DAR ready to distribute Luisita

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Agrarian Reform on Wednesday said it is ready to implement the final decision of the Supreme Court, which ordered the total land distribution of Hacienda Luisita, the sugar plantation owned by the family of President Benigno Aquino III.

The DAR, however, said the division and the distribution of the 4,300-hectare plantation to 6,296 farmworker-beneficiaries may take time.

"DAR is currently refining the system to speed up the screening and validation of the farmworker-beneficiaries or their successors-in-interest. As the Hacienda Luisita land iscomposed of 16 titles divided into 176 lots, dividing these into parcels for distribution to the framworker-beneficiaries can be a tedious process. Thus, DAR, will be working closely with the LRA and the DENR to facilitate the process...," the DAR said in a statement.

The DAR also said that the determination of the initial valuation of the Hacienda Luisita lots would be made by the Land Bank of the Philippines "taking into consideration the conditions set by the Supreme Court and existing applicable guidelines."

Despite any possible legal action by the Hacienda Luisita owners to question the valuation, DAR said such a challenge will be unable to stop the acquisition and distribution od the plantation and the issuance of the CLOAs (Certificate of Land Ownership Awards).

"The DAR's effort to speed up the implementation of the agrarian reform program necessarily entails close coordination with other government agencies particulalrly the Land Bank, the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) and the LRA (Land Registration Authority)," the DAR said.

The SC on Tuesday upheld with finality the decision to distribute Hacienda Luisita to farmers. The court also ruled to use the 1989 valuation, pegged at P40,000 per hectare, and not the more expensive 2006 rate in compensating the Cojuangco family.

Upon distribution, the government would initially pay the Cojuangco family to compensate for the land distribution. In turn, the farmers will pay the government, in installment terms, for the compensation given to the Cojuangcos.

The sugar plantation, located in Tarlac, has been the subject of decades-old dispute between the Cojuangcos and their farmer tenants. The farmers had been insisting that the plantation should be distributed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.