Luisita farmers want another referendum

MANILA, Philippines - A group of farmers at Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) called on the Supreme Court (SC) to allow another referendum in an effort to identify the real claims of the majority of the workers at the sugar plantation.

The Alyansa ng mga Mangagawang Bukid ng Hacienda Luisita (AMBALA) led by Noel Mallari told the SC that they are willing to participate in a new referendum to finally determine if the sugar plantation workers wanted land to till or own stocks in the company under the stock distribution option (SDO) that was offered by HLI.

Mallari said a new referendum is important since it would finally reveal what the farmers in the hacienda wanted to allow them to move on from the decades-long land dispute.

“In our opinion, if they don’t recognize the referendum that was previously formed here in Luisita, then the Supreme Court should promptly act on the creation of a new referendum that can be accepted by all involved parties just so that meddling from external forces may be put to a halt,” Mallari said.

Mallari also revealed “outsiders” are trying to influence the outcome of any referendum in the hacienda.

Mallari said another group that he did not identify claiming to represent the legitimate workers of Luisita is trying to spark another dispute.

“When settlements have already started here in Luisita, the outsiders have again rushed to oppose the referendum. But all they’ve done is to contradict resolutions because they are trying to protect their own interests,” he said.

“This is why we are asking the Supreme Court to understand what the legitimate farm workers really want. We are hoping that they will decide now whether they want to push for another referendum,” he said.

HLI spokesperson Tony Ligon, on the other hand, said the hacienda management has been firm in its position to give the legitimate farmers what they wanted.

“We gave them the freedom to choose. We will respect whatever decisions or amicable settlements will be made on this matter because it is the will of the legitimate farm workers that should prevail,” Ligon said.

The most recent census, conducted last August in Luisita, revealed that out of the 10,502 beneficiaries, 7,893 or 93.95 percent favored the SDO, against 508 or only six percent who voted for land distribution.

The census was done after a compromise agreement was signed between HLI and the Luisita farm workers represented by AMBALA, United Luisita Workers Union and Supervisory Group of Hacienda Luisita Inc.

AMBALA earlier filed a petition before the SC seeking to nullify the agreement, claiming the farmers were misrepresented in signing the deal with HLI.

The group also urged the high court to reject the agreement and consider it void for carrying the SDO, a scheme whose legality is precisely being questioned before the SC.

The compromise agreement gave farmers the choice to retain shares of the company under the SDO scheme as was agreed earlier in 1989, or own a parcel of land in the plantation.