Agrarian

Reform
Policies
History
Dr. Maria Fatima P. Vergino
Prepared by Iza May C Miguel
Instructor
 Land Reform Agrarian Reform
In the Philippines it Is defined as the
is a process of
redistributing land
rectification of
from the landlords to the whole system
tenant-farmers in of agriculture.
order that they will
be given a chance to Is concerned with the
own a piece of land relation between production
and distribution of land
to improve their
among farmers.
plight.
 Land Reform Agrarian Reform
In the Philippines it Is defined as the
is a process of
redistributing land
rectification of
from the landlords to the whole system
tenant-farmers in of agriculture.
order that they will
be given a chance to The processing of raw
own a piece of land materials that are produced
by farming the land from
to improve their
the respective industries.
plight.
Agrarian Reform on the different
Eras of the Philippines
Agrarian Reform on the different
Eras of the Philippines
 Pre-Spanish Era
“This land is ours, God gave this land to us”
- Before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, Filipinos lived in
villages or barangays ruled by chiefs or datus. The datus comprised
the nobility. Then came the maharlikas (freemen), followed by the
aliping namamahay (serfs) and aliping saguiguilid (slaves).

- However, despite the existence of different classes in the social

structure, practically everyone had access to the fruits of the soil.
Money was unknown, and rice served as the medium of exchange.
 Spanish Era
“United we stand, divided we fall”
- When the Spaniards came to the Philippines, the
concept of encomienda (Royal Land Grants) was
introduced. This system grants that Encomienderos must
defend his encomienda from external attack, maintain
peace and order within, and support the missionaries. In
turn, the encomiendero acquired the right to collect
tribute from the indios (native).
 Spanish Era
“United we stand, divided we fall”
- The system, however, degenerated into abuse of power
by the encomienderos. The tribute soon became land
rents to a few powerful landlords. And the natives who
once cultivated the lands in freedom were transformed
into mere share tenants.
First Philippine Republic
“The yoke has finally broken”
- When the First Philippine Republic was established in
1899, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo declared in the Malolos
Constitution his intention to confiscate large estates,
especially the so-called Friar lands.
- However, as the Republic was short-lived, Aguinaldo’s
plan was never implemented.
 American Period
“Long live America”
- Significant legislation enacted during the American
Period:
- Philippine Bill of 1902
- Land Registration Act of 1902 (Act No. 496)
- Public Land Act of 1903
- Tenancy Act of 1933 (Act No. 4054 and 4113)
 American Period
“Long live America”

- The Torrens system, which the Americans instituted for

the registration of lands, did not solve the problem
completely. Either they were not aware of the law or if
they did, they could not pay the survey cost and other
fees required in applying for a Torrens title.
 Commonwealth Period
“Government for the Filipinos”

- President Manuel L. Quezon espoused the

"Social Justice" program to arrest the increasing
social unrest in Central Luzon.
 Commonwealth Period
“Government for the Filipinos”
- Significant legislation enacted during Commonwealth
Period:
- 1935 Constitution
- Commonwealth Act No. 178 (An Amendment to Rice Tenancy
Act No. 4045),
- National Rice and Corn Corporation (NARIC), 1936
- Commonwealth Act. No. 461, 1937
- Rural Program Administration, created March 2, 1939
- Commonwealth Act No. 441 enacted on June 3, 1939
 Japanese Era
“The Era of Hukbalahap”
- The Second World War II started in Europe in 1939 and
in the Pacific in 1941.
Hukbalahap controlled whole areas of Central Luzon; landlords who
supported the Japanese lost their lands to peasants while those who
supported the Huks earned fixed rentals in favor of the tenants.
- Unfortunately, the end of war also signaled the end of
gains acquired by the peasants.
 Japanese Era
“The Era of Hukbalahap”
- Upon the arrival of the Japanese in the Philippines in
1942, peasants and workers organizations grew
strength. Many peasants took up arms and identified
themselves with the anti-Japanese group, the
HUKBALAHAP (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon).
 Philippine Republic
“The New Republic”
- After the establishment of the Philippine
Independence in 1946, the problems of land
tenure remained. These became worst in certain
areas. Thus the Congress of the Philippines
revised the tenancy law. Government Initiatives
on Agrarian Reform
President Manuel L. Quezon (1935-
1944)
• President Quezon laid down a social justice program
focused on the purchased of large haciendas which
were divided and sold to tenants. This administration
was responsible in establishing the National Rice and
Corn Corporation (NARICC) and assigning public
defenders to assist peasants in court battles for their
rights to till the land.
President Manuel L. Quezon (1935-
1944)
• Budget allocation for the settlement program made it
impossible for the program to succeed. Widespread
peasant uprising against abusive landlords continued.
• In addition, the outbreak of the World War II put a
stopped to the landownership and tenancy
interventions during this period.
President Manuel Roxas (1946-
1948)

• Republic Act No. 34 was enacted to establish a 70-

30 sharing arrangement between tenant and landlord.
The 70% of the harvest will go to the person who
shouldered the expenses for planting, harvesting and
for the work animals.
President Manuel Roxas (1946-
1948)
• President Roxas negotiated for the purchase of
8,000 hectares of lands in Batangas owned by the
Ayala-Zobel family. These were sold to landless
farmers.
President Manuel Roxas (1946-
1948)

• However, due to lack of support facilities, these

farmers were forced to resell their lands to the
landowning class. This failure gave basis to doubt the
real meaning of land reform program.
President Elpidio Quirino (1948-
1953)
• Through Executive Order No. 355, the Land
Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO)
was established to accelerate and expand the
peasant resettlement program of the government.
However, due to limited post-war resources, the
program was not successful.
President Ramon Magsaysay (1953-
1957)

• President Magsaysay realized the importance of

pursuing a more honest-to-goodness land reform
program. He convinced the elite controlled congress
to pass several legislation to improve the land reform
situation.
President Ramon Magsaysay (1953-
1957)
• Out of the targeted 300 haciendas for distribution,
only 41 were distributed after its 7 years of
implementation. This was due to lack of funds and
inadequate support services provided for these
programs. Landlords continued to be uncooperative
and critical to the program; and landownership and
tenancy problems continued.
President Carlos P. Garcia (1957-
1961)

• There was no legislation passed in his term but he

continued to implement the land reform programs of
President Magsaysay.
President Diosdasdo Macapagal
(1961-1965)

• President Diosdado Macapagal was considered the

“Father of Agrarian Reform”
• It was during his term that the Agricultural Land
Reform Code or RA No. 3844 was enacted on August
8, 1963. This was considered to be the most
comprehensive piece of agrarian reform legislation
ever enacted in the country that time.
President Diosdasdo Macapagal
(1961-1965)
• This Act abolished share tenancy in the Philippines.
It prescribed a program converting the tenant farmers
to lessees and eventually into owner-cultivators;
President Diosdasdo Macapagal
(1961-1965)
• It aimed to free tenants from the bondage of
tenancy and gave hope to poor Filipino farmers to
own the land they are tilling.
• It emphasized owner-cultivatorship and farmer
independence, equity, productivity improvement and
the public distribution of land.
President Diosdasdo Macapagal
(1961-1965)
• This act was piloted in the provinces of Pangasinan,
Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Occidental
Mindoro, Camarines Sur and Misamis Oriental. It
acquired a total of 18,247.06 hectares or 99.29% out
of the total scope of 18,377.05 hectares. The program
benefited 7,466 Farmer Beneficiaries. (BLAD-DAR
Official Records)
President Ferdinand E. Marcos
(1965-1986)
• Presidential Decree No. 27 became the heart of the
Marcos reform. It provided for tenanted lands devoted
to rice and corn to pass ownership to the tenants, and
lowered the ceilings for landholdings to 7 hectares.
The law stipulated that share tenants who worked
from a landholding of over 7 hectares could purchase
the land they tilled, while share tenants on land less
than 7 hectares would become leaseholders.
President Ferdinand E. Marcos
(1965-1986)
•This agrarian reform program was designed to uplift
the farmers from poverty and ignorance and to make
them useful, dignified, responsible and progressive
partners in nation-building. This AR program was a
package of services extended to farmers in the form
of credit support, infrastructure, farm extension, legal
assistance, electrification and development of rural
institutions.
President Ferdinand E. Marcos
(1965-1986)
• What were the five major components of President
Marcos’ Agrarian Reform Program?
- Land Tenure Program
- Institutional Development
- Physical Development
- Agricultural Development ;
- and Human Resources
President Ferdinand E. Marcos
(1965-1986)
• President Marcos’ agrarian reform program was
labeled as “revolutionary” by some sectors, for two
reasons:
- It was pursued under Martial Law and intended to
make quick changes without going through
legislative or technical processes; and
- It was the only law in the Philippines ever done in
handwriting.
President Ferdinand E. Marcos
(1965-1986)
• Scope of program was limited only to tenanted,
privately- owned rice and corn lands;
• Foreign and local firms were allowed to use large
tracks of land for their business;
• Declaration of Martial Law leading to the arrest of
several farmer leaders without due process of law due
to suspension of the Writ of Habeas Corpus.
President Corazon C. Aquino (1986-
1992)
• Various sectors recognized agrarian reform as a
worthwhile social investment. In terms of the tenant-
tiller status, this improved particularly those within
landowners’ retained areas or on landholdings subject
for coverage.
President Corazon C. Aquino (1986-
1992)
• This administration received much support and
active involvement in program implementation from
key stakeholders such as people’s organization,
farmer’s association, NGO’s and from prominent
landowners themselves.
President Corazon C. Aquino (1986-
1992)
• Despite the Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF), this
administration experienced a major budgetary shortfall
due to low remittances from the Asset Privatization
Trust and the Presidential Commission on Good
Government.
• This administration also experienced constant
changes in DAR leadership. This led to lack of
continuity of priority, programs and projects.
President Fidel V. Ramos (1992-
1998)

• The Ramos administration is recognized for bringing

back support of key stakeholders of CARP by bridging
certain policy gaps on land acquisition and
distribution, land valuation, and case resolution
President Fidel V. Ramos (1992-
1998)
• It is also credited for enhancing internal operating
systems and strengthening the capabilities of the DAR
bureaucracy. This administration is also credited for
tapping more resources to help implement the
program.
President Fidel V. Ramos (1992-
1998)
• Failure in enforcing the installation of some farmer
beneficiaries on awarded lands became an issue for
this administration.
• Critics say that “non-physical installation of FBs has
been the norm rather then the exception.
President Fidel V. Ramos (1992-
1998)
• Some sectors also complained on the slowness of
this administration in the acquisition and distribution of
privately owned lands. Although this administration
was credited for having the biggest accomplishment in
terms of LAD, critics say this is because the land
acquired and distributed were more on public lands
and rice and corn lands.
President Joseph Ejercito Estrada
(1998-2001)

• This administration saw the urgency of land

distribution, and believed that it can be served if it is
built on farmers’ capacities to pursue their own
development.
President Joseph Ejercito Estrada
(1998-2001)

• One of the first things this administration did was to

rework performance targets – by focusing on the
number of hectares of land distributed coupled with an
accounting of farmer beneficiaries and the specific
croplands and farm systems covered.
President Joseph Ejercito Estrada
(1998-2001)

• This approach sought to integrate land distribution

and support services. It was during this period that
DAR launched a series of land occupations by
working with farmer claimants, the LGU and
government security forces.
President Joseph Ejercito Estrada
(1998-2001)
• Fiscal constraints encountered by this administration
resulted to unpaid or delayed payment of landowners
covered under the compulsory acquisition and VOS
schemes.
• There were also issues on inter and intra ARBs
conflicts due to arguments for control over
negotiations with prospective joint venture partners,
some of which became violent.
President Gloria Macapagal –
Arroyo (2001 – 2010)
• The GMA administration has adopted the BAYAN-
ANIHAN concept as the implementing framework for
CARP.
• Bayan means people, Anihan means harvest and
Bayanihan means working together. Applied to CARP,
Bayan_Anihan means a united people working
together for the successful implementation of agrarian
reform.
President Gloria Macapagal –
Arroyo (2001 – 2010)

• This administration is also credited in heightening

agrarian case resolution by introducing a quota
system to compel adjudicators to work faster on
agrarian cases and train farmers into paralegals.
President Benigno C. Aquino
(2010–2016)
• Under the governance of President Aquino, the DAR
which is the lead agency for CARP implementation is
bent on sustaining the gains of agrarian reform
through its three major components– Land Tenure
Improvement (LTI), Program Beneficiaries
Development (PBD) and Agrarian Justice Delivery
(AJD).
President Benigno C. Aquino
(2010–2016)

• Together with the efforts to fight graft and corruption

by the President, it is imperative to have institutional
reforms within DAR as a complement to the
abovementioned DAR components as well as give
credence, transparency and accountability at all
sectors of the DAR bureaucracy.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(2016 – 2022)

• Under his leadership, the President wants to pursue

an “aggressive” land reform program that would help
alleviate the life of poor Filipino farmers by prioritizing
the provision of support services alongside land
distribution.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(2016 – 2022)

• The President directed the DAR to launch the 2nd

phase of agrarian reform where landless farmers
would be awarded with undistributed lands under the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(2016 – 2022)

• Duterte plans to place almost all public lands,

including military reserves, under agrarian reform.
• The President also placed 400 hectares of
agricultural lands in Boracay under CARP.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(2016 – 2022)

• Under his administration the DAR created an anti-

corruption task force to investigate and handle reports
on alleged anomalous activities by officials and
employees of the department.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
(2016 – 2022)

• The Department also pursues an “Oplan Zero

Backlog” in the resolution of cases in relation to
agrarian justice delivery of the agrarian reform
program to fast-track the implementation of CARP.