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Farm workers split over Luisita compensation
by Christine F. Herrera


THE 6,296 farm workers in Hacienda Luisita are split over whether or not they will pay President Benigno Aquino III’s family the P835.55 million “just compensation” for the 4,915-hectare estate to be awarded them.

The moderate Akbayan-led Farmworkers Agrarian Reform Movement is willing to pay the Cojuangco-Aquino family P170,000 a hectare or P835.55 million, but the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas-led Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita want the estate distributed to the farmer-beneficiaries for free.

The farmer-leaders say the President’s family should instead “indemnify the farmworkers for the more than five decades of exploitation and oppression.”

“The President’s family has long profited billions of pesos from their illegal and immoral hold [on] the Hacienda,” KMP deputy secretary general Randall Echanis said.

“The Cojuangcos do not deserve to be compensated even a single centavo.”

Christian Monsod, the lawyer representing FARM’s 1,200 members, said the farm workers were “willing to pay the P170,000 over 30 years as prescribed by law.”

He said each farmer-beneficiary would get less than a hectare or 7,806 square meters. They would be paying P17 a square meter, or P132,702 for the 7,806 square meters.

Monsod said the Supreme Court had ruled that the compensation to the landowners should be based on the Landbank and Agrarian Reform Department’s valuation in November 1989, which was P170,000 a hectare.

Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano disagreed.

“This or any amount is unacceptable and unaffordable for Luisita farmworkers,” said Mariano who is also president of the KMP to which Ambala belongs.

“The Cojuangco-Aquinos have made themselves millionaires out of the blood, sweat and tears of Luisita farmworkers. Paying the President’s family for the land is totally unacceptable.”

“The Cojuangcos still owe billions of pesos to the government and they owe blood debts to the farm workers,” Echanis said. -- http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2011/december/2/news6.isx&d=2011/december/2



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pamintaha na man ning sa more radical group nga di mobayad.  it's not as if the workers were not compensated for their hard work.  granted, wa sila makontento sa ilang nadawat nga sweldo o share of the crops, pero nipadayon gihapon silag trabaho nga wa man sila pugsa.

paita pod kun kanang ilang logic ang mopatigbabaw.  gawas nga sukwahi sa spirit of agrarian reform nga equitable ang land distribution para sa tanan, mora man ug wa nay kalainan pananglit sa among household help nga after pila ka tuig nga naa namo moingon lang usa ka adlaw nga gi-exploit siya mao nga iya na ang among balay; di mi mabayran sa among nagasto sa balay, kami pa gyoy mopadayon ug bayad sa loan amortization.  or how about a salesgirl who would one day claim that the store is hers because the owner had become rich through her labor?

i hope pakulo ra ning sa KMP.  kaayo ra nga ang gobyerno ang nag-assess sa price, di ang mga tag-iya mismo.
       

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