Monsod: Aquino hand in Hacienda Luisita vital

MANILA, Philippines - No less than President Benigno Aquino III should have supervised negotiations on the Hacienda Luisita agrarian dispute as farmers now find themselves at the losing end of a compromise deal signed last week.

"I think the President should have involved himself as president. Forget about his being an Aquino or Cojuangco," said Christian Monsod, a volunteer lawyer for some farmers and one of the authors of the 1987 Constitution.

"Limampung taon na sa lupang yan sila ay nakinabang, panahon na na ibigay nila yan sa maralita," he added.

Monsod's statements came after Malacañang washed its hands of what seemed to be an unfair deal for the 12,000-farmer beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI), which operates the sugar plantation owned by the Cojuancos, relatives of President Aquino by his late mother, Corazon.

In a press conference early Monday, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said: “Let me just state, he (Aquino) had no discussion or involvement in the compromise deal. He was just informed recently of the compromise…He does not know the details.”

Militant groups have launched protests against the “sham” deal that HLI allegedly forced farmers to approve.

HLI representatives and 3 labor unions signed an agreement in Tarlac on Friday, giving farmers the choice to retain their shares in HLI via a stock distribution option (SDO) or own a parcel of land in the sugar estate.

Most of the farmers reportedly voted in favor of the SDO.

The compromise agreement also includes a P150 million financial assistance for the farmer-beneficiaries.

The militant groups are pinning the blame on Aquino, who, they claimed, gave his blessings by saying the case was one of “intra-corporate dispute.”

Malacañang had said it would also not interfere if Congress decides to look into the nuances of the deal.

“[Aquino] welcomes the development (signing of deal) because it was peaceful…He understands there will be people who will not be happy with it, pero ang mahalaga ay ang ninanais ng farmers. It went through a referendum,” Lacierda said.

- With reports from Nico Baua and Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News