Palace hoping for SC nod on Luisita settlement

Malacañang is hoping the Supreme Court will look favorably on the settlement giving farmer-beneficiaries the option to choose whether they will retain their stocks or acquire parcels of the land in Hacienda Luisita, a sugar plantation owned by the family and relatives of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III. At a press briefing on Thursday, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Malacañang welcomes the signing of the agreement between Hacienda Luisita, Inc. (HLI) and leaders of farmers' groups and hopes that the high tribunal, which is set to hear oral arguments on the distribution of Hacienda Luisita on August 18, will favorably consider the settlement in its decision. "Hopefully the Supreme Court will look with favor on the compromise agreement but certainly it will be up to the Supreme Court to decide," said Lacierda. Representatives of HLI and two farmers groups, the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid ng Hacienda Luisita (AMBALA) and the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU), signed the agreement around 10 a.m. Friday at the estate's clubhouse in Tarlac. The compromise agreement states that HLI’s 12,000 farmer-beneficiaries can now opt to continue owning stocks in the corporation based on the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) deal signed 21 years ago. They can also choose to have a share in a designated 1,400-hectare portion of land in the 6,453-hectare plantation. "If it is a compromise agreement and both parties have expressed their willingness to settle, and all the parties are involved in the settlement, we hope from that point on, without preempting the SC, that they will review that compromise agreement and if it's not contrary to law and morals of public policy, then it will be approved," said Lacierda. 'Minimal interest' Lacierda, however, maintained that Aquino — who owns a 1-percent stake in Central Azucarera de Tarlac in Luisita — has "very minimal interest" in the issue and is leaving it up to the HLI management to resolve the dispute with farmer-beneficiaries. He also maintained that the president was only informed of the "broad strokes" of the agreement, and that he was not aware that only a 1,400-hectare portion was offered for distribution. Militant farmer leaders have protested that only a portion of the land will be up for distribution, but Lacierda said what was important was there is a "general consensus" on the issue. "Hindi natin maaalis [na] may ibang panig diyan na 'di sumasang-ayon but ang posisyon dito, marami sa farmworker-beneficiaries ang nais na magkaroon ng peaceful resolution (We can't avoid opposition but our position is that many farmworker-beneficiaries want peaceful resolution)," he said. "Let us allow the compromise agreement to go through, let us allow the process to go through before the Supreme Court." The scheduled oral arguments on the HLI land case on August 18 at SC will determine whether the SDO scheme will be retained, or if the land will be distributed to the farmers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). Supreme Court spokesperson Midas Marquez earlier said the fate of the oral arguments will depend on the manifestations to be submitted by both parties after the signing of the agreement. Agreement terms Under the agreement, farmers who will opt for land distribution will get their parcel of the plantation “for free and clean of any encumbrances" and will surrender their shares to the corporation to the stocks’ original owner, the Tarlac Development Corporation. The agreement also allows the farmer-beneficiaries who will opt for land distribution to keep monetary and non-monetary benefits, such as the home lots and production shares given to them under the SDO agreement. Aside from these, the 12,000 farmer-beneficiaries are also entitled to P150 million in “financial assistance" from the HLI in settlement of all claims — P20 million of which will be given upon signing of the agreement as a sign of “good will." The remaining P130 million will be given to the farmers if the agreement has been approved by the Supreme Court. The farm workers also agreed to support all further developments of HLI land in the future even for non-agricultural purposes. They will also be given top priority for employment should HLI choose to push through with these developments, the agreement said. — RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV