“A woman who farms is an empowered one who empowers other women.” – Anonymous
The month of March is the global celebration and recognition of women’s contribution to humanity’s evolution. This perfectly fits for the celebration of a woman leader and entrepreneur who has reached certain heights and achievements, but not without pain and struggle. She is Dolores Ceralbo.
A couple of months back I wrote about Manang Dolor, as I fondly called her as my way of recognizing her efforts rewarded by the provincial and the national governments. This time, however, is another level – a greater height seen and recognized by caliber stakeholders and partners she is affiliated with. And when I say greater heights I simply mean an international level.
GREATER HEIGHTS, BIGGER INSPIRATION
Manang Dolor, the dynamic, energetic and empowered woman leader of a local producers’ organization in Pandanon, Salvador Benedicto, is no stranger to recognition, citations, and award giving bodies related to her passion, practices, and advocacies. She is a constant fixture in the local and national organic farming and entrepreneurship for women award giving bodies, as winner, in the past few years.
Continuing to solidify herself as an inspiration to others, where recognition and accolades only come in second, Manang Dolor is this year one of the top 5 finalists in the prestigious search for global rural women entrepreneur, sponsored and handed out by an international, NGO – TRIAS, assisted by the government of Belgium and Markant AG, the biggest trading and service cooperative in Europe based in Switzerland.
She was nominated by the Fair Trade Producers Network (FTPN), where the organization she chairs, the Pandanon Integrated Balangon Farmers Association (PIBFA), is a member. This year’s search for outstanding women entrepreneurs is called WOMED Award South. Upon being chosen as one of the top 3, Manang Dolor will fly to Belgium to personally receive the award from the Queen of Belgium.
This milestone of Manang Dolor manifests her image as an empowered woman who inspires not only her organization and her local community, but women of the south who continue to struggle their way out of economic and social deprivations and inequalities. Amid the unimaginable and worsening impact of conventional farming and unfair trading practices among the peoples of Manang Dolor, she continues to evolve through alternative economic and social means worth emulating. In her own words, she humbly declares, “my purpose is to help my community, so I share my knowledge and experience to them.”
HUMBLEST, POOR BEGINNING
Born sixth in a brood of 13 siblings, she considers her family as the poorest of the poor of what was once part of the municipality of Murcia, now called Barangay Pandanon, in the 1992-established municipality of Salvador Benedicto. Manang Dolor was born to farm and proudly declares will get old and fade from the world, still farming as long as she can.
She is the longest serving chairperson of Pandanon Integrated Balangon Farmers Association (PIBFA) she founded 19 years ago. The organization was formed and organized among balangon banana producers of Salvador Benedicto to be sold to Alter Trade that it exports, starting to Japan, and later expanding to Korea, under the people-to-people trading relationship.
Manang Dolor and PIBFA are still part of this trading system that, in fact, expanded to fair trade when PIBFA expanded to sugarcane in 2012. In 2016 PIBFA’s sugarcane production was certified as organic and fair trade by international certifiers as raw material for mascobado sugar being exported largely to Europe and other parts of the world.
According to Manang Dolor she cannot be thankful enough to Alter Trade, for without it, she would not have been known among all her current networks internationally. Proof to this is that Manang Dolor started her exposures and travels abroad as ambassadress to countries that buy organic and fair-trade mascobado sugar and balangon bananas.
FITTEST AND RIGHT ON TIME
As the world recognizes the role and contribution of women around the world, Manang Dolor stands out tall and proud, as no exception. The WOMED South Award is considered to be her most prestigious accolade, whether she will be chosen as one of the top three outstanding women entrepreneurs or not, because of its scale and arduous selection process.
Undoubtedly, Manang Dolor has achieved a feat other women she inspires hope to achieve with herself as inspiration. Perfectly timed and best fit for celebration.*
