Hacienda Luisita Inc. gives away P20M to farmers

The farm workers of Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) began receiving on Thursday their shares of the initial P20-million cash package promised in their compromise agreement with the HLI management. On Friday last week, 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 a compromise agreement at the estate's clubhouse in Tarlac. The signatories were: Noel Mallari, Vice-chairman of AMBALA; Eldifonso Pingol, Vice-President of ULWU; lawyer Eufrocinio Dela Merced Jr. for HLI, and Julio Suniga and Windsor Andaya for the HLI supervisory group. However, Lito Bais, ULWU acting president, and Felix Nacpil, AMBALA president, claimed that Mallari and Pingol were former officials of the groups but no longer represent the farmers. A P150-million financial package was promised to the farmers but initially, only P20 million will be given by HLI as a "sign of goodwill." The remaining P130 million will be given to the farmers once the agreement has been approved by the Supreme Court. The compromise deal also gave the farmers two options — to receive land parcels in the 6,453-hectare plantation or retain their stocks in the corporation. Some disappointed Francisco Dizon, a member of ULWU, told GMANews.TV over the phone that farm workers began lining up at the hacienda's clubhouse as early as 7 a.m. to claim their share of the P20-million cash package. The farmers reportedly received P100 to P4,000 for each, depending on their shares of stocks in Hacienda. Regular farm workers received between P2,000 and P4,000 each while casual workers received P100 to P200 each. Dizon said some recipients were reportedly disappointed over the money they received, adding that one claimant he spoke with, was given only P139. "Iyong kumuha ng mga pera ay galit na galit nang umuwi dahil hindi sila nabigyan ng P20,000 bawat isa, gaya ng ipinangako sa kanila (some claimants who I talked to were mad because they did not get P20,000 each, as earlier promised)," he said. A QTV Balitanghali report quoted a female farm worker as saying the P1,000 she received was already “okay" with her as it is the biggest amount of money she ever had. "Partial lang naman ito (Besides, this is partial payment only)." ULWU members are reportedly making rounds in the Hacienda's farm villages to discuss the farmers' complaints, Dizon said. "Ito ay taktika nila para pag-away-awayin kami. Hindi man lang malinaw sa mga magsasaka kung para saan ang binibigay sa kanila na pera (The little cash being given to farmers is part of the management’s ploy to sow division among the farmers. It was not even clear what the money was for)," he said.

Meanwhile, Bais said he was happy for his fellow farm workers who received cash, even though he himself is against the compromise deal. "Mabuti naman at natuloy ang pamimigay nila ng pera at nagkaroon ang mga kasamahan namin ng pera," Bais told GMANews.TV in a separate interview. However, he considered the distribution of cash as a form of bribery. "Pero ito ay malinaw na suhol. Walang sinabi ang HLI at hindi malinaw kung saan galing ang pera kaya ano pa ba ito kung hindi suhol (This is clearly a form of bribery. The HLI did not tell them, and it was not clear where the money came from. What else can you call that? That's bribery)," he said. As of posting time, Bais, together with farm workers opposed to the compromise deal, were holding a meeting in Quezon City to discuss their next moves regarding the scheduled oral arguments at the Supreme Court over the land dispute. Bais' group did not sign the compromise deal, which the HLI management and other farm workers' group agreed on last week. He said farmers' groups will contest the compromise deal before the high court, which is scheduled to hear arguments on the 2006 Hacienda Luisita case on August 18. On Wednesday, HLI filed a joint submission and motion for approval, asking the court to approve last Friday's compromise deal . A referendum showed that more than 7,300 out of 10,502 farm workers said they preferred to receive stocks rather than hacienda land parcels. Only 139 farmers voted for land distribution. Meanwhile, the remaining 3,000 workers who have not signed the referendum for the compromise deal will just get a notice from the HLI about their non-participation. They would not be forced to choose between land and stocks, said HLI spokesperson Tony Ligon. — LBG/VVP, GMANews.TV