Thursday, July 7, 2011

Hacienda Luisita decision; G.R. No. 171101, July 5, 2011

G.R. No. 171101



WHEREFORE, the instant petition is DENIED. PARC Resolution No. 2005-32-01 dated December 22, 2005 and Resolution No. 2006-34-01 dated May 3, 2006, placing the lands subject of HLI’s SDP under compulsory coverage on mandated land acquisition scheme of the CARP, are hereby AFFIRMED with the MODIFICATION that the original 6,296 qualified FWBs shall have the option to remain as stockholders of HLI. DAR shall immediately schedule meetings with the said 6,296 FWBs and explain to them the effects, consequences and legal or practical implications of their choice, after which the FWBs will be asked to manifest, in secret voting, their choices in the ballot, signing their signatures or placing their thumbmarks, as the case may be, over their printed names.

Of the 6,296 FWBs, he or she who wishes to continue as an HLI stockholder is entitled to 18,804.32 HLI shares, and, in case the HLI shares already given to him or her is less than 18,804.32 shares, the HLI is ordered to issue or distribute additional shares to complete said prescribed number of shares at no cost to the FWB within thirty (30) days from finality of this Decision. Other FWBs who do not belong to the original 6,296 qualified beneficiaries are not entitled to land distribution and shall remain as HLI shareholders. All salaries, benefits, 3% production share and 3% share in the proceeds of the sale of the 500-hectare converted land and the 80.51-hectare SCTEX lot and homelots already received by the 10,502 FWBs, composed of 6,296 original FWBs and 4,206 non-qualified FWBs, shall be respected with no obligation to refund or return them.

Within thirty (30) days after determining who from among the original FWBs will stay as stockholders, DAR shall segregate from the HLI agricultural land with an area of 4,915.75 hectares subject of PARC’s SDP-approving Resolution No. 89-12-2 the following: (a) the 500-hectare lot subject of the August 14, l996 Conversion Order; (b) the 80.51-hectare lot sold to, or acquired by, the government as part of the SCTEX complex; and (c) the aggregate area of 6,886.5 square meters of individual lots that each FWB is entitled to under the CARP had he or she not opted to stay in HLI as a stockholder. After the segregation process, as indicated, is done, the remaining area shall be turned over to DAR for immediate land distribution to the original qualified FWBs who opted not to remain as HLI stockholders.

The aforementioned area composed of 6,886.5-square meter lots allotted to the FWBs who stayed with the corporation shall form part of the HLI assets.

HLI is directed to pay the 6,296 FWBs the consideration of PhP 500,000,000 received by it from Luisita Realty, Inc. for the sale to the latter of 200 hectares out of the 500 hectares covered by the August 14, 1996 Conversion Order, the consideration of PhP 750,000,000 received by its owned subsidiary, Centennary Holdings, Inc. for the sale of the remaining 300 hectares of the aforementioned 500-hectare lot to Luisita Industrial Park Corporation, and the price of PhP 80,511,500 paid by the government through the Bases Conversion Development Authority for the sale of the 80.51-hectare lot used for the construction of the SCTEX road network. From the total amount of PhP 1,330,511,500 (PhP 500,000,000 + PhP 750,000,000 + PhP 80,511,500 = PhP 1,330,511,500) shall be deducted the 3% of the total gross sales from the production of the agricultural land and the 3% of the proceeds of said transfers that were paid to the FWBs, the taxes and expenses relating to the transfer of titles to the transferees, and the expenditures incurred by HLI and Centennary Holdings, Inc. for legitimate corporate purposes. For this purpose, DAR is ordered to engage the services of a reputable accounting firm approved by the parties to audit the books of HLI and Centennary Holdings, Inc. to determine if the PhP 1,330,511,500 proceeds of the sale of the three (3) aforementioned lots were used or spent for legitimate corporate purposes. Any unspent or unused balance as determined by the audit shall be distributed to the 6,296 original FWBs.

HLI is entitled to just compensation for the agricultural land that will be transferred to DAR to be reckoned from November 21, 1989 per PARC Resolution No. 89-12-2. DAR and LBP are ordered to determine the compensation due to HLI.

DAR shall submit a compliance report after six (6) months from finality of this judgment. It shall also submit, after submission of the compliance report, quarterly reports on the execution of this judgment to be submitted within the first 15 days at the end of each quarter, until fully implemented.

The temporary restraining order is lifted.

SO ORDERED.


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