Hacienda Luisita distribution begins in September – Aquino

MANILA, Philippines – Recognizing that it had been the “favorite topic” that critics attached to his name, President Benigno Aquino III discussed in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) the status of the distribution of Hacienda Luisita.

“Kung may isa man pong paksang paboritong ikabit sa pangalan ko, ito ay ang Hacienda Luisita,” Aquino said. 

He said the distribution of titles to qualified farmer beneficiaries will be completed by September 2013, citing the committment of Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Gil Delos Reyes, he said. 

“Sinimulan na noong nakalipas na linggo ang pagtutukoy ng bawat loteng makukuha ng mga benepisyaryo at magsisimula nang ipagkaloob ang mga titulo sa Setyembre nitong taong ito,” the President said.

READ: Hacienda Luisita land distribution begins

Hacienda Luisita is a 6,000-plus-hectare sugar estate in Tarlac that belonged to the family of President Aquino on his mother’s side. For decades, the Cojuangcos successfully dodged government efforts to place it under the agrarian reform program.

Saying that accurate data was the first step to determining proper land distribution, he said he had long instructed the DAR, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Land Registration Authority, and Land Bank  to fix the land record system.

He said distribution took some time because of unreliable land record system the his government inherited from the previous administration. 

Aquino’s relatives challenged the land distribution order from the DAR up to the Supreme Court. The land distribution process started only last week, although the High Court ordered it with finality in February. – Rappler.com