Ang Hacienda Luisita ay pagmamay-ari ng pamilyang Cojuangco. Nasabi na ni Pangulong Aquino noon na maliit lang ang kanyang parte sa Hacienda at hindi siya ang nagde-dedisyun kungdi ang mga kapatid ng kanyang ina.
The farmers, however, said the valuation should only be P50,000 per hectare provided under the 1989 stock distribution plan.
By Homer Teodoro
Central Luzon TV and VERA Files
They beat drums made of recycled tin cans making sounds of joy. One even climbed the tractor and declared on top of his voice that they won against the Cojuangcos.
Feliz Nacpil, Jr. a.k.a. “Ka Dec”, chairman of Alyansang Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita (AMBALA), said since Tuesday they waiting for the High Court’s decision. He said they were prepared go to Manila in case the decision and rally in front of the SC if the decision was not favorable to them.
Aquino promised to put Hacienda Luisita under the land reform, but in 1989, instead of having the land distributed, Aquino implemented the Stock Distribution Option (SDO) program under which the 5,000 farm workers were given shares of stock in the company instead of individual titles to the hacienda land.
On the second week of November 2004, Hacienda Luisita sought the help of the Arroyo government, which gladly sent members of the Philippine national Police complete with armored vehicle carrier. Hostilities between the strikers and the police escalated. On November 16, the police fired at the strikers. Seven were killed on the spot , 72 were badly injured, 27 sustained gun shot wounds, and 110 were arrested by the police. That became known as the Hacienda Luisita massacre.
Seven more persons involved in the Hacienda Luisita case were later killed in separate incidents.
Last Sunday, Former Sectoral Representative Loretta Ann Rosales, Akbayan chair emeritus, wrote Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III, the Liberal Party presidential candidate on the Hacienda Luisita issue.