Hacienda Luisita timeline
Author:
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer
Date
Published: 10/01/05
1957—JOSE COJUANGCO
SR. buys majority shares of the Central Azucarera de Tarlac, including the
6,453-hectare Hacienda Luisita from the Spanish company Compania General de
Tabacos de Filipinas (Tabacalera). The CAT and hacienda are transferred to
Cojuangco’s Tarlac Development Corp., an agricultural corporation.
Aug. 27, 1957—Central
Bank Monetary Board issues Resolution No. 1240 approving Cojuangco’s loan to
pay Manufacturers Trust in
Resolution No. 3202
Nov. 27, 1957—The Government Services Insurance System approves a loan of P5.9
million for the Cojuangcos through Resolution No. 3202. The GSIS loan was
approved after Cojuangco told the GSIS in a letter that the Cojuangcos’
acquisition of Luisita would “pave the way for the sale to bona fide planters
on a long-term basis, portions of the hacienda.”
1976—Period when the
Cojuangcos should have made good on the condition of the loan agreements they
signed with CB and GSIS to distribute and sell the land to farm workers through
affordable terms.
1977—Marcos government
reviews Cojuangcos’ compliance with the land distribution condition
‘Unwarranted’
June 22, 1978—Demetria
S. Cojuangco writes then Ministry of Agrarian Reform Deputy Minister Ernesto
Valdez, saying it was “extremely unwarranted to make us account for the
fulfillment of a condition that cannot be enforced … there are no tenants in
Hacienda Luisita … the Central Bank resolution does not indicate the small
farmers … the hacienda is outside the scope of any land reform program of the
government … there is no agrarian unrest in Hacienda Luisita.”
May 7, 1980—Marcos
government files Civil Case No. 13164 against Jose Cojuangco Sr. and his heirs
before the Manila Regional Trial Court
Dec. 2, 1985—Manila
RTC orders the Cojuangcos to transfer control of Hacienda Luisita to the
Ministry of Agrarian Reform, which will distribute the land to small farmers
after compensating the landowners P3.988 million. The Cojuangcos elevate the
case to the Court of Appeals.
February 1986—Slain
Sen. Ninoy Aquino’s widow and one of Cojuangco’s five heirs, Cory C. Aquino, is
installed as President of the
July 22, 1987—Aquino
issues Presidential Proclamation 131 and Executive Order No. 229 saying
agrarian reform covers sugar lands.
March 17, 1988—The
solicitor general, CB governor and the Department of Agrarian Reform filed a
motion to dismiss the civil case against the Cojuangcos pending before the
Court of Appeals on the ground that Hacienda Luisita would be covered by
agrarian reform.
Agrarian reform
May 18, 1988—Court
dismisses civil case against the Cojuangcos concerning Luisita.
June 10,
1988—Enactment of RA 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, which is
grounded on the land-to-the-tiller principle. RA 6657 provides stock transfer
scheme as an alternative to actual land acquisition and distribution.
Aug. 23, 1988—Tadeco
creates Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) as a spin-off company and registers it with
the Securities and Exchange Commission
May 9,
1989—Landowners, along with then DAR Secretary Philip Juico, Tarlac governor
and the mayors of
SDO agreement
May 11, 1989—Tadeco,
HLI, farmers sign SDO agreement to convert share in 4,915 hectares of
agricultural land after 92.6 percent of farmers voted ’yes’ to SDO during
referendum.
Oct. 14, 1989—Another
referendum supervised by the Agrarian Reform secretary Miriam Defensor-Santiago
is held at Hacienda Luisita, with 96 percent of farmers approving the SDO
agreement.
Sept. 1, 1995—Sangguniang
Panlalawigan ng Tarlac approves rezoning plan that converts 3,290 hectares of
hacienda Luisita from agricultural to commercial, industrial and residential
purposes.
Reclassified land
Aug. 14, 1996—DAR
approves conversion of 500 hectares of the 3,290 hectares of reclassified
Luisita land on the condition that it would not affect the benefits of farmers
and they would get 3 percent of gross sale proceeds
Sept. 28, 2003—Farmers
boycott elections of their representatives to the HLI board, saying the four
board seats were useless against seven management seats; express dismay with
past farmer board members for siding with management.
Oct. 14,
2003—Supervisors of Hacienda Luisita file petition before the DAR to revoke
SDO, saying the HLI was not giving them dividends, their one percent share in
gross sales and 33 percent share in the proceeds from the conversion of 500
hectares of land.
Dec. 4, 2003—5,000
farmers through their group Ambala file a supplemental petition to seek
revocation of the SDO and distribution of land to them, citing similar
violations of the agreement and the unconstitutionality of the SDO policy.
Task Force Luisita
Nov. 16, 2004—Violent
dispersal of striking workers leave seven dead, scores injured, focusing
national attention to the farmers’ situation in the hacienda
Nov. 25, 2004—DAR task
force stock distribution, later renamed task force Luisita, convenes for the
first time to discuss the petitions by Luisita supervisors and farmers
December 2004—House
committee on agrarian reform holds hearings on the violent strike, touching on
the alleged violations of the HLI management of the SDO provisions
March 15, 2005—DAR
deploys 10 teams to 10 barangays within the hacienda to conduct focus group
discussions with 453 farmers concerning their understanding of SDO, benefits,
home lots, other provisions of the agreement, their recommendations on the SDO,
etc.
June 2005—HLI writes
DAR informing agency of the completion of the distribution of 118 million
shares of stocks, way ahead of scheduled 30-year period for distribution of
shares, or until 2019.
Special legal team
July 2005—Task Force
Luisita submits report on findings and recommendations to DAR Secretary Nasser
C. Pangandaman
August
2005—Pangandaman creates special legal team to review the “minor legal issues”
in the task force’s report, says decision on Luisita should be out by end of
September
Sept. 23, 2005—DAR
special legal team submits terminal report on the two petitions, recommending
the revocation of the 16-year-old SDO agreement in Hacienda Luisita.