THE Supreme Court directed both the government and farmer-beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita to answer a suit appealing its decision last year ordering the distribution of the 4,915.75-hectare sugar land owned by the family of President Benigno Aquino III.

The SC ordered the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC), Department of Agrarian Reform and farmers belonging to Alyansa ng mga Manggagawang Bukid sa Hacienda Luisita (Ambala) and Farmworkers Agrarian Reform Movement (FARM) to submit their comment on the motion for reconsideration filed by Hacienda Luisita Inc.

Respondents were given 10 days to file their answer.

Upon filing of their answer, the SC would then resolve the appeal and rule on whether or not to affirm or reverse its ruling on the land case.

In the assailed ruling, the SC set aside the option granted to the farmers to remain stockholders of HLI.

The justices unanimously agreed that the contested land should be distributed to farmer-beneficiaries pursuant to an order of the PARC in December 2005.

The HLI, in its appeal, sought clarification on the amount to be paid to the farmers and also asked the high tribunal to restore the option for farmers to choose whether they still want to remain or not as stockholders of HLI or lift the 10-year prohibition on the sale of the awarded lands.

The firm of the Cojuangcos insisted that the reckoning period for the computation of the just compensation on its agricultural lands should be at the time of the taking or at least at the issuance of the notice of coverage by the DAR on January 2, 2006.

Alternatively, they asked the Court to let the Land Bank and the DAR determine the reckoning period, which is necessary in fixing the just compensation for the property.