SC Decision on Hacienda Luisita a Farce Judgment,
A Dangerous Precedent against Agrarian Justice
The recent Supreme Court decision to the long-standing agrarian case of Hacienda Luisita is a farce judgment that besiege the quest for genuine agrarian justice not only for the beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita but also to the millions of small farmers and agricultural workers still dreaming to till their own land.
The Supreme Court’s decision upholding the revocation of the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) of Hacienda Luisita while at the same time ordering a referendum to ascertain whether the beneficiaries of HLI wants stock or land is a poor and despicable attempt to forge a win-win decision in the agrarian dispute. Yet, the poor and aggrieved farmers of Hacienda Luisita won nothing from the decision. Lives and limbs of those who sacrifice to achieve agrarian justice have fallen in vain with the decision. It is only the oligarchs of Hacienda Luisita that benefitted from the decision. The order for a referendum will surely play within the powers of the oligarchs to corrupt, intimidate and emasculate the poor and powerless beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita. With the decision, it is quite clear that at the end of the day lands of Hacienda Luisita will not be redistributed and will remain to under the oligarchs’ control. While the poor and powerless people of Hacienda Luisita will remain trap in poverty, powerlessness and worse, remains a victim of injustice.
The SC decision likewise, is a comic tragedy in the annals of justice delivery in our country. The first instance is when it opts to revoke the SDO yet setting it as well as a choice in its order for referendum. Second, it revokes the SDO but failed to declare it unconstitutional and simply based its decision on mere technicality of non-compliance of the terms and conditions of the SDO. Lastly, it does not put any real option for the poor and powerless beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita. It makes a mockery of the people and their quest for agrarian justice and only shows the present SC’s dominant interest and true benefactors.
Dangerous Precedent
Worse, the SC decision sets a dangerous precedent against the quest for agrarian and social justice in the countryside. Despite revoking the SDO of Hacienda Luisita, the High Tribunal did not proclaim the scheme as unconstitutional and contrary to the letters and intents of agrarian reform. Instead, it stated, “the old pastoral model of land ownership where nonhuman juridical persons, such as corporations were prohibited from owning agricultural lands are no longer realistic under existing conditions.”
Such a statement in the decision sets the tone for justifying corporate take-over and control of large arable agricultural lands by declaring such prohibitions as non-realistic under existing conditions. It likewise undermines the intents of agrarian reform of upholding and implementing social justice in the countryside by dismantling monopoly control of a few in our vast agricultural resources. It set the stage for agrarian justice to again fail despite the extension and reforms of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL).
Now, landless farmers and agricultural workers will not only struggle against despotic landlords and oligarchs but will now be denied of their right to till their own land in the name of corporate interest on agricultural lands. It has once again provided justification and circumventing schemes for big landlords to avoid agrarian reform especially now that CARP target of more than one million hectares of agricultural are all large tracts of land owned and control by few but influential and powerful families like the Cojuangcos, Teves and Arroyo’s to name a few.
The decision of the Supreme Court is not only an injustice for the poor and landless farmers and agricultural workers of Hacienda Luisita but also an injustice to all poor and landless farmers and agricultural workers in the country. It is an impediment to the pursuit and realization of social justice in the countryside and will only worsen poverty, inequality and exploitation in the rural areas.
Hence, as national organization of small and landless farmers, fishers and agricultural workers, the Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (AMA) and Makabayan-Pilipinas is indignant and condemn the decision of the Supreme Court.
We challenge Pnoy to prove his proclaimed Social Contract with the people by stopping the referendum and immediately declare the distribution of Hacienda Luisita lands. Likewise, we also challenge Pnoy to declare the fast tracking of acquisition and distribution of all large tracks of private agricultural lands covered by CARP to the millions of landless farmers and agricultural workers in the country.
We also call on the poor and landless farmers and agricultural workers of Hacienda Luisita to be steadfast in their claim for justice and resist the sinister plot of the oligarch to deny again your rights to the land. Moreover, solidify your ranks and demand immediate land redistribution and full government support in developing the acquired lands.
We likewise call on all national peasants and farmers’ organization to unite, work together, create a strong peasant movement to defend and assert our democratic rights and force the government to complete its duty to uphold and realize genuine agrarian and social justice in the country.
UPHOLD AGRARIAN and SOCIAL JUSTICE, DISMANTLE LAND MONOPOLY
NO TO STOCK DISTRIBUTION, NO TO CORPORATE TAKE-OVER OF AGRILAND
REDESTRIBUTE LAND TO THE LANDLESS TILLERS
Aniban ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (AMA)
Makabayan – Pilipinas
July 07, 2011
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