BAGO CITY -- Petitions were filed by 310 farmer beneficiaries yesterday for the cancellation of Stock Distribution Options on six farms in Negros Occidental covering 770 hectares, for alleged failure of the original landowners to comply with agreements for their implementation.

That brings to seven the number of SDO cancellation petitions filed in Negros Occidental before the Department of Land Reform.

There are 13 corporations nationwide that have availed of the SDO provision, the most famous of which is Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. Of the 13 SDOs, ten are in Negros Occidental, said Danilo Carranza, land tenure improvement coordinator of the Philippine Ecumenical Action for Community Empowerment Foundation Inc. that is assisting the farmer beneficiaries in seeking cancellation of their SDOs.

And of the ten farms covered by SDOs, farmer beneficiaries of six yesterday filed their petitions for cancellation before Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer 1 Manuel Velasco at the DLR office in Bago City yesterday morning.

Thirty farmer beneficiaries filed for the cancellation of the SDO at Archie Fishponds Inc. in Cadiz City with an area of 102 hectares and 155 beneficiaries; 31 for Arsenio Al Acuña Agricultural Corp. in Cadiz City with 108 has. and 93 beneficiaries; 66 for Elenita Agricultural Development Corp. in Cadiz City with 113 has. and 82 beneficiaries; 30 for Maria Clara Marine Ventures in Bago City with 58 has. and 58 beneficiaries; and 90 for Palma Kabankalan Agricultural Corp. of Ilog with 219 has. and 113 beneficiaries.

All five farms are under the Arsenio Al Acuña Agricultural Corp.

Sixty-three farmer beneficiaries of the SVJ Frams in Concepcion Talisay with 170 hectares and 143 beneficiaries yesterday also refilled their petition for SDO cancellation.

Sixty-five farmer beneficiaries also have a pending petition for cancellation of the SDO of the Negros Industrial By-Products and Processing Inc. in Nagasi, La Carlota, owned by Don Pedro Roxas with 438 has. and 273 beneficiaries, Carranza said.

The three other areas covered by SDOs with no petitions for cancellation are the Tabigue Marine Ventures Inc. in EB Magalona with 50 has. and 64 beneficiaries owned by Arsenio Al. Acuña, Ledesma Hermanos Agricultural Corp. in Barangay Buluangan, San Carlos City, with an area of 1,024 has. and 747 beneficiaries and the Wuhtrich Hermanos Inc. in Barangay Buenavista, Calatarava, with 174 has. and 177 beneficiaries.

The Arsenio Al Acuña Agricultural Corp. is a merger of six corporations of the Acuña family that were approved under the SDO, Carranza said.

The farm workers voted through simultaneous referenda conducted for the six Acuña farms to adopt the scheme on Nov. 22, 1990. The Presidential Agrarian Reform Commission approved the SDO applications on Feb. 15, 1991.

"The SDO as implemented in the Acuña haciendas cannot be expected to deliver anything tangible that will result to increased incomes and greater benefits for beneficiaries," Carranza claimed.

He said "The beneficiaries have not attained land security and do not have control over the lands they till."

Negros Occidental Board Member Edgar Acuña, managing director of the Arsenio Al. Acuña Agricultural Corp., said all the SDO conditions in the MOA have been complied with, and that farmer beneficiaries are represented by Juanito Elinon on the board of the corporation.

In fact the farm is practically run by farm worker beneficiaries themselves who make management decisions and call the shots on operations, he said.

He said he did not know what members of PEACE promised to instigate some farmer-beneficiaries to file their petitions for SDO cancellation.

These are Manila people who do not know anything about the sugar industry and the plight of the sugar workers, he said.

Basilio Propongo, farmers representative on the Presidential Agrarian Reform Commission, said following the filing of the petition for cancellation the Provincial Agrarian Reform Office will conduct and investigation on whether the signatures are authentic and make its recommendations to the DLR regional office.

The regional Task Force SDO will investigate if everything is proper and in order and send its report to the national Task Force SDO that will in turn submit its recommendation for the PARC headed by President Gloria Arroyo for final decision, Propongo said.*CPG

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