fourths of the 10,502 farmer-beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) in Tarlac want to retain their stocks in the corporation instead of getting land, the company announced Monday. HLI officials said the results of the Aug. 6 to 8 census of farmers in 11 barangays showed majority support for the comprise agreement signed between the company and the farmers Friday. A copy of the census report provided to the media showed that 7,302 out of 7,441 farm workers preferred the stock distribution option (SDO) in the hacienda that had been hammered out in 1989. Only 139 farmers voted for land distribution, according to the report. The result of the census pointed to a “quick remedy” in the Tarlac land dispute that has dragged on for more than 20 years, HLI said. The compromise deal came almost two weeks before the scheduled hearing of oral arguments at the Supreme Court, set on August 18, regarding HLI's 2006 petition to revoke an order from the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC) to distribute 4,915 hectares of the land to the farmers and to cancel the SDO scheme. A copy of the agreement showed that the signatories committed themselves to “hereby waive and agree to withdraw any and all claims” arising from the SDO scheme filed with PARC and other government bodies.
