SC orders distribution of Hacienda Luisita to farmers
Voting 14-0, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday affirmed its earlier decision in favor of distributing the almost 5000-hectare Hacienda Luisita to more than 6000 farmer-beneficiaries.
In a separate voting, the high court likewise dismissed the motion filed by the Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) asking for a reconsideration of the Nov. 22, 2011 ruling which fixes the landowners’ compensation based on the 1989 valuation.
According to ABS-CBN News, the valuation based on 1989 rates would mean that the government will pay the owners of the HLI P40,000 per hectare or around P200 million.
The corporation owned by relatives of President Benigno Aquino III petitioned for the valuation based on 2006 rates which amounts to almost P1 million per hectare or a total of around P5 billion for the entire property.
Eight justices – Chief Justice Renato Corona, Presbitero Velasco Jr., Arturo Brion, Teresita Leonardo de Castro, Roberto Abad, Jose Perez, Jose Mendoza, and Martin Villarama Jr. – voted in favor of upholding the use of the 1989 valuation, while six – Lucas Bersamin, Ma. Lourdes Sereno, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Bienvenido Reyes, Mariano Del Castillo and Diosdado Peralta – voted in favor of creating a Special Agrarian Court to decide upon the value of the land.
Associate Justice Antonio Carpio inhibited from the case since his firm was the counsel of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) which purchased 500 hectares of the contested land from HLI.
In an ABS-CBN News Channel interview, HLI legal counsel Antonio Ligon said that they will abide with the high court’s ruling, adding that they have yet to receive a copy of the decision.
Ligon said that cannot say if HLI will challenge the SC ruling.
In an Interaksyon report, meanwhile, Renato Reyes of the militant group Bagong Alysansang Makabayan said that today was a “historic day,” stressing that “there is no legal impediment now for the immediate distribution of the Luisita land to the farmers.”
Reyes added that the HLI and the Aquino government “should take immediate and concrete steps for land distribution. No more excuses. No more delays.”
via SC distribute Hacienda Luisita to farmers; compensation to Cojuancos pegged at 1989 valuation
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Noemi Lardizabal-Dado
Noemi Lardizabal-Dado is a Content Strategist with over 16 years experience in blogging, content management, citizen advocacy and media literacy and over 26 years in web development. Otherwise known as @MomBlogger on social media, she believes in making a difference in the lives of her children by advocating social change for social good. She is a co-founder and a member of the editorial board of Blog Watch . She is a resource speaker on media literacy, social media , blogging, digital citizenship, good governance, transparency, parenting, women’s rights and wellness, and cyber safety. Her personal blogs such as aboutmyrecovery.com (parenting) , pinoyfoodblog.com (recipes), techiegadgets.com (gadgets) and benguetarabica.coffee keep her busy outside of Blog Watch. Disclosure: I am an advocate. I am NOT neutral. I will NOT give social media mileage to members of political clans, epal, a previous candidate for the same position and those I believe are a waste of taxpayers' money. I do not support or belong to any political party. I was part of accredited media covering the Office of the Vice President and Leni Robredo as she ran as a presidential aspirant in the 2022 National and local elections. On August 5, 2021, YouTube announced that I was selected as one of 50 Program participants of its Creator Program for Independent Journalists She was a Senior Consultant for ALL media engagements for the PCOO-led Committee on Media Affairs & Strategic Communications (CMASC) under the ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council from January 4 -July 5, 2017. Having been an ASEAN advocate since 2011, she has written extensively about the benefits of the ASEAN community and as a region of opportunities on Blog Watch and aboutmyrecovery.com. Organization affiliation includes Consortium on Democracy and Disinformation Updated June 6, 2022