The Farmworkers Agrarian Reform Movement in Hacienda Luisita (FARM-Luisita) and Save Agrarian Reform Alliance (SARA) today claim victory in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision to distribute Hacienda Luisita, and for the lands to be valued at 1989 prices. The decision validates the decade long struggle of farm workers in Hacienda Luisita and re-affirms that land distribution should be at the heart of government's agrarian reform program.

FARM-Luisita president Renato Lalic said the recent Supreme Court decision to distribute Hacienda Luisita is a strong signal to get CARP out of its paralysis and its critical condition.

"Hindi lamang kaming 6,296 na mga manggagawangbukid ng Hacienda Luisita ang maisasalba sa pinal desisyon na ito ng Supreme Court pabor sa pamamahagi ng lupa kundi ang libu-libo pang magsasaka sa bansa na umaasa na makakamit din ang hustisyang matagal na nilang inaasam," Lalic said.

FARM members vow to make their land productive. Already, they are preparing their farm development plan. "Kahit wala pang isang ektarya mukaha naming, kaya naming paunlarin lalo pa't may suportang serbisyo dahil kumikita na kami ngayon", Lalic added.

Ka Jimmy Tadeo, Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) farmers' representative, said this should signal a multiplier effect for the government to act and resolve problematic landholdings especially those with similar SDO cases in other parts of the country.

"Now that there's no more legal impediment for the distribution of Hacienda Luisita, DAR has no excuse but to implement agrarian reform immediately. We should compel them to review other SDO cases such as the Hacienda Hernandez in Iloilo, in Mindanao and 10 more in Negros province."

FARM however asked DAR to carefully and immediately resolve the conflict among the farmworkers. DAR needs to talk to the different groups in Hacienda Luisita and collectively come up with acceptable solutions on individual or collective titling and farm development plans.

Farmer leaders from the Save Agrarian Reform Alliance, a coalition of farmers, farmworkers, rural women and agrarian reform advocates pushing for the just and effective implementation of agrarian reform in the country, remain vigilant in the midst of victory. " Bagamat nagdiriwang kami sa ginawa ng Korte Suprema, Mas magiging mapagbantay ang hanay ng mga magsasaka sa posibleng maging sunod na hakbang ng mga Cojuangco. Hindi namin hahayaan gawin nila ang ginawa nilang panggagapang sa korte kaugnay ng isyu sa 20 porsyento ng cocolevy fund, na sa isang personal na sulat lamang ni Atty. Estelito Mendoza ay agad itong pinaboran ng ilang mahistrado ng korte. Mahigpit na panghahawakan ng mga magsasaka ang tagumpay na ito," Ka Ed Mora of Pambansang Katipunan ng mga Magbubukid sa Pilipinas said.

Akbayan Citizen's Action Party today congratulated the farmer-beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita. Akbayan joined the farmers in calling DAR to immediately and without any hesitation distribute the land to the Hacienda Luisita farmers. The partylist also called on President Noynoy Aquino and DAR to use exceptional political will to distribute the remaining lands without any fear or favor. "The Aquino government must side with the interests of the country's peasants and respond to the underhanded tactics of these landlords with an escalation of land distribution", Akbayan Representative Kaka Bag-ao said. #

For contact or to set interviews with farmer leaders and their lawyers:

Joann Fernandez (for FARM-Luisita/KATARUNGAN): +639198007010

Mary Ann Manahan (for Save Agrarian Reform Alliance/Focus on the Global South): +639062983206

Agricultural Training Institute, Department of Agriculture, Elliptical Road, Quezon City
Marso 27-28, 2012

Dalampu’t pitong buwan o dalawa’t kalahating taon na lamang ang nalalabing panahon sa pamamahagi ng lupa sa ilalim ng RA 9700 o Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER). Ayon sa datos ng Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), may mahigit isang milyon pang lupaing agrikultural, karamihan ay mga pribadong lupaing pagmamay-ari ng mga makapangyarihang pamilya, ang kailangan pang ipamahagi. Batay sa 2010 at 2011 na datos ng DAR, may 88,545 ektarya (2010) at 86,209 (2011) ektaryang lupain lamang ang naipamahagi. Kung ganito ang magiging takbo ng pamamahagi, tiyak na di matatapos ang pamamahagi ng lupa sa itinakdang deadline.

Agricultural Training Institute, Department of Agriculture, Elliptical Road, QC

March 27-28, 2012

Two years after the passage of CARP Extension with Reforms (CARPER) or RA 9700, President Nonoy Aquino has yet to make significant headway towards the completion of land redistribution. With a balance of 1.06 million hectares as of December 2011, the Department of Agrarian Reform was only able to redistribute 88,545 hectares out of its target of 200,000 hectares in 2010, and 86,209 hectares in 2011. At this average of 80,000 hectare-accomplishment rate, DAR will not be able to finish the land distribution component of CARPER by June 2014.

Manila—Some 100  farmer members of the Save Agrarian Reform Alliance (SARA) yesterday called on President Aquino to fast track implementation of CARPer (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program  Extension with Reforms) passed in 2010. “We are extremely inflamed that all movements seen from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) officials and their staff on the ground tell us that they are terrifyingly delayed from fulfilling their land distribution target of 1.06 hectares to more than 500,000 million farmer beneficiaries,” Jaime Tadeo of PARAGOS and lead member of SARA announced. 

The Focus on the Global South – Philippines Programme said that DAR was only able to distribute 86,209 hectares in 2011, which is only 43 percent of its target of 200,000 hectares of land. This is a measly 8 percent of the total balance of 1.06 million hectares up for land distribution. In 2010, DAR distributed 88,545 hectares