News

The fire works display at Flat Point organised by the Public Entity was stopped in the middle of the event because of a bush fire that resulted from the debris that landed. The fire-brigade came into action by wetting part of the bushes that were endangered. At 8:30 pm the …

On Sunday December 30th 2018, the annual Saba firework display will occur at 7pm on the Airport Road. The Public Entity Saba wishes the community of Saba a Prosperous and Happy New Year ahead. The Island Governor announced that it is permissible for the lighting off of fireworks as display …

In 2019 the National Ombudsman will carry out a lot more research into the functioning of the government on Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius. For example into the police, immigration service and poverty.Research into poverty on the islands is remarkable, because there are already several reports from Unicef, Regioned and …

Seasons Greetings 2019

In an effort to continuously improve disaster management on Saba, the Public Entity Saba completed two important actions last week: a training for the information managers and the successful installation of the satellite system. On Thursday December 20, the Saba Telecommunications Company Satel had a successful session to implement the …

Saba Commissioner Bruce Zagers met with Vitens-Evides International (VEI) representative Fred Elgers in the Netherlands last week to discuss the remaining part of the water project: extending the water pipe from Windwardside to the church at Hell’s Gate. Commissioner Zagers explained that this concerned the last part of the larger …

As of 2019, pharmacists on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba and the Healthcare Insurance Office (Zorgverzekeringskantoor, hereinafter referred to as ZVK) will collaborate to promote the quality of drugs used on the three islands. . As of that date, all prescription drugs will be checked on the basis of the …

Employees of the Public Entity Saba will receive the maximum benefit from the 5 per cent reduction of the employer’s premium per January 1, 2019. In reality, the amount will be slightly less than 5 per cent considering the pension premiums and some other employer’s costs that have to be …

Saba has again won two awards as a green, sustainable destination that caters towards eco-tourism. Commissioner of Tourism Bruce Zagers received the awards in the Netherlands last week. It concerns the Green Destination Global Top 100 Award of Green Destinations, an initiative organized by ten leading sustainable tourism organizations and …

The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (hereinafter referred to as ACM) sets new maximum tariffs as of January 1st, 2019 for electricity on Saba. It concerns the maximum fixed usage tariff and the maximum variable usage tariff which the Saba Electric Company (hereinafter referred to as SEC) may charge …

On Tuesday, December 18, the Public Entity Saba gave special recognition to civil servant Cyrel Hassell, who is retiring on December 31, 2018 at the age of 68, almost 69. What makes this recognition so special is the fact that Mr. Hassell, a construction worker at the Public Works Department …

Saba keeps working on strengthening its tourism product through promotion in the United States (US), Canada and the Netherlands, by attending trade shows abroad and by strengthening the relations with surrounding islands. Tourist Office Director Glenn Holm gives an update. Saba is part of the Airport Service Development Committee (ASDC), …

The Sta­tia Female Volleyball team won the Saba, Statia and St. Maarten (SSS) High School Tournament. The competition was held on Saba Thursday and Friday. Statia faced Saba in the opener. Saba won three sets to two with the match going 25-21, 25-19,17-25, 23-25 and 15-9. The Statia female Volleyball …

The first ever Saba Day celebration in the Netherlands on Saturday December 15 turned out to be a huge success. More than 250 people of all ages originating from Saba came to the club Prikkewater in Vlaardingen to dance, eat and drink together, and to meet friends and family. Singer …

The Johan Cruyff Foundation, in cooperation with the Signify company of the Netherlands,will donate the lights for the Cruyff Court on Saba, announced Saba Commissioner of Sports Rolando Wilson on Sunday, December 16. Signify, formerly Philips Lighting, will provide brand new LED floodlights at the Cruyff Court. The LED lights …

On Thursday December 13th a mixed group of professionals with representatives from various aid organizations, health care, the legal profession, the police and from the public prosecution office among others, attended an information session. During this session information was provided about Schadefonds, which is pending to be launched in Bonaire, …

The Hague is positively responding to the so-called Saba Package, the multi-annual agenda-setting document of the Public Entity Saba to further develop the island. A Saba delegation is currently in The Hague for meetings with the various Dutch ministries. Saba Commissionerof General Affairs Bruce Zagers and Island Secretary Tim Muller …

Last week Caribbean nations agreed to add two more species to the Annexes of the Specially Protected Areasand Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol, the only trans-national legal instrument for the environment of the Caribbean. At the insistence of the Kingdom of theNetherlands, regional SPAW member governments unanimously decided to recommend largetooth sawfish …

The gross salaries of RCN employees will increase by 3.4% as of the 1st of January 2019, in addition to the agreed increase of 1.75%. This brings the total wage increase in 2019 to 5.15%.The employer RCN discussed this with the unions on Thursday November 29th.With this, the civil servants …

The Dutch government will engage in talks with Dutch Caribbean countries and the Dutch public entities about strengthening operational coordination in disaster and crisis management on a higher level. Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Ferd Grapperhaus announced this in a letter he sent to the Second Chamber of the …

In a close to Saba Day Weekend, a record number of participants took place in Saba’s annual Saba Day Weekend Run, the Sea to Scenery, on Sunday, December 10th. 19 racers started from the seaside down by Cove Bay and raced through the villages of Hell’s Gate and Windwardside, finally …

The tents in use at Princess Juliana International Airport’s arrival and departure halls for some fifteen months will be demolished starting December 15, the scheduled date for the resumption of operation in the airport terminal for the first time since Hurricane Irma in September 2017.   The terminal is set …

The historic contributions of Windwardside, the many positive developments happening on Saba and being a proud and resilient people were some of the themes that came up during the official 43rd Saba Day celebration on Friday, December 7. Held at Windwardside this year, Sabans first gathered at the St. Paul …

Good morning and welcome to this 43nd Saba Day celebration here on the beautiful grounds of the Harry L Johnson Museum. I would like to express a special welcome to the many visitors and the people of Saba who are here this morning to celebrate. Your presence this morning is …

There is a Chinese Proverb which states that: “To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.” As we know, the first Friday in December annually, we celebrate Saba Day, OUR National Day! It is a day when we focus our attention …

Inspections were carried out earlier this week at all locations on Saba that use weights and scales. In the same week a training took place in the field of inspection of weights and measurements. From December 4 to 6, a team, under the watch of Head of Economic Affairs and …

It is was a proud moment on Thursday, December 6, at the groundbreaking for phase two of the social housing project Under The Hill. Speakers at the well-attended ceremony all agreed that this was a very special occasion for Saba, but most of all for the people, because the 18 …

On Wednesday, December 5th, the police station was notified about 10 AM that a man was lying on the ground on the Lambert Hassell Road near a supermarket on Saba. Upon arrival of the patrol it appeared that the man had fallen from a wall. He coped with a head …

BES Reporter announced that Divi and Corendon plan to execute 5 weekly flights between Curaçao and Princess Juliana International Airport of Sint Maarten and twice weekly to Guarulhos Internation Airport of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Of the 2 flights to Sao Paulo, one may make an intermediate stop in Bonaire, if …

Saba Island Governor Jonathan Johnson on Thursday hosted a meeting with his colleagues Island Governor Edison Rijna of Bonaire and National Government Commissioner Mike Franco of St. Eustatius. This Island Governors Meeting was the first one again after a long time. The idea of it is to share experiences that the …

Representatives of the National Ombudsman will be visiting Saba, St. Eustatius and Bonaire this month, to assist people with any issues they may have with the government. The representatives hold consultation hours, make house calls to discuss issues and submit these, if possible, directly to the government so that these …

The Dutch government on Tuesday published the new, higher amounts for the minimum wage, the old age pension AOV and the child allowance that will go into effect per January 1, 2019, for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. In St. Eustatius, the legal minimum wage for persons 21 and up …

The Public Entity Saba is facilitating the setting up of an agricultural, hydroponic farm to give local-grown vegetables another push. On Monday, Commissioner of Agriculture Rolando Wilson signed the deed for the purchase 6,000m2 of land at Rendez-Vous, Windwardside. The financing to set up the agricultural/hydroponic farm come from the …

Construction of phase 2 of Saba Electric Company (SEC) solar park projects next to the Juancho Yrausquin Airport is progressing as planned. The frames with the 2,960 solar panels should be in place in the third week of December. Once the second solar park is operational in the first quarter …

Update: See the response of Commissioner Zagers on this news at the end of the article. The policy on work permits has been eased for a number of professions on Saba. The policy, which went into effect on the 30th of November 2018, was established in close consultation between the …

A recent constitutional amendment means that the islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba as of 2019, like all other parts of the Netherlands, will be able to influence the Senate’s composition. To this aim, a so-called electoral college for the Senate will be established for each island. These electoral …

Five employ­ees of the Saba Health Care Foundation and Benevolent Foundation grad­uated as Certified Nursing Assistants on Friday, No­vember 23. The five completed a seven-month course from May to November to obtain their certification. The five graduates Beverly Cox, Ch­eralyn Cox, Chadiska DeR­oche, Alujah Rivers and Lorna Frederick, received their …

The Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) starts sometime beginning 2019 with an experiment on mortgage guarantee on Bonaire. The scheme must stimulate home ownership for starters, young families and the social middle class. This five-year experiment will implement administrative agreements from the recently concluded administrative agreement Bonaire. Several …

Saba’s Executive Council recently invited a safety specialist of the BPO Caribbean company in Aruba to come to the island to assess safety and to make a risk inventory report of the safety aspects within government. Michiel van Ewijk of BPO Caribbean, an expert company on safety with large clients …

Saba is gearing up for its 43rd Saba Day celebration that starts on Friday, December 7. The official part of the program takes place on Friday, followed by a fun-filled weekend with plenty activities. The official part of the program on Friday takes part in Windwardside. Saba Day starts with …