Annette Higgins is a proud homeowner thanks to CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank.

The bank recently committed funds to Food For The Poor (FFTP) Jamaica which aims to build 100 houses by year end for Jamaicans desperately in need of shelter. The FFTP annual 5K Run/Walk May 13, 2017, will raise funds for the construction of the houses.

CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Managing Director, Nigel Holness said that “the bank recognizes that home ownership is at the top of the bucket list for virtually every adult in Jamaica. While we offer preferential rates and a range of products to assist potential homeowners, we also recognize that there are some persons who cannot take advantage of these due to their dire financial situation. This is why we are partnering with Food For The Poor to provide shelter for the most needy in our society.”

Higgins, a vendor and mother of six, whose fathers are deceased, was elated to be chosen for one of the homes being funded by CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank. Amidst tears, she spoke of the challenges of child-rearing as a single parent and how she often despaired that she could not adequately provide for her family. Her appreciation for the house, she said came from “the depth of my spirit”.

Andrew Mahfood, Chairman of Food For The Poor, said that the 100 houses scheduled to be built in 2017 “is a drop in the bucket – we need to build 10,000 homes because there are tens of thousands of Jamaicans on our waiting list.” He has invited persons and organizations interested in contributing of a house to contact Food For The Poor.

Source: Jamaica Observer

 

Though he is a man of little means, Fitzroy Mannings has always been one to help people. Some five years ago, when a woman’s house was burnt down, he offered her and her daughter accommodation in his humble home, not knowing that he would experience the same fate soon.

“It was a Sunday. I was away from the house and I hear one of my friends call me and say me house a burn down. Mi laugh and say a joke. When I come and look, everything just burn and cave in. I leave back with only one suit a clothes,” the Clifton district, St Catherine, resident shared.

He theorised that the woman might have lit a mosquito destroyer in the house, and it overturned, setting the place ablaze, and sending Mannings back to square one.

Since the incident, the 54-year-old Mannings has been living with his ailing mother and eight other family members in a dilapidated structure.

“I find it very hard, enuh. Sometimes we don’t even have food, but it’s through the help of the Most High, and some people who I stick by that I am able to survive,” Mannings said.

He said occasionally he gets work cutting grass to feed horses on a nearby farm, and other times he does any other jobs that come his way. However, he was unable to finance another house with his meagre income.

After learning of his plight, Food for the Poor and Red Stripe partnered to build a two-bedroom house for Mannings yesterday.

FARMING COMMUNITIES

His was the first of 10 houses to be built through the Red Stripe-Food for the Poor partnership. Red Stripe said the beneficiaries live in farming communities that participate in Project Grow, a cassava farming project that will increase the amount of local starch used in the production of Red Stripe’s brewed products.

When our news team visited the area yesterday, Mannings was just sweeping out his new abode.

“Me feeling so very fine because once it wasn’t like this. It was uncomfortable. I’m so very glad within myself. I give great thanks Food For the Poor and Red Stripe. Respect and honour every time,” he said.

Despite the terrible tragedy that befell him when he reached out to assist another, Mannings said he would do it again.

“Me haffi help people because it’s like the Father make me that way,” he said.

Mannings said his house still needs a few items, such as a bed, stove and refrigerator, to make it more homely. Those wishing to assist may contact him at 473-0688.

Source: http://jamaica-star.com/article/news/20170524/man%E2%80%99s-house-burns-down-after-helping-fire-victim-good-samaritan-gifted-new

Keith Duncan, co-chairman of the Government’s Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), told residents of Swallowfield in St Andrew that he was determined to lead the charge for the success of the plan of action that hopefully would rescue Jamaica from further economic ruin.

Duncan, who heard residents insisting on a right to be heard in any plan for their community, told them that, like him, they should be committed to making the plan work for the betterment of Jamaica.

“To have oversight means that you hold the Government – any Government – to do what dem supposed to do. And so we are here to make sure that the Jamaican Government is following the economic plan. That is the job of the EPOC. So I, along with my team, decided that I don’t just want stay on TV. I want to come to places like Swallowfield and other communities to take the plan to the people,” Duncan told residents who had come to Annie’s Bar in the community for the second of EPOC’s On the Corner series.

COMMITTED TO FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Duncan was continuing the EPOC scheme of taking details of its work to residents on street corners across the island. EPOC, which has been accepted by the International Monetary Fund, is a demonstration of the Government’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.

“So we come with the plan so that the people can be engaged around the plan. This plan is reviewed every year. It is the plan. It’s the only plan. It’s Jamaica’s plan. It’s a plan to maintain fiscal responsibility. And I am determined to make this plan work with the team we have. I live here and I work here. So this plan is about how to make Jamaica better – the place is live, work, and raise families,” Duncan implored the gathering.

erica.virtue@gleanerjm.com

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/lead-stories/20170522/corner-duncan-determined-lead-epoc-success

Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC) Co-Chairman Keith Duncan is proposing that the Government analyse the overperformance in tax revenue inflows recorded for the 2016-17 fiscal year to determine the underlying factors driving this outcome.

This, he said, should be done to ensure that this out-turn can be sustained over the long term.

He posited the suggestion while addressing journalists during EPOC’s quarterly media briefing at the Jamaica Money Market Brokers (JMMB) Group’s head office in New Kingston last Friday.

Tax revenue inflows last year totalled $458.3 billion to surpass the $440-billion target.

This enabled the administration to generate a primary balance surplus of $135.9 billion.

This was $12.9 billion or 7.7 per cent above the minimum seven per cent target of $123 billion for the period, in keeping with target stipulations under the International Monetary Fund’s precautionary three-year standby agreement.

Additionally, non-borrowed reserves totalled $1.93 billion, to surpass the target of $1.47 billion.

These, along with the containment of the rate of inflation, which came in at 4.1 per cent to be within the target range of two to nine per cent, and further reduction in the unemployment rate, which declined by 0.6 per cent to 12.7 per cent in January relative to the corresponding period in 2016, were among the key fiscal and monetary quantitative performance criteria for 2016-17 under the Government’s IMF-supported economic reform programme.

“So Jamaica, from a quantitative perspective, is performing significantly well; the selected fiscal and monetary indicators have been met and surpassed in a significant way. The tax revenue intakes continue to be strong, where the overperformance was driven by improved compliance, higher levels of company profits, and an increased country wage bill reflective of higher levels of employment,” the EPOC co-chairman stated.

NOT SURPRISING

Duncan said the buoyant revenue inflows were “not surprising”, given recent fiscal developments.

These, he noted, include the shift from direct to indirect taxation; increased macroeconomic stability and economic growth; and increased company profits. He, however, believes there may be other underlying factors.

In this regard, Duncan emphasised that “there needs to be further and deeper analysis done by the Ministry of Finance around these numbers so we really can get to the underlying reasons for the movement and buoyancy so that, hopefully, this can be sustained.”

“We really need to get the handle on it, because we would like to ensure that there is some sustainability to this; because this would help us to create room in our fiscal space going forward,” he added.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170522/epoc-proposes-analysis-tax-revenue-performance

Action during the Wray & Nephew Contender fight seven between Larone Whyte (right) of Team Canada and Jamaica’s Devon Moncriffe on Wednesday, May 17 at the Chinese Benevolent Association in St Andrew. Whyte was declared the winner by a split decision.

Source: Jamaica Gleaner – Saturday, May 20, 2017

Larone Whyte, a Team Canada professional boxing rookie in only his third pro fight, surprised journeyman boxer Devon “Concrete” Moncriffe, with a split decision win to propel his team into a 4-3 lead at the penultimate stage of the eight-fight first round of the Wray and Nephew White Overproof Rum Contender boxing series at Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium Wednesday night.The decision came as a surprise to some after ring announcer Oliver Hardie delivered the verdict in favour of the Canadian. This was after judges Ransford Burton and Jeremy Hayes both scored the bout 48-47 in the winner’s favour, while Keith Brown scored it 49-46 in favour of the vanquished Jamaican.

The fight was close, with some boxing aficionados expressing the view that Moncriffe had done enough to move on to the second stage of the “Best of the Best” Contender quarter-final stage.

Be that as it may, Moncriffe was responsible for his below par showing against the Canadian, who is of Jamaica parentage.

Moncriffe opened in the first round like a thatched house on fire on a windswept plain. But by the latter stages of the third round, 15 months of competitive inactivity causing ring rust began to show on the 40-year-old former Contender winner.

Whyte was also without a fight for 12 months, but at 27, youth was in his favour and he was able sustain while Moncriffe faded.

The fifth and final round was pivotal for both boxers. Moncriffe did very little to help his cause, however, his younger opponent stayed the course, picking his spots to earn the narrow win.

“I am not surprised winning against Moncriffe. I came here prepared for a hard fight. I came prepared to go five rounds, something which I had never done before. So I had to pace myself through rounds and eventually came out on top with a victory. For me, that is a great moral victory”, Larone Whyte said in his post-fight comments.

Next Wednesday, in the final preliminary match, the unseeded Team Jamaica boxer Ramel Lewis, who last fought in last year’s Contender series, will meet Team Canada’s number three seed, John Ryan Wagner.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/whyte-topples-8216-concrete-8217-moncriffe-in-contender-bout_99451?profile=1498

Recognition is often high on the list of what employees want from their employer, but all too often that is not acknowledged by business leaders. However, Rainforest Seafoods Limited, the Caribbean’s largest processor and supplier of premium quality seafood, is leading the way by recognising the efforts of its team members.

Four employees were recently selected as part of the Rainforest Seafood Employee Development Programme which will provide them with exposure to all aspects and areas of the business. The employees are Starlette Francis, retail store manager; Terri-Lee Patterson, quality management system coordinator; Louis Reid, sales representative; and Kevin Ellis, plant maintenance supervisor.

According to Brian Jardim, CEO at Rainforest Seafoods, the employee development programme will allow for the selected employees to have regular interaction with and mentoring from senior members of the management team, and it also gives them the opportunity to represent Rainforest at local and overseas events.

 

Elite Employees

 

“The employees chosen represent the elite core of our business. The programme is an initiative to identify and develop key team members for future senior roles within the company. Each team member will be evaluated regularly by their manager and mentee, and we hope that they will continue to grow from strength to strength,” Jardim said.

All participants will be enrolled in a leadership development programme , and will work together on a group project to be completed and presented to the senior management by the end of September 2017. They will also be scheduled to attend new employee orientation sessions to share their journey and passion.

“I am humbled by the recognition. It has opened the door to so many different things and has given me the impetus to learn more about the business and to improve my prospects within the company,” said Francis. She has been employed to Rainforest Seafoods since 2009.

Rainforest Seafoods offers a comprehensive range of the finest quality products, both frozen and fresh, that meet the demands of not only luxury hotels, but value-conscious consumers, and carries over 400 references of fish and assorted shellfish sourced from recognised suppliers around the world.

Jardim is encouraging other team members to improve their performance level so that they too can be selected for the programme.

The development programme participants are selected based on creativity, innovation, outstanding performance in current assigned roles, interest in advancement and development of their career, among other things.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20170519/rainforest-seafoods-recognises-employees

The biggest upset in the 2017 Wray and Nephew Contender series occurred last Wednesday night, when Devon ‘Concrete’ Moncriffe, one of the top-seeded Jamaicans and the 2013 champion, lost to Canada’s Larone Whyte by split decision at the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium.

It was a hard-fought bout that was decided in the final round, and both men gave it their all. At the end, Judge Ransford Burton from Jamaica and Jeremy Hayes from Canada scored 48-47 for Whyte while the other Jamaican judge, Keith Brown, had Moncriffe ahead 49-46.

Whyte, whose parents are Jamaicans and who now lives in Canada, had a strong fan base cheering him on, but so, too, did Moncriffe, who was his usual aggressive self. He had promised before the fight to give spectators a lot to cheer about.

“People want to see action and I am going to give it to them,” he declared at the weigh-in, and kept his word. He was aggressive from the start, and his younger opponent, at age 27, was hard-pressed to keep the 40 year-old warrior at bay.

Moncriffe used his jabs to good advantage, but when he tried his follow-up hooks to the head, he invariably missed.

His dogged determination and never-say-die attitude paid dividends, however, and he took the first two rounds on all the scorecards.

Whyte showed resilience and dug deep going into the third round. He had stated beforehand that he was “ready, ready, ready” and showed it. He kept cool under fire and followed the instructions of his corner to “keep close, go for the body and use the uppercut”.

RICH DIVIDENDS

He bagged the next two rounds, and it was on to the final stanza, where his fitness paid rich dividends. While Moncriffe showed the effects of his 15-month lay-off at crunch time, Whyte dug deep and found the extra spark that gave him a slight but decisive edge, as he convinced two of the judges to give him the round and the fight. After the announcement, he was flocked by nearly two dozen Jamaican relatives, who gleefully shouted, “He is a Jamaican tonight! We are proud of him!”

The two amateur bouts on the card provided excitement and lots of entertainment. In the heavyweight encounter, light-heavyweight champion Ian Darby of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) survived a late surge from Carlos Dwyer of Stanley Couch Gym to win by unanimous decision, while Ricardo Brown of G.C. Foster gym had too much firepower for Frank McKenzie of the JDF.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20170519/whyte-wins-action-packed-bout

Devon Moncriffe, one of two boxers seeking a second title in the Wray & Nephew 2017 junior middleweight Contender series, bows into competition tonight, when he goes up against Canadian boxer Larone Whyte over five rounds, at the Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium, Old Hope Road in St Andrew. Fight time for this bout is 9.30 p.m. The show gets under way at 8.30 with two amateur bouts.

Moncriffe, who is 40 years old and has a 12-6 record, won the Contender middleweight title in 2013. He and Sakima Mullings, who won in 2014 as a welterweight, are the two former champions in this year’s show. Mullings is already through to the quarter-finals, and Moncriffe is making a bid for his place tonight. He is a natural middleweight, and had to go on a programme to make the 154 pounds junior middleweight limit. Yesterday, he declared that his “training had gone well” and the he was ” in great shape and ready for the challenge”.

One of the biggest problems for him tonight could be the effects of his long layoff from competition. He last fought on October 24, 2015, when he lost by technical knockout to Renan St Juste in Canada. He does not see the layoff as a factor tonight, however, because of the amount of training that he has put in.

“I have worked hard and did not have any problems. I will be ready to go from the first round,” he added.

His opponent Whyte is feeling quite at home in Jamaica, and told The Gleaner that he was happy to be back.

“My parents are Jamaican and I have a lot of relatives here. I have seen many of them since I came in over the weekend, and they will be coming to cheer me on. It will be great to hear some cheers for me in the audience,” he said.

Whyte, who is 27 years old, has had only two professional fights and won them both by technical knockout. His last fight was in December 2015, so like Moncriffe, he has had a long layoff. He does not see his lack of professional boxing experience as a problem, because, like many of the boxers from Canada, he had an extensive amateur career. He told The Gleaner that he has had 65 amateur fights, “learnt the ropes well, and will be putting it all on display on fight night”. Moncriffe’s experience and record do not bother him, he said. “I have trained hard, I am ready, ready, ready, and will be giving it my best shot,” were his final words.

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20170517/moncriffe-ready-explode

Devon Moncriffe, saddled with the unenviable task to ensure Team Jamaica advances to the second round of the Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum Contender Boxing Series with a lead, will clash in a pivotal match against Team Canada’s Larone Whyte tonight at Chinese Benevolent Association auditorium.

A three-fight card is on offer with one of two amateur bouts scheduled to open the programme at 8:30 pm.

Another rib-tickling floor show will follow the amateur segment with the showing of selected video clips of previous fights along with a priming introduction of the two main event boxers on the card. The main attraction is set to rumble at approximately 10:00 pm.

Team Jamaica and Team Canada, at present, are locked at three wins each going into the penultimate fight of eight at the first of a four-stage championship showdown of 16 fighters. The major prize on offer is a share of a $3,000,000 Jamaican dollars purse and the title of Jamaica’s Ultimate Junior Middleweight Contender.

Moncriffe, one of two former winners of the Contender title fighting this year, will enter the ring as the fourth seed of Team Jamaica with a ring record of 12 wins against six losses from 18 fights. The other former winner is Sakima Mullings.

Moncriffe won the Contender title in 2013 and will be up against the unseeded Whyte, who is undefeated in two professional fights. Whyte won both his fights by the TKO route. The Canadian got rid of Marko Szalai in two rounds on debut in 2014. He returned one year later to also TKO Isaiah Robinson but has not fought since.

Whyte, however, is expected to be in good competitive shape on his debut Contender clash against the more experienced 40-year-old Moncriffe over five rounds. The 27-year-old Whyte has an amateur ring record of two wins against two defeats.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sports/moncriffe-whyte-clash-in-contender-bout_99075?profile=1498