Palace plays coy on HLI deal as tillers plan big rally By Aytch S. de la Cruz and Charlie V. Manalo 08/11/2010

Palace plays coy on HLI deal as tillers plan big rally

By Aytch S. de la Cruz and Charlie V. Manalo 08/11/2010 Malacañang continues to shrug off criticisms hurled at President Aquino for distancing himself from the highly-denounced compromise agreement between Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) and its farm workers as two of the biggest rural based organizations in the country, the Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA), the mother federation of Hacienda Luisita-based farm worker groups Alyansa ng Mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala) and United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU), and the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) have declared Aug. 18 as a national day of outrage against the deal. The nationally-coordinated protest will coincide with the scheduled oral arguments at the Supreme Court regarding the five-year old legal case pending before the high tribunal. Lawyers of striking Luisita farm workers led by Jobert Ilarde Pahilga, executive trustee of Sentra Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra) and lawyer Romeo Capulong of Public Interest Law Center (PILC) will represent the Ambala and ULWU in the case, where they are expected to challenge the compromise deal hatched between the HLI management and some union leaders before the high tribunal. UMA national coordinator Edna Velarde and KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos had sent memorandums to their chapters all over the country to conduct demonstrations against the HLI compromise deal.  Aquino’s spokesman Edwin Lacierda said it is not part of Aquino’s mandate to intervene in the affairs of the HLI especially dealing with the farmers’ gripse since it is now considered to be under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court as a result of a case about the issue pending before it..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100811hed3.html

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