SC to hand down decision on Hacienda Luisita case today

MANILA, Philippines - Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) is confident that the Supreme Court (SC) will be judicious when it decides today on the appeal of the contested sugar estate owned by the family of President Aquino in Tarlac City.

“Many are saying it would be more prudent for the SC to decide on our case after the impeachment trial. But we still believe in the Supreme Court as an institution and if the justices decide to resolve the case now then we will respect that,” HLI lawyer Tony Ligon told reporters yesterday.

“If we would not trust our institutions, what will happen to our society? There could be chaos,” he reasoned.

Chief Justice Renato Corona earlier said that the SC ruling on the Hacienda Luisita case had triggered his impeachment.

“We will just hope that the other justices would not be affected by this issue,” he said, adding that the ruling should be based on the merits of the case alone.

Ligon also noted that Corona’s possible inhibition from the case should be left to the discretion of the Chief Justice.

Last November, high court justices unanimously agreed that the 4,915.75 hectares of land should be distributed by HLI to the original 6,296 farmer-worker beneficiaries (FWBs), pursuant to a Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) order in December 2005.

The SC had recalled and set aside the option granted to the farmers to remain as stockholders of HLI in its earlier decision in July last year.

It also ordered the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Land Bank of the Philippines to determine just compensation based on the fair market value of the land in November 1989.

The high court also mandated HLI to pay the original FWBs over P1.33 billion it earned from selling the 500-hectare converted portion of the estate.

However, in its appeal, the HLI sought clarification on the amount to be paid to the farmers and likewise asked the high tribunal to bring back the option to FWBs if they still want to remain as stockholders or lift the 10-year prohibition on the sale of the awarded agricultural lands.

The firm also insisted that the reckoning period for the computation of just compensation should be at the time of the taking or at least at the issuance of the notice of coverage by the DAR on Jan. 2, 2006, pursuant to PARC’s resolution recalling the approval of the stock distribution plan.

Since HLI no longer contested the court’s decision to distribute the land to FWBs, “the issue left is, should the compensation be based from value of land in 1989 or time of taking, which should be as of this date or at least in 2006 when the notice of coverage was issued,” Ligon explained.

Ligon denied reports that HLI had demanded just compensation amounting to P5 billion and reiterated that the amount should be determined by DAR and Land Bank.

The HLI lawyer cited previous rulings of the high court on agrarian reform cases, that social justice “should be served to all regardless of status in life – whether poor or not.”

“Retired Justice Isagani Cruz once said, justice should be equally applied to all, poor or rich. Whatever decision here should be not just for the farmers but for landowner also,” he stressed.

Last week, SC spokesman Midas Marquez announced that the justices were ready to vote on the Hacienda Luisita case.

Farmers of the hacienda are also expected to stage a rally near the SC building in Baguio City.