What is taking them so long to pay up?
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is poised to file contempt charges against Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI), as it reportedly dragging its feet on payments due to agrarian reform beneficiaries.
Hacienda Luisita is a sugar plantation in province of Tarlac. It is owned by the Cojuangco clan, which includes former President Cory Cojuangco Aquino (mother of former President Noynoy Aquino).
DAR officials disclosed that a review of HLI’s books could not be started due to the company’s inaction on such issues such as shouldering the audit costs, reports InterAksyon.
Agrarian Reform undersecretary Luis Pagulayan pointed out that HLI should allow the audit to proceed, noting it has been nearly six years since the Supreme Court ruled that the distribution of land to qualified beneficiaries should proceed.
Part of the ruling called for some 6,296 beneficiaries to be paid PHP1.3 billion in proceeds from HLI’s sale of land to entities such as the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC) and the government.
A Bulatlat report explained: “It may be recalled that RCBC is claiming ownership of 182 hectares of the hacienda. It was reportedly given to RCBC as debt payment of HLI, a corporation formed by the Cojuangco family to manage Hacienda Luisita, after it postponed actual land distribution through stock distribution since the 80s.”
In any case, the audit is aimed at ascertaining the actual payments, after taxes and other costs are taken into account.
Pagulayan said DAR will be forwarding the audit plan to Hacienda Luisita, which will be given 30 days to act.
“The ball is in the court of HLI and if they delay this, we will be forced to file necessary motions to the Supreme Court; one is to cite them for contempt for delay. The farmers have been entitled to proceeds of sale, but the audit is yet to be done,” Pagulayan said.
Reader Interactions