Aquino not fulfilling election promise on Luisita – KMU

Labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno said today that Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III is not fulfilling his promise last elections to distribute Hacienda Luisita to its farmers by 2014 as shown by the Supreme Court’s recent decision on the land dispute, saying this is another election promise not kept by the president.

After saying that he owns only a small portion of the hacienda, Aquino vowed to distribute the Luisita lands to farmer-beneficiaries by 2014 in kicking off his presidential campaign for the 2010 elections, with his spokesperson saying “It’s not just a campaign promise, it’s a matter of principle.”

“The Supreme Court decision ordering a new referendum in Luisita would have been unnecessary had Pres. Aquino fulfilled his promise to the letter and not sought ways to go around it. The promise is to distribute the Luisita lands, and not to ask farmers to choose between ‘owning land’ and ‘owning stocks’ – which, either way, will preserve his family’s ownership of the land,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.

“Pres. Aquino showed that he will not fulfill that election promise as early as July 2010, just a few months after he made the promise, when he allowed his family to conduct a referendum and release untold sums to have their way. The Supreme Court ruling is just an offshoot of Noynoy and the Cojuangcos’ maneuver to keep their ownership of Luisita,” he added.

‘Baluktot na daan sa Luisita’

KMU said the recent developments in the Hacienda Luisita land dispute clearly show that Pres. Aquino has forsaken the “matuwid na daan” by not fulfilling his central campaign promise.

“If Pres. Aquino does not take the matuwid na daan on the issue of Hacienda Luisita, chances are he will not take it on any other issue. If there is an issue where he can show that he is beyond deceiving the people and using his government powers to uphold the interests of his landlord family, it’s the land dispute in Hacienda Luisita – but he has failed this test, miserably,” Labog said.

“Judging from his campaign promises alone, matuwid na daan consists of distributing Hacienda Luisita to farmers and going after Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. One year after being president, he has failed to deliver on these promises – which should have served as the foundations of the matuwid na daan,” he added.

“After one year in power, it is clear that Pres. Aquino’s matuwid na daan is being blocked by his family’s ownership of Luisita and Arroyo’s crimes – and his failure to run over these is leading him astray from the straight path of the workers and people,” he said.