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00:00:00Thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time.
00:00:30And a very special good morning Trinidad and Tobago. I'm Marlon Hopkinson. As always, welcome to The Morning Edition. It's always good to have you with us and for you to join us.
00:00:46We do have a very interesting two hours for you today, so we invite you to stay with us. How was your night? I hope that it was good and it was safe and that you're safe and sound with us this morning.
00:00:57Do you have your coffee as yet? Well, go and get it. Get some tea, get something to eat. But before all of that, let's check out to see what's happening with Daily Express, all right?
00:01:06So PM, government will not incur hundreds of millions of dollars to change national emblem. Cost not a concern.
00:01:15To the left, Cabo Starfire leaves passengers stranded. 54 C-Sec Cheetahs caught re-floating the Gulfstream overturned hull.
00:01:25Response personnel stand on the overturned hull of the Gulfstream barge yesterday as they secure the vessel to tugs.
00:01:32It is currently stationed approximately three nautical miles away from its original resting place in waters 60 meters deep off the coast of Cove, Tobago.
00:01:43All right. So let's get into one of the main stories. 54 C-Sec Cheetahs caught more than 36 or more than last year's 36.
00:01:52Fifty four students were caught cheating in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate C-Sec examinations in the region this year.
00:02:00This was an increase from the 36 who were caught cheating last year.
00:02:04And Tutor wasn't aware of migrant move, but Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association has said it was not aware.
00:02:11Venezuelan migrant children were also being placed in government primary schools, along with denominational schools.
00:02:18All right. Let's look at what's happening on the back page.
00:02:21Tears for Kiefer. Murdered 27-year-old woman remembered as joyous person.
00:02:27Tears flowed for Kiefer Wilson at her funeral service yesterday as family members and friends recalled their cherished time with her.
00:02:34A former teacher said the nightmare of Wilson's last moments played in her mind.
00:02:39But she will recall her as always laughing and smiling while she attended school.
00:02:45All right. So we're moving on to some sport now.
00:02:50CWI making sure for S.A. Series.
00:02:54Cricket West Indies does not expect a repeat of the T20 World Cup semifinal pitch fiasco when the West Indies take on South Africa in a three match T20
00:03:03International Series at the Brian Lauer Cricket Academy in Taruba later this week.
00:03:09And remember, we do have a lot of information for you concerning the WCPL today.
00:03:16I understand it's going to be a lucky day for you all because we are giving away some tickets for the WCPL.
00:03:24All right. So look forward to that in the second hour of our program today.
00:03:28It's not very often we give away things, you know. So when you see we giving away things, how much tickets do we have for people today?
00:03:34How much tickets are we giving away? Oh, we're giving away two tickets. All right.
00:03:38For a couple. All right.
00:03:42OK, so it's time to remind you of a Trinbago Unice feature.
00:03:46Remember to participate. You can email your videos or images to that address.
00:03:52Trinbago Unice at TV6TNT.com.
00:03:56All right. So we do have this for you. A soursop. Yeah.
00:04:00Would you like a soursop punch?
00:04:07Some saying yes, some saying no. We could begin the program with that debate this morning.
00:04:11You know, why you like soursop? Why this one don't like soursop? He find a tick.
00:04:15He find, you know. All right.
00:04:19So Steve Ratten would have sent that to us from Marabella. Thank you very much, Steve.
00:04:24All right. So we are going to a very short break, everybody. We're coming back. Stay right there.
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00:06:28Good morning.
00:06:31CSEC results are out, but CXC is concerned about how students are performing across the region.
00:06:39About six percent of the entire population of persons registered for the exam get in five or more.
00:06:47When we make the restriction five subjects, including mathematics and English, that drops to four point nine percent.
00:07:02Some residents of Lengua Princess Town held a motorcade on Tuesday to protest over problems in their communities.
00:07:10To have a heart, to have a heart and help the people, help all of us in the community.
00:07:15Give us water. Water is life. Give us water.
00:07:18Give us a better way to drive, a better road to drive on.
00:07:22And in the weather forecast today, expect generally sunny and hazy conditions, despite showers in a few areas.
00:07:31There is also a low to medium chance of isolated thunderstorms in western areas of Trinidad.
00:07:37Tonight will be generally fair, apart from the chance of the odd isolated shower.
00:07:42Saharan dust is present in the atmosphere.
00:07:45Temperatures are expected to climb to 34 degrees Celsius in Trinidad and 32 in Tobago.
00:07:51Seas will be slight to moderate, with waves between one point two and one and a half meters in open waters and up to one meter and choppy near showers in sheltered areas.
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00:10:25Caribbean party.
00:10:28The entire region together.
00:10:32In one day.
00:10:34Splashdown fiesta.
00:10:37A Caribbean connection.
00:10:40All right, everybody.
00:10:41So welcome back.
00:10:42So this morning, we look at preparations and education for the new school term.
00:10:46Joining us today is president of the National Council of Parent Teacher Associations, Mr. Walter Stewart.
00:10:52Mr. Stewart, thank you very much for coming this morning.
00:10:54Good morning.
00:10:55And thanks for having me.
00:10:56And, of course, good morning to your morning edition viewership.
00:10:59Let me start by congratulating all those students who would have gotten their results yesterday.
00:11:04And, of course, would have been successful in the CSEC and CAPE examinations.
00:11:07Congratulations.
00:11:08Of course, the results we have to look at at another time.
00:11:11Yeah.
00:11:12Yeah.
00:11:13All right, Mr. Stewart, let's look at the preparations for the beginning of the new school term.
00:11:18What's your assessment thus far?
00:11:20Are we ready?
00:11:21Well, let me start by saying that we are very concerned about the start of the school term, September 2nd.
00:11:29I want to take you back to a stakeholders meeting that we had with the Honorable Minister, Dr. Gatsby Dolly,
00:11:37at the end of the term, at the end of the last term,
00:11:41where we requested a list of schools that were subject to repairs
00:11:47because we count the months of July and August ideal for school repairs for several reasons, obvious reasons.
00:11:54We realized that there was nothing much taking place with regards to school repairs,
00:11:59which has always been an issue during the July-August vacation period.
00:12:03So we reached out again to the ministry requesting the information.
00:12:06And, of course, we got not so pleasant a reply.
00:12:10So we were very happy last Monday when the minister came with her team
00:12:16in order to be able to, as it were, level with the population
00:12:20on what is taking place in education relevant to the school repairs.
00:12:25Suffice it to say that by leveling with us and giving us the information,
00:12:30we are in a better position now to be able to understand what is taking place relevant to school repairs
00:12:37and more so preparation in time for our September 2nd school's reopening.
00:12:42Yeah. But, you know, Mr. Stewart, as I was saying to your colleagues at TUTOR a few weeks ago,
00:12:51it would seem that every year we are experiencing the same problem.
00:12:57So every year I call TUTOR, and I suspect I'm going to have to call you again at the beginning of the new school term
00:13:04because it is a habit now, I think.
00:13:10At the beginning of the new school term, we are reporting, well, this school is not going to open.
00:13:15That school is not going to open.
00:13:17This school has electrical problems, water problems, infrastructure problems.
00:13:22You know, and again, you have a situation where I suspect teachers and students
00:13:28and even parents are going to be inconvenienced.
00:13:32As you said, work, or you believe, the NPTA believes that these sort of refurbishment works
00:13:39should be happening between July, August.
00:13:42So then what is the problem?
00:13:44And, you know, you said everything there so succinctly and so correct.
00:13:49We want to propose that a more intimate look at our schools be done.
00:13:57The director of EFPPD, Education Facilities Planning and Procurement Division,
00:14:02on last Monday recorded that about 143 ECCE centers, about 451 primary schools,
00:14:10and there are about 128 secondary schools.
00:14:13And he referred to them as post-design life.
00:14:18In other words, they are in excess of 50 years.
00:14:22So that therein lies the problem because 5 percent ECCE, 55 percent primary,
00:14:28and about 39 percent secondary are post-designed life, over 50 years.
00:14:33It means, therefore, that there has to be a closer look at the infrastructure of those schools in particular.
00:14:40Let's start with that.
00:14:42To ensure that we can effect the necessary repairs, rebuilding in some instances,
00:14:47and refurbishing so that at all material times,
00:14:50those schools are up and running and ready for the school semester in September.
00:14:55We want to go further because if such work is being planned properly,
00:15:01and we even want to suggest that this can be done in the second term of the academic year,
00:15:07so that the second term of the academic year you are aware of the scope of works,
00:15:11you are aware of the procurement processes and all that is necessary,
00:15:15so that come the start of the July-August vacation, day one,
00:15:19you are on the ground running with regards to school repairs, school refurbishments,
00:15:23and all that is necessary in order to ready your schools for the start of the academic year in September.
00:15:28So then what are we facing here for the new school term?
00:15:32Is it going to be a smooth transition, you think?
00:15:36Is it that we are going to have some more problems at the beginning of the new school term?
00:15:40Should parents and teachers be bracing for problems?
00:15:43Well, while we'd want to be eternal optimists,
00:15:46we suggest that there might be some problems in reopening all those schools in September.
00:15:53Now, it is every child's wish and desire, every parent's wish and desire,
00:15:57that come September, in your brand new uniform, your brand new school books,
00:16:01your brand new supplies, you enter a school that is safe and secured and ready for learning.
00:16:06Where we are at now, it doesn't seem as though all, and I make the emphasis on all,
00:16:12all our schools are going to be in that state of readiness and preparedness for the reopening of schools.
00:16:17You know, I think that's something that the education minister said earlier this week.
00:16:23It was quite interesting to me that she said that she was not going to be drawn in into any statement
00:16:28that all schools will be ready for the September start of the school term,
00:16:32as according to her, repairs are continuous.
00:16:36Yes.
00:16:38But you see, my position, my personal position, Mr. Stewart, is that it has become,
00:16:45we have become very accepting that every year we do have teachers and principals running to media houses
00:16:57and saying, well, here's what, we have fundraisers because we need to buy stationery
00:17:02and we need to buy this and that for our students in order for education to continue at their institutions.
00:17:10Again, I want to say that we have accepted that. To me, that is unacceptable.
00:17:16Yeah.
00:17:18If we want our students to perform, because we are quick to criticize when children do badly
00:17:25and when they are involved in delinquent behavior,
00:17:29my personal position is that we need to put the infrastructure in place for our students to thrive.
00:17:36Correct.
00:17:37And I don't know that that is happening in this environment.
00:17:40The minister alluded on Monday to the fact that over $2 billion is required
00:17:47in order to be able to effect the necessary repairs in all our schools.
00:17:51The emphasis is on education and education is everybody's business
00:17:56and that we have to now take a whole-of-population approach, a whole-of-corporate-governance approach
00:18:03in order to ensure that all our schools and this $2 billion can be achieved.
00:18:08Now, I'll be the first to say that the government does not have all the necessary funds in order to effect these repairs.
00:18:15But certainly earlier this year, the Government for Administrative Education embarked on the Adopt-a-School Program,
00:18:22bringing Corporate Trinidad and Tobago now to assist our schools in whatever needs that the schools may have.
00:18:30And there are several and there are so many needs of our schools.
00:18:34Now, if the repairs to our schools is of top priority, as it should be,
00:18:39then of course the government must now approach Corporate Trinidad and Tobago,
00:18:43even though it means in order to increase the concessions that are available to these corporate citizens
00:18:49and be able to partner with them so that they in turn can be able to assist in part of this $2 billion requirement necessary for the school repairs.
00:18:58Yeah, we may have to look at a situation of Adopt-a-School.
00:19:01Correct, exactly.
00:19:02Right?
00:19:03Are you suggesting TBCs will do that? Are you suggesting?
00:19:05Well, I do know. I know that they are looking this morning. You never know.
00:19:08They expect a call.
00:19:10Let's get to a story in the newspaper today.
00:19:12The Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association has said it was not aware Venezuelan migrant children
00:19:17were also being placed in government primary schools along with denominational schools.
00:19:22Was the NPTA consulted on this?
00:19:26Well, there is an issue with regards to consultation and this is another issue that we have difficulty with dealing with the Ministry of Education
00:19:35because sometimes you call us to a meeting after the decision has already been made and you call this consultation.
00:19:41In order to be able to consult, you bring us all to the table, all the stakeholders to the table and you discuss,
00:19:47we bring our views and our suggestions, our recommendations and we come up with a consensus, all stakeholders on a particular situation.
00:19:55We recall that for this particular incident case, we were called after the fact.
00:20:01We had actually heard the news conference by the Minister before and then we were called to a meeting.
00:20:07So there needs to be more consultation between the Ministry and all the stakeholders in education.
00:20:14Yeah, because I did say to Tutor again some days ago that I believe that there is this sort of disconnect between agencies such as yours and Tutor
00:20:27and other stakeholders in education in that sometimes it would seem that not everyone is on the same page
00:20:36and that should be for the better education of our students.
00:20:40And you are so correct because even with this press conference last Monday, it would have been more proficient
00:20:46if the Minister had called again all the stakeholders together before going out to the public and making those kinds of pronouncements.
00:20:53So at least we are not unaware of what is taking place with regards to these particular issues that were raised by her good self
00:21:00and of course the other members of her technocrat team at the Ministry.
00:21:04Yeah, what's your organization's position on the injection really of the 23 Venezuelan children into the school population?
00:21:14Well, I like the word injection. I would rather say inclusion, but that's fine.
00:21:17We endorse the fact that we are embracing our Venezuelan migrants into our school system
00:21:25because according to the UNESCO's principle, every child is entitled to an education.
00:21:30So once they are here legally, according to the migrant process and they have been registering every year with us,
00:21:38we want to welcome them and of course we endorse the policy of accepting the migrant students into our system at this point in time.
00:21:46Yeah, alright. So my words now, it would appear that the education sector is or has been under pressure for a little while now
00:21:57with the inclusion of these children, what is going to happen?
00:22:02You think that we are prepared to provide adequate education, professional education to these children?
00:22:12Well again, let me allude to the Ministry's press conference last Monday and what we have been seeing in the media
00:22:18in that our teachers have been trained in order to be able to handle the Spanish speaking population.
00:22:25In addition, if you look at the Optimal Learning Guide, which is a principle or policy by the Division of Curriculum,
00:22:33on page 318, it does indicate that Spanish is a curriculum item or subject even at the infant level at the primary school.
00:22:41So this is an opportunity for us to look at the fact that we are now integrating our Spanish speaking students into our population here
00:22:50and assisting us as well in being able to relate to them in another language and of course helping us to be bilingual,
00:22:57our students to be bilingual in the process.
00:23:00I suspect this is a work in progress and the proof is going to be in the pudding how well this sort of program works, right?
00:23:08Yeah, certainly.
00:23:10Let's look at some other challenges that continue to face education in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:23:18Well, I know that there is some concern with regards to our teacher shortage situation
00:23:24and I think it was Mr. Henderson, one of the PS's in the Ministry, who was saying that about 42 of our,
00:23:30well, I call them temporary teachers would be available in our primary school.
00:23:34But while this is so, we are also concerned about our secondary schools.
00:23:38We have been told that there are secondary schools with a particular teacher or teachers
00:23:43not in the classroom for in excess of a year, two years, even in some instances three years.
00:23:49Now, we have to look at equity among our students in Trinidad and Tobago.
00:23:55And the same exam that the student here is facing, they are competing with the peers in the region.
00:24:01So that if you have a particular subject area and there is no teaching and learning even for a day,
00:24:08you are disadvantaged and disenfranchised in the whole scheme of the process of education
00:24:13when you compare with your counterparts in the region.
00:24:17So there has to be equity throughout the education system from infancy into primary,
00:24:23into your secondary school system at all times.
00:24:26Yeah. Would you support, Mr. Stewart, a re-look at the curriculum that we do have in place?
00:24:33Because there continues to be criticisms of the curriculum.
00:24:39Whoever you speak to, they may say, well, it's a good curriculum.
00:24:43Some may still believe that it's too academic in nature.
00:24:47Of course, government is going to tell you, well, there are a lot of practical type programs that are available and so on.
00:24:55But I get the feeling, judging from speaking with people,
00:24:59that they feel that too many children are still falling through the cracks.
00:25:06And let me look at it two ways.
00:25:08One, of course, is the delivery of the curriculum to the extent that this may be contentious.
00:25:14If there is a particular curriculum and the curriculum is delivered to its end point,
00:25:20then it is almost difficult to understand why our students are not doing better at all levels,
00:25:28ECCE, primary, and secondary.
00:25:32And also, the foundation, this is the second point,
00:25:35the foundation has to be laid, in our humble views, at the ECCE and primary levels.
00:25:42If we are able to conquer and to be able to instill the proper learning systems and mechanisms,
00:25:47process of education now, at the ECCE and primary level,
00:25:51it will mitigate some of the situations and circumstances we face with regards to poor results at the secondary level.
00:25:59Yeah.
00:26:00All right, Mr. Stewart, we must go to a very short break.
00:26:02We are coming back, everybody.
00:26:04Stay right there.
00:26:05Thank you.
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00:28:49Alright, so welcome back everyone.
00:29:00So we continue to discuss the education and really the education system, right?
00:29:04And preparations for the beginning of the new school term.
00:29:08With us this morning, the president of the Trinidad and Tobago National Council of Parent Teacher Associations, Mr. Walter Stewart.
00:29:16Again, Mr. Stewart, thank you very much for coming this morning in person.
00:29:19My pleasure.
00:29:20Let's look again.
00:29:22You feel that the education system in Trinidad and Tobago, it really looks at the development of the child, the student in a holistic way?
00:29:32And that speaks to embracing the curriculum and ensuring that all aspects of the curriculum are properly and effectively delivered.
00:29:43Because if the curriculum is properly delivered, especially at the primary school level, certainly that holistic child that we are looking at would eventually come out.
00:29:53The ministry is also looking at cultural transformation, which of course embodies some of these holistic development of our students.
00:29:59So that if those things are adhered to and strictly adhered to and followed and patterned, yes, certainly we're going to get the type of child that we'll all be proud of at the end of their school life.
00:30:11Yeah.
00:30:12What we have been seeing for a number of months now, maybe a few years now, we have been seeing this upsurge in violence in the school population.
00:30:22As we look forward to the next school term, what do you see in that respect?
00:30:27Do you think that the education ministry has been decisive enough in dealing with that situation?
00:30:33Well, there's always room for improvement, certainly.
00:30:36And as we look forward to our September 2nd reopening, we really want to see less of school indiscipline and all that is taking place with regards to deviant behavior in our schools.
00:30:47The ministry has, of course, put mechanisms in place, including, of course, the MILAD program.
00:30:51I'm told that very soon there will also be a MILAD female component so that whatever measures the ministry is looking at in order to ensure that crime, deviant behavior, indiscipline are mitigated from our schools,
00:31:04we would want to endorse those policies and those principles put out by the Ministry of Education.
00:31:10Yeah.
00:31:11Over the past few days, we have been speaking about the book grants, too.
00:31:16How has the distribution of the book grants been?
00:31:20Well, we consider them, some of them, the delivery a little too late because I think even the PSP, as Charles was saying in the same media conference last Monday, that even up to today, some are going to be delivered.
00:31:32Now, this is, of course, the penultimate week for schools because schools reopen not next week, the following week, so that for a parent to now receive the book grant, $1,000.
00:31:42And, of course, to go now shopping and looking for school supplies is really a little too late.
00:31:46So, again, process mechanisms in place early enough to ensure that our parents could get the book grant as soon as the school term, the third term of the previous year ends.
00:31:58Let's start the first week, at least, of the application period with your book grant in hand, the book grant on your account.
00:32:05But, Mr. Seward, like we need to buy a calendar or a watch for the Ministry of Education?
00:32:11It's late, so I don't understand.
00:32:13Yeah, I think the process.
00:32:16Because, again, look at where we are.
00:32:18Yes.
00:32:19Just about a week before the new school term and we're rushing to do all of these things.
00:32:23And to me and to you and to everyone out there, they had ample time.
00:32:28They knew that the beginning of the new school term was coming in September, Mr. Seward.
00:32:32Again, let me say that there seems to be a financial constraint.
00:32:37And this appeal is written out to the Ministry of Finance to be able to fund the Ministry of Education.
00:32:43Now, the Ministry of Education, by and large, gets the bulk or among the bulk of the budget.
00:32:49Yes.
00:32:50But if you look at education as the gateway to a reduction in crime, a reduction in poverty, and the importance of education in the national development of our nation,
00:33:02then, of course, if you infuse the necessary funding at the front end, it will certainly reduce your spend at the end of the game.
00:33:12So even the Ministry of National Security and all that they are putting in place now for our deviant students and the deviant population would be reduced
00:33:19if we adopt that putting education needs of our nation top priority at all times.
00:33:27It will certainly help.
00:33:28Yes.
00:33:29I know that you wanted to make a point on the school-based management.
00:33:32Yes.
00:33:33Now, the school-based management process, if properly implemented, could reduce some of the problems that we are facing, especially with infrastructure.
00:33:42Because the information coming out of the school-based management allows for a monthly report of the state of the infrastructure of our schools.
00:33:51So that if this is being processed by the principal of the school, sent to the education district, whatever the education district is, and then sent to EFPPD or the Ministry of Education,
00:34:02at all times, we are fully aware of the state and status of our schools so that we can begin to put proper mechanisms in place to ensure that these repairs are dealt with even before they get chronic.
00:34:15We are fully aware of that.
00:34:18I mean, I don't want to name them, but their schools are almost on the verge of shutting down, literally.
00:34:24I was on another frequency just last week with a parent, an executive member of a PTA unit in Southeastern.
00:34:31And the wars and the troubles and the tribulations at that school, insurmountable.
00:34:38So that a greater emphasis has to be placed on the allocation of funds for the Ministry of Education and how this spend is done at the ministry as well.
00:34:48If you're speaking about a situation at that particular school that you believe it's insurmountable, then how are these concerns falling on deaf ears?
00:34:59Is it not a priority?
00:35:01And of course, it is crucial.
00:35:03And the ministry needs to pay greater attention when they get these SIMs, when they get these reports.
00:35:09What do they do with these reports?
00:35:11Are they pushed in the garbage?
00:35:13Are they pushed in the file on your desk and left there?
00:35:16And we say certainly not.
00:35:17The ministry has to pay a greater attention when these reports come to the attention.
00:35:23And more than paying attention, take the action necessary to ensure that the remedial works that are so necessary in those schools are effected on a timely basis.
00:35:32Yeah.
00:35:33Now, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Stewart has promised to speak at a later time on CSEC.
00:35:40Yes.
00:35:41But just a few things I'm seeing in the newspaper here.
00:35:43I know that your association has not taken a position on it.
00:35:47Correct.
00:35:49But I'm seeing things like 54 students were caught cheating in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations in the region this year.
00:35:57I'm seeing where they're speaking about absenteeism in the CAPE exams by 5% and a rounded off increase of 7% in absenteeism in the CSEC exams.
00:36:08So a myriad of problems and challenges that they're speaking about.
00:36:14All I can say, my assessment, Mr. Stewart, it would seem that all is not well in education.
00:36:20Yeah.
00:36:21Certainly.
00:36:22And I would want to endorse that statement.
00:36:23And, again, as I said, I would really want to meet my executive and my members to be able to discuss those results.
00:36:28But, of course, those results reveal that we have to be concerned about what is taking place.
00:36:34Not only in Toronto, but this is a regional examination now.
00:36:37But, of course, throughout our regions.
00:36:40But, again, hats off to the students who are successful and we really want to congratulate them.
00:36:44Mr. Stewart, anything you'd like to add before you leave us this morning?
00:36:47Well, except to say that I want to be able to come back.
00:36:50Of course.
00:36:51To speak with you on curriculum issues as well as the CSEC and CAPE results.
00:36:56Because education involves, as I said, is everybody's business.
00:37:00And, of course, we as parents are concerned about what is taking place in education because, ultimately, our students are the ones that are suffering from time to time.
00:37:08Let me also, please, and further plug for the involvement of corporate Trinidad and Tobago.
00:37:14Because if you invest money, your $1, $2, $50,000, as the case might be, into the education life of our nation,
00:37:22we, or the students who you are investing those monies in, are the ones who are going to be coming into your employer.
00:37:28And you want the ideal employee when they get there in order to ensure that your bottom line, your profits, are at its optimum.
00:37:35So, investing money is now corporate Trinidad and Tobago so that you get the ideal employee in order to be able to propel your profits year after year and year on year.
00:37:46Yeah. One last question. I only have about a minute, Mr. Stewart.
00:37:49Sure.
00:37:50But I know that over the years, one of the problems affecting parent-teachers associations is the issue of absenteeism by parents.
00:38:00How are you all dealing with that situation?
00:38:03Are more parents coming out now?
00:38:05Right. And that's a very good question indeed because that, of course, looks intimately now.
00:38:09Look at this. Look at myself now in the mirror.
00:38:11We have only been in office since November of last year.
00:38:14And we have already put in place a PR guideline in order to be able to assist our parents coming out to our PTA meetings.
00:38:26We have to ensure that our PTA meetings are attractive enough to ensure that we can get the parents out of their houses, out of their jobs or after their jobs, and be able to attend PTA meetings.
00:38:36Because many times, we speak to the converted.
00:38:38We really want to be able to speak to all of our parents of all of our students.
00:38:43And, of course, our task is really to ensure that we are able to meet them.
00:38:47We have a task of ensuring that about 80% of all our schools in Trinidad and Tobago are affiliated with the National Council of Parent-Teachers Association.
00:38:56Arduous? Yes. But realistic? Yes.
00:39:00And we are determined, come what may, to move heaven or high waters in order to ensure that many, most of our schools, if not all of our schools, could be affiliated with the National Council of Parent-Teachers Association.
00:39:12Mr. Stewart, it's always a pleasure speaking with you, and thank you very much for coming here this morning. We do appreciate it, and hope to see you very soon.
00:39:19Thank you. Bye for now.
00:39:20All right, so we are going to have a very quick break, everybody. We're coming back.
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00:41:35Oh yeah. Is that some white bygones I'm seeing?
00:41:41Yeah? I know some of you all are cringing that I'm saying bygone.
00:41:46Yes, Melange, Melange.
00:41:48Alright, but that's, I've never seen that before.
00:41:51White Melange?
00:41:53So you're going to roast that?
00:41:55And eat it with some sour root?
00:41:58Yeah, I feel our next guest likes that, you know.
00:42:02Joel Julian is here with us this morning, everybody.
00:42:06Multimedia Business Editor at The Express Business.
00:42:09Joel, thank you very much for coming.
00:42:11Joel, that's a story for you, you know.
00:42:13Yeah, that's a story. Interesting, I never saw.
00:42:15Albino bygones?
00:42:17I never saw albino bygones before, you know.
00:42:19Melange it.
00:42:21Yeah, I wonder how it tastes. I suspect it tastes the same way, right?
00:42:23Yeah, we'll hope.
00:42:25Do we have the name of that person who sent that?
00:42:28But I believe that is being cultivated here in Trinidad and Tobago, right?
00:42:31Yeah.
00:42:32Alright, thank you very much to that person who would have sent that picture to us.
00:42:35Alright, so now on the agenda, The Express Business.
00:42:38And Joel, last week we spoke about this and you all have really followed up on it.
00:42:43Taking Massey to the world.
00:42:45So, thank you always for having us, Marlon.
00:42:48So our lead story today for the magazine is Massey.
00:42:52Now, we know since December last year, Massey has been in the news.
00:42:56That arose when they had the annual general meeting.
00:42:59It was the 100th annual general meeting.
00:43:01And the general counsel of Massey at that time, Miss Angelique Parry-Southport,
00:43:05would have made some assertions at that annual general meeting.
00:43:09And since then, a lot has happened.
00:43:12We would have seen Miss Parry-Southport would have tended her resignation.
00:43:16That was accepted by Massey.
00:43:18Eventually, the then CEO of Massey, Mr. Jervis Warner,
00:43:22who was the CEO for like a 14-year period,
00:43:25he would have stepped down.
00:43:27We would have seen some other changes within the leadership,
00:43:29the management structure of Massey since then.
00:43:32One of the persons that would have taken up a position
00:43:35is the new chief executive officer of Massey, Mr. David Alfonso.
00:43:40Now, Mr. Alfonso has been at Massey Holdings for like 35 years.
00:43:45So he's not new to Massey, but obviously this is a new position.
00:43:49And this is the first time he would have been speaking to the media
00:43:52as the chief executive officer of Massey.
00:43:55So we were grateful for the opportunity.
00:43:57This is the second story that we have coming out of it.
00:44:00On Sunday's Express, we would have had the first story,
00:44:05which would have focused more on the issues arising
00:44:09out of what took place in December,
00:44:11the concerns raised by Miss Parry-Southport and so on.
00:44:14But apart from that, we believe that the Massey story
00:44:17has different elements to it.
00:44:20Following the claims made by Miss Parry-Southport
00:44:23and even the report into those claims,
00:44:26we would have seen some changes within Massey financially.
00:44:31They would have posted their results recently and so on.
00:44:36So we just wanted to speak to Mr. Alfonso and also Mr. James McCarthy,
00:44:40who also would have assumed the role of chief financial officer
00:44:44before the December AGM.
00:44:47So he would have actually assumed that position in July 2023.
00:44:51But it's also the first time he's actually addressing the media also.
00:44:56What did you all learn from this new arrangement,
00:45:00this new deal with Massey and Superpharm?
00:45:03So one of the things that took place last week,
00:45:05we know you go into Massey stores,
00:45:08you would have seen like the in-store pharmacy
00:45:10where you could get your Panadol,
00:45:12your different medication, your pharmaceuticals.
00:45:15And what Massey would have decided is that
00:45:18they wanted to sell those assets to Superpharm.
00:45:21Now Superpharm is a known name in Trinidad also
00:45:23because Superpharm has their branches throughout the country.
00:45:27And what Mr. Alfonso is saying is that,
00:45:30similar to what they're seeing in Target in the United States,
00:45:33so you go to a Target store,
00:45:35the Target franchise might have an in-store pharmacy.
00:45:39But that in-store pharmacy is run by CVS.
00:45:42So he said it's similar to that,
00:45:45where Massey, they believe that they are strong at certain things,
00:45:49that the pharmaceuticals was a way to assist their customers,
00:45:53but they didn't believe that that was one of their strengths.
00:45:55It wasn't something that they really wanted to focus on.
00:45:58And in moving forward, what Mr. Alfonso says is that
00:46:01Massey is trying to kind of be lean in terms of,
00:46:04instead of just planting seeds everywhere and hoping things grow,
00:46:09focus directly on what their strengths are.
00:46:13So he says that in terms of Massey,
00:46:15because Massey is three portfolios that they really focus on.
00:46:20But we in Trinidad and Tobago,
00:46:22either fortunately or unfortunately,
00:46:24when you have Massey, you automatically think Massey stores.
00:46:27But that is not the be-all and end-all of Massey.
00:46:29Massey has different things.
00:46:31They enter gas, they enter motor vehicles,
00:46:35and different other aspects that they utilize.
00:46:38So in terms of the in-store pharmacy,
00:46:40what they're saying is that they wanted to better help their customers
00:46:44by putting this portfolio into the hands of somebody
00:46:47who has proven themselves, which is Superpharm.
00:46:50Now, we don't believe that this is the end of the conversation
00:46:52with respect to this deal.
00:46:55This is the Massey side of the deal and what they see going forward.
00:47:00But we also believe that there are other questions to be answered
00:47:03because there's the issue of staffing,
00:47:05there's the issue of how does this benefit Superpharm,
00:47:08what does Superpharm intend to do within Massey.
00:47:11So it's not the end of this conversation,
00:47:13but we just wanted to highlight this is one of the newest things
00:47:18in the landscape of Trinidad and Tobago,
00:47:20and what is the thinking behind it.
00:47:23And we felt that the best person to speak on that
00:47:25was the Chief Executive Officer of Massey, the boss himself.
00:47:28Let me put this on the table because since the news of this broke,
00:47:33I believe, last week, and I'm seeing your story today,
00:47:39but I am not still clear.
00:47:41Me personally, my personal position and situation is I'm wondering
00:47:48is it a management arrangement in that there are going to be
00:47:58still pharmacies at Massey but Superpharm is running it
00:48:04because we're also hearing about the sale of the assets.
00:48:07So is it a sale or is it a management arrangement?
00:48:11I don't know if you got that from the interview.
00:48:13Okay, so what is going to be is like the way it is planned to be
00:48:18is that you're going to Massey today, you might see the Massey
00:48:22and so pharmacy.
00:48:23You're going to Massey when everything is finalized,
00:48:25you will see the same pharmacy but it just would be under a different name.
00:48:29Okay.
00:48:30And Superpharm will be the ones, as you rightfully said,
00:48:32the overall management of it because pharmaceuticals is not like
00:48:36Joel Julian can just go and open a pharmacy because there are certain
00:48:40regulations, antibiotics, certain drugs.
00:48:44You can't sell those drugs to any and everybody.
00:48:46So it's a highly regulated industry.
00:48:48But is Massey still going to gain from this arrangement?
00:48:52What they will gain from it is that Superpharm will still have the pharmacy
00:48:56within their store.
00:48:57Yes.
00:48:58And Joel goes into Massey, let's say Massey St. John's,
00:49:02they buy your stuff.
00:49:03You're still getting your Massey points and Massey itself would be
00:49:07getting the money from whether or not the actual sale of the assets,
00:49:13you know, that Superpharm is going to take over this thing.
00:49:17You're not giving them for free.
00:49:19Right.
00:49:20And then there'll be a pricing.
00:49:21Unfortunately, Mr. Alphonso did not give us the consideration.
00:49:24Okay.
00:49:25But there'll be a pricing behind it.
00:49:27So Superpharm will be gaining from the sense that they are now,
00:49:30they now have additional locations.
00:49:32Right.
00:49:33And Massey is supposed to be gaining from the fact that they don't have to
00:49:36run this thing.
00:49:38Right.
00:49:39You know,
00:49:40they won't be the ones having to spend the overhead costs in terms of
00:49:42staffing, in terms of other costs attached to it.
00:49:45Yeah.
00:49:46So to answer your question, yes.
00:49:48It's like Superpharm will be doing the management of this thing going
00:49:51forward.
00:49:52All right, good.
00:49:53Yeah.
00:49:54I still have a few questions, but.
00:49:55Yeah.
00:49:56No, the thing is.
00:49:57Yeah.
00:49:58The reality is there are a lot of questions going,
00:50:00going forward in terms of like,
00:50:02what does this mean for the overall pharmaceutical industry in Trinidad
00:50:06and Tobago?
00:50:07Because Superpharm is a major player.
00:50:09And Superpharm is also the subsidiary of a larger company called
00:50:12Agostini's.
00:50:13Right.
00:50:14Which also is a major player within pharmaceuticals,
00:50:16not just locally, but on a regional scale.
00:50:19We would have seen Agostini making certain acquisitions and different
00:50:24purchases to also strengthen themselves on the pharmaceuticals.
00:50:27So it's not, honestly, it's not the end of the conversation,
00:50:30but it's one of those ongoing conversations.
00:50:32And we just try to put the elements in terms of the persons who are the
00:50:36key principles and the key players within this conversation.
00:50:39All right.
00:50:40Joel, what next do you have for us?
00:50:41All right.
00:50:42So there's a company called Proman.
00:50:43Proman has about 14 factories within Trinidad,
00:50:49Tobago, in terms of methanol.
00:50:52Proman would have had a media tour last week, Friday.
00:50:57My colleague, Vashana Pagu,
00:50:58would have attended that media sensitization tour where they would have
00:51:02toured the Stena Prosperous, which is a vessel,
00:51:06one of the vessels that Proman owns.
00:51:08And one of the things coming out of that tour is Vashana would have spoken
00:51:12to some of the key players within Proman itself to talk about the
00:51:16methanol bunkering industry.
00:51:19Now, the Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley,
00:51:21would have spoken about Trinidad and Tobago becoming a methanol bunkering
00:51:25hub because we produce methanol.
00:51:27Now, what methanol basically is is a cleaner fuel in terms of the maritime
00:51:32industry.
00:51:33So in terms of these vessels trying to navigate through waters,
00:51:39instead of using the fossil fuels to power the vessels,
00:51:44they're now turning to methanol as the cleaner fuel in terms of, you know,
00:51:48we're always looking at the greening of the oil and gas industry.
00:51:53And this is just saying what can Trinidad and Tobago become this methanol
00:51:58hub, this methanol bunkering hub, and what would it mean for us as an economy?
00:52:03So we're looking at one of the things that Vashana would have looked at is
00:52:06increased employment, which is something that would always be a positive.
00:52:10So we're looking at the possibility of increased employment and even
00:52:13Trinidad and Tobago becoming a methanol bunkering hub because we are one of
00:52:17those – we have an ideal location.
00:52:20We are not too far from the Panama Canal where we see incredible traffic in
00:52:25terms of vessels, and also we are close access to South America.
00:52:31We are close access to North America.
00:52:33So it's just Trinidad and Tobago and the possibility of us becoming this
00:52:36methanol bunkering hub where we produce methanol.
00:52:39Why not become the place where ships and vessels can come and get the methanol
00:52:44to also power their genies going forward?
00:52:46Yeah.
00:52:47All right.
00:52:48Apart from that, one of the things that we have going on is we would have
00:52:51highlighted Solace, the company called Solace, which was formerly
00:52:55Eric Solace Marketing Limited.
00:52:58They are like fax machines and these kinds of machines.
00:53:05It's a small medium enterprise company, and they would have been the first in
00:53:12five years to be pushing forward an initial public offering in terms of
00:53:16selling shares to try and raise capital.
00:53:19So it is one of those things.
00:53:21This could either be hit or miss.
00:53:23Fortunately for Solace, it was a hit.
00:53:25So they were trying to raise $11 million, and the way they were trying to do
00:53:29that is selling 2,750,000 shares from the company, which would have been like
00:53:3533% of the company, the ownership of the company, for $4.
00:53:39So 2,750,000 shares by $4, you're getting $11 million.
00:53:45It was oversubscribed.
00:53:46Yes.
00:53:47All right.
00:53:48So you have individuals, staff members from Solace decided they're seeing
00:53:52that they believe that they have faith in the company, so they would have put
00:53:56money at the initial investors.
00:53:58So some of the hits.
00:54:00We would have seen for the first time in five years a new company entering the
00:54:04small and medium industry market in the stock exchange.
00:54:08We would have also seen over 150 new investors, so persons who may not have
00:54:14invested in the stock exchange at all saying, hey, this is an opportunity,
00:54:19and it might be the opportunity for them to get their feet wet.
00:54:22So they might have started with Solace and then see other shares on the stock
00:54:26exchange and might decide that this is a way for them to become investors.
00:54:30So we just wanted to look at that, the milestones that would have been made
00:54:35for Solace, for new investors, and even for the Trinidad and Tobago stock
00:54:40exchange.
00:54:41So that is one of the stories that we also focused on today.
00:54:44Yes.
00:54:45It's interesting to see that more and more people are investing and see that
00:54:48as an option, right?
00:54:49And seeing it as an option, even companies seeing it as an option for
00:54:52financing because the ordinary way of doing it is that you're a small and
00:54:56medium enterprise.
00:54:57You would go to a commercial bank and say, hey, I could get a loan for X
00:55:00amount, but this is also a way of raising capital and also funding some
00:55:05projects that you might have going forward.
00:55:07So you never know, Marlon.
00:55:09In a few weeks' time, you might have a new small and medium enterprise
00:55:12deciding, hey, Solace was able to do it.
00:55:15Why not me?
00:55:17This is an interesting story.
00:55:19You're going to Pepper Village.
00:55:20Pepper Village in Grand Cougar.
00:55:22Now, my wife might be surprised to hear that, but I believe in love.
00:55:26I believe in love, and this is a love story.
00:55:29This is a company called Santa Luisa.
00:55:33It's a rustic restaurant in an estate in Grand Cougar, Pepper Village,
00:55:38Grand Cougar.
00:55:39Now, the story is this couple, Anan and Jennifer, they were childhood
00:55:46friends, sweethearts.
00:55:49Then life happened, and then years later they came back together.
00:55:53You know, they would have had life happened.
00:55:55Right.
00:55:56But they eventually came back together, and they decided that they wanted
00:55:59to open this rustic restaurant.
00:56:02They both have different interests.
00:56:04So, like, one is interested in, like, old music.
00:56:06The other one is interested in, like, these unique and antique teacups
00:56:11and stuff like that.
00:56:12Right.
00:56:13And it's a beautiful location.
00:56:14So, they decided why not, instead of keeping this to ourselves, why not
00:56:18open this up to the public, the general public?
00:56:20So, they decided to open this restaurant.
00:56:23So, it's a rustic restaurant.
00:56:26It's ideal for if you are looking for, you know, we're always looking for
00:56:29different avenues to spend time with our loved ones, whether it be a
00:56:33significant other or whether it be the family as a whole.
00:56:36So, we just, my colleague Melissa Maynard decided to speak to this couple
00:56:41and their plans for the Santa Luisa estate.
00:56:46And just to segue a little bit, Melissa Maynard won.
00:56:51Yes.
00:56:52One of our regionals.
00:56:53So, the Caribbean Broadcasters Union would have held their regional awards
00:56:59last week.
00:57:00And Melissa Maynard would have gotten special mention for a financial literacy
00:57:06story that she would have done, which actually was on the cover of the
00:57:09Express Business in December.
00:57:11So, we could probably say congratulations to Melissa and also that the
00:57:15Express Business magazine is now an award-winning magazine.
00:57:18What?
00:57:19So, we will take that, you know, we take that going forward.
00:57:22And we also see it as testament for persons who would have believed in
00:57:26the vision that we believe that business is everything.
00:57:29So, even putting this love story of Santa Luisa and how it moved from just
00:57:34love into a business venture and what it can mean going forward.
00:57:38All right.
00:57:39In the magazine also, we also have guest columnists.
00:57:42So, we have Dr. Phyllis Morrow and we also have Angelique Parrish at
00:57:46Potter, who is also speaking, has a guest column in the magazine also.
00:57:51You know, so that is a gist of what we have for our readers.
00:57:57And we always appreciate the opportunity, Barlan, to be here with you and to
00:58:01speak about what we're doing for the magazine, which is our flagship product.
00:58:04But as we always say, we are just but a small team within a larger unit,
00:58:09which is Express.
00:58:11And you can find us on the business pages of the Express when you pick up
00:58:14your daily Express, Sunday to Saturday.
00:58:17Yeah.
00:58:18Joel, it's always a pleasure speaking with you and thank you for the stories
00:58:22in the magazine, as always.
00:58:25Some very topical issues, front-burner issues and always very interesting
00:58:31stories.
00:58:32So, see you right back here next week.
00:58:34Next week, it's Independence Week, you know.
00:58:36So, you know, we have to come with something for the independence.
00:58:39Something red, white, and black.
00:58:40Yeah.
00:58:41Until then.
00:58:42Thank you, Barlan.
00:58:43All right.
00:58:44So, we are going to have a very quick break.
00:58:45What do we have for our viewers?
00:58:46We have this image.
00:58:48Yeah.
00:58:49Are these starch mangoes?
00:58:51They're not?
00:58:53Everything I see in starch, you know.
00:58:55I love starch mangoes.
00:58:56Right?
00:58:57Long mangoes.
00:58:58I'm looking to…
00:58:59It could be some long mangoes.
00:59:02All right.
00:59:03It's from Yamin.
00:59:04Yamin, thank you very much this morning for those mangoes.
00:59:07Starch mango cousin.
00:59:09We're coming back, everybody.
00:59:11Make the right choice in eyewear at Seaview Optical.
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00:59:33Why should one use Tamarack XL?
00:59:35Just because the bottle says take two a day, a lot of times the products don't have enough
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00:59:40Tamarack XL has 45 times more active curcumin.
00:59:44Far more absorbable.
00:59:46And we could do it at such a small dose.
00:59:53This thing is about to break for you.
00:59:56Three hours in Gethsemane, he dragged that tire called salvation for man.
01:00:03Lift my eyes unto the hills.
01:00:06We only have one place to go for help.
01:00:09Hallelujah.
01:00:11So I celebrate in Jesus.
01:00:24Walking to your new season.
01:00:27Good morning.
01:00:28I am Ansel Gibbs with a news update.
01:00:31CSEC results are out, but CXC is concerned about how students are performing across the region.
01:00:38About 6% of the entire population of persons registered for the exam get in five or more.
01:00:45When we make the decision to make the decision to make the decision to make the decision
01:00:51for the exam, get in five or more.
01:00:54When we make the restriction, five subjects, including mathematics and English, that drops to 4.9%.
01:01:09Some residents of Lengua Princess Town held a motorcade on Tuesday to protest over problems in their communities.
01:01:16We are asking the government to have a heart and help the people, help all of us in the community.
01:01:23Give us water, water is life.
01:01:25Give us water.
01:01:26Give us a better way to drive, a better road to drive on.
01:01:29Not like this.
01:01:30And in the weather forecast, today expect generally hot, sunny and hazy conditions, despite showers in a few areas.
01:01:38There is also a low to medium chance of isolated thunderstorms in western areas of Trinidad.
01:01:44Tonight will be generally fair, apart from the chance of the odd isolated shower.
01:01:49Saharan dust is present in the atmosphere.
01:01:52Temperatures are expected to climb to 34 degrees Celsius in Trinidad and 32 in Tobago.
01:01:58Seas will be slight to moderate, with waves between 1.2 and 1.5 meters in open waters,
01:02:05and up to 1 meter and choppy near showers in shelter areas.
01:02:15The TV6 Daily Health Tip is brought to you by Omega XL.
01:02:20Did you know chronic inflammation can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes?
01:02:27That's right.
01:02:28Chronic inflammation, a long-term physiological response to harmful stimuli, is not just a minor annoyance.
01:02:36It's a potential precursor to a host of serious health issues, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and pancreas-related problems.
01:02:46Chronic inflammation, as the name suggests, is not an acute, short-term response to injury or infection.
01:02:53Instead, it's a slow, insidious process that can persist for months, even years.
01:02:59This ongoing inflammation can wreak havoc on your body's systems, including the intricate mechanisms that regulate blood sugar.
01:03:06Now, let's shed some light on how chronic inflammation can lead to insulin resistance.
01:03:12Under normal circumstances, insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, helps transport glucose into your cells, providing them with the energy they need.
01:03:22However, chronic inflammation can interfere with this process.
01:03:27It can make your cells more resistant to insulin, making it harder for glucose to enter your cells.
01:03:33As a result, blood sugar levels in your bloodstream can rise, setting the stage for diabetes.
01:03:39But that's not all.
01:03:40Chronic inflammation can also directly impact your pancreas, the organ responsible for producing insulin.
01:03:47Prolonged inflammation in the pancreas can damage the insulin-producing beta cells.
01:03:52This damage can reduce insulin production, exacerbating the problem of high blood sugar, and worsening the state of diabetes.
01:04:00Moreover, chronic inflammation can contribute to what's known as pancreatic beta cell exhaustion.
01:04:06This condition leads to impaired insulin secretion, and further disrupts glucose regulation, pushing the body further down the path towards diabetes.
01:04:16Chronic inflammation can also increase the risk of pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas.
01:04:22This condition can damage pancreatic tissue, disrupt insulin production, and further compound the problems associated with diabetes.
01:04:31Understanding the connection between chronic inflammation and diabetes underscores the importance of managing inflammation.
01:04:39Lifestyle changes such as adopting a balanced diet, engaging in regular exercise, and managing stress can all play a crucial role in reducing chronic inflammation.
01:04:49And in some cases, medication may be necessary.
01:04:53Of course, if you have any concerns about chronic inflammation, insulin resistance or diabetes, it's important to consult a healthcare professional.
01:05:02They can provide personalized guidance and help you take steps to protect your health.
01:05:08In conclusion, chronic inflammation is more than just a persistent annoyance.
01:05:13It's a potential catalyst for insulin resistance, diabetes, and a host of pancreas-related issues.
01:05:20By understanding this connection and taking steps to manage inflammation, you can help safeguard your health against these serious conditions.
01:05:29The TV6 Daily Health Tip was brought to you by OmegaXL.
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01:12:47event. So we've been in the past, we've been to Colombia, to Brazil, to Mexico, so
01:12:54bigger countries, but what we've seen from Trinidad and Tobago was very, very
01:13:00attractive. To Capa, to come here, to the Caribbean, connectivity is great, it's a
01:13:06fantastic location, beautiful location, so this is why we chose to come and it's
01:13:13proven we have done right, together with our host, the Airports Authority, and
01:13:19we're expecting over 200 delegates in the next couple of days. That's a lot of people, but what is the
01:13:26intention, what are you all trying to achieve? Of course, this is not the first
01:13:30time that you have had such a summit, I'm sure it's not the first time, so what is
01:13:35achieved or what is the intention when trying to, what objective are you
01:13:40trying to achieve at these summits? Yes, so we do global summits all over the world, in
01:13:46every part of the world, and ultimately we're bringing together the aviation
01:13:53industry. We provide very, very high-level content, so people come to network to get
01:14:00educated and to do business, of course, so for a destination it really, really
01:14:06means a very significant direct economic impact with all the people coming, but
01:14:13also a long-term, so we are basically facilitating the route development with
01:14:19bringing these sea-level and network planner to the destination, ultimately,
01:14:24hopefully, new routes will come out of that. I suspect it is a good
01:14:31opportunity for all participants, stakeholders, to discuss the environment
01:14:40in the industry, discuss the challenges, discuss the solutions and
01:14:47provide some level of, some sort of roadmap as to how we navigate the skies.
01:14:54Yes, so at the first level, air service development is the number one focus that
01:15:05we have as Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago for the, and business
01:15:11development as the number one objective of the CAPA Summit, because here it
01:15:18is, there are airline leaders who in the past may have never heard of Trinidad or
01:15:23Tobago, never considered it, we have the opportunity to bring them to our shores,
01:15:28for them to taste doubles, for them to go around the Savannah and have
01:15:31coconut water, and as we immerse them in this, the whole idea is to pitch the
01:15:38business case for Trinidad and Tobago, why this is an attractive market, how
01:15:43their business could grow, how they could enjoy load factors and comfortable yields,
01:15:49attractive yields, by deploying regular air service to our country, and the good
01:15:57thing is we've gotten tremendous support, for example, from Tourism Trinidad
01:16:02Limited, the THA has been a great ally, the Tobago Tourism Agency Limited,
01:16:10and the private sector, the private sector has come in big time, they've
01:16:15caught the vision and they understand what this could mean for the country
01:16:20first of all, and even for their business, because some of the companies
01:16:25that will be exhibited, they will have the opportunity to meet decision makers
01:16:30and pitch their products, talk to them about getting their products on
01:16:35airlines, or talk about how they could do business with other airports in
01:16:40the region. Miss Coons, I just want to speak about the benefits for countries
01:16:49that would have hosted this summit in the past, what have you seen? I'm sure
01:16:56that there had to be, or you have seen some level of transformation in the
01:17:02countries that would have hosted this summit in the past. Yes, absolutely, yeah we have
01:17:07conducted a economic impact study through an external consultancy which
01:17:14was researching on what impact do we really leave in a destination, obviously
01:17:21there's the immediate one that you see with bringing people here and spending
01:17:26hotel nights, doing tours, you know, the local community, the local shops, they
01:17:31will all benefit from the people that are here, and then there's
01:17:36a branding impact in the two days that are ahead of us, you will notice on all
01:17:43social channels, there will be a buzz about the event, there will be people
01:17:48writing about it, pictures, so it goes into the entire world, you know, Trinidad and
01:17:54Tobago is being put on the map in the next couple of days, so huge brand
01:18:00recognition definitely for the islands, and then there's long term
01:18:06that we've seen, and you know, if there's only one new route coming out of this
01:18:11event that we're talking, you know, we're talking significant impact to a
01:18:18country. Yeah, and you know Mr. Bahr, we have spoken about the delegates
01:18:24attending this summit, and you do have the strong possibility that many of them
01:18:34may be interested in destination Trinidad and Tobago, but do we have the
01:18:41infrastructure in place to deal with the traffic that may come? Sure, so Trinidad
01:18:49and Tobago's aviation infrastructure has been identified in studies,
01:18:57international studies, as one of the best infrastructure in the Caribbean, so when
01:19:07it comes to, for example, about runway length, the number of boarding bridges, we
01:19:11have the physical infrastructure to facilitate significant growth, but Marlon,
01:19:16what the population could look forward to is in the next months, we are going to
01:19:22bring some new technology into our airports, which would show that we are
01:19:28preparing for the future, we are future-proofing our airports by bringing
01:19:33in technology, which will increase the optimal usage of the facilities, so
01:19:38without necessarily having to spend more on significant infrastructure, you will
01:19:44see some high-tech applied, so we could be fast in whatever we do.
01:19:50Ms. Koons, is there a particular theme this year for this summit? So, obviously,
01:19:57sustainability in aviation plays a very, very key role, we will be talking about
01:20:02it as well, we have a very high-level panel talking about it, just to see how
01:20:07we can take aviation into the future in a sustainable way, that's very, very
01:20:13big for all our events, and we really do emphasize a lot when we bring an
01:20:20event to a destination, we leave as little footprint in terms of the waste
01:20:27we create and whatnot as possible, and we're very, very mindful. All right, we must go
01:20:34to a very short break, we are coming back everybody, stay right there.
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01:22:31All right everybody, so welcome back, so we continue to speak about the CAPA
01:22:50Airline Leader Summit for Latin America and the Caribbean, and with us this
01:22:56morning, we do have Emmanuel Bard, Deputy General Manager, Estates Planning and
01:22:59Business Development, and we also do have Ms. Claudia Kunz, Director of Events
01:23:05at CAPA. Mr. Bard, you have some additional information that you'd like to share with
01:23:09us. Sure, I wanted to expand on what Claudia was saying about sustainability
01:23:14and the efforts that are being made by CAPA and by Airports Authority when it
01:23:18comes to that. So this emphasis on sustainability is being pushed in the
01:23:25conference, and that we actually have, among the thought leaders on the panel
01:23:30discussion on sustainability, two Trinidad and Tobago nationals who will be
01:23:35contributing. One of them is Dr. Dale Ramkalan, who's from a company doing
01:23:41some very innovative work when it comes to hydrogen energy. It's a Trinidadian
01:23:45joint venture with a French company, and then there's also Namdeo Maharaj,
01:23:52who's a Trinidadian entrepreneur, who at some point was doing research into
01:23:56biofuels, and now we see that that is really taking off. Also, down to the
01:24:03environmental level, hands-on level, we've seen that CAPA has selected nature
01:24:10seekers out of Matura to partner with and to support that NGO, and they went
01:24:17down earlier this week and had some hands-on experience with the
01:24:21Lederbach Turtle Preservation. And on top of that, we are looking to have
01:24:28economic sustainability at the conference, and that we're bringing in
01:24:31some NGOs to have this place at the boot. So Trinidad and Tobago companies, whether
01:24:39you are nature seekers as an NGO or the export centers with small businesses,
01:24:45they will have the chance to also network and meet some of these business
01:24:50leaders, and this could be business growth for them.
01:24:52Yeah. Ms. Koons, I just have about 30 seconds again. Is there anything else you'd
01:24:58like to tell us before you leave us this morning?
01:24:59Yes, I just want to emphasize what Emmanuel said, the experience we had with
01:25:04nature seekers and being able to experience this unbelievable... I'm
01:25:12still getting emotional, releasing the hatchling to the ocean and the work they
01:25:17do. It's just amazing. Also, the drive up to Matura, beautiful. It is a truly
01:25:25beautiful, beautiful island. So thank you so much.
01:25:27When is the summit again? The date?
01:25:29It's Thursday and Friday this week.
01:25:32Yeah. What time does it begin?
01:25:33Nine o'clock in the morning. We start with a welcome reception tonight, but the
01:25:38conference Thursday morning, 9 a.m.
01:25:40Yeah. Mr. Bahr, any final words?
01:25:43Diversification is taking place now. Airports are a territory of Trinidad and
01:25:46Tobago. We are pushing hard. We're open for business, and we're doing our bit to
01:25:52help Trinidad and Tobago go forward.
01:25:54Yeah. Thank you very much for coming this morning. We do appreciate it, and we wish
01:25:58you all the best with your summit.
01:26:00Thank you so much.
01:26:01All right. So here's what. We are going to be taking some calls. You're calling us
01:26:04on 623-1711. The extension, it's 1995. We do have some tickets for our viewers, too.
01:26:09Studio? Yeah? If they call now, they can win the tickets to the WCPL? Yeah? Let's
01:26:17take three calls, and each caller, you're going to win tickets for the WCPL, which
01:26:24begins this evening. All right? So you're calling us on 623-1711. The extension,
01:26:29it's 1995. They have to answer our question. Let's not make the questions too
01:26:37hard now. All right? So callers, let's get it going. Start the calls. Let's take
01:26:41some of your calls. You're calling us on 623-1711. The extension, it's 1995. We're
01:26:46giving away WCPL tickets. Please call us now. All right. So which of the franchises has
01:26:58not won the WCPL? So which of the franchises have not won the WCPL title? All right? All
01:27:11right. So we're getting ready to take our first call to give away some tickets. Tabakit
01:27:15is on the line. Tabakit? A pleasant morning to you, Mr. Hopkinson. We want to give away
01:27:21some tickets to you. So which... I will not lie. I do believe I will be able to answer
01:27:26the question. It will be the first time Tabakit ever win a ticket on your studio. So which
01:27:31of the franchises have not won the WCPL? Which one of the franchises have not won it? In
01:27:41the Caribbean, you're talking about it? Yeah. WCPL. Go ahead. Go ahead, Tabakit. All right.
01:27:48You say which one of the have not won it? Are we looking for one or are we looking for
01:27:52a few studio? Let's say St. Kitts. All right. All right. Tabakit, here's what. At least
01:27:59three teams have not won the title. No? One team has not won the title. Grenada. All right.
01:28:15All right. Tabakit. Tabakit. Sorry. You're wrong. You're wrong. You're wrong. All right.
01:28:21So there are three teams in the tournament. Only one hasn't won. Let me repeat again.
01:28:30There are three teams in the tournament. Only one has not won the title. All right. So let's
01:28:38take another call. Come on our callers. We need to give away these tickets. We have a
01:28:43few tickets to give away. Caller, you're live on air. Go ahead. Good morning. Is it
01:28:53the Jamaican followers? No, ma'am. Thank you very much. That's it for calls. All right.
01:29:03So here's what. We do have the WCPL segment coming up. All right. So stay tuned. Stay
01:29:11close to your phones because we are going to open up the lines again and for you to
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01:30:34Classifieds. Consider it sold. This segment is brought to you by Republic Bank, title sponsor
01:30:41and official bank of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League.
01:31:29So welcome back, everyone. So welcome back to our WCPL segment. So we do have a lot for you
01:31:37in this segment. We are going to be speaking very, very soon about a health initiative.
01:31:42And of course, we do have one of the players that we are going to be speaking to a little later
01:31:51in our program. So we do have an entire half an hour, as we have been doing on the program for
01:31:57the past few mornings about CPL. Of course, we are going to be giving away some tickets to you.
01:32:06Of course, the tournament opens this evening. So we want you to attend. Of course, it's going to be
01:32:14very interesting, exciting games at WCPL. So here's what we are going to ask another question
01:32:23in the meantime. Name three TKR players. So you have to call now for the WCPL.
01:32:36Three women TKR players. We're taking one call for that. So we do have a caller on the line.
01:32:48So again, let me ask the question. We are asking for three women TKR players, their names.
01:32:58All right. Go ahead, caller. Good morning. Caller, are you there? Yes. Good morning. Morning.
01:33:06Good morning. Go ahead, sir. All right, caller. Studio, we're making it a little too difficult
01:33:26for our callers. So I may have to take an executive position and start giving away the
01:33:33tickets. All right. So here's what. Okay. So studio, pipe down. Pipe down, studio. Okay.
01:33:40So we are going to be discussing at this time, it's a hit for six workout, which is a cricket
01:33:51themed workout. All right. So we are going to be discussing that right now. And we do have with us
01:33:58this morning, a principal medical officer, Dr. Merriam Richards. Dr. Richards, it's always a
01:34:05pleasure having you here. Thank you very much for coming this morning. Hi, good morning, Marlon. And
01:34:10I really appreciate the opportunity to share this information really on behalf of the Caribbean
01:34:15Premier League and as one of their health and wellness advisors. So it's a very interesting
01:34:20segue that ties into my actual and core competency as a family physician, which is my
01:34:28specialist degree. Yes. All right. So Dr. Richards, let's get right into it. What's the message this
01:34:33morning? What do you have for us this morning concerning this initiative? Health and wellness
01:34:38and the health and wellness of the Caribbean people is extremely important to our national
01:34:43development. I would have just listened to the last interview with the Kappa Airlines and we
01:34:47spoke about development. But in order for us to have economic development, we need to ensure that
01:34:54our people are healthy. And the Caribbean Premier League recognizes this. And we are partnering
01:34:59as Caribbean people to promote and to really enhance health education, health awareness.
01:35:05And as you can see on the screen, the HIT46 initiative. This is a cricket themed Caribbean
01:35:11based initiative in terms of physical activity that has been designed by a Barbados based
01:35:19fitness influencer, Spinny. And it really sells and it really applies and carries the
01:35:26characteristics that we know of the CPL. You know, cricket. If you look at the movements,
01:35:30they all are on bowling, batting and catching. It's meant to engage and to be accessible to all
01:35:37persons. And we really want to really encourage our youths and our adolescents, our children,
01:35:43because they are our future. And it's part of CPL's initiatives towards health and wellness.
01:35:50CPL, on July 29th, launched our health and wellness panel. And we have four subjects,
01:35:56four experts, two professional cricketers, Darren Sami, who, of course, we know as the West Indies
01:36:02men's coach, Hayley Matthews, female West Indian cricketer and one of our cricketers on the WCPL,
01:36:08Dr. Akash Mansingh, who is the Dean of the Faculty of Sports Medicine at the University of the West
01:36:14Indies in Jamaica. And myself, I mean, I'm a family physician. That's my first specialist
01:36:19degree long before public health. So we are working together with our islands and throughout
01:36:26the Caribbean to come up with a Caribbean based workout that can tackle and reduce the impact of
01:36:32those comorbidities that we've seen impact us, high blood pressure and diabetes.
01:36:36Mm hmm. But is there an opportunity for fans, for members of the public, for cricket lovers?
01:36:46Yes.
01:36:47For them to participate in this Hit for Six workout? How do they do that?
01:36:52Yes, there are opportunities. The intention would be to have fans actually participate in the Hit
01:36:59for Six during games and at the stadium. And the CPL would be reaching out to relevant persons
01:37:05in each country to really get that group of persons together. But of course, via our Instagram
01:37:10page CPLT20, the workouts are available. I mean, you're seeing this one here with two or four
01:37:16Trinidad influencers having a really good time with the view of the Savannah on. And that's how
01:37:22we look at we'll be looking at moving forward on this initiative. There's another initiative that
01:37:27ties into this that's really exciting. And I really would like our fans and all of our viewers
01:37:32to really look into this one in that for every six that is scored in CPL, 50 U.S. dollars would
01:37:41be donated. And that money will now be allocated to a health and wellness cause, not just in one
01:37:48or two islands, but spread across the different islands in the Caribbean. So we're all doing our
01:37:53part to improve the health and wellness of our people, our families, our friends. And also this
01:37:59factors and improves our regional development. Yeah. Who's this for? What's the demographic? Is
01:38:06it for everyone? The demographic really that would be addressing this would be everyone, but there
01:38:13would be a different approach. We've recognized, and I say this from my experience in the health
01:38:18sector and as a family physician, that behavior change. And we know this. The change needs to
01:38:25start with our children. They need to be the ones who have to change their eating habits. We want to
01:38:30to reduce the onset of diabetes, hypertension, cancers, and all of these ailments before
01:38:37persons need treatment in the hospital. And we saw the impact with COVID-19 and now with dengue,
01:38:41with the comorbidities and the impact there. So these activities are focused initially on youth
01:38:48and younger persons, but they can be done once there's a medical clearance by older persons.
01:38:54But in essence, the habits and the activities driven by these initiatives
01:39:02will now encourage the parents and the friends to now take up on these healthy habits and to get
01:39:09moving. Yeah. So is it then, and let's get back to the advisory board. So is it, judging from what you
01:39:16would have told us, comorbidities and non-communicable diseases and so on that have really been
01:39:24taking over, if I can put it that way. I don't want to be too dramatic, but has been affecting so many
01:39:30people in the Caribbean. So when the advisory board looks at all of these issues, it really based
01:39:41how this Hit for Six workout is put together, right, to really address some of these
01:39:48concerns. Yes. We're all aware that the Caribbean has an epidemic of non-communicable diseases,
01:39:56not just in Trinidad. It's based on our lifestyle. It's based on now the impact of climate change
01:40:01factors. So this activity and this Hit for Six exercise was actually formulated and conceptualized
01:40:11based on the sort of movements that would be required, the time in terms of the calorie
01:40:17building activity, the strength training, taking into consideration the health status or how healthy
01:40:23people are. But it also has that Caribbean flair and it's unique because it's a cricket-based
01:40:28workout and we know that cricket is in our DNA. We know we're proud about cricket and it's also an
01:40:33excellent opportunity for us as Caribbean people to showcase the world. I mean CPL's viewership
01:40:39last year was 835 million to showcase the Caribbean and what we are doing as a
01:40:45people and taking an initiative in terms of reducing the epidemic of chronic non-communicable
01:40:50diseases. Yeah. All right. So is it safe to say that these exercises really that we are seeing, it is
01:40:59going to be sprinkled throughout the tournament? Of course, people can also access some of these
01:41:06workouts via online. Yes. Yeah. Via what platforms? It's via Instagram at this point in time on the
01:41:12CPL T20 Instagram page. Yes. These workouts will be sprinkled throughout the league, throughout
01:41:20the Caribbean at the various stadia and venues. And it's interesting because the health and
01:41:26wellness panel comprises persons from four different islands, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Barbados,
01:41:32and of course Trinidad and Tobago. So we bring our individual nuances and cultures that you know
01:41:38into this actual workout in terms of what would work. I would however advise that prior to engaging
01:41:44in any workout persons should seek and get medical clearance. We don't want to aggravate an injury
01:41:50or to do some sort of exercise that you know may cause us a little bit more distress. And that's a
01:41:55general caution to any sort of exercise that we would engage in. Yeah. Now there's also the
01:42:02food component. Of course. Which we'll tackle. So you know this is just part of CPL's approach
01:42:08to really partnering with the Caribbean people, listening to the Caribbean people as you know as
01:42:13Caribbean people ourselves in reducing the epidemic of diabetes, hypertension through
01:42:18movement, fitness, sport, but of course looking at other elements like diet. Is there anything else
01:42:25you'd like to tell us before you leave us this morning doctor? I'd just like to encourage everyone
01:42:30to continue to engage and if you haven't started as yet start moving and really to tune in to CPL,
01:42:39support this initiative and also you know just understand that behavior change really starts
01:42:46with our youth. So we need to get moving with this initiative. We also need to support the
01:42:51Games because of course the Hit for Six initiative as well as the U.S. $50 donation will go a long
01:42:57way in supporting the health, wellness, well-being and welfare for Caribbean people. Yeah. So thank you.
01:43:02Doctor it was a pleasure having you here this morning. Thank you for all of the information
01:43:06that you have given us. We do appreciate it. Bye. Thank you very much Marlon. Always a pleasure to
01:43:11be here. All right. Bye for now doctor. All right studio are we staying here? Yeah. We are going to
01:43:16take a break. We're coming back everybody.
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01:47:03We are continuing our discussion on the WCPL but much so this time around we are speaking about
01:47:27the Knight Riders Group's commitment to women's cricket in Trinidad and Tobago. On the line we
01:47:32do have Saloni Ganesh, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer of the Knight Riders
01:47:38Group. And we also have Kyron Surrett, Business and Operations Manager TKR. Good morning to all
01:47:46of you. Thank you very much for joining us this morning. Good morning. Thank you. Yes. Saloni,
01:47:54if we can, let's try to lay a foundation for our discussion this morning. Let's begin by
01:48:01how many franchises are there under the group and what are they?
01:48:08Thank you for having me today. Well, the Knight Riders Sports Group was founded in 2008 with the
01:48:14launch of the Indian Premier League. Kolkata Knight Riders, KKR, is the first franchise of
01:48:20the group, which is one of three championship titles in IPL. Today the group has global
01:48:28footprints in the Caribbean, the USA and UAE. In 2015, the Knight Riders Sports Group acquired
01:48:35the Trinbago Knight Riders franchise in Caribbean Premier League. The men's team has by far been the
01:48:42most successful franchise with four championship titles in CPL and the women's team has won the
01:48:49inaugural title in WCPL in 2022. In 2023, the group has also acquired the Abu Dhabi Knight
01:48:58Riders franchise in the International League T20 in the UAE and the Los Angeles Knight Riders LAKR
01:49:06franchise in Major League Cricket in the USA. So currently the group has four men's cricket teams
01:49:15and one women's. Yeah, and where's the Knight Riders group based?
01:49:21It's based in India. Yeah, it's based in India. Why Trinidad and Tobago for another
01:49:26cricket franchise? But what are your thoughts on the 10th anniversary of TKR?
01:49:34Well, in 2015, the group acquired the Trinbago Knight Riders franchise in the Caribbean Premier
01:49:42League. It's by far been the most successful franchise. Trinidad and Tobago are home to the
01:49:50Knights. Over the past decade, the passionate fans have embraced the team with so much love
01:49:56and support and every year they turn out in huge numbers to cheer for their home team.
01:50:03It has been an incredible journey and all the championship with all the championship titles
01:50:09and the same support and love goes on to our Lady Knights in the women's TKR team as well.
01:50:17It's been an incredible journey so far in Caribbean and we wish to keep adding on to
01:50:23some more championship titles. Yeah, yeah, not far-fetched Saloni. So Kyron,
01:50:29a very simple question. So you all ready for this tournament?
01:50:32Yes, we are. So in terms of the organization of the tournament, the WCPL is an independent
01:50:40tournament, CPL, and we have the three franchises that involve TKR, Barbados, Royal, Guyana,
01:50:46and Honduras. I mean, for those who have been following, they realize it's a very keen contest.
01:50:52The ladies would have arrived, well, started arriving more or less on the 17th, between 17th
01:50:56and 18th, so they've been going through their paces. The coach for the TKR is a
01:51:00coach Robert Samuels. So those who are into cricket know the Jamaican Robert Samuels. I
01:51:06would have been up early in the morning watching him in his exploits against Australia many years
01:51:10aback. So it's been good to have that sort of mix of personalities in the team. I've had a
01:51:16conversation with coach just yesterday, both coach and captain, DeAndre Dutton is the captain,
01:51:23and he said that, you know, the team has already started gelling because, you know, everyone is
01:51:27coming from their different leagues. The team has already started gelling. Captain Dutton said
01:51:33that, you know, in terms of the practice sessions, you know, it seems that everybody's in good
01:51:37nicks. It's going to be an exciting time. And of course, you know, looking forward to TKR
01:51:42winning it this year. Yeah. So it's safe to say, judging from what you have told us, is that
01:51:49is that preparations are well underway. Yes. Yes. Preparations are well underway.
01:51:57Yeah. All members of the team have started, they have arrived, and they have started training with
01:52:04the team and so on. Yeah. So the majority of players have arrived last night. So we have
01:52:12players from the Caribbean, you know, we have players from Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean
01:52:16islands. And then this year we have players from India and Australia. Very exciting to welcome
01:52:24personalities like Jemima Rodrigues, Sheikha Pandey. We have Julian Goswami, who's a mentor
01:52:31to the team. From the Australians, we have Jess Jonathan, who's also a member of the team. And
01:52:37for those who've been watching the Women's 100 in England, right, would have seen the performances
01:52:44from Jess there. So it's a very nice mix of international players that I think is really
01:52:50good for women's development in terms of cricket. And it's really something that you want to see
01:52:57continue to grow, because by having this platform, it's allowing the local players to interact with
01:53:03the international players, to share best practices and so on. And I think that could only help in
01:53:08terms of the growing of the women's game. Yeah. Saloni, I want to speak a little bit
01:53:13about the overall vision for women's cricket and the impact that your organization,
01:53:26that you see your organization has already had on the game. Let's speak a little bit about that.
01:53:32Well, the development of women's cricket has seen remarkable progress in the recent years.
01:53:39The national cricket boards are taking greater interest in provision of cricketing infrastructure,
01:53:44training facilities, access to top coaches, physios, trainers for development and strength
01:53:53and conditioning of our women cricketers. International tournaments like Women's
01:53:58Caribbean Premier League provide an incredible platform for these talented girls to showcase
01:54:05their skill sets to the world. Furthermore, the backing of professional sporting organizations
01:54:13like the Knight Riders Sports Group brings with it the necessary resources that further enhances
01:54:20the visibility, fan engagement and media coverage that women's cricket truly deserves.
01:54:29This is undoubtedly going to inspire a generation of young girls to pursue professional cricket,
01:54:37thereby elevating the overall profile of the sport. So I think there is a lot to do,
01:54:44but we are on the right track. And it's just the fan engagement this season for the women's
01:54:53cricket has been incredible. And we hope more fans come to cheer for our Lady Knights who will
01:55:01be playing shortly. Yes, Saloni, Kiron, please stay with us. We are going to a very short break.
01:55:07We'll be right back.
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01:57:39So
01:57:57it's
01:58:10in the caribbean
01:58:18we're all in republic bank title sponsor and official bank of the republic bank caribbean
01:58:24premier league the biggest party is back the defending champion is back
01:58:39dancing to that song all right so we are continuing our discussion just for a few
01:58:44minutes more on the wcpl so here's what i have a question for callers you're calling us on 623
01:58:511711 the extension is 1995 our producer she will take the answer from you here's the question
01:58:59which team is the defending champion in the wcpl again which team is the defending champion
01:59:08in the wcpl call my producer now all right so we are continuing our discussion uh we do have
01:59:15uh on the line still uh with us we do have uh Saloni and we do have uh Kyron uh Kyron
01:59:24i want to i want to ask you this question let's talk a little bit about the importance
01:59:30of the women's cpl for the growth of women's cricket in the region
01:59:38Kyron you're there yes sorry about that yeah um yeah i think it's extremely important as i
01:59:45mentioned earlier you know creating this this environment to allow young players um seasoned
01:59:52players to interact with the international players i think it is a perfect mix that
01:59:55you'll be hard pressed to find in different leagues in the world um you know if i may
02:00:00mention to the hundred earlier you'll find that you'll have more from the other test play nation
02:00:05and they may not have a lot of opportunity for our caribbean players um you know we have
02:00:10a person like hailey matthews out there but in terms of just general um wider scope for the
02:00:15caribbean um women and girls in sport i mean i think it's important for us to have um things
02:00:20like this you know as i mentioned being able to as a young player interact with seasoned players
02:00:26and you know using the example like just jonathan um it's something that you can't take for granted
02:00:32in terms of the level of inspiration the level of mentoring and so on that will take place
02:00:36and um i'd say it's something that we need to collectively need to continue to work on um on
02:00:42my way um to the interview and just reflecting on on why um women's women's cricket is important
02:00:48and as you mentioned marlin you know in terms of development just kind of tiny know the business
02:00:53side because i know people would have mentioned the need for um corporate tribunal you know
02:00:58marcia has been has been gracious enough to partner with the cpl for ewcpl but i mean it's
02:01:03important for more corporate entities to come on to show that support to help lift it to help
02:01:08being a being a position to expand there is a development in business and there's a business
02:01:16for development you know so i i just want to also encourage corporate entities to come on board
02:01:21this is not just turning around this is caribbean wide because it's only through your help and your
02:01:25partnership that the game could grow and we will have continue creating all these opportunities for
02:01:30all the women and girls sport all right studio guide me here are we staying we have a caller
02:01:35caller hi good morning yes which team is the defending champion in the wcpl barbados women's
02:01:43cricket team all right is that a studio all right call us stay on the line for our producer so just
02:01:48to remind you tkr matches august 22nd 23rd 25th and 27th all matches will be played at the brian
02:01:55lauer cricket academy tickets are available on wendy's cricket dot com all right um saloni
02:02:04we do have just about 30 seconds any final comments
02:02:10well we really hope that all our fans enjoy a good game of cricket in men's cpl as well as
02:02:17women's cpl the fans truly at tkr are the in true essence the pride and joy of the franchise
02:02:24we play fight win for them and we really hope to see them in huge numbers this
02:02:31season around yes saloni karen it was a pleasure speaking with you all uh this morning thank you
02:02:36very much we wish you all the best all right so that's going to do it for our program for
02:02:40today everybody see you tomorrow bye for now the biggest one this morning
02:02:47this segment was brought to you by republic bank title sponsor an official bank of the republic
02:02:53bank caribbean premier league
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