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Hist1 M4 L8 AgrarianReform
Hist1 M4 L8 AgrarianReform
Hist1 M4 L8 AgrarianReform
Reform
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Agrarian Reform
Introduction, p. 1
Key Concepts, p. 1
Learning Resources, pp. 1-9
Study Questions, p. 9
Learning Activity, p. 9
References, p. 10
INTRODUCTION
Before we are even to propose solutions or make recommendations about a contemporary social issue,
we first need to demonstrate that we are able to construct valid opinions about such an issue. Oftentimes, the
best way to construct those kinds of opinions is by thoroughly understanding how the issue came to be.
In the case of the Philippines, our social issues tend to be rooted in our colonial experience, in the reality
that we were once under colonial rule. The following lesson on agrarian reform demonstrates exactly how
our view of land and other agricultural resources evolved alongside the different colonial eras. We begin with
the precolonial period, then work our way to the post-War period and the present day. The lesson is good for
2-3 hours. Shall we start?
KEY CONCEPTS
Agrarian reform, agrarian system, kaingin, Torrens system, homestead system, landowner, tenant, CARP,
CARPER
LEARNING RESOURCES
Let’s begin by defining agrarian reform. For the purpose of this class, agrarian reform is defined as the
overall redirection or change of a country’s agrarian system and agricultural resources.
o By “agrarian system,” we mean the laws, policies, and programs that shape how agriculture is done in
our country.
o But what do you think is meant by “agricultural resources”? What would you say are the Philippines’
two most important agricultural resources? Answer: farmers and land.
Agrarian reform, therefore, is not only concerned with how agriculture is done in the country. It is also
concerned with how we treat our farmers and how we treat our lands.
Now, who among you here expect to inherit land when you’re older? Who here has seen their relatives
fight over land? Would any of those lands happen to be farmland? If we look at major historical moments in
our country pertaining to agriculture, they usually had something to do with land. Let’s go through the
different periods in Philippine history to see how we ended up this way.
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 1
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 2
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
This Land Registration Act introduced the use of the Torrens system in the country. There would be a land
registration office to keep track of who currently owns which piece of land, and existing landowners could
register their properties with this office to get a Torrens title. Not all landowners were able to comply with
this new system, though. In some cases, they could not afford the costs of registering for a Torrens title. Others
were not aware at all that the new system existed, so descendants later on could not prove their claims of
owning a certain land.
In 1903, a year after the Land Registration Act, the American colonial government announced that they
were buying up the friar estates from the Spanish period, and redistributing these lands to cultivators.
Governor-General William Taft had hoped that this land redistribution would make him look good among
Filipino elites and prevent possible revolts from other Filipinos later on.
The Public Land Act introduced this homestead system, wherein interested persons may apply to acquire
public lands on the condition that they must reside in those lands and cultivate them. Let’s look at the
beginning of this Act below. Take note of who was actually allowed to apply for homesteads.
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 3
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
in shape and not more than eight hundred meters in length; but no person who is the owner of more
than sixteen hectares of land in said islands or who has had the benefits of any gratuitous allotment of
sixteen hectares of land since the acquisition of the Islands by the United States, shall be entitled to the
benefits of this chapter.
Half of the lands meant for redistribution were successfully transferred to landless Filipinos, but the other
half ended up being sold or rented out to American and Filipino business owners. Eventually, this program
failed because many farmers could not afford to maintain their new lands. They would end up borrowing
money from the wealthy landowners, or selling their lands and becoming tenants on these lands that should
have been theirs.
This is important to remember because when our government would try more land reform programs in
the 1980s and 2000s, the same thing still happened.
You might ask: did the government not implement any laws to protect the farmers? Unfortunately, the
American colonial period helped form the ruling class from wealthy business and landowners, so naturally the
laws the ruling class made would favor them over the farmers and tenants.
In 1933, the Rice Share Tenancy Act was passed. Let’s take a look at one of its stipulations. This is from
section 8, the section on share basis.
Let’s flip that sentence around so it makes more sense. The crop harvested from a piece of land shall be
divided equally, 50/50 between the landlord and his tenant or tao, on the following conditions:
o There should be no written contract or agreement containing a different arrangement;
o The tenant should provide the farming tools and work animals needed for planting; and
o All other expenses for the planting and harvesting should have been divided equally between the
landlord and the tenant.
If these conditions were met, only then was the tenant entitled to the same amount of the harvest as the
landowner. As we said earlier, though, most farmers could not afford the maintenance of their lands in the
first place, how much more the costs of tools, seeds, fertilizers, and so on? So they would turn to the wealthy
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 4
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
landowners to borrow money, and at the end of the harvest period, they were not protected by the Rice Share
Tenancy Act.
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 5
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
2. Republic Act No. 9700 — An Act Strengthening the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP),
Extending the Acquisition and Distribution of All Agricultural Lands, Instituting Necessary Reforms,
Amending for the Purpose Certain Provisions of Republic Act No. 6657, otherwise known as the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988, as Amended, and Appropriating Funds Therefor
CARP was meant to run for 10 years, then its funds were extended for another 10 years. When
it was finally due to end in 2008, it was considered unsuccessful. So President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo signed into law Republic Act No. 9700, which created the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER). It extended the original CARP by 5 more years.
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 6
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 7
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
In the case of government officials and employees, a conviction under this Act is without prejudice
to any civil case and/or appropriate administrative proceedings under civil service law, rules and
regulations.
Any person convicted under this Act shall not be entitled to any benefit provided for in any agrarian
reform law or program.
It’s this final provision — section 30 — that allows land redistribution under Republic Act No. 9700 to still
continue to this day, even after the end date of the CARPER.
Even then, genuine agrarian reform continues to be met with obstacles:
o Landowner resistance — in some instances, the landowners file cases against farmers and/or
personnel of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); in other instances, they subdivide their
land among relatives so that it would not be viewed as CARPable land
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 8
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
o Exploitation of CARP/CARPER loopholes — one such loophole is the Stock Distribution Option
(SDO), wherein landowners distribute stock shares of the land to the farmers, instead of
distributing the land itself
o CLOAs given collectively instead of individually — the government might award a collective CLOA
for an undivided chunk of land to speed up the turnover to the beneficiaries, making it difficult for
the farmers to secure their individual rights as landowners
o Attacks against farmers — farmers, especially peasant activists and land-reform activists, are
repeatedly red-tagged and assassinated
STUDY QUESTIONS
You may choose to answer the following questions mentally, or use this opportunity to write your answer
down in a notebook and rest your eyes from the computer screen.
1. How are the emojis on the front page related to today’s lesson? Use your imagination!
2. What is the connection between a) our colonial experience as a whole, and b) the way we think of
land?
3. What is the connection between a) our colonial experience, and b) the way we treat our farmers?
If you’re having difficulty making sense of the questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your teacher and
classmates! J
LEARNING ACTIVITY
Since agrarian is a broad and complex topic, for this learning activity let’s focus on our present situation.
To get an idea of how the CARPER has been implemented and how it has affected Filipino farmers, watch either
of the two pre-selected episodes from the documentary series iWitness.
Reflect on the contents of either documentary. Then answer the question: Should land-based reform
programs like CARP and CARPER be continued into the future? Why or why not?
In order to substantiate your answer, you will need to explore the news portal of
the DAR to get an idea of the department’s recent activities. You can scan the QR code
provided here to open the news portal. While it is easy to give an opinion on the fate
of the CARP and CARPER based solely on emotions from the documentary, it’s still
important to look at the issue objectively, from as many sides as possible.
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 9
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.
HIST 1 STUDY GUIDE | Agrarian Reform
REFERENCES
Abinales, Patricio N., and Donna J. Amoroso. State and Society in the Philippines. 2nd ed. Quezon City: Ateneo
de Manila University Press, [2017].
Aguilar Jr. Filomeno V. “Rice and Magic: A Cultural History from the Precolonial World to the Present.”
Philippine Studies: Historical and Ethnographic Viewpoints 61, no. 3 (2013): 297-330.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42634765.
Crippen, Harlan R. “Philippine Agrarian Unrest: Historical Backgrounds.” Science & Society 10, no. 4 (1946):
337-360. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40399790.
GMA Public Affairs. “I-Witness: 'Gintong Butil,' dokumentaryo ni Sandra Aguinaldo (full episode).” YouTube
video, 30:28. https://youtu.be/VS3Pew4Tatw.
---. “I-Witness: 'Tiempo Muerto,' dokumentaryo ni Atom Araullo (full episode).” YouTube video, 30:23.
https://youtu.be/Y6gq3nWLQx8.
Philippines – Congress of the Philippines. Republic Act No. 9700. 2009.
https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2009/08/07/republic-act-no-9700/.
Philippines – National Assembly. Act No. 4054. 1933. http://www.lis.dar.gov.ph/documents/216.
Philippines – Philippine Commission. Act No. 496. 1902. https://lmb.gov.ph/index.php/93-resources/v-
laws-and-policies/166-acts-2017.
---. Act No. 926. 1903. https://lmb.gov.ph/index.php/93-resources/v-laws-and-policies/166-acts-2017.
Sobritchea, Carolyn I. “The Philippine Peasantry of the Early Colonial Period.” Philippine Sociological Review
29, no. 1/4 (January-December 1981): 17-23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23898417.
Except where otherwise noted, the contents of this Study Guide are licensed to Ena Jessa Kristine Jarales
under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 10
Only for classroom purposes for the Hist 01 subject at Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan.