MANILA, Philippines?Farm workers of Hacienda Luisita trooped to the House of Representatives Wednesday to question the measly share they received from proceeds of the right of way of a road interchange project in Tarlac City.

But lawmakers known to be supporting Senator Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III, one of the owners of property, were quick to parry possible attacks against the prospective presidential candidate and questioned what they claimed were the ?political undertones? involved in the investigation.

Cavite Representative Crispin Remulla, an ally of Aquino?s rival for the presidency, Senator Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP), dismissed speculations that he was politicking to destroy Aquino when he exposed the alleged anomaly in the interchange project.

Remulla earlier bared the allegedly ?overpriced? purchase of land from the 6,400-hectare Hacienda Luisita for the right of way for the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx). The congressman had said that government paid P83 million for the purchase of the right-of-way and invested another P170 million to build a road interchange in the middle of the vast sugar estate.

The P100 per square meter purchase of the Luisita land was 10 times more than the going rate of P6 to P8 per square meter for similar raw sugar lands in Concepcion and San Miguel in Tarlac, he added.

Farmers have also complained that they failed to get their just share from the proceeds of the sale.

They showed documents stating that they received only between P204 and P398 for the sale even if they claimed that they owned 33.29 percent of the Luisita property through a stock distribution offer.

?Hindi dapat 3 percent production share ang nakuha namin, kundi 33.2 share na dapat ay pantay-pantay (We should have gotten 33.2 percent production share each instead of just 3 percent),? said United Luisita Workers Union spokesperson Lito Bais.

But lawmakers belonging to the Liberal Party (LP), Aquino?s political party, said the issue of the farmers? share should not be discussed in the committee.

LP members present in the hearing were Representatives Lorenzo ?Erin? Tañada III of Quezon province, Liwayway Vinzons-Chato of Camarines Norte and Joseph Emilio Abaya of Cavite. Akbayan party list Representative Risa Hontiveros, who will run for senator as guest candidate of the LP, also attended the hearing.

Vinzons-Chato noted that there appeared to have ?political undertones? in discussing the issue, adding that the committee should not focus on Hacienda Luisita alone. She added that the committee should not get involved in the ?internal conflict? between the Luisita management and its workers.

Echoing Chato, Hontiveros said that the committee should leave it to the workers and management to settle the issue about the farmers? share in the proceeds.

Tañada said the real issue in the resolutions that prompted the investigation was the additional P6 billion government expense for the SCTEX project.

The Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway project is meant to promote the expansion of businesses and logistic facilities in Central Luzon. It links the seaport and airport facilities of the economic zones of Subic in Zambales and Clark in Angeles, Pampanga, to the industrial hub of Tarlac, Tarlac.

He said trying to link Aquino in the issue is a ?long shot? because the senator had nothing to do with it.

?I think Congressman Remulla is trying to find out whether the Cojuangco family had exerted any influence in getting the amount per square meter that the BCDA (Bases Conversion Development Authority) offered, so all questions should be asked to the BCDA,? said Tañada, who is also LP?s spokesman.

?Obviously, they are trying to figure out if the Cojuangco family or for that matter Senator Noynoy exerted influence or his power in convincing BCDA to submit a proposal to Hacienda Luisita,? he added.

Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez, chairman of the oversight committee, acknowledged that there could be political overtones in the issue, but said his committee has the right to scrutinize it since it involved government money.

Remulla said the committee should look into all controversies involved in the Luisita land sale, including the proceeds that farmers received, since government money was used.

He said Aquino could not evade the issue because his family owned the property.

?It?s a question of leadership, if he cannot control his family, how can he control the country, how can he lead the country if he cannot lead his family to the proper path,? he said.

Villar was involved in a similar road mess involving the alleged diversion of the C-5 road extension project to benefit his firms? villages in Las Piñas and Parañaque cities. He denied the charges.

A Senate panel, which looked into the controversy, cleared the senator of wrongdoing.

Anakpawis party list Representative Joel Maglunsod said the truth about the SCTEX land overpricing must be unearthed.

?Farmer-beneficiaries have every right to know the details of this alleged ?sweetheart deal between the Arroyo government and the Cojuangcos. Farm workers own the lands, in fact, they are the only rightful landowners of Hacienda Luisita,? he said in a statement.

He added, ?the money paid for right of way is government money. It is the duty of Congress to exercise its oversight powers to know if the money paid is appropriate and if the claimants received their rightful share.?