* Exploitation of balangon farmers-suppliers. These poor
farmers walked several kilometers bringing their
products, or spend more for transport fares if there are
farm-to-market roads leading to the buying stations.
When the bananas arrived in the buying station, export-
quality bananas are sorted out if it passes quality test
(age, size and undamaged) and are bought at P0.90
($0.018) per piece if it is packed or P0.75 ($0.015) if
unpacked. Exported bananas are sold in consumer
cooperatives in Japan at P51.25/kilo ($1.05) or P10.25
($0.21) per piece. In a buying station in Northern Negros
Occidental, they buy bananas at P0.50 ($0.01) per
piece. Bananas that they sort out as reject are bought
at P0.25($0.005) or being asked for free from the poor
producers. Because of their (ATC) low buying price and
a lot of rejected bananas, 58-70 banana growers
transfered to other buyers.
* Banana farmer-suppliers deceived by NGO
bureaucrats. When Alter Trade Corporation was
punished by the NPA (New People’s Army) last Aug. 13,
2006, ATC used the farmer-suppliers as instruments in
preserving and protecting their interests thru a petition
signing and mobilization against the revolutionary
movement, raised their buying price, increase wages of
their workers, loans and other benefits. They hurriedly
organized farmer cooperatives and the Negros
Federation to cover their fraudulent modus operandi.
Fernandez further said that the typical example of Alter Trade maneuvers in “using the masses” is a certain Teody Allabo, an Alter Trade Corp. field assistant in Bonawon, Zamboangita, Negros Oriental who is also the adviser of the Bonawon-Catipon-Calangag Bolongan Farmers Association.
Fernandez stressed that Alter Trade Corp. had already junked the principles of fair trade and sustainable organic farming. “They no longer give due importance to their partners who are the peasants, workers and farm workers and consumers but only their pockets; they are pure and simple businessmen using NGO politics in enriching themselves at the expense of the people,” he said.
Warning
Fernandez warned that Alter Trade Corp. must be held accountable to the 158,000 poor peasants, farm workers and laborers who are the accredited members and beneficiaries from people’s organizations and farmers’ cooperatives in 1984.
“The cries of the masses for justice will remain as haunting ghosts to these NGO bureaucrats so that they will find no peace in their greedy happiness of the money they have stolen; they cannot hide their criminal acts by just creating new cooperatives of farmers and federations of banana growers and use these for their survival and self-serving political and economic interests,” he said.
Mugar revealed that in early 2000, they sought the help of local and foreign governments on the same issue.
“That time we received a letter from the Communist Party of the Philippines-Negros Island Regional Party Committee demanding that ‘P30 million ($615,889) (be) turned over to the Party treasury,’” she said. “The said letter urged us to “take positive response to the will of the Party” and reminded us that ‘whatever action (we) take will be dealt with accordingly by the Party.’”
She said they brought the matter up to Philippine authorities, foreign governments who are involved in the peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP, and to their partners in the fair trade movement. “Maybe the situation now has allowed them to get back at us, with the breakdown of the peace talks,” she added.
“The NPA will not stop in protecting the interests of the masses and in attaining justice for them; the NPA will punish these NGO bureaucrats of Alter Trade Corp as equivalent to the exploitation, oppression and sufferings that ATC inflicted on the masses,” Fernandez meanwhile said.
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