This Week’s Milestones: Dec. 17-23, 2017

Dec. 20, 2005

The Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC), the Philippines’ highest policymaking body on agrarian reform, decides with finality to distribute Hacienda Lusisita in Tarlac province and revoke the stock distribution option (SDO.) The SDO is a scheme under the 1988 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program which allows workers to own shares of stock instead of land. In 1988, nearly 5,000 of the 6,000 hectares of the Hacienda Luisita estate were placed under a stock distribution agreement between the landowners and the farmworkers. On April 24, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled to distribute 4,500 ha of land to more than 6,200 farmers in Hacienda Luisita.

Dec. 21, 2013

Ban Ki-moon, former United Nations secretary general, visited Supertyphoon “Yolanda”-ravaged communities in Tacloban City in Leyte province and pledged to rally global support for survivors of one of the Philippines’ deadliest disasters. The supertyphoon left more than 6,100 people dead and 1,700 others missing. Ban’s visit followed a UN appeal for $791 million for critical food assistance, clean water and shelter for typhoon victims. About 4 million affected people had received food assistance, and 100,000 hygiene kits and 65,000 water kits had been distributed when Ban went to Tacloban.

Compiled by Kathleen de Villa, Inquirer Research

Sources: Inquirer Archives, DOT, launion.gov.ph, balaoanlaunion.gov.ph, cebudailynews