phil. daily inquirer, march 29
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MANILA, Philippines--Farmers involved in the Sumilao land dispute with San Miguel Corp. are closer to getting their share of the 144 hectares of land in Bukidnon which they fought for, after the concerned parties at noon Saturday signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) spelling out the details of the land distribution.
A joint statement from the Sumilao farmers and the SMC said the MoA details “the implementing guidelines for the Basic Agreement entered into by all parties on March 3, 2008 that defined the parameters of the settlement.”
It said the farmers are expected to occupy an initial 50 hectares in the next few days.
The signing ceremony was held at the San Carlos Seminary Complex in Guadalupe with Archdiocese of Manila Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales as witness. After the signing ceremony, the parties paid a courtesy call on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacanang to present her with a copy of the settlement agreement and thank her for her support.
The signing is a culmination of the quiet backroom negotiations initiated by Manila Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales and participated in by top-level representatives of the Catholic Church, SMC, and the government. The talks lasted nearly three months from January to March 2008.
On Cardinal Rosales’s appeal, the statement said, SMC and its chief executive officer Ramon Ang agreed to release to qualified farmers by deed of donation 50 hectares within the original property of 144 hectares. Further, it said SMC will acquire 94 additional hectares outside of the original 144-hectare property for the farmers to complete the 144 hectares claimed.
According to the statement, the farmers are presently identifying their preferred parcels of land outside the original property from a list given them by SMC; they have agreed to accept this formula of 50 hectares inside the original property and 94 hectares outside.
The Deed of Donation giving the 50 hectares to the farmers was also signed today by San Miguel Food Inc. (SMFI), a subsidiary of SMC.
“The farmers have organized a new cooperative made up of initial qualified beneficiaries which will be the owner of these lands. Other qualified beneficiaries from MAPALAD and SALFA will be included in the succeeding processes. This will finally vindicate their years of sacrifice and relentless efforts,” the statement said.
On the other hand, Arroyo has ordered the Department of Agrarian Reform to expedite the process of determining qualified farmer beneficiaries and pledged the support of all other agencies of government.
DAR has conducted the technical survey delineating the 50 hectares to be given the farmers and is also determining which parcels of land within the vicinity of the original property can be acquired by SMC for distribution to the farmers.
DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman has vowed to personally attend to this. President Arroyo also offered the use of Air Force C-130 planes to transport the farmers back to Mindanao where thanksgiving Masses are scheduled on site.
“The farmers are expected to occupy the initial 50 hectares within the SMFI property in a few days. The dropping of all pending cases by all is also part of the agreement,” the statement said.
The settlement is a win-win situation where “all protagonists have won. SMC will be able to continue with their project and has also clearly demonstrated that it is a corporation with social responsibility. The farmers will get the land they have sacrificed and worked for through many years with a promise of a better life for their families,” it added.
