Lawyer: Luisita farmers welcome SC ruling with 'cautious celebration'

Farmer beneficiaries of the Cojuangco-owned Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac welcomed with “cautious celebration" the Supreme Court (SC) ruling ordering the total distribution of the estate to them, their lawyer said Thursday.   Lawyer Jobert Pahilga, counsel for some of the Luisita farmers, said the sugar plantation’s workers already celebrated last night even before the official release of the SC decision on Thursday, but added that they are not keeping their guards down.   “Syempre, with caution pa rin ang celebration dahil hindi pa tapos ang laban dito. Magpapatuloy pa rin ang aming mga gawain hanggang tuluyang maipamigay sa ang lupa,” he said in a phone interview.   He added that the Luisita farmer beneficiaries still remain vigilant for the next move of the estate’s management. Voting 14-0, the SC ordered the total distribution of the Luisita land to its 6,296 original farmer beneficiaries. Also, the high court also ruled that the estate’s management cannot demand a refund of other salaries and benefits the Hacienda earlier handed to the 4,206 non-qualified farmer beneficiaries.   Pahilga likewise described the SC decision as “long overdue, but sill a welcome development.”   “Natutuwa kami sa naging desisyon. Hopefully, the government will respect the ruling of the SC dahil ito naman ay morally and legally correct,” he said.   Malacañang declined to comment on the SC decision, saying that its officials have yet to read the full text of the ruling. President Benigno Aquino III is a member of the Cojuangco clan which owns the sugar plantation, but has divested himself of his 1-percent stake in the estate. — LBG, GMA News