Every time Hacienda Luisita enters the conversation, someone inevitably says: “But the Cojuangcos-Aquinos don’t own it anymore!” That line has become a favorite deflection among loyalists—a convenient excuse to protect the legacy of their political idols. As if finally letting go of the land, after decades of legal delays, resistance, and even bloodshed, somehow redeems everything that came before.
Let’s break that illusion.
The Myth of “They Don’t Own It Anymore”
Yes, technically, most of Hacienda Luisita is no longer under their name. But that doesn’t erase the decades they spent profiting from it, evading reform, and manipulating the system to their benefit.
The paper trail might be clean now, but history isn’t.
They Were Forced to Let Go—Not Willing Participants
Let’s be clear: they didn’t surrender Luisita out of principle. They were forced to.
It took a 2011 Supreme Court ruling—finalized in 2012—to scrap their beloved Stock Distribution Option. The SDO gave farmers shares instead of land, allowing the Cojuangco-Aquino clan to retain control for over 20 years.
It wasn’t “compliance.” It was circumvention. And all that time, the farmers remained landless. Struggling. Waiting.
They Kept the Gold Mine
Even before the courts could act, the clan moved quickly—reclassifying prime parcels into commercial and industrial zones, effectively removing them from agrarian reform coverage.
Among the pieces they carved out:
- Luisita Mall
- Luisita Industrial Park
- Properties sold to RCBC and other corporations
These were the most valuable parts, and they were spared. They gave up the farmland… but kept the fortune.
₱28.48 Billion and Counting
Now comes the kicker.
Hacienda Luisita, Inc.—once dominated by the Cojuangco-Aquinos—is demanding ₱28.48 billion in compensation for the land they were compelled to give up.
And they’re not basing that on 1989 land values (as the law requires). They want interest accrued over decades.
If they win, guess who pays?
And the farmers?
Still waiting for their full land titles. Still excluded from the “victory” being paraded around.
A Script We’ve Seen Before
So no, they may not “own” Luisita anymore. But they owned it long enough to:
- Delay real reform for over 30 years
- Extract massive profit
- Keep the most lucrative areas
- And now possibly cash out one last time
It’s the same tired oligarch playbook we’ve seen time and again:
- Rig the rules
- Milk the system
- Cry foul when held accountable
- Claim moral victory once the money’s secured
The System Is Still Alive
Luisita may be off the books—but the power structures that protected its former owners?
Very much alive.
The money, the influence, the impunity—they didn’t disappear with the title deed.
And they won’t disappear unless we stop defending oligarchs based on color-coded loyalty.
Don’t Be Fooled by the Paperwork
If you care about justice, land reform, or even basic fairness, stop falling for the narrative that it’s over just because the land changed hands.
Until farmers have their land, until taxpayers stop footing the bill for elite maneuvering, and until we challenge power regardless of political branding— Luisita lives on as a symbol of everything broken.
