Luisita standoff on, as framers, lawyer walk out By Benjamin B. Pulta 09/21/2010

Luisita standoff on, as framers, lawyer walk out
By Benjamin B. Pulta
09/21/2010

mediation talks are a hair’s breadth away from stalling in the Supreme Court-initiated mediation over the Cojuangco family owned Hacienda Luisita two weeks after it started.

At the end of its fourth conference

yesterday parties still could not come to terms on the options available to the management and farmers.

A lawyer representing a group of farmers walked out of the session. 

Lawyer Jobert Pahilga, who represents a faction of the Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid ng Hacienda Luisita (Ambala), said his clients opted to withdraw their participation in the mediation proceed-ings in the belief that HLI is sticking to its stock distribution option (SDO) scheme to avoid distribution of the 6,453-hectare sugar estate in Tarlac.

Pahilga and his clients left the SC conference room 

in the middle of the closed-door discussions despite an order last week from the high court for them to continue participating in the mediation despite an earlier manifestation of lack of interest..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100921hed4.html