THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Thursday ordered the distribution of the 358 hectares of agricultural land owned and managed by Tarlac Development Corp. (Tadeco) in barangays Balete and Cutcut in Tarlac City.
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), an organization once led by now Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael V. Mariano, lauded the decision.
Tadeco, then owned and/or controlled by the Jose Cojuangco Sr. Group, bought the sugar estate famously known as Hacienda Luisita from its Spanish owner Compañía General de Tabacos de Filipinas (Tabacalera).
On August 23, 1988, Tadeco organized Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI), which then assigned its 4,915.75-hectare property to HLI.
Aside from those properties conveyed to HLI, Tadeco is also the registered owner of the properties that were subject of the notice of coverage caused by the DAR to be published in a newspaper on December 17, 2013.
The Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid ng Asyenda Luisita Inc. filed a petition seeking for the coverage of the Tadeco lands under the the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
Mariano said the 358.22 hectares are outside the 4,915-hectare HLI property subjected to CARP by the Supreme Court.
In ordering its distribution, Mariano denied the Protest and Supplemental Protest filed by Tadeco for lack of merit, and ordered the property covered under the CARP.