“Do not always trust what you see, even salt looks like sugar” – Anonymous
Do not blame others for the consequences of your inaction or inability to address major and lingering problems. It is not caused by others, but created by its own leadership worsening for almost four decades.
I really wonder why the leadership of this fake and bogus alternative trading organization, the same leadership that started since the advent of the 1990’s keeps on brainwashing its own workers and its organic personnel, including some of the small producer organizations that the problem it faces is caused by others. Its way of misinformation is that it was caused by the leaders of small producer organizations that cut ties from them because of its malpractice in the production of its main export product for fair trade and organic markets.
Another propaganda is, it was infused by the leader of the former partner organization which is actually the real partner of the small producers, including its personnel who were actually used to fabricate documents and manipulate data.
ARROGANT, INSECURE LEADERSHIP
This fake organization even had the gall to terminate partnership with its social development organization, believing that the latter is a major obstacle in its continuing betrayal of the consumers and producers. Its most senior leader, whose old-school management style is legibly written on sheets of a bundle of yellow pads, remains intellectually arrogant. Worse, she took her personal rift against an old partner organization leader and some producer-leaders to an institutional level, affecting all other decent, honest and diligent workers and personnel with the blessing of the board of directors she controls.
Together with the Board, their plot completely disowned and terminated the partnership with the institution working with the small producers by cutting the development fund, to the detriment of the staff and personnel, as well as disrupting the programs and services among producers. This crippled the operations and the community work, notwithstanding the weakening morale of the personnel. Financially and operationally, it rendered the social development institution out of major sources. As a matter of her perceived unquestioned leadership practice, this violates institutional policies and due process.
An old practice and a record-breaking cheap trick she has normalized with a highly questionable institutional culture. To a certain extent, this is tolerated by some international partners under the disguise of “genuine people’s development,” only to rake in profit for survival but without human skills a continuing development and facilities’ improvement.
She is not keen in relinquishing her throne to the more dynamic, agile, and insightful minds inside her fake kingdom, where she now acts as if she is the victim of all the problems her fake organization is beset with where she is largely culpable of.
PITTING WORKERS AND EMPLOYEES AGAINST SMALL PRODUCERS
The consequences of the decision and the inaction of this organization that she and her board of directors crafted now creates a conflict between and among its own employees, union workers, against the small producers. A disgraceful measure overflowing with ironies only to preserve and continue its malpractice, normalizing a treacherous and illegal act violating certain government parameters and tarnishing the province’s “organic bowl of Asia” prestige.
This is the only alternative trading organization established to market people’s products but is actually “profit driven” and belittles the capacity, wisdom and experience of the producers. Also, it does not consider giving the producers limited shares of stocks for a minority ownership after 40 years of existence.
And, when the small producers declared termination of partnership from the operation of this master of doublespeak, the organization becomes shaky and bumpy. What happened next is that this “yellow pad management-style” leader resorts to blame-game she attributes to small producers and the leadership of the social development institution she once led. A hilarious record breaking cheapest trick ever concocted.
IMMEDIATE GOVERNMENT ACTION
Some partners abroad are undertaking independent investigations pertaining to this very serious problem, while other partners remain silent, perhaps apprehensive of a possible scandal that might put them in shame with their own consumers. This tolerates the betrayal of this fake alternative trading organization. In this light, it is now the government, especially its responsible agencies, that must take action to completely put a stop to the imminent destruction this organization creates.
Sooner or later the prestige achieved by the province of Negros Occidental on organic production of agricultural practices, making it known all over Asia, will be in peril.*
