Supreme Court to rule on Luisita dispute next week

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines -- The long struggle of farmers to own their share of the 4,915.75-hectare sugar estate belonging to the family of President Aquino may finally end next week.

The Supreme Court (SC) confirmed this yesterday and said it is ready to come out with the final ruling next week on the appeal of its decision in November last year ordering the distribution of Hacienda Luisita.

SC spokesman Midas Marquez revealed during the media forum here that the final ruling of the high tribunal could be expected to be handed down on April 25 at the closing of the summer session of the SC.

“It was taken up yesterday (Tuesday) and again it will be taken up on Tuesday next week, and hopefully we can have a ruling on the HLI (Hacienda Luisita Inc.) already by next week. So most probably we will have a ruling on HLI next Tuesday,” he announced.

The SC recalled and set aside the option granted to the farmers to remain as stockholders of HLI in its earlier decision in July last year.

The justices unanimously agreed that the contested land should be distributed by HLI to the original 6,296 farmer-beneficiaries pursuant to the order of Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) in December 2005.

The court also directed HLI to pay the original farmer-worker beneficiaries (FWBs) over P1.33 billion it earned from selling the 500-hectare converted portion of the land estate.

HLI, however, appealed and sought clarification on the amount to be paid to the farmers and also asked the high tribunal to return to the original FWBs the option to choose whether or not they still want to remain as stockholders of HLI or lift the 10-year prohibition on the sale of the awarded lands.

Through lawyer Maria Estela Ares, the firm of the corporation owned by the presidential family insisted the reckoning period for the computation of just compensation for its agricultural lands should be at the time of the taking or at least upon issuance of the

notice of coverage by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Jan. 2, 2006, pursuant to PARC’s resolution recalling the approval of the stock distribution plan (SDP).

Alternatively, they asked the Court to leave it up to the Land Bank and the DAR the determination of the reckoning period, which is necessary in fixing the just compensation for the property.

Farmers led by the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) opposed HLI’s bid.