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By Anthony Vargas, Reporter
THE Manila Archbishop, Cardinal
Gaudencio Rosales, expressed his elation over the resolution of the
land dispute between the Sumilao farmers and San Miguel Foods Inc. (SMFI).
The food and beverage
conglomerate confirmed on Sunday that an agreement between concerned
parties was reached during the Lenten break with the company
agreeing to turnover to the farmers some 144 hectares of land.
The Cardinal’s private
secretary, Fr. Reginald Malicdem said the head of Manila’s Roman
Catholic Church is very happy over this development that favored the
Sumilao farmers.
Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick
Pabillo and head of the CBPC’s National Secretariat for Social
Action said that persistence of the Sumilao farmers and generosity
of SMFI should be admired.
“The Catholic Church and the
Cardinal very much appreciated SMFI’s cooperation with the Sumilao
farmers,” Pabillo said in a statement posted on the website of
CBCP News Today.
The Roman Catholic Church
“mediated” between the Sumilao farmers and the food and beverage
firm to ensure that a settlement that was amicable to both sides was
reached.
The Manila Archdiocese Director
for Communications Peachy Yamsuan also said that a joint statement
will be issued by both parties after the formal signing of the
agreement later this week.
The farmers have staged a
two-month long protest march in December from Sumilao, town in
Bukidnon to Manila to press their demand for the return of what they
claimed was ancestral land.
The contested land in Bukidnon
was bought from Norberto Quisumbing Sr., by the SMFI, a subsidiary
of the San Miguel Corporation.
Following the farmers’ march,
President Arroyo ordered the revocation of the conversion order that
declared the contested land as an agro-industrial site from
agricultural land covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program.
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