Luisita farmers to get land in 6-12 months: DAR

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) – Farmworker-beneficiaries in Hacienda Luisita are expected to receive their land within 1 year, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said on Tuesday.

In an interview with ANC after the Supreme Court affirmed its Nov. 2011 ruling, DAR Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes said the normal process of land acquisition takes around 6-12 months, including time to conduct a census and survey of the land.

“This is 4,000 plus hectares of property with 6,000 plus beneficiaries. We need to make an inventory, a census, surveys and that is why the process may take some time,” he said.

De los Reyes refused to give an estimate on how much the Philippine government will have to pay Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI)

He said the Land Bank of the Philippines will first have to examine HLI’s books. apply the CARP formula and then send their computation to the DAR.

“By the very nature of the formula of CARP valuation, I cannot give an estimate because the major portion of the computation is based on net income so the Land Bank will have to examine the books of the corporation to determine the valuation,” he said.

The agrarian reform chief said DAR will conduct a census to identify farmworker-beneficiaries who should get a portion of the hacienda.

He said the department will also conduct a survey on how to distribute the land.

“Ang pinakamalaking kailangan dito ay yung survey kung saan ilalagay yung tao. Ang iniisip kasi ng tao yung Hacienda Luisita mayroon ng distinct lots yung bawat magsasaka. Ang totoo nito, tinatakbo ito bilang isang hacienda so lahat ng tao dun ay trabahador so wala silang parcela na maliwanag,” he said.

De los Reyes said the government is committed to providing support services to the farmers once they receive the land.

He said that as agrarian reform beneficiaries, the farmers are barred from selling their land back to the Cojuangcos for the next 10 years.

“They have to hold it for 10 years. That’s the first condition. Now whoever buys the land should not have agricultural land holdings that will exceed 5 hectares. So there is a prohibition on both the seller and the buyer,’ he said.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday voted 8-6 to uphold its earlier decision that a 1989 valuation be used to compensate HLI for the sugar estate.

The SC also upheld its unanimous ruling mandating land distribution for the sugar estate, which is owned by President Aquino’s relatives.

HLI: We will abide by SC ruling

A spokesman of Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) on Tuesday said the company will abide by the Supreme Court’s decision to compensate the landowners of Hacienda Luisita based on the 1989 valuation instead of 2006 rates.

HLI spokesman Antonio Ligon said the company has always believed that “the purpose of the law is to give justice and equal rule for everyone.”

“The application of law in this case is no exception. The Supreme Court has spoken and if that is the guidelines as to the determination of just compensation, then we will  abide and will do whatever is required of HLI,” he told ANC.

He said that while other parties may have a different opinion with the SC, the High Court “should be given due respect with regard to that because as an institution, that is the system we have in place.”

He said a special agrarian reform court will have to determine the correct valuation of the sugar estate based on 1989 valuation.

“All the data that will be inputted will be based on 1989. This is subject to study and investigation because in 1989, I think the land [underwent] improvement from the time it operated as a sugar plantation,’ he said.

The HLI spokesman said it is possible that the agrarian reform court might come out with a lower amount based on the formula that it will use. He said the landowner, based on the Constitution and past Supreme Court decisions, is given the right to challenge the determination. –David Dizon, ABS-CBNnews.com