AGRARIAN REFORM FROM

SPANISH COLONIAL PHILIPPINES

TO THE PRESENT
Agrarian Reform
Essentially the rectification of the whole system of agriculture (an important aspect of
the Philippine economy. Why is it so.?).
Centered on the relationship between production & the distribution of land among
farmers.
Also focused on the political & economic class of the relations of production &
distribution in farming & related enterprises & how these connect to the wider class
structure
Genuine & comprehensive agrarian reform are needed in order for PH to gain more
from agriculture potential & uplift the poor Filipino farmers.
Gained great significance all over the world as it aims to achieve social
justice & full human development of human dignity.
Issue of land reform has been persistent throughout time, demanding
measures to stop social unrest.
Worst scenarios were observed during the colonial era when the Spanish
colonizers introduced new land- holding systems to caciques.
Introduction of Torrens system created serious problems
The natural inhabitants lost their ancestral domains to the colonialists
Pre-Spanish Period
Filipinos already lived in villages & barangays.
The settlements were ruled by the chieftains or datus who comprised the
nobility.
Maharlikas (freemen), Aliping Namamahay (serfs) & Aliping Saguiguilid
(slaves)
Despite the existence of social structure everyone had access to the fruits
of the soil.
Rice was a medium of exchange as money is yet unknown.
Spanish Period (1521-1896)
Spaniards introduced the concept of encomienda to the Philippines.
Encomienda- is a system of giving lands (Royal Land Grants) to the
Spanish conquerors that were loyal to the monarch
As a matter of policy, encomenderos must defend his encomienda from
external attack, maintain peace & order within, & support the
missionaries
In turn they were given the right to collect taxes (tribute) from the
indios (natives)
Spanish Period (1521-1896)
Encomenderos started to abuse their powers by renting their lands to a few
powerful landlords, & the natives who once freely cultivated the land became share
tenants.
Agrarian Uprisings (1745-46)
• Taxation was not only the reasons for the revolts of the Filipinos but agrarian unrest
as well.
• Agrarian Revolt happened between 1745 & 1746 in Batangas, Laguna & Cavite, &
Bulacan. In the towns of Lian & Nasugbu in Batangas.
Agrarian Uprisings (1745-46)
• Grabbing of lands by the Catholic religious orders angered the native
land owners & demanded that their lands be returned based on
ancestral domain.
• Spanish priests refused which resulted to riots & massive looting of
convents & the burning down of churches & ranches
• Troops were sent from Manila to Batangas to quell the disturbance.
• Encounter was bloody & those who surrender were pardoned
Agrarian Uprisings (1745-46)
• Uprising resonated in other towns of the neighboring provinces, notably
Binan, Imus, Silang, Kawit, Bacoor, San Mateo, Taguig, Paranaque &
Hagonoy.
• Agrarian conflicts reach the ear of King Philip VI who appointed Oidor
(a judge of the Royal Audiencias & Chancillerias) Pedro Calderon
Enriquez to investigate the charges brought against the religious orders
& to ascertain validity of their titles to the lands in question.
Agrarian Uprisings (1745-46)
• The friars were ordered to submit their titles to a secular judge, but refused to
comply, claiming ecclesiastical exemption.
• As a result, the governor general dispossessed the friars of the lands (said to have
been illegally occupied by them & which they continue holding without legitimate
titles) restoring the lands to the crown.
• Case appealed by the friars to the Royal Audiencia of Manila but it upheld the first
decision; further appealed to the council of Indies in Spain & again the decision was
confirmed.
Agrarian Uprisings (1745-46)
• Subsequently the friars won their case & retained the disputed lands; ownership of
the lands remained intact even after the end of the Spanish regime.
First Philippine Republic
• When Emilio Aguinaldo came to power in 1899, The Malolos Constitution which they
crafted intended to confiscate the so-called Friar lands & other large estates
• However the First Philippine Republic was shorty-lived so that the plans to
confiscate was never materialized.
American Period (1898-1935)
• Some noteworthy regulations enacted during the American period:
a) Philippine Bill of 1902- set the ceilings on the hectarage of private
individuals to 16 hectares & 1,024 hectares for corporations
b) Land Registration Act of 1902 (Act No. 496) –provided for a
comprehensive registration of land titles under the Torrens system
c) The Public Land Act of 1903-introduced homestead in PH.
American Period (1898-1935)
d.) Tenancy Act of 1933 (Act No. 4054 & 4113)- regulated relationships
bet. landowners & tenants of rice (50-50 sharing), & sugar cane lands.
• However The Land Registration Act of 1902 didn’t completely solve the
problem of land registration under the Torrens System, landowners
might not have been aware of the law & they cant pay the cost of having
the land surveyed & other fees required for a Torrens title.
Commonwealth Period (1935-1942)
• President Manuel L. Quezon advocated the Social Justice program to block the
increasing social unrest in Central Luzon
Impt. Legislations enacted during this period:
• The 1935 Constitution, which was promulgated for the promotion of social justice to
ensure the well-being & economic security of all people
• The Commonwealth Act No. 178 (An Amendment to Rice Tenancy Act No.4045),
enacted on Nov. 13, 1936, provided for certain controls in the landlord tenant
relationships
Commonwealth Period (1935-1942)
• The National Rice & Corn Corporation (NARIC) of 1936 established
the price of rice & corn that helped the poor tenants as well as
consumers.
• The Commonwealth Act No. 461, 1937, specified the reasons for
dismissal of tenants & only with the approval of the Tenancy Division of
the Dept. of Justice.
• The Rural Program Administration, created on March 2, 1939,provided
the purchase & lease of haciendas & their sale & lease to tenants.
Commonwealth Period (1935-1942)
• The Commonwealth Act no. 441 enacted on June 3, 1939, created the
National Settlement Administration with a capital stock of P20, 000, 000.
Japanese Occupation
• Second World War (that started in Europe in 1939 & in the Pacific in
1941), the Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon (HUKBALAHAP) controlled
the areas of Central Luzon. Composed of peasants & workers (took up
arms against the Japanese forces)
Japanese Occupation
• Peasants who supported them earned fixed rentals, while landowners who supported
the Japanese lost their lands to peasants.
• Problems of land tenure in PH remained even after the Philippine Independence in
1946. PH Congress revised the tenancy law.
President Manuel Roxas (1946 - 1948)
RA No.34- established the 70-30 sharing arrangements & regulated the sharing
contracts.
RA No. 55 – provided for a more effective safeguard against arbitrary ejectment of
tenants.
President Elpidio Quirino 1948-1950
• Issued EO No. 355 on October 23, 1950, replaced the National Land Settlement
Administration with Land Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO) that
took over the responsibilities of the Agricultural Machinery Equipment Corporation
& the Rice & Corn Production Administration.
President Ramon Magsaysay (1953-1957)
• RA No. 1160 of 1954- abolished the LASEDECO & established the National Resettlement &
Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) to resettle dissidents & landless farmers.
President Ramon Magsaysay (1953-1957)
• Particularly aimed at rebel returnees providing home lots & farmlands in Palawan &
Mindanao
• RA No. 1199 (Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954)- governed relationship bet.
landowners & tenant farmers organizing share-tenancy & leasehold system.
• Also created the Court Agrarian Relations
• RA No. 1400 (Land Reform Act of 1955)- created the Land Tenure Administration
(LTA) that was responsible for the acquisition & distribution of large tenanted rice &
corn lands over 200 hectares for individuals & 600 hectares for corporation.
President Ramon Magsaysay (1953-1957)
• RA No. 821 (Creation of Agricultural Credit Cooperative Financing Administration)-
provided small loans to small farmers & share tenants with interest rates of as low as
six to eight percent.
President Garcia (1953-1957) who succeeded the presidency after the death of
President Ramon Magsaysay continued the program.
President Diosdado Macapagal (1961-1965)
• RA No. 3844 of Aug. 8 1963 (Agricultural Land Reform Code)- abolished share-tenancy
contracts, institutionalized leasehold, set retention limit at 75 hectares, invested rights
of preemption & redemption for tenant farmers, provided for an administrative
President Diosdado Macapagal (1961-1965)
• Machinery for implementation, institutionalized a judicial system of agrarian cases,
incorporated extension, marketing & supervised credit system of services of farmer
beneficiaries.
President Ferdinand Marcos (1965-1986)
“ New Society”(Kilusang Bagong Lipunan) was ushered in by the Proclamation no.
1081 on Sept. 21, 1972
• Agrarian Reform program was put into law & land reform program was
implemented
• President Ferdinand Marcos (1965-1986)
• Decreed RA No. 6389 (Code of Agrarian Reform) & RA No. 6390 of 1971 that created
the DAR & the Agrarian Reform Special Account Fund & expanded the scope of
agrarian reform
• Presidential Decree No. 2 Sept. 26, 1972: declared the country under land reform
program & activated the Agrarian Reform Coordinating Council
• All govt. agencies were ordered to fully cooperate & assist the DAR
• Presidential Decree No.27, October 21, 1972, restricted the land reform scope to
tenanted rice & corn lands & set retention limit at 7 hectares.
President Corazon C. Aquino (1986-1992)
• Article II, Sec. 21 of the 1987 Constitution provides that “ The State shall promote
comprehensive rural development & agrarian reform”
• With this Pres. Aquino signed into law the following:
1. EO No. 228, July 16, 1987, which declared full land ownership to qualified farmer-
beneficiaries covered by the PD 27
2. EO No. 229 July 22, 1987, provided the mechanism for the implementation of the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)
3. Proclamation No. 131, July 22, 1987- instituted the CARP as a major program of the
government.
• Provided for a special fund known as the Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF) with an initial
amount of 50 billion to cover the estimated cost of the program from 1987-1992
4. EO No. 129-A, July 26, 1987- streamlined & expanded the power & operations of the
DAR.
5. RA No. 6657 aka Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) which was signed
into law on June 10, 1988
-this law instituted a comprehensive agrarian reform program to promote social
justice & industrialization. Still at work till the present.
6. EO No. 405, June 14, 1990- which conferred LBP the
responsibility to determine land valuation & compensation for
all lands covered by CARP.
7. EO No. 407, June 14, 1990 accelerated the acquisition &
distribution of agricultural lands, pasture lands, fishponds, agro-
forestry lands & other lands of the public domain suitable for
agriculture.
President Fidel V. Ramos (1992-1998)
• enacted laws that would promote a more meaningful agrarian reform program.
1. RA No. 7881 of 1995- this law amended certain provisions of RA 6657 & exempted
fishponds & prawns from CARP coverage
2. RA No. 7905 of 1995, which strengthened CARP Implementation
3. RA No. 363 of 1997, which prescribed the guideliness for the protection of areas
non-negotiable for conversion & monitoring compliance with sec. 20 of the Local
Government code
4. RA No. 8435 of 1997 Agriculture & Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) –an act
prescribing urgent related measures to modernize the agriculture & fisheries sectors
of the country in order to enhance their profitability & prepare said sectos for the
challenges of globalization through an adequate focused & rational delivery of
necessary support services, appropriating funds therefor & for other purposes.
5. RA. No. 8532 of 1998, an act strengthening further the CARP, by providing
augmentation fund therefor, amending for the purpose Section 63 of RA No. 665. Also
known as “ The Carp Law” of 1998
• Provides additional 50 billion pesos for CARP & extneded its implementatin for
another 10 years
President Joseph E. Estrada (1998-2000)
• ERAP initiated the enactment of EO No. 151, September 1999 (Farmers
Trust Fund) which established the farmers trust development program &
provided institutional reforms & fund mechanisms for mobilizing long
term private sector capital for rural development.
• Launched the Magkabalikat para sa Kaunlarang Agraryo. Or
MAGSASAKA
• DAR forged into joint venture with private investors into agrarian
President Joseph E. Estrada (1998-2000)
• “Agrikulturang Maka Masa” was also launched that achieved an output growth of 6
percent, lowered the inflation rate from 11 percent in January 1999 to just a little over
3 percent by Nov. of the same year.
• Record high at the time
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010)
• Envisioned to make countryside economically viable for Filipino family by building
partnership & promoting social equity & new economic opportunities towards
lasting peace & sustainable rural development.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010)
1. Signed EO No. 379 s 2004 (Sept. 27, 2004) amending EO No. 364 entitled
Transforming the Department of Agrarian Reform into the Department of Land
Reform (DLR), broadened the scope of the Dept. making it responsible of all land
reform in the country
• also placed the Philippine Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP) under its supervision
& control
• DLR also responsible for the recognition of the ownership of ancestral domain by
IP’s, under the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (2001-2010)
2. Memorandum Circular No. 4 series of 2003 operationalized the
development of Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Agrarian Reform Zones
(KALAHI ARZones)
3. RA No. 9700 series of 2009, an act strengthening the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), extending the acquisition &
distribution of all agricultural lands, instituting necessary reforms,
amending certain provisions of RA No. 6657, aka as the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, as amended, & appropriating funds
therefor.
President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino (2010-2016)
• Aquino, together with farmers, Catholic bishops, & other land reform advocates
developed a plan of action for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER).
• Established the multi-stakeholders mechanisms, composed of representative from
DAR & other CARP implementing agencies of the government, church officials, non-
governmental organizations, peoples organizations & other farmers’ groups &
federations to monitor the implementation of the CARP, specifically focusing on:
a) Coverage & distribution of Agricultural lands
b) Movement & performance of DAR personnel
President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino (2010-2016)
c) Delivery of support services to the beneficiaries, and
d) Budget the allocation & utilization
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (2016-Present)
• Issue of land reform has been persistent even up to the present time. Current
administration is committed to pursuing the agrarian reform program in the country.
• The president, also Chairman of Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC),
included land tenure security in his 10-point socio-economic agenda to improve the
quality of life of farmers & raise their productivity.
Directions:Write the word true if the statement is correct, otherwise, write false.
_______1. The encomiendero was a Spanish conqueror who was granted of a land to
administer through which he institutionalized the renting of the land to powerful
landlords.
_______2. Lands during Spanish colonial period, in extent became a friar estate.
_______3. The resolution to the land registration problem was essentially an
application for Torrens title.
Directions: Write the word true if the statement is correct, otherwise,
write false.
_______4.Article II section 22 of the Philippine Constitution provides that “
The State shall promote comprehensive rural development & agrarian
reform”. This was the basis for the implementation of CARP or
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
_______5. The Land Bank of the Philippines was conferred to be
responsible in determining land valuation as well as compensation for
lands covered by CARP
Directions: Match the items in column A with the items in column B. Write the
letter only
_______1. Governed the relationship between landowner & tenant farmer.
_______2. Abolished LASEDECO & established NARRA to resettle landless tenants.
_______3. Purchase & lease of haciendas & sale & lease to the tenants.
_______4. Introduced homestead system in the country.
_______5. created LTA responsible for the acquisition & distribution of large tenanted
rice & corn lands.
Directions: Match the items in column A with the items in column B. Write the
letter only
_______6. Abolished share tenancy & institutionalized leasehold.
_______7. Created DAR & the Agrarian Reform Special Account Fund.
_______8. Known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law
_______9. Broadened the scope of DAR making it responsible for all land reforms.
_______10. Strengthened CARP & extend acquisition of agricultural
lands.
Directions: Give the complete meaning of the following acronyms
1. HUKBALAHAP___________________________
2. LASEDECO _____________________________
3. NARRA _________________________________
4. CARL __________________________________
5. DAR ___________________________________
6. CARPER ______________________________
7. KALAHI ARZone _____________________
8. MAGKASAKA _________________________
Directions: Give the complete meaning of the following
acronyms
9. ARF __________________________
10. CARPER ____________________
Assignment: Give a concise explanation/discussion on the following
items.
1. What is the difference between pre-colonial & Spanish era land
system of ownership?
2. What is land reform program? How & why this should be
implemented?
3. Which enacted law on land-holding do you think is essential & is
needed by the country? Discuss its essence as a law.
Subject Final Requirement: Visit your municipal or city library or
records office (archives) & search for the history of the city or
municipality where you came from.
• In narrative form include how (city or municipality) came into
being; its past leaders
• old structures of houses & buildings, delicacies, manner of
dressing, artifacts & other relevant information
• Take photos of the landmarks such as old church or old municipal
buildings WITH CAPTIONS which will be included in your output.
Subject Final Requirement: Visit your municipal or city library
or records office (archives) & search for the history of the city or
municipality where you came from.
• Your output shall include a cover page with the GCC logo on
top and with the wordings
History of Gingoog City or History of the Municipality of
Medina
(In Partial Fulfillment of the Subject Readings in
Philippine History)
Submitted To:
Submitted By: