellectual property is an area of law
01:04:11that protects creations of the mind. So, you may have heard about words like copyright, trademarks,
01:04:16patents. These are all examples of intellectual property rights. In fact, there are many
01:04:20intellectual property rights that also go on to include trade secrets, plant variety rights,
01:04:26integrated to circuit design, design rights. So, all these areas of rights protect creation of the
01:04:31mind. So, if you want an example of copyright, if you write a book or you write a song, you're
01:04:36looking at copyright. If you invent something, you're looking at a patent. And of course, all
01:04:41those brands that we love, brands that we align with, they have their logos and slogans protected
01:04:45by trademarks. All right, so Dr. Khoo, let's talk about the event that you're putting on,
01:04:55hosting. Why is it so important at this time, Dr. Khoo? I think that's a really good question because
01:05:03the importance of the event is not missed on the fact that a lot of discussions are ongoing now
01:05:09about developments in technology, developments in healthcare, climate change, science. All of these
01:05:15things are centered at the bottom by intellectual property rights. So, when you have these discussions,
01:05:20it's often the case that the intellectual property rights and intellectual property law
01:05:23is a by-the-way discussion or an afterthought. And I think that's incorrect, that actually
01:05:29intellectual property needs to be at the heart of these discussions. So, the point of this workshop
01:05:33is really to bring together all of these modern discussions, contemporary discussions that were
01:05:37focused on trying to solve all of the world's problems, innovating in that sense to solve the
01:05:42problems, and having the discussion along with intellectual property rights. So, I think if we're
01:05:47not doing the two together, we're missing something. And this workshop is really designed to bring all
01:05:51of the parties and players and stakeholders together to get them to better understand and
01:05:57raise awareness more generally to the public about the value of intellectual property rights.
01:06:01Right. Dr. Biru, is there a great understanding, you think, when it comes to intellectual
01:06:08property law in Trinidad and Tobago? And by having these discussions, this workshop,
01:06:16what is the intention? What are you all planning to achieve by having these talks on intellectual
01:06:23property law? So, I think intellectual property has become a buzzword in recent years. People do have
01:06:30some awareness of intellectual property, but there's not enough awareness to actually translate
01:06:35that into commercialization. So, the reason we chose innovation as our theme is because a few
01:06:40years ago, the World Intellectual Property Organization did a report on Trinidad and Tobago
01:06:45and our economic ecosystem. And we received very bad scores on innovation. And one of the key
01:06:50reasons was that it's not because people aren't innovating. We have a lot of very intelligent
01:06:54people in the country. A lot of great things come out of the university as well, right? University
01:06:58of the West Indies. But where we were falling short as a country is lack of education and proper
01:07:04in-depth understanding of intellectual property law. So, things like who owns different types of
01:07:09IP? How do you protect your IP? How do you commercialize it? Because there are so many
01:07:13ways in which you can do that. So, we want to change that. We want proper in-depth information
01:07:18so that people have a better idea in their businesses about how do they actually use an
01:07:24intellectual property right to change that into dollars rather than just a concept. So,
01:07:29we're hoping to change the landscape so we actually do have an innovative economy where
01:07:33businesses are able to thrive by capitalizing on intellectual property rights. We feel now is the
01:07:38time to do that. Because of all this talk about technology and developments and there are going
01:07:43to be a lot of people entering that sphere, but we can't have them entering the sphere without this
01:07:47proper background. Yeah. And Dr. Kul, let's talk a little bit about some of the components of this
01:07:53workshop. The components that are going to be discussed. Yeah. So, in terms of components,
01:08:01I could talk about the format of the workshop in the first place. Let me talk a little bit
01:08:04about the people who are going to be there. So, the format of the workshop is, as it suggests,
01:08:09a workshop. So, it's not meant to be a lecture. It's not meant to be a conference. We want it
01:08:12to be interactive. We also want to collect information on our side as the needs of those
01:08:17persons in the various industries, what they want to hear about IP. Because at UWE, we are the
01:08:22epicenter of intellectual property information for the country. So, we want to know what the
01:08:27population also wants to know. So, in terms of the workshop structure itself, we have four
01:08:31roundtable discussions focusing on a range of themes. So, I can give you the themes. The first
01:08:36panel discussion is a taste of IP. So, we want to look at how intellectual property law interacts
01:08:42with agribusiness, looking at the development of, let's say, the chocolate makers, persons who are
01:08:49farmers. Can they get rights to protect their plant varieties? We also want to be looking at
01:08:55protecting and attracting investment. So, you have a great idea, but how do you leverage your
01:09:00intellectual property rights to get financing to fund that project? We're also going to be looking
01:09:04at innovation and IP policy at a broader level. What can key stakeholders and players do in the
01:09:10space to implement innovation policy and IP policy? So, there is an innovation policy in the works
01:09:16from the government's end, but it isn't an IP policy. And if you look at all developed
01:09:20countries, they have both an innovation and an IP policy. So, we need to work on that as a country.
01:09:26And then finally, the last panel is about how to make the most of your intellectual property rights,
01:09:30which focuses exclusively on commercialization of your intellectual property. So, that's protecting
01:09:35it, doing contracts to, you know, to license and refine your IP, and just the general process of
01:09:41the business of dealing with intellectual property. But then also, most excitingly,
01:09:45we also have three keynote speakers. So, we have the Comptroller of the Intellectual Property
01:09:50Office, Mr. Regan S. Garale, Senior Counsel, and he'll take us a little bit through the history of
01:09:55the development of intellectual property rights and laws in Trinidad and Tobago. So, I think,
01:09:59in order to progress, we always have to understand where we come from and understand
01:10:04the development of those laws and the value of the laws that we have. So, we have Mr. S. Garale,
01:10:08we also have Dr. Andres Guadamuz, who's one of the foremost experts in the world right now
01:10:13on technology, law, and IP. He's written extensively on artificial intelligence
01:10:19and intellectual property rights. So, we're very lucky to have him presenting virtually to us
01:10:24with the kind compliments of the World Intellectual Property Organization. We also have
01:10:29the President of COSTA, Dr. Keith Nurse. He's going to talk to us about the economics behind
01:10:33intellectual property rights and the value of it for Trinidad and Tobago. So, as you can see,
01:10:37we have a host of different discussions. So, it's IP covering the entire board,
01:10:44all the different facets of IP, where it intersects with business for the country,
01:10:49for the region. And at the end, we also have an IP masterclass by Dr. Natalie Courtesy,
01:10:54who is a lecturer in law at the Faculty of Law at Mona Campus. So, she is coming in,
01:11:01and it's going to be a very hands-on class to work with the attendees directly to show them
01:11:07and, you know, sort of do it in an interactive way. So, again, it's not just a lecture. It's an
01:11:11interactive discussion. It's a hands-on experience about how to take your IP and make the most of it
01:11:16in the business world, how to actually do the innovative activities and protect them with IP,
01:11:22get the IP to get you where you need to get to. Yeah. And, you know, Dr. Pirro, I was going to
01:11:28ask about who's the workshop for. I'm a bit surprised by the amount of areas that the
01:11:39workshop is about to cover, as explained there by Dr. Koo. Because, you know, Dr. Pirro, in the past,
01:11:46when we spoke about intellectual property, it was always about art and always about music. But,
01:11:55judging from what Dr. Koo has told us, intellectual property, it touches a number
01:12:02of areas, right? Yes. So, the choice of theme was very deliberate because we do feel that
01:12:08people in the creative sector have had opportunities to learn about intellectual
01:12:12property law. But we felt that other sectors weren't receiving enough attention, and we really
01:12:17want those people to feel comfortable in the room. So, while we, of course, welcome anybody
01:12:23who has interest in intellectual property, those who would benefit most would be people in the
01:12:27manufacturing sector, the agricultural industries, and the technology center, and also the startup
01:12:34world. And I know there's a lot of stuff going on in the TT startup world now. So, anybody in
01:12:40those type of innovative industries would really benefit from our conference. Yeah. Is it, Dr.
01:12:48Pirro, that you think, well, let me just give you my view. I think that many years ago that people
01:12:57would put out work out there really in a willy-nilly way, and they would not get the, what do I say,
01:13:08credit. They would not get any sort of real compensation for their work. Do you think that
01:13:17today, and into, I'm speaking about today's Trinidad and Tobago, that more and more people
01:13:23understand intellectual property now when they're embracing it more in a real way?
01:13:30Well, what you're saying is correct. People were innovating in the past and not getting proper
01:13:34credit or compensation for their work. And in terms of a greater understanding now, I think people
01:13:39know that there's something they should be doing, but they don't always know the questions to ask.
01:13:43And if you don't know the questions to ask, then you can't even seek the correct information to
01:13:47proceed with your commercialization. So, we're hoping to break those barriers and give people
01:13:51enough information that I can say, right, I'm working on this invention with five other people.
01:13:57I've received funding from this source. How are we going to deal with the ownership of this
01:14:00invention? How are we going to commercialize it? How do we even seek this protection if we want to
01:14:05go down, is it a patent route? Is it perhaps a trade secret route? What exactly are we doing here?
01:14:10So, it's really to give more information to help people realize the practical realities
01:14:16of intellectual property law. Because we know that we have laws in place and it's just to utilize
01:14:21them. Unfortunately, Trinidad does not have a lot of local patents filed. And of course, patents
01:14:26just one area of intellectual property law. But it shouldn't be that we are in a country that has
01:14:31received a lot of economic development over time because of our oil and gas industry.
01:14:35And most of our patents are still filed by foreign companies. That should never be the case.
01:14:40We want to transform the landscape and make it that people don't just know what the word is,
01:14:45they know what to do with this word. What do you actually do with a patent or how do you get one?
01:14:50Yeah. One more question, Dr. Pirro, before I return to Dr. Khoo. But where's the roadmap,
01:14:58Dr. Pirro? If someone is, let's say, in agriculture or in the arts,
01:15:03where's the roadmap to give that person all of the information so that they can benefit from their
01:15:10work? So, the Intellectual Property Office actually has quite a few good resources on their website.
01:15:16So, they do break down all the various rights. In my experience as well, the Intellectual Property
01:15:20Office is very helpful for anyone who wants to pursue the intellectual property rights.
01:15:25And they also have a national IP training center that they're going to be working on further.
01:15:30The University of the West Indies is a suitable source for anybody who wants to learn, of course,
01:15:34more in depth. If you want to know the study of intellectual property law, we offer it on our LLB
01:15:39program. We also offer an entire specialized master's course on intellectual property.
01:15:45And we're starting to do shorter courses. If you don't want to do the full LLM,
01:15:50you can take, for example, a course in trademark law or a course in management of IP assets.
01:15:55So, for the general public, I would say the Intellectual Property Office is a great resource.
01:15:59And if you really want to go in depth, we have our law degrees. Of course, not everyone wants to
01:16:03do an entire law degree. So, you can do a course from the master's program, even without a law
01:16:08background. Just keep in mind that it will be legally technical.
01:16:13All right. Thank you very much. Dr. Khoo, anything else you'd like to tell us before
01:16:16you leave us this morning, sir? I'd just like to say that everyone who is
01:16:21involved in any sort of business. So, again, just reiterating, whether any creative orange economy,
01:16:26or you're in agribusiness, or you're in a tech startup, this conference is for you.
01:16:31This workshop is for you. And I think it will be money well spent at the beginning of your
01:16:36business, especially for those who have early businesses and those in small micro enterprises
01:16:42sort of thing, that intellectual property is critically important to your business.
01:16:46And the quicker that you realize that, the quicker that you can elevate your business to really
01:16:51become more professional on the one hand, but also more economically viable and successful.
01:16:55So, I think intellectual property really does underlie the success
01:16:59of any commercial enterprise. How do people register?
01:17:03So, the registration link is available on the website. We have flyers on our website,
01:17:08as well as on our LinkedIn page and our other social media pages. There is a QR code.
01:17:13Just scan the QR code. It takes you directly to the registration link.
01:17:16Yeah. Drs. Khoo and Perue, thank you very much for speaking with us this morning. We wish you
01:17:21all the best with your workshop. Bye for now. Thank you.
01:17:25All right. So, it's time for a quick break, everybody. We're coming back with your calls.
01:17:28Take, make a note of the number, 623-1711. The extension, it's 1995. We're coming back, everybody.
01:17:54The phone is off. All we hear is we're in.
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01:18:44Join us every Monday morning at 8.30 a.m. right here on TV6 for our many moments of inspiration.
01:18:54Shut up! I've had enough of all of you. You ungrateful.
01:19:05I've had enough of you. You took us from our countries,
01:19:08and of course pretend to have us working day and night like slaves and expect us to be grateful.
01:19:24Just allow us to leave, please. Give us our passports and allow us to leave.
01:19:30You could for nothing say free to leave. If you step one foot out of here,
01:19:37I will see to it that immigration sends you back to whatever hell you came from.
01:19:45If you know of or suspect human trafficking activity,
01:19:49call the counter-trafficking hotline at 800-4CTU or 800-4288.
01:19:55Human trafficking is a crime. Identify it. Report it. Stop it.
01:20:01A message from the counter-trafficking unit of the Ministry of National Security.
01:20:19I don't know.
01:20:32All right, so welcome back. So we are taking your calls. You're calling us on 623-1711. The extension
01:20:37is $19.95. Whatever you have on your chest, you can call us and get it off your chest this morning
01:20:43within reason. Don't call nobody any strange things and be disrespectful to anybody, right?
01:20:48So call us on 623-1711. The extension, it's $19.95. Please call us now. A bandit admitted to his
01:20:54intended victim on Tuesday that he needed his SUV and assured him, you will get your vehicle back.
01:21:01I'm just going and put down a walk with it. The bizarre conversation took place at Peak's
01:21:07one-stop service station on the Western Main Road. Now, police said that at around 3.27 p.m.,
01:21:14so hot sun. The 57-year-old driver from Diego Martin was at the vacuum bay, you know the vacuum
01:21:21bay at the service station. He was cleaning his Hyundai Tucson when he was approached by a bandit
01:21:27who simply raised his jersey. So he raised his jersey, showed him a gun and said, you will get
01:21:33back your vehicle. I'm just going and put down a walk with it. The man tossed the keys to the black
01:21:39colored vehicle registration HEG 9647. Well, the vehicle, the gentleman's cell phone, they were
01:21:46also taken. The bandit joined by another, got into the SUV and sped off, closely followed by a silver
01:21:54colored car. The man then made a report to the St. James Police Station, but up to last night,
01:22:00the SUV had not yet been found. So you will get it back. The gentleman said, I just go and put
01:22:07a walk, you know, soldier, and I'll be back with it. You ever hear madness so? You want the number
01:22:15plate again? HEG 9647. All right, so let's hope the gentleman's vehicle is returned sometime very
01:22:25soon. All right, let's take your calls. You're calling us on 623-1711. The extension, it's
01:22:301995. Lead attorney for AG's office in appeal of Brent Thomas ruling. I'll get back to that story.
01:22:36Tabakit, good morning. A pleasant morning to you, Mr. Hopkins. To you too, sir. I have one simple
01:22:43question. Government listening to the citizen. Mr. Hopkins, I am saying, how much stories you all
01:22:54will bring on crime? I don't know. Look, you know, sometimes you're lost, you don't know where to go,
01:23:02what, look at the story you're reading there. So you're asking yourself, is the government
01:23:08listening? Is the government handicapped? Is the government impotent? I don't know what to say as
01:23:14a citizen anymore. I am saying then better we do like Haiti and bring in the Kenyan police here
01:23:20to safeguard us. Because you're seeing, like there is, Mr. Hopkins, what I will tell you,
01:23:26I feel like the government not listening and who they're listening to giving them bad advice.
01:23:33Tabakit out and off. I thank you. All right, Tabakit, thank you very much. I'll return to
01:23:36that Brent Thomas story. But Tabakit home ransacked. Granddad 73 found dead. A 73-year-old
01:23:44grandfather is suspected to have been killed in a home invasion in Tabakit on Tuesday. Pensioner
01:23:52Lakshmi Prasad Sukram, a father of two and grandfather of one, was found dead in a bedroom
01:23:58of his son's house, which had been ransacked. You see, this thing called home invasion,
01:24:05this is very, very frightening. And to all of our viewers out there, please make a real attempt
01:24:13to protect your home. Yeah, I constantly speak and, you know, some people are going to think
01:24:19it is a joke. But you see, all of you all who like to take in breeze and go out in your gallery
01:24:26and go out on the road, forget that. This is not the time for that. Who do we have?
01:24:31Karpichima, good morning. Good morning, Marlon. Morning. I'm calling from Karpichima.
01:24:38One of the issues that we have here is water, stagnant water, water, not dirty water. So we
01:24:45have a breeding ground for the mosquitoes. The thing is, our flight was aired on your
01:24:53station yesterday at seven o'clock. All right. And what it is, we replace it the day after this.
01:25:02But they still will be sending us property tax. Do we have to pay that? We're not getting any
01:25:10representation, any service, anything like that. This is where in Karpichima? In the Waterloo area,
01:25:17the Robson Road car, any development. I called you a few times already highlighting the water
01:25:24problems where the water lines are leaking. And anytime you call WASA, they say they are not
01:25:29responsible for that. All right. So here's what. Let's take his number now. Let's take his number
01:25:35and let's see if we can pass on the information for him so that WASA can deal with that situation
01:25:41down there. All right. So you're calling us on 623-1711. The extension, it's 1995. Yeah. So getting
01:25:48back to this home invasion situation here. So not only are people invading your homes, but they're
01:25:54coming to kill you now. A 73-year-old man. Yeah. So all they couldn't talk to uncle and spare uncle's
01:26:02life. You have to kill him. Something has to be done with that. Done about this home invasion
01:26:10problem. And just when you thought it was dying down, it is coming back. Police took up to another
01:26:15issue now. Body buried in backyard relative held. Police took a close relative of a 75-year-old man
01:26:22into custody on Tuesday after the elderly man's body was found buried in a shallow grave in his
01:26:28Mova backyard. So around 3.15 p.m., a man reported to the Barataria police that he suspected that his
01:26:34grandfather, Levi Richards, had been killed and buried at his home located at Poinsettia Drive
01:26:40off Coconut Drive in Mova. All right. So I don't want to say, but apparently the elderly
01:26:50are being looked at in a in a particular way now. All right. So again, be smart out there
01:26:57because people are looking at you. Yeah. As I always say, you see me, everybody is a suspect.
01:27:05I don't want nobody around me walking too closely. Yeah. Last yesterday, I went to an ATM and if you
01:27:13see me scanning every vehicle that was outside the facility. Who do we have? Point 14. Point 14. Good
01:27:20morning. Good morning. Good morning to you. Yes. Briefly on the issue of crime. Why? Why? Why is
01:27:29crime a problem? Crime shouldn't be a problem. Trinidad and Tobago is not like, you know,
01:27:34some countries where parts are ungovernable. Every part of Trinidad and Tobago is governed
01:27:39under some local authority or something like that. So quickly, the crime situation could be
01:27:46controlled operationally by the police or the army. All you have to do is to follow that trend
01:27:54that was set by the what happened in Pennywise. Soon as somebody commits a crime, they get into a
01:28:00vehicle. All you have to do is to equip either your police or put more army officials in the
01:28:09police station with their jeeps or you do some posts, open some posts. And as soon as a crime
01:28:16is committed, you dispatch your assets and you corner the people and you deal with the matter
01:28:24there and there. People shouldn't be going in a car, drive away like they're living in the back
01:28:29of some, you know, highland where there's no transportation or something. Then you have drones.
01:28:35The police could use their drones, right? And then you have cameras, face recognition cameras.
01:28:42Crime shouldn't be a problem as far as I see, right? And it's just making news, making news
01:28:47for you all to sell papers and for security guards. That shouldn't be a problem. There's
01:28:52no reason that crime shouldn't be a problem and nobody is taking those very simple solutions.
01:28:59Thank you. Thank you very much. Now the band is watching in the cameras, so...
01:29:05People aren't afraid of cameras anymore, you know. They're not afraid of cameras anymore and
01:29:11that's the disrespect that they have for members of the community out there. So you all are going
01:29:17to have to take efforts to protect yourselves, all right? So you're calling us on 623-1711,
01:29:24the extension is 1995. You know, I really don't like to talk about this, you know, yeah? I talk
01:29:28about crime about how many years now? About 10 years now, yeah? I'm talking about crime here
01:29:34this morning. Who do we have? Oropun? Oropun is on the line. Yeah, good morning, Marlon. Good
01:29:41morning. Marlon is talking about people not taking breaths and all these things in the yard and all
01:29:51the kind of things. Yeah. But Marlon, they're waiting for you when you come home. They're
01:29:57waiting for you when you leave home. Every time this government go and sit down, all of us come
01:30:04up with is Larry Graff, Solas and Police to go in Hotspur. This is 10 years, almost 10 years,
01:30:12this government in power. How much crime plan they come up with and which one will?
01:30:22Boy, I don't know what to tell you, you know? I really don't know what to tell you but
01:30:28and statements like these I don't like to make but
01:30:34as I say, everyone is a suspect to me, yeah? And as I remember asking one of the criminologists
01:30:43a few weeks ago, I said, are things really as bad? And he said to me and he said to you all too
01:30:51that things are worse than we think it is in Trinidad and Tobago, yeah? Messages like that I
01:30:59don't like but it is something that we need to not accept but we need to be aware of and deal
01:31:08with the situation with the urgency that it deserves. Faizabad, good morning. Good morning,
01:31:16Marlon. Morning. Marlon, I want to share the same sentiment like Tavakit and the previous
01:31:23because it hit home in Faizabad yesterday, broad daylight, a man gets shot right in Delhi Road,
01:31:30you know, in the junction there. Right there, my brother, 10 people invaded a little grocery
01:31:38dung inside Silver Stream, beat up the people, tied them up, tied up customers, all kind of things,
01:31:46you know, a little rural area. Marlon, I want to touch on a point with these party boats.
01:31:53Um, we have one in San Fernando that every time it goes out on a cruise, it's shut down and has
01:32:01to be towed in by pirogues. And the cost of these vessels is 18,000, 21,000 all generally. So people
01:32:09are being ripped off. I feel the Ministry of Tourism and the other authorities supposed to
01:32:14look into this matter. People are being fleeced of their money. Have a great day, my friend.
01:32:18All right. Thank you very much. A Faizabad laborer was shot dead outside his home yesterday.
01:32:22He is Prince Ralph Mango. He's 45 years old. All right. We do have a caller on the line.
01:32:30All right. We just have a few minutes to take another call. You're calling us on 623-1711.
01:32:35The extension is 1995. So you can please call us now. There have to be repercussions for people's
01:32:43actions. Mofar, good morning. Good morning, Marlon. As the caller just said, I am calling
01:32:51to support Tamar Teeth and the others, Marlon. But you know, Marlon, what is more scary than the
01:32:57state this country is in? Marlon, you know what is more scary? Go ahead. What is more scary is the
01:33:02silence of our educated elite, our business leaders, and others. If all these intellectuals
01:33:12are regularly writing in our newspapers and so, I find they are way too silent, Marlon.
01:33:20They are way too silent. It seems we no longer have patriots in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:33:26Way too silent, Marlon. And I just want to leave by saying this, Marlon.
01:33:31Moisturization is a type of homophobia. It's just not physical. It's emotional.
01:33:38I'm going. All right. Thank you very much. Have we been ever patriotic? I want you to ask
01:33:45yourselves that. Yeah? Patriotism is not putting on a red t-shirt and going down to see cricket
01:33:52at Brian Lara. Are we going so? Yeah, Brian Lara. Or putting on a red t-shirt and going to the
01:33:58stadium to see football. And then if we lose, we go down in St. James and take a drink. That
01:34:04is patriotism. Patriotism is a totally different kettle of fish. But that's what we see as
01:34:10patriotism. I know we cut her up, Madam Producer. I'm talking to our viewers out here. Is that
01:34:16possible? What's wrong with him? Yeah? Thank you to all of our callers this morning. We do
01:34:25appreciate your views. We're going to have a break. The producer rushing me. She don't want
01:34:30me to talk to all of you. She don't like all of you, apparently. We're coming back.
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01:36:01What's up you guys? I'm Ren. And I'm Kim. Welcome to Conversations with Ren and Kim.
01:36:06On our show, we dive deep into the stories that matter. From inspiring individuals making a
01:36:12difference to experts sharing their insights on the latest trends and topics. We're here to spark
01:36:17conversations that challenge, inspire, and entertain. Whether it's about art, culture,
01:36:23technology, or everyday life, we've got you covered. So join us every Saturday for conversations and
01:36:29unforgettable moments. See you there. It has some people who just have to sew everything.
01:36:37So what if I happy and I cheer on my child for something small?
01:36:41You know how hard them work for that? So I have to make them up.
01:36:47Always encourage your child in anything they do. Not pressure. Encourage. Your faith in them will
01:36:55build their self-esteem and confidence. Praise their efforts. Celebrate their success. Support
01:37:02them through challenges and acknowledge their efforts. At the end of the day, do your best.
01:37:10Share if you found this useful, and like and follow CTA's profiles for more parenting tips.
01:37:17The letter of the day is E. Encourage.
01:37:39All right. So welcome back. So the Arthur Logjack Global School of Business is hosting
01:37:48a flagship event this Saturday aimed at showcasing the school's offering to prospective students,
01:37:54industry partners, and the community at large. We do have on the line this morning
01:37:58Chief Executive Officer of the institution, Mr. Mariano Brown. Mr. Brown, good morning.
01:38:02Thank you for joining us. Good morning, and thank you for having us.
01:38:06Of course, Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown will tell us about the event this Saturday.
01:38:12Well, it's an event that we've been putting on for the last 13 years.
01:38:1613, maybe a little bit longer than that. But essentially, it's the opportunity to
01:38:22put prospective students, members of the public, to interact with the institution,
01:38:29its faculty, staff, to understand what we do, how we do, and to get a feel of the institution. So we
01:38:36have interactive sessions, classroom sessions, actually, where you could more or less interrogate
01:38:42faculty members with regard to what we do, how we do, what are the programs, what is the teaching
01:38:46method, how does online system work, what's the grading system like, et cetera, et cetera. So it's
01:38:51really an open day in the real sense of the term, where it gives John Q. Public the opportunity to
01:39:00inquire, ask questions, feel free to touch base with the institution and understand exactly how
01:39:06it operates. Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about, Mr. Brown, how do you shape your curriculum,
01:39:16if I can call it that? Because I know that it's not going to be a cookie-cutter approach.
01:39:24So how do you shape that curriculum? I suspect looking at the demands
01:39:32or challenges that are facing us in business right now.
01:39:37Well, on the moral of the story, education is continuous learning. So there are two aspects,
01:39:43or three aspects, if you want. We have an undergraduate program at one level, which
01:39:49caters for CSEC as well as CAPE graduates. So we have a three and a four-year program. It's an
01:39:55international program, which we do with Florida International University. And then we have an
01:39:59MBA program, which is certified by AMBA, which is one of the premier institutions, which sort of
01:40:06gives you that stamp of approval for the quality of your training. With regard to exactly how we
01:40:11organize our curriculum, well, like everything else in terms of education, education is not static.
01:40:17So it's continuously on the move. So we review our programs annually in response to market demands.
01:40:22And we also meet with the business community on an ongoing basis to get a feel for where our
01:40:28graduates are, how have they performed? Are there any things that, from a responsive point of view,
01:40:35that we've missed? How did they settle into the workplace? That's at the graduate level,
01:40:41as well as the undergraduate level. And just to ensure that we have a balance,
01:40:45we also have an internship program where we place our undergraduate students in business.
01:40:51You can't complete your degree unless you've done our internship program, which will prepare you.
01:40:57So shaping and forming the curriculum is also a question of looking at what international events
01:41:05are, what are the priorities, are there any changes in the learning tools, and how we should really
01:41:11deliver the program as well as incorporate to make it real life. And one of the other things that
01:41:16we do, from our perspective, a lot of our adjunct staff are what we call practitioners.
01:41:23Actually, they're actually involved in the business of that specific area, right, as far as possible.
01:41:28So the bottom line is that it has to be relevant, and it also has to be delivered in a fashion which
01:41:36makes people aware of current events and the implications in terms of the training and
01:41:41understanding. Now that's the level of the academic programs. We do the same thing for
01:41:47executive education programs. So we have approximately, at the level of certainly
01:41:52the level of the MBA programs and our master's programs, we've graduated just about 4,000 people.
01:41:59And they are involved in business. They're also involved in several different layers,
01:42:03include engineers, doctors. We have people at the, we have place, we have people who are
01:42:10operating the level of permanent secretary. They have been one or two ministers who have also been
01:42:15graduates of our school. So we have, for example, we also have entrepreneurs who also run their own
01:42:23businesses who are also graduates of the school. In addition to the fact that certainly not only
01:42:29in Trinidad and Tobago but across the region, certainly in Guyana, some of the largest companies
01:42:34in Guyana are managed and run by athletic graduates. So we have a, we want a wide industrial
01:42:42presence across the region. Yeah, and I suspect this open day is being planned in time for your
01:42:50intake in September. Correct. Not moving away from the curriculum yet, Mr. Brown. So is there
01:42:59anything that you're seeing business-wise, maybe challenges, new demands that you think
01:43:08that people are going to be interested in? Any new topics, any new programs
01:43:17that you all are planning for September? Well, we recognize that given changes in economic
01:43:24circumstances of the country, that not everybody may want to do a full degree. More than 95% of
01:43:31all graduates, and most people get involved in business in one way or the other, and most of
01:43:36them may not have planned to do so. So that their field of specialization may be in a particular
01:43:42area, but it's how it's going to be applied and how they're going to use it in the workplace.
01:43:47So we've introduced, and we are introducing, a certificate program, which essentially incorporates
01:43:55large elements of our MBA program for training, as well, which gives you a sort of leg up and
01:44:02credits towards doing a master's program at the school. We're also going to do, from the
01:44:07certificate, you also have the option of also doing a diploma program. So in other words, you don't
01:44:12necessarily have to complete a full degree over the 20-month period if it's too rigorous, but you
01:44:17can do it in bite-sized amounts, which allows you to get the basics of understanding business
01:44:23imposition. So those are two things which are being delivered that are new. We haven't added
01:44:28on any new programs, per se, at the graduate level. So we're staying with our basic structures, which
01:44:35is basically marketing, HR, finance, the MBA, and a program which we call MSME, which is really
01:44:44EMSME, which is really geared towards training those who want to run their own business, per se.
01:44:49So we keep that as a core program. But where we really do make changes, which recognize the need
01:44:56for continuous learning, is on our executive education program. And the executive education
01:45:01programs run throughout the year, and those are much shorter courses, which some of them are
01:45:05certificates, some of them are diploma levels, some of them are more or less to bring you up to date.
01:45:09And we've trained more or less about 70,000 people through our executive education program over
01:45:15the years. So we've been doing this for a little while. Yeah, but you know, Mr. Brown, when we
01:45:22would have spoken, well, not both of us, but when people in general speak about programs, or they
01:45:30would have spoken about programs such as these in the past, they felt that these programs were
01:45:39for people at a certain level. And when I speak about that, I'm speaking about
01:45:44the small businessman may feel, well, this is not a program for me, you know, this is,
01:45:49it looks to be too intensive. They may think about, they may not have the criteria
01:45:56to enter the program. How easy, if I can put it that way, has your school made it for everyone
01:46:04to be a part of the programs? You know, that's a distinction between the academic programs and the
01:46:09executive education programs. And we've recently completed a research program with Hull University,
01:46:18which examined what we would consider to be entry-level entrepreneurs, and female entrepreneurs
01:46:23in particular. In other words, what were their training requirements, particularly since we've
01:46:27been talking about small business. And we recognized that, and we designed the program
01:46:32specifically for them, which we delivered. And we've also, was written a paper, how university
01:46:38professors, in fact, delivered the training program. And they delivered what one would call
01:46:43a white paper, which we shared with government agencies, so it can inform their programs for
01:46:49teaching that particular sector. Now, and that's where the executive education program is geared.
01:46:55We have, and it's geared at several different levels. So the bottom line is to find, if you
01:47:00want to find out what's available, rather than say it's not for me, the first question is to ask,
01:47:05the first thing you have to do is to ask, what is there, and this is what I'm looking for. And we don't
01:47:10only do, we don't only just present programs, we also work with the business community
01:47:17in developing what we call these in-house education programs, which are geared towards
01:47:23keeping their staff in touch with new developments, and also building a career path within the
01:47:28institution. Now, we've been doing this for a little while, so we have some idea about how to go about this.
01:47:34Yeah. When it comes to your admissions, Mr. Brown, and we did, and you did speak about it
01:47:44earlier, you spoke about entrepreneurs, you spoke about persons who are in the government, you spoke
01:47:50about engineers and so on, but is there, have you seen an uptick at all, let's say in the
01:47:59entrepreneurs, which area have you seen at all, if you have seen an uptick in your admissions?
01:48:05Well, quite the opposite. We've certainly, at a global level, the, in fact, enrollment at a global,
01:48:15in fact, all business schools, all universities are facing, that there's a decline in enrollment
01:48:21at the upper levels, an increase, perhaps, in mid-level training at the middle. From our own
01:48:27perspective, that's still, that area, executive education, we call it executive, but it's not
01:48:34pre-qualification, we call it executive, but there are no pre-qualifications for entry for some of
01:48:38those programs, right, just simply because saying that you're interested in the area and you want to
01:48:42learn about it, and we deliver the programs. Now, for the academic programs, in other words, the
01:48:48degree level programs, there is a level of certification which is required prior to entry.
01:48:53That's one of the reasons why we also consider what we've got, your experience, in other words,
01:48:59is not limited solely to what your academic qualifications are, whether you've had a degree
01:49:05before, but it's also, we look at what is your working experience, at what level have you worked,
01:49:10what have you done, so that the programs are always tailored. We don't want to leave anybody behind.
01:49:14There's no sense in anybody attending the program. They're not going to be able to have takeaways
01:49:18from it. After designing programs for the audience, so on the executive education program front,
01:49:26we are very, very careful in terms of how we design the programs and for whom we are teaching,
01:49:32so we teach a specific audience, not necessarily sorted out on the basis of your academic
01:49:38qualifications. Yeah. Mr. Brown, I just have about a minute again. Any additional information
01:49:44you'd like to share with us concerning the Open Day? Well, I mean, you find out about the Open Day
01:49:49by looking at social media, certainly what you audit on Instagram, on LinkedIn, on Facebook,
01:49:55and also looking at the website. If you look at the Heart and Love Jack website and go to the Open
01:49:59Day, you'll see all the information in terms of what's there, who's going to be there, and what
01:50:03we plan to do. All right, but if you want to look at any of the programs as well, just come to our
01:50:08website and you'll find, I'm sure you'll find something that you're looking for. Yeah, Mr. Brown,
01:50:12it's always a pleasure speaking with you. Thank you very much. Bye for now. Thank you. Thank you
01:50:16very much as well. All right, so we are going to have a very short break, everybody. We're coming back.
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01:52:55I road save because life is precious. Plus, I can't afford to pay another speeding ticket.
01:53:04A message from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
01:53:20All right, so welcome back. I promised you this story, yeah? Lead Attorney for AG's Office in
01:53:24Appeal of Brent Thomas Ruling. Police acted wrong in making arrests, so the state has accepted that
01:53:31members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service acted unlawfully when they went to Barbados in
01:53:36October 2022 and arrested firearms dealer Brent Thomas before bringing him back to this country
01:53:43and charging him with possession of prohibited weapons. So making the concession yesterday was
01:53:49King's Counsel Peter Knox during the hearing of an appeal brought by the state against a 2023
01:53:55ruling of Justice Devendra Rampersad. The judge had condemned the actions of the officers and
01:54:00also permanently stayed the criminal proceedings against Thomas, so that's the latest in connection
01:54:06with that matter. All right, so that's going to be it for our program for today. Thank you to all of
01:54:11our callers today. Thank you to all of our guests. See you right back here tomorrow. Have a good day.
01:54:18Bye-bye for now.
01:54:48Bye-bye.
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