Hacienda Luisita

LAWMAKERS hailed the Supreme Court for giving the farmers of Hacienda Luisita what is due them and called on the estate owners to respect the high tribunal’s decision.

Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada said that this decision will strengthen the backbone of Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

“The decision gives a renewed sense of hope to farmers and farm workers all over the country,” Tañada said.

Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano urged Malacañang especially President Benigno Aquino III to respect the decision of the High Tribunal.  read more »

MANILA, Philippines—Lawmakers on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court’s decision ordering the distribution of nearly 5,000 hectares of land belonging to Hacienda Luisita’s, which is owned by the family of President Benigno Aquino, to its tenants as a triumph of agrarian reform and the farmers.

“This is an important initial step to justice,” said Representatie Rafael V. Mariano of the party list Anakpawis, who also warned against any political and legal maneuvers by the Cojuangco-Aquinos to defy or counter the high court’s decision.
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MANILA (4th update, 2:51 p.m.) -- The Supreme Court (SC) ordered the distribution of 4,900 hectares of Hacienda Luisita lands to about 6,000 farmers tilling the agricultural estate owned by relatives of President Benigno Aquino III in Tarlac.

Chief Justice Renato Corona said Thursday that 14 justices voted in favor of giving the land to the farmers. Associate Justice Antonio Carpio did not take part in the voting.
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MANILA -- A party-list lawmaker on Friday dared President Benigno Aquino III to use his presidential powers and order the Supreme Court (SC) to review its decision over the Hacienda Luisita case.

SC justices earlier voted to revoke the stock distribution plan and ordered the Department of Agrarian Reform to conduct a new referendum on the issue.  read more »

Over 100 women from seven continents joined the International Womens Alliance (IWA) which focused on landlessness and widespread land grabbing.The women gathered on July 5 and 6 in Quezon City to discuss the 2011 World Bank report on Agriculture and Rural Development which noted that 75% of the world's poor live in rural areas and are mostly involved in agriculture.  read more »

Third referendum favoring Cojuangcos, Aquinos

Gabriela Women's partylist Rep. Emerciana de Jesus said that the SC ruling is actually the third referendum that "favored the Cojuangcos and the Aquinos."  read more »

MANILA, Philippines - Activist congresswomen today branded the Supreme Court's (SC) ruling on the Hacienda Luisita land dispute as a "full-scale betrayal" of the farmer-beneficiaries.

"The decision is a full scale betrayal of the peasant clas sin the same intensity as the Mendiola and Hacienda Luisita massacres," Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus said in a statement, reacting to the SC's order to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to ask the 6,296 farmer-beneficiaries if they would opt for land or shares of stocks of the Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI).  read more »