MERGED: All About Hacienda Luisita and related issues

[pepponeskie]

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Supreme Court upholds ruling on total land distribution of Hacienda Luisita | Sun.Star

BAGUIO CITY (Updated, 2:14 p.m.) -- Voting 14-0, the Supreme Court (SC) reaffirmed its decision for the total distribution of the Hacienda Luisita, the estate owned by the family of President Benigno Aquino III, to the farmers.

Also, Hacienda Luisita farmers erupted in cheers after the SC sustained its earlier position that the owners of the sprawling sugarcane estate will be compensated based on the 1989 market price.

Voting 8-6, the justices said the Cojuangcos are entitled to compensation of P40,000 per hectare based on the valuation made last November 21, 1989, the date when the stock distribution option was approved by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

SC spokesman Midas Marquez, in a press conference, said the eight SC justices who voted in favor of the 1989 valuation are Chief Justice Renato Corona, Arturo Brion, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Jose Perez, Jose Mendoza, Roberto Abad, Bienvenido Reyes and Martin Villarama Jr.

The decision sets aside the appeal by the Hacienda Luisita, Inc., which sought for P10 billion-compensation it based on the notice of coverage by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on January 2, 2006 pursuant to the resolution of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) recalling the approval of the SDO.

The SDO was declared illegal by the justices last year, paving the way for the total distribution of the 4,915-hectare estate to the 6,296 farm worker beneficiaries.

Opposed to the majority ruling, meanwhile, are Justices Lucas Bersamin, Diosdado Peralta, Mariano del Castillo and Aquino appointees Estela Bernabe, Bienvenido Reyes, and Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Sereno earlier said that the valuation of land should be based on the 2006 fair market value of P2.25 million per hectare, a hefty amount which farmers could not afford to shell out.

Outside the SC building, farmers patiently waited for the announcement as they hailed the justices for working for the benefit of the poor.

A thanksgiving mass was also officiated by Baguio Bishop Carlito Cenzon following the announcement by Marquez.

"This decision states with finality and in no uncertain terms: distribution is the sole mechanism for implementing agrarian reform. The management of Hacienda Luisita along with other landlord estates must now read the writing on the wall. We call on them to immediately and without any hesitation distribute the land to the HLI farmers," party-list group Akbayan said.

To recall, Aquino's maternal relatives (Cojuangcos) were reportedly disappointed with the November decision and that the President was even berated by his elders, days after the decision came out.

A media report said Aquino's constant tirades against the High Court, especially on its Chief Justice, had cost them the hacienda.

Aquino, allegedly succumbing to family pressure, decided to fight back by aiming for Corona’s ouster.

The Chief Justice himself said in various instances that the impeachment case against him stemmed from his position nullifying the SDO and to distribute the lands to farmers. (Virgil Lopez/Sunnex)

[amingb]

Naa pajud intown mga Yellow mo ingon nga ang impeachment ni Corona is not Related to HLI .... so sad ...

But im happy right now kay Justice is DONE to the Farmers ...

[pepponeskie]

samot na mag yaw2x si kris aquino ug mahurot ng buhok ni noy2x...

ang mosamot pod ni nga mo init ang corona impeachment...

[amingb]

samot na mag yaw2x si kris aquino ug mahurot ng buhok ni noy2x...

ang mosamot pod ni nga mo init ang corona impeachment...

Win or Lose na bro ... pero useless na ang impeachment kay bisan si Sereno na ma CJ useless na ni Pnoy .... its Final gi peg ang valuation to 1989 price .... goodbye 10Billion kabayad pa sila sa gi baligya nilang 2000hectares ug kanang SCTEX .. grabi ka lugi sa mga Cojuanco karon .... JUSTICE IS DONE ....

[amingb]

Win or Lose na bro ... pero useless na ang impeachment kay bisan si Sereno na ma CJ useless na ni Pnoy .... its Final gi peg ang valuation to 1989 price .... goodbye 10Billion kabayad pa sila sa gi baligya nilang 2000hectares ug kanang SCTEX .. grabi ka lugi sa mga Cojuanco karon .... JUSTICE IS DONE ....

Dapat ana PESO Per Hectare ang ibayad sa mga Cojuanco ....

[monroy]

Guards clash with farmers in H. Luisita

Guards clash with farmers in H. Luisita | Manila Standard Today


CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — Some members of a farmers’ group and some security guards on Sunday used stones and slingshots against each other in a fight over a piece of property within the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac being claimed by Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., police said Monday.

Tarlac City Police chief Arnel Ramos said stones rained past 3 p.m. in the area where RCBC’s security guards were posted to put up a fence around the property being claimed by the bank.

The farmers were said to be members of the Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita, a farmers’ group that, along with other groups, is demanding that the family of President Benigno Aquino III distribute the sugar estate to its farmers as ordered by the Supreme Court.

“The farmers stoned RCBC employees but no one was hurt or injured,” Ramos said.

But Alyansa chairman Felix Nacpil Jr. said 20 of his people were hurt after the bank’s security guards fired their slingshots at them.

“We went to the place to stop the guards from putting up fence, but instead we were forcibly driven out by guards using clubs and sling shots,” Nacpil said in a telephone interview.

He said a representative from the Agrarian Reform Department was expected to visit the hacienda on March 27.


Ramos said the estate’s farmers had repeatedly warned the bank’s security guards against putting up a fence around the property that the bank had been claiming until the Agrarian Reform Department had ruled on the case.

The farmers claim that the property should be included in the estate areas to be distributed to them as ordered by the Supreme Court.


(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on /2012/March/27)



where is bayan muna? calling Teddy Casino .wa man lagi moy pakabana ani mga poor farmers.

Where's the rule of law? Is this mob mentality justice? The land now belongs to RCBC, not HLI. RCBC is a third party to this case and they have a right to enforce their claim on the land since the title now belongs to them.

Just because they are poor farmers doesn't mean they are right. They are resorting to unjust means to force their ownership over the land that isn't theirs. The law is on the side of RCBC because their foreclosure of the property was based on our laws. So disappointing to see the same people who cry tears over rule of law in Corona's case, now calling for pissing all over the same rule of law in RCBC case. Make up your minds, either you're for following the rule of law or you're not. And don't give me that BS "Those who have less in life should have more in the law" because that's plain misguided... Justice is supposed to be blind. Whether rich or poor, if you're wrong then you're wrong...

[edoy]

murag taas pa jud ni xa ug istorya kay mo apila pa jud ang tig-dumala HL

[cobraKing]

ang opaw kay mka piso jud sa mga tiyo niya sa HL..nyahahaha!

[KlaytoN]

grabi ka lugi sa mga Cojuanco karon .... JUSTICE IS DONE ....

Unsay lugi? Paano malugi sila? Kung naay nalugi it simply means justice is not fully served to everybody.

Mind you that they made money and raped the estate for more than half a century.. Sobra pas ginansya sila..

[Faeries]

The selling price is 42k per hectar, I guessing the Cojuangco's are buying the rights from the farmers right now. Well if not them, maybe other moneyed perwson. I am thinking within the same line.

42k? Do you think all those farmers have this kind of money? Daghan kaayo mapalit na yuta katong naa anak nagmenyo ug Amerikano.