2 groups set to contest Luisita ‘sham’ deal at SC

[Omaha Steve]

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100808-285533/2-groups-set-to-contest-Luisita-sham-deal-at-SC

By Tonette Orejas, Philip Tubeza
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:26:00 08/08/2010

AROUND 40 to 50 percent of the 10,502 farmer-beneficiaries of Hacienta Luisita Inc. (HLI) have already signed the compromise agreement between the sugar estate and their representatives, according to an HLI spokesperson, as leaders of two farmers
’ groups denounced the agreement, and vowed to contest it before the Supreme Court Monday.

Lito Bais, president of the United Luisita Workers Union (Ulwu), said the deal was “deceitful” because it does “not intend to actually distribute the land.”

He said Ulwu and another union, the Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (Ambala), would jointly file the petition.

HLI spokesperson Tony Ligon added that “more than 90 percent” of the farmers have elected to keep their shares under the SDO.

He said the results might appear “very lopsided” but these were the figures coming from the different barangays of the hacienda.

“I personally thought that more farmers wanted to get their own land but those are the results that we have,” Ligon said.
Ulwu claims to have command over the original 5,200 signatories to the stock distribution option (SDO) scheme agreed in 1989. The SDO gave the farm workers who qualified as beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) shares of stock in the Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) instead of land.

Bais said the original signatories as well as 3,000 workers hired after 1989 are members of another group, which he said would join Ulwu in the petition.

FULL story at link.