Manila: Farmers expressed fear that the Supreme Court ruling last November on distribution of land at the sugar plantation owned by the family of President Benigno Aquino might be watered down with the ongoing impeachment of Apex Court Renato Corona.

Members of the Alliance of Farm Wokers of Hacienda Luisita (Ambala) held a protest rally as they filed a motion asking the Supreme Court to clarify its ruling on land distribution of the farm's 4,000 hectares to 6,000 registered farmers last November 22.

In a 29 page petition, Ambala members said the court must respond and quash the alleged delaying tactics filed by the Cojunaco family in questioning the ruling.

"Their appeal is a rehashed aimed to cause setback, delay and ultimately derail Luisita's distribution designed in accordance on the chief justice impeachment trial," the group said.

The Apex Court must issue a final decision to favour the farmers even if Corona is being impeached at the Senate, the farmers said, adding, "They (at the Supreme Court) should show the farm workers and the public that despite Aquino's despicable attitude (they are not afraid to makes its November ruling final)."

They also hailed the embattled chief justice for mustering a 14-0 ruling of the Apex Court on the controversial land case.

At the same time, they criticised President Benigno Aquino for his "incessant wordplay respecting the court's decision is an outright lie".

Ambala also asked the court to call for the implementation of a ruling asking the owners of Hacienda Lusita to account for the 1.33 billion pesos (Dh86.08 million) paid by a bank and another company for acquiring 500 hectares of the sugar plantation.

The High Court should insist on the implementation of its ruling that asked the owners of the sugar plantation to explain and reveal the amount paid by the government for the 80.5 hectares used for the construction of a major road called Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway, the farmers said.

Earlier, President Aquino said that the government must pay the owners of the Hacienda Luisita for the land to be distributed to the farmers, adding it is a provision in the country's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program which was passed during the reign of his mother, former president Corazon Aquino.

The November ruling of the Apex Court upheld a 2004 ruling of the Presidential Agrarian Reform Council that sided with the farmers who complained that the shares of stocks they agreed to receive from the farm owners in lieu of land distribution in a referendum in 1989, made their lives more miserable.

Lass than 10 people died during a protest held by farmers at the Hacienda Luisita in 2007. Farmers said more farm-leaders were killed after that year.