Hacienda Luisita Peasants, Lawyer File Memorandum Asking SC to Order Land Distribution

The 49-page document contained the farm workers’ final stand regarding the agrarian dispute, which has been going on for more than a century already. “The justices would be able to find every answer to their questions (in this memorandum),” ULWU acting president and Ambala vice chairmain Lito Bais said.

By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com 

MANILA — Farm workers of Hacienda Luisita filed before the Supreme Court their memorandum, which, according to their legal counsel Jobert Pahilga, contained their final stand regarding the agrarian dispute, which has been going on for more than a century already. 

The 49-page memorandum was submitted by the lawyers of the farm workers to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, September 22, in compliance with the agreement arrived at during the August 24 hearing that all parties would submit their memorandum within 30 days.  

(Photo by Janess Ann J. Ellao / bulatlat.com)

In the said memorandum, the Alyansa ng mga Magbubukid sa Hacienda Luisita (Ambala), the respondents to the petition filed by Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI), argued that it is well within the jurisdiction, power, and authority of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) to revoke the Stock Distribution Option (SDO); due process was followed in revoking the SDO; and there is more than substantial factual basis to revoke the SDO, especially since the economic conditions of the farm worker beneficiaries have “become onerous and has miserably deteriorated.”   

Based on the aforementioned, the farm workers are asking the Supreme Court to: affirm the decision of PARC revoking the SDO; lift the temporary restraining order issued by the high court on the distribution of the land; order the actual distribution of the agricultural lands to the farm workers; order the HLI to refund to the farm workers 33 percent of the proceeds of the sale of 500 hectares if it could not be cultivated anymore by the farm workers; and order the confiscation of the bond filed by the HLI in favor of the farm workers. 

“The justices would be able to find every answer to their questions (in this memorandum),” United Luisita Workers Union acting president and Ambala vice chair Lito Bais told Bulatlat, “We hope that (given this information) the SC would be able to come up with a decision soon.” (Bulatlat.com)