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Lesson 5. Agrarian Relations and the Friar Lands

This lesson provides a short history of the dynamics of landownership in the Philippines during Rizal’s
time. It discusses the hacienda system in connection with the existence of friar lands. Specifically, it mentions
conflicts arising from the hacienda system and shows their impacts on Philippine society and on the family of
Rizal as inquilinos.

Lesson Objectives: Vocabulary

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
 Identify the different issues on land ownership
from pre-colonial to colonial period;
 Explain how the Hacienda de Calamba issue serves
as an exemplary illustration of agrarian conflicts in
the late 19th century; and
 Analyse how the hacienda system impacts the
Philippines.
Conquistador – a Spanish conqueror.
Caballeria – a small tract of land included in a land grant.
Sitio de Ganado Mayor – a large tract of land included in
a land grant.
Hacienda – large estates that were used for raising
livestock and agricultural production.
Inquilino – a tenant who rented land from the friars and
subleased land to sharecroppers.
Sharecropper – an individual who rented the land from an
inquilino and worked the land.

Getting Started:

In 1891, Jose Rizal was in Hongkong when he received distressing news about his family who were, at
the same time, involved in a court case concerning the Hacienda de Calamba. He heard that the Spanish
authorities were summoning his mother, Doña Teodora, and two younger sisters, Josefa and Trinidad, for
further investigation. In a show of support, he wrote to his family, “I am following your cavalry step by step, I
am doing all I can… Patience, a little patience. Courage!”

Scholars and students of history agree that the conflict between his family and the Dominicans over the
hacienda greatly affected Rizal.

History of the Friar Lands

The existence of friar lands in the Philippines can be traced back to the early Spanish colonial period
when Spanish conquistadors were awarded lands in the form of haciendas for their loyalty to the Spanish

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crown. Approximately 120 Spaniards were granted either large tracts of land called sitio de ganado mayor or
smaller tracts of land called caballerias.

However, the hacienderos, those who owned the haciendas, failed to develop their lands. One reason is
that the Spaniards were not expected to permanently stay in the Philippines. Many of them returned to Spain
once they were done serving in the country. Second reason is that the livestock market during this time was still
small. Third reason is that the Galleon Trade based in Manila, appealed more to the Spaniards because it
offered better economic opportunities.

The Spanish friars were able to acquire land through whatever means available to them. According to
the sources, lands were donated to the friars in exchange for spiritual favors. Many Filipinos believed that the
friars had no titles to the lands they owned because they acquired them through usurpation and other dubious
means.

When the exports of agricultural crops started to blossom in the 18 th century, the inquilinato system was
put into place. In this system, one who rented land for a fixed annual amount. an inquilino, was expected to
give personal services to the landlords. If he or she failed to do so, he or she would be expelled from the land.
The inquilinos could also leased the land they were renting from the landlord to a kasama or sharecropper who
would then be responsible for cultivating the land. The inquilinato system functioned as a three-layered system
with the landlords on top, the inquilinos in the middle, and the kasamas at the bottom.

Hacienda de Calamba Dispute

The Hacienda de Calamba was originally owned by a Spaniard, Don Manuel Jauregui, who donated
the land to Jesuit friars to allow him to permanently stay in the Jesuit monastery. However, since the Jesuits
were expelled from the Philippines, the hacienda went to the possession of the Spanish colonial government. In
1803, the land was sold to Don Clemente de Azansa. After his death, it was eventually sold to the Dominicans
who claimed the ownership of the hacienda until the late 19th century.

Rizal’s family house became one of the principal inquilinos of the hacienda. They rented one of the
largest leased parcels of land measuring approximately 380 hectares. The main crop was sugarcane since it was
the most in-demand in the world market then. The Rizal family got their income mainly from the land they

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rented. However, when conflicts on land ownership in the hacienda arose in 1883, the family evidently
suffered.

Summary

 This lesson showed the historical context behind this incident that played a pivotal role in Rizal’s life.
 It provided a brief history of friar states in the Philippines and looked closely into the Hacienda de
Calamba conflict.

References:

Obias, R., Mallari, A. & Estella, J. (2018), The Life and Works of Jose Rizal, C& E Publishing, Inc.,
Clemente, J. & Cruz, G. (2019), The Life and Works of Rizal Outcome-Based Module, C& E Publishing, Inc.,
Crudo, E., Guiwa, H. & Pawilen, R. (2019), A Course Module for The Life, Works, and Writings of Jose Rizal,
Rex Bookstore, Inc.,

Learning Module on The Life and Works of Jose Rizal