Aquino urged to convince his relative-owners to distribute Luisita to farmer – beneficiaries By Charlie V. Manalo 07/13/2011

Aquino urged to convince his relative-owners to distribute Luisita to farmer – beneficiaries

By Charlie V. Manalo 07/13/2011

If it is really the intent of President Aquino to have the Hacienda Luisita distributed to farmers, all he has to do is to prevail upon his relative-owners of the contested sugar estate to transfer the ownership of the controversial landholding to the agrarian beneficiaries, instead of instructing government officials to interpose a reconsideration of the Supreme Court’s (SC’s) directive for the holding of another referendum.

Thus said House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman in reaction to reports Aquino has instructed Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes and Solicitor General Joel Cadiz to file a motion for reconsideration on the SC ruling, which revoked the stock distribution option (SDO), called for a new referendum among the Luisita farmer-beneficiaries to settle the issue for themselves.

In a statement, Lagman said although the high court called on the Luisita farmer-beneficiaries to settle the issue for themselves, the SC decision “does not prohibit or deter the Aquino landlords from complying with the constitutional mandate on the distribution of all agricultural lands to the landless tillers,” thus Aquino, can for himself, unilaterally call for the distribution of the more than 6,000 hectares sugar estate his family owns..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110713met1.html