Noynoy slammed for promise to distribute Luisita in 5 yrs

Aquino said his family wants to settle the huge debts incurred by the hacienda before partitioning it among the beneficiaries.

However, Luisita farmers scoffed at his promise, saying it was just another delaying tactic.

Lawmakers also slammed the Liberal Party presidential bet for making the same promise his mother, President Cory Aquino, made.

“We heard that from his mother before. Gasgas na ’yan,” Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano said.

Cavite Rep. Crispin Remulla said if Aquino is sincere, he should not wait for five years before giving the land to farmer beneficiaries. Remulla said the senator should allow the Department of Agrarian Reform to distribute the hacienda.

Aquino promised to redistribute the 6,453 hectare hacienda in 2015 when he kicked off his campaign Tuesday in Tarlac.

However, the United Hacienda Luisita Workers’ Union branded Aquino’s promise as a “cheap gimmick to appease farmers to prop up his declining ratings.”

“Please don’t insult us, Sen. Noynoy. We are poor but we’re not beggars,” acting Union president Lito Bais said.

“We are aware that our fight for our land has been biting into Sen. Noynoy’s presidential bid. If you want to regain your popularity, please don’t do it at our expense,” Bais said.

He said the only obstacle for them is the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court in 2006. The DAR ruled in 2005 that Luisita should be distributed to the farmers, a decision concurred in by the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council.

“The TRO has been pending for almost four years. But still, Sen. Noynoy wants us to wait for four more years! Is this your way of proving you have a heart for the poor, senator?’’ Bais asked.

Huge debts

Aquino said the five-year wait will allow his family to settle the sugar plantation’s huge debts. He explained that they want to make sure that the 10,000 farmer tenants will not absorb any of the debts.

“Ang gusto ng aming pamilya ay huwag malipat ang burden sa kanila. Ang gusto ng aming pamilya ay makapagsimula sila ng maganda,” he said.

He noted that his family was not inclined to avail of the voluntary offer to sell option because “it would not be in the better interest of the beneficiaries.”

“At P10 per square meter, that would be P4.1 billion for 4,100 hectares. That will take care of our debts. But if we do that, the 10,000 farmers will only get less than one hectare and  that will not be enough for a single individual, much less an entire family to live on,” he added.

He said consultations are ongoing regarding the best scheme to use for the land distribution.

Mariano however said Aquino is merely making “recycled and copycat campaign promises.” He said the same statement was made by president Aquino to justify the Stocks Distribution Option.

“Sabi nila noon kung hahatiin ang 4,915 hectares sa 7,000 farm worker – beneficiaries, ang bawat isa ay magkakaroon lang ng 0.80 ektarya. Wala talagang bago,” Mariano said. “Hacienda Luisita lands should have been distributed to farmers long ago,” he said.

Remulla meanwhile said Aquino made the promise to”save his nose-diving presidential bid.”

“Noynoy would say the dumbest things if only to arrest his slide in the surveys,” he said, noting that creditors will not run after the farmers.