OPINIONS & EDITORIALS |
OPINIONS & EDITORIALS |
| Monday, April 28, 1997 Online Edition 50 |
PERSPECTIVE How much Hondurans spend and what they spend it on By RUDOLF KERKMANN Special to Honduras This Week Some time ago, my family had the good fortune to be invited by a visiting friend from Canada to one of the many excellent restaurants in San Pedro Sula. The customary 20-minute wait for the main course made the meal taste great and everybody was happy. The total bill came to Lps. 750 for six persons. My host remarked that he would have had to pay about double for the same food and service in Toronto. "Food must be really cheap here," he said. I told him he had just spent the equivalent of one or two weeks salary for many Hondurans. He became interested in the subject. "How can they live on so little?" I tried to explain a few facts of Honduran life. Most monthly salaries range between Lps. 1,500 and Lps. 3,000. Twice a year, employees are entitled to an extra monthly payment. The social security deduction is only Lps. 21.00 per month. The cost of electricity is subsidized if the customer uses less the 300 kilowatts a month and most families pay between Lps. 30 and Lps. 80. According to the National Electric Company (ENEE), 87 percent of households are subsidized. Although the subsidies cost the Honduran government Lps. 270 million, they are certainly a great help to many Honduran families. Inter-city and local bus service is also subsidized and very cheap by international standards. On the other hand, the food Hondurans buy in the supermarket costs about the same as it would in the United States, Canada or Europe. A chicken costs between Lps. 35 and Lps. 45 and a loaf of bread costs Lps. 10, although locally grown fruits and vegetables are cheaper here than abroad. These high food prices force most Hondurans to rely on rice and beans, a small piece of meat, white cheese and the ever-present corn tortillas. Platanos, green bananas and tamales are also popular and relatively inexpensive as compared to imported food items. No matter how many Pizza Huts, Burger Kings and similar restaurants you see, these are just too expensive for most Hondurans. Not having a car, of course, helps to survive financially and most Honduran families can only dream of owning a car. It is in regard to housing that it becomes apparent that the living standards of most Hondurans are so much lower than in developed countries. Most families just cannot afford living accommodations that compare to U.S., Canadian or North and Middle European standards. Something half decent to rent cost at least Lps. 1,000 in San Pedro Sula. Used clothing and shoes are widely available at a fraction of the price of new items. Health services are supposed to be available and free in public hospitals, but many times the service is so bad and not all medicines are always available, so many families must spent money to see a doctor in a private clinic, and buy medicine at the local pharmacy. "But I visited a beautiful and expensive shopping plaza and see many luxury cars and nice big houses," my host remarked. At first I did not know what to say. It seemed to contradict my previous remarks. "Well," I said, "like in any 'neoliberal' free market system there are a great many different circumstances to make a lot of money." Much of this is based on monopoly situations and on land or house ownership. The wages of executive and high government officials are ten to fifty times higher than the minimum wage. Some businesses obviously are very successful. Many executives in international companies get their pensions in dollars. Also there are many foreigners and Hondurans who have lived outside Honduras and have a steady dollar income. So no matter how much the Lempira deteriorates they are always well off. There are also prestaciones, a kind of unemployment insurance. By law, an employee is entitled to about 20 percent of all money earned for the years he worked for the company if he is laid off. If he quits his job or is fired for misconduct he is not entitled to this money. Many Hondurans use this money for a down payment on a house, to start a business or to buy a car. Like in any society there are the rich and the poor. I find that in Honduras the rich are richer and the poor are poorer than in the three other countries I have lived in before. My host said that he still did not understand why there are so many poor people, and remarked there must be something wrong in Honduras. I agreed with him and went to exchange dollars for lempiras to be able to live the good life. |
ONLINE READERS' FORUM EXCELLENT PUBLICATION Dear Editor: I would like to thank you for the excellent publication that you put forth. It gives me an opportunity to keep abreast of what is happening in Honduras. Having spent a couple of weeks with a medical team in Puerto Lempira, this gives me an excellent opportunity to remember some of the experiences that I had while in the Country. The articles about La Mosquitia are particularly interesting in that some of the spots mentioned I have visited. Please keep the articles from La Mosquitia coming. You are doing an excellent job. David Sibell
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| Monday, April 21, 1997 Online Edition 50 |
Retirement paradise Honduras has yet to experience a boom in foreigners seeking a retirement paradise. But it's not for lack of attractions. In addition to more than 500 miles of beautiful coastline, we offer inexpensive land, tax holidays, resident programs and a low cost of living. Very few countries in the world have the advantages that Honduras has. So why haven't more retirees discovered us? Partly because Honduras hasn't invested in much publicity and partly because the misconception that Honduras is a dangerous country continues to linger. Yes, misconception. For all the talk of growing crime here, Honduras remains one of the least crime ridden countries in the world. Investors from all over the world are demonstrating their faith in the future of Honduras by investing their money into industrial parks, tourism projects and more. The high tech Las Lomas Medical Center, currently under construction in Tegucigalpa, is not only evidence of a growing belief in the bright future of Honduras, it will also be a place where retirees can find reliable, quality health care. Further proof of international faith in Honduras is the recent groundbreaking ceremony for what will become Central America's largest shopping mall, again in Tegucigalpa. Retirees looking for a place to spend their golden years can find comfortable, well-located three-bedroom homes for between $50,000 and $100,000. Meanwhile, Honduran banks offer great interest rates: up to 12 percent on dollar accounts and 36 percent on lempira accounts, making it easy to live off your interest. To start a company in Honduras will cost you about $1,500 and the residency paperwork runs about $1,000. A full-time maid works for about $60 a month and you'll spend about $30 on electricity and water. The general atmosphere for foreign retirees in Honduras is pleasant and welcoming. You'll also find good roads, plenty of recreational options, all the services of home and people who are doing their best to build a strong future -- the people of Honduras. Of course, nothing is perfect. Honduras isn't as good as Mexico or Italy at welcoming and serving its tourists. But if you give this beautiful country a chance, chances are you'll like what you find. |
ONLINE READERS' FORUM EXCELLENT PUBLICATION Dear Editor: I would like to thank you for the excellent publication that you put forth. It gives me an opportunity to keep abreast of what is happening in Honduras. Having spent a couple of weeks with a medical team in Puerto Lempira, this gives me an excellent opportunity to remember some of the experiences that I had while in the Country. The articles about La Mosquitia are particularly interesting in that some of the spots mentioned I have visited. Please keep the articles from La Mosquitia coming. You are doing an excellent job. David Sibell |
GUESTS TO HONDURAS SHOULD SHOW RESPECT Dear Editor: Etiquette is a lost art in the United States. For this I would like to apologize on behalf of those who do not know the error of their ways. I don't wish to single out any particular individual, but for purpose of example I will address the letter by Mr. Warrington in the 5 April issue. I will assume that Mr. Warrington is not a Honduran citizen, but rather a U.S. citizen living in Honduras; a "guest" you could say. It is very unfortunate that Mr. Warrington had difficulties with Isleņa Airlines, and he apparently had cause for complaint, and should have complained to the airline company, as he apparently did. On the other hand, as a guest he should also be gracious enough to the country that welcomed him, his host, by keeping his troubles between himself and the airline company. When invited to dinner, you don't complain about the food. For every bad story there is an equally good one, and in Honduras my experience has been that the ratio is closer to 4 good for every one bad. One of my best experiences in Honduras was the result of having been booked on the non-existent New Years Day SAHSA flight from SPS to Houston. I wouldn't appreciate a visitor to the United States publicly attacking Southwest Airlines or the traffic on Interstate 40. Mr. Warrington, quietly warn your other U.S. buddies in Honduras and, once you've moved back to the United States, call all of the travel agencies and guide book companies and warn them as well; but while you are a guest show some respect to your host. James Davis USE PALMEROLA NOW Dear Editor: Several months ago I flew to San Pedro Sula. I'd heard that the new terminal was now open and was exited to learn we would be using it. Expecting to be met by Jet ways that come right to the airplane, an air-conditioned building, paved parking lots, instead we parked in front of the old terminal to be bused to the new hot humid building, then out to a muddy parking lot. We could not taxi up to the terminal because somebody forgot to pave the ramp! Worse yet, on Monday I had a flight to El Salvador, take off at 5:30, but they wanted passengers at the airport at 2:30, three hours early. My flight would take thirty minutes! I arrived at 2:30 again to a hot, humid airport, and waited till we took off at 6:15. Ridiculous! Now, everyone is talking about a new Tegucigalpa runway/terminal since the C-130 accident. Folks, lets get the one already built in San Pedro up and running before building a new terminal near Tegucigalpa. I hear a lot of talk that the Toncontin runway should be lengthened for now, then build a new airport higher up in the mountains. For what ever my two cents are worth, I'll tell you what should do be done. My statement may surprise you, the TGU runway is adequate for a C-130, when you look at the runway from "way up" it looks like an aircraft carrier. Psychological effect? Out in this wide world, word is out, "The runway at Teguz is dangerous." You better know what you are doing. What ever you do to that runway, you'll always have accidents, my advice, "get it out of town!" Use Palmerola NOW! It has a large runway waiting to be used. Great approaches, radar and the latest military ILS (Instrument Landing System). Move the military to the other side and let the civilians use this side of the highway for a terminal, but all share the same runway. Tegucigalpa has water problems, smog, too many people, we need to give the city room to breath. Build a super highway to Comayagua, you'll see people moving out of the city and building homes along the highway. Build a large green buffer zone around Palmerola before people move in, they always want to build next to the airport, believe me. Forget politics, people are getting killed. To our planners, think ahead, Mexicana is flying nonstop from South America to Cancun and on to Mexico. Since San Pedro is right on the flight path, build so that foreign carriers will want to use Honduras as a refueling stop. Why didn't we build the San Pedro airport between Tela and Cortes with highways along the coast and use a super highway from San Pedro to the coast (think about it, a coast highway, Cortes, Tela, Ceiba, Trujillo). With the 767 you can fly nonstop from San Pedro to Europe! I presently live in Fort Myers, Florida, which gets three weekly nonstop flights from Germany to this small city just for fun and sun. Now they will extend the flight to Cancun. Why not Honduras? What are we waiting on, build the right airport, hotels near the beach and give our people jobs. Cut the politics and BUILD! Paul J. Holsen II holsen@worldnet.att.net |
| Monday, April 14, 1997 Online Edition 49 |
Immigration versus development Never before have foreigners been so interested in U.S. legislation. When our neighbor to the north's new immigration law went into effect last week, the eyes and ears of people around the world turned suddenly to the U.S. legal system. Here in Honduras, sensationalized reports of mass deportations filled local newspapers, as did doomsday predictions by local economists that the sudden return of thousands of Hondurans from the United States would worsen Honduras' already high unemployment rate. Some reports warned that not even refugees, doctors, the elderly, the handicapped or members of mixed families would be able to avoid deportation. Well, the truth is, it's not as bad as the press would have us believe. True, the United States has strengthened its immigration laws and it will be harder to enter and remain in the United States as an alien. But officials from Washington say reports of mass deportations are nothing but rumors and that the primary effect of the new law will be felt by individuals trying to enter the country, not those who are already living there. Another truth is that the United States does, in fact, have the right to dictate its own immigration law. It is, after all, a sovereign nation, and it has every right to consider the interests of its own citizens above those of incoming individuals from other countries. And the United States hasn't closed its doors on immigrants and asylum seekers; it's just made it harder to squeeze through the cracks. There seems to exist a sentiment of how dare you?! among Hondurans. As if the United States owed it to us to provide our expatriates with a place to live. But we Hondurans would be better off if we invested less energy into seeking ways to travel to the States and earn money there and more energy into finding ways to make a good living here. If Honduras provided more of its people with quality living conditions, good job opportunities and the possibility of economic advancement, fewer of us would seek our fortunes elsewhere. The time we spend complaining about the immigration policies of the United States would be better spent improving things back home. Likewise, if the United States is feeling the squeeze of an onslaught of immigrants, it would be better off helping developing countries improve life within their own borders than looking for wetbacks and shipping them back home. Take the recent beating that the Honduran maquila industry took in the U.S. press, for example. Exaggerated complaints and misinformation sparked a widespread sentiment among U.S. citizens that the Honduran maquila industry should be closed down. But if you close the maquilas down, where will the thousands of workers the industry employs find jobs? They won't. And many of them will head to the United States in search of brighter horizons. In the long run it would be better for everyone if we shifted the emphasis from immigration to development. |
ONLINE READERS' FORUM EXCELLENT WORK Dear Editor: Please keep up the excellent work. I am part of a medical mission that comes to Proteccion and other parts of Honduras each year and we all sincerely appreciate the ability to stay abreast of the news and events. Gibbs Johnson * * * * * ABUSE OF MINORS DESPISED Dear Editor: News has reached me about the illegal detention of the street children Rafael Martinez and Hiran Castellanos by the 7th Command post of the Fuerzas de Seguridad Publica and the rape of Fany Cerrato, under threat, in the bathroom of a police station. These kind of events not only harm the children even though that is definitely the worst part of it. They also hurt the reputation of FUSEP and, in the end, of the Honduran government. Countries where the authorities do not even respect the laws of the country, not to talk about international conventions about the rights of the children, loose a lot of good will and in the end a lot of investment and tourist money when people around the world learn about what is going on. I hope your paper makes sure the government and the police authorities know that these kind of events are despised by people in other countries. Johan Sanne (Online Reader's Forum continues on bottom) |
| (Online
Reader's Forum continued from column) Dear Editor, * * * * * Dear Editor: After being arrested outside the Cathedral in the Central Park of Tegucigalpa for an alleged theft on Thursday March 20, two boys named Rafael Martinez and Hiran Castellanos were taken to 7th Command post of FUSEP where they were beaten and intimidated by a Sergeant Matute and Lt. Mejia, and then imprisoned with adult prisoners in the police cells -- Hiran until the following Monday without any presentation being made to a judge. On Friday, March 21, |6-year-old Fany Cerrato was raped by a uniformed FUSEP officer (sergeant) inside one of the police stations in Tegucigalpa. I and my parishioners are appalled by such behavior on the part of those who should be upholding the law, the more so because the victims were so young. We hope that you will use
your good offices to bring these shocking incidents to
the notice of your readers so that the perpetrators of
these crimes may be brought to justice, and to prevent
recurrence of such abuses. * * * * * IN DEFENSE OF BIKINIS Dear Editor: Almost everywhere in the civilized world, the government does not interfere with the right of a woman to go to a beach in certain kinds of bathing suits. If I were a woman, I would feel myself discriminated and a second-class citizen of the world with such restrictions. Why, would I think, can a Spanish woman in Spain or an American in the U.S., or a Brazilian in Rio, or a Dominican in Puerto Plata, enjoy the beach dressed with a bikini while that right is denied in Honduras -- I heard on TV that in Tela the mayor is asking for fines up to $400 dollars and imprisonment!!! [for women wearing dental floss bikinis]. We are approaching the 21st Century, this is the age of the computer, and the Internet, the space conquest, the great spiritual, mental and social evolution, of the development of the individual potentialities in the Age of Aquarius, and only three years before the new century and the new millennium, there comes a thing like this? I frankly do not understand. I think your beautiful, honest and good women deserve better. Oscar Rodriguez |
A Toncontin wake-up call Tragedy repeated itself this week when a U.S. Air Force C-13 cargo plane crashed at Tegucigalpa's Toncontin International Airport. The U.S. lost another plane in Trujillo back in 1988. Initial reports on this week's accident blame the crash on a poor approach onto the notoriously short Toncontin runway. The pilot simply landed too late; he didn't have enough runway left to make a complete stop before crashing onto the boulevard just beyond the airport's perimeter. If the question of whether or not Toncontin is obsolete beyond repair was already a hot issue among Hondurans, it's grown even hotter with this week's accident. Almost everyone agrees the facility is not up to par with the demands of today's international traveller. But few can concur on what to do about it. Build a new airport? Remodel the old one? Extend the landing strip? Shift air traffic to the larger Palmerola airport in Comayagua? Ideas abound, but decisions are lacking. Meanwhile, landing in Tegucigalpa continues to be a hair-raising experience. Although officials have yet to confirm that this week's accident was indeed linked to the size of Toncontin's runway, and international commercial flights come and go daily posing no risk to public safety, the approach into Honduras' mountain capital continues to be a tricky one and even the well-seasoned pilots of airlines like Taca, American and Continental -- pilots who make safe landings day after day after day -- sometimes have to pull out of an attempted landing and try again. The Airport Commission will reach a level of negligence that borders on the absurd if it continues to put off making a decision on an issue that began as a murmur among Tegucigalpa residents and has escalated into shouts for change. Moving the airport out of Tegucigalpa would have many advantages. Not only would it eliminate the challenge of landing in mountainous terrain, it would also give planners the space they need for a safe, modern terminal. It would also free up the land currently occupied by Toncontin -- land smack in the middle of the nation's capital -- for uses like a new seat of government or the construction of much-needed housing. The sale of this land could go a long way toward financing the new airport. Other countries have also shown interest in participating in the construction of a new facility. There are airports in this world that are worse than Toncontin. But most of them are better. Today, when much of Honduras' economic future depends on its contact with international investors and tourists, the construction of a modern new airport in the nation's capital is a comparatively small, relatively easy and wholly necessary step in laying the foundation for the country's future. Hopefully, it won't take another tragedy for us to finally understand.
Got something on your mind? Put it in writing... Honduras This Week welcomes letters to the editor. Please include your name, e-mail address, city and state/country, and phone number, if possible. Unless otherwise requested, HTW will include the writer's e-mail below his or her name in published letters. HTW reserves the right to edit for space. We do not publish anonymous letters. Email hontweek@hondutel.hn Honduras This Week Advertising
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ONLINE READERS' FORUM BAD EXPERIENCE WITH ISLEŅA Dear Editor: Recently we had the pleasure of traveling to Roatan. Everything was perfect: the weather, diving, and the food. It appeared as if nothing could spoil a perfect trip. Well, it all started when I bought four Islena Airlines tickets through an authorized representative in West End for an 8 a.m. flight. When we arrived the next morning at the Roatan airport, the Islena agent told us that there has not been an 8 o'clock flight for over a month now. When I asked why their representative in West End gladly took our money for a flight that did not exist, he simply said that is wasn't their fault and that we would have to wait until 10 a.m. With white-water rafting plans already made in La Ceiba, our day would be ruined. Not only did this certain Isleņa representative tell me that it wasn't their fault, they also said it was impossible to switch us to either of the two other airlines leaving at 8:00. We discovered later in La Ceiba from an Islena agent that this was untrue. My persistence in this matter must have tired the man because he then lied to me again saying that only the original vendor of the ticket can return my money. By this time the other 8 o'clock flights had left and we just wanted to fly all the way to San Pedro Sula, preferably not on an Isleņa flight. I went back to West End, paying taxi fares to find that the original agent would not refund our money either. As if refusing to correct an error that was obviously theirs was not maddening enough, the two representatives insulted us in Spanish and just laughed at us when we persisted that they refund our money. Not even the Islena supervisor on duty would leave his office to discuss the problem. The man at the desk told me that, "He (the supervisor) doesn't want to talk to you." By now I was furious and just wanted to catch the Sosa flight that left at 10 o'clock for La Ceiba and then continued on to San Pedro. Wouldn't you know that the Isleņa flight left Roatan almost one hour late, leaving us to contemplate the only other flight left, 2 p.m., on Isleņa. Needless to say, we took the bus. I have been living in Honduras for over two years now and have endured my fare share of inconveniences, but have never been so mistreated and insulted. Islena Airlines is the poorest excuse for an airline that I have ever encountered and I urge any traveler reading this account to not consider Islena Airlines in the future. Wayne Warrington Yocon, Olancho |
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