IBP: Hacienda Luisita case won’t be an issue in SC under Sereno

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said Hacienda Luisita farmers have no reason to fear that the Supreme Court (SC), under the leadership of newly appointed Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, will reverse its ruling on the total distribution of the sugar plantation to farmer-beneficiaries. IBP president Roan Libarios said it is “unlikely” for the SC to change its decision on the Hacienda Luisita case, which was unanimous, final and executory. "Sa final decision, sumama naman si Justice Sereno sa majority ng Korte Suprema. I don’t think it will be an issue,” the lawyer said in an interview on GMA News TV’s “News To Go.” Libarios sought to allay fears raised by some Hacienda Luisita farmer-beneficiaries that the SC, under Sereno, may give larger compensation to the Cojuangcos—relatives of President Benigno Aquino III who own the sugar plantation. Sereno, who was chosen last Friday by Aquino as the first woman chief justice, earlier opined that the Cojuangcos should be compensated for the plantation using 2006 prices, when the notice of coverage was issued by the Department of Agrarian Reform. Sereno’s opinion was contrary to the SC’s majority decision, which pegged the compensation for the Cojuangco family on the value of the estate in 1989, when the stock distribution option was introduced. ‘Bias’ for the Cojuangcos Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano, however, said that Sereno’s stand on the Hacienda Luisita compensation issue showed her “bias” for the Cojuangcos. “Obvious naman iyong bias niya sa usapin ng just compensation… ‘Yung posisyon po ni Chief Justice Sereno ay taliwas sa historical, moral at matagal nang ipinaglalaban ng mga magsasaka. Ito ang karapatan nila sa lupa at hustisyang panlipunan,” the lawmaker said in a separate interview on “News To Go.” Mariano, who represents farmers in Congress, said the issues surrounding Hacienda Luisita are far from over, since the Cojuangcos can still challenge the amount that will be offered to them as compensation for the sugar plantation. “Ang usapin ng just compensation ay hindi pa tapos. Kung dumating ang usapin na iyan sa SC at siya [Sereno] na po ang chief justice, magiging malaking usapin po iyan,” he said. Ateneo School of Government dean Antonio La Viña, who has known Sereno for three decades, said that it is “inaccurate” to brand the new chief justice as “anti-farmer” without closely analyzing her stand on the Luisita compensation issue. “Ang sinasabi lang niya technically, karamihan kaso ng DAR noon, notice of coverage ang basis ng reckoning ng market value… Sinasabi rin niya na ‘yung extra amount, hindi dapat magsasaka ang magbayad. State dapat magsubsidize noon,” La Viña said. “Hindi ko kilala si Sereno as anti-poor. Hindi siya galing sa mayamang pamilya. Sa simula pa ng career niya, pro-poor na iyan. Palagi niya pinupush ang rights of people and rights of the poor,” he added. — BM, GMA News