Luisita farmers to boycott new referendum

Factions of farmers' groups based in Hacienda Luisita will not participate in the referendum, where they will once again vote whether they want to receive land or shares of stock from the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita Inc. On Wednesday, members of the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU) and the Alyansa ng Mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) picketed the Supreme Court (SC) to protest its decision to order the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to administer a referendum among the 6,296 qualified farm-worker beneficiaries (FWBs). The Supreme Court also revoked the stock distribution plan (SDP), which provided for the stock distribution option (SDO) agreement that allowed farmers to choose between stocks and land. Lito Bais, ULWU's acting president and Ambala vice chair, lauded the high court for upholding the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council's 2005 resolution that revoked the SDP. But Bais said the SC should have ordered land distribution instead of ordering another referendum. He added he is wary that the referendum will be lopsided in favor of stocks, because the farmers will be threatened if they are keen on voting for land distribution. "Kahit gusto nila ay lupa, napipilitan na pilitan ng stocks dahill sa pera, panlilinlang at pananakot. Iyon ang iniiwasan natin (Even if the farmers want to receive land, they are coerced into choosing stocks because of money, deception, and threats. That's what we want to avoid)," Bais said. He added: "Ibo-boycott namin ang referendum." The Luisita farmers were joined by militant and peasant groups sympathetic to their fight for land distribution. Speaking to reporters, Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano said he cannot understand why the six justices who said that the stock distribution plan should be nullified would also opine that there should be another referendum. "The ruling is deceptive and divisive. They should have said that the SDO should be revoked and then land should be distributed," Mariano said. SC decision In its decision, the SC explained why it is ordering the DAR to conduct a referendum despite the revocation of the SDP. The high court said that while the stock distribution plan is nullified, the qualified farmer beneficiaries must still be given the option to choose if they want to remain as stockholders or not. The SC added it cannot turn a blind eye on the fact that 93 percent of Hacienda Luisita farmers picked stocks instead of land when the stock distribution option agreement was forged in 1989. "While the assailed PARC resolutions effectively nullifying the Hacienda Luisita SDP are upheld, the revocation must, by application of the operative fact principle, give way to the right of the original 6,296 qualified FWBs to choose whether they want to remain as HLI stockholders or not. The Court cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that in 1989, 93% of the FWBs agreed to the SDO, which became the basis of the SDP approved by PARC," said the SC's decision written by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco. — LBG/KBK, GMA News