AME R I C AN PE R I OD (1898-1935)

AGRARIAN
REFORM
POLICIES
“Long live America”
 DID YOU KNOW?
DU RI N G T HE  AM ER I CA N CO LONI A L P ERI OD , T E NA NT FA RM E RS
C OM PL AI NE D ABOU T T H E S H A RE CROP PI N G S Y S T EM , A S W EL L A S BY
T H E D RAM AT I C I NC RE AS E IN POP UL AT ION W H I CH AD DE D
EC ONOM IC PRE S S U RE T O T HE T EN AN T FA RM ERS ' FAM I LI E S .

R EAL I ZIN G T H AT BEI N G L A N DL E S S WA S T H E M A IN C A U SE OF

S OC I AL U NR ES T AN D RE VOLT AT TH AT T I M E, T H E A M E RI C AN S
S OU G HT T O PU T AN E ND T O T H E M I S E RA BL E C ON DI T I ON S OF T H E
T EN ANT TI L L ER S AN D SM A LL FA RM ER S BY PA S S IN G S E V ERA L L AN D
POL I CI E S TO W ID EN T H E BA S E OF S M A L L L A NDH OL DI N GS A ND
D IS T RI BU T E L AND OW NE RS H IP A M O NG TH E G RE ATE R NU M BER OF
FIL I PI N O T E NA N T S A ND FA RM ERS .

AS A R ES ULT, AN AG RAR I AN R EF OR M PR OGRAM WAS

INI TI ATE D BY TH E COM MO NWEALTH
 AMERICAN INFLUENCE IN THE
PHILIPPINES LASTED FOR ANOTHER
FOUR
The American influence DECADES.
era saw little change in the patterns of elite-
dominated politics in the Philippines. Although colonial administrators
acknowledged the negative consequences of the prevailing patterns of
landownership and distribution of wealth, little was done to address these
issues.
AGRARIAN REFORM
AGRARIAN REFO RM M EANS RED ISTRIBUTIO N O F
L AN DS, R EGARDLESS O F CRO PS OR FRU ITS
PRO DUC ED , TO FARMER S AND REGUL AR
FA RM W ORKERS W HO ARE L AN DLESS,
INCLU DING TH E TO TALITY OF FAC TOR S AND
SUPPO RT SERVICES DESIGN ED TO LIFT TH E
ECON OM IC STATUS O F TH E BENEFICIARIES.
AGRARIAN REFORM
AL L O TH ER AR RA N GE M EN TS A LTE R N AT I VE T O
TH E P H YS I C A L R E D I S TR IB U T I O N O F L AN D S ,
SU C H A S P R O D U C TI O N O R P R O F I T- S H A R I N G ,
L A BO R AD M I N IS T RATI O N , AN D T H E
D I S TR IB U T I O N O F SH A R ES O F S TO C K S , S H O U L D
AL LO W B E N E FI C IA R I E S TO R E C E I VE A J U S T
SH A R E O F TH E FR U IT S O F T H E L AN D S T H E Y
WORK.
 SIGNIFICANT LEGISLATION ENACTED
DURING THE AMERICAN PERIOD:

Philippine Bill of Land Registration Public Land Act of Tenancy Act of

1902 Act of 1902 (Act 1903 1933 (Act No. 4054
No. 496) and 4113)
PHILIPPINE BILL
OF 1902
This law provided regulations on the disposal
of public lands wherein a private individual can
own 16 hectares of land while the corporate
land holdings can avail of 1, 024 hectares. This
also gave the rights to the Americans to own
agricultural lands.
 LAND REGISTRATION
ACT OF 1902 (ACT NO.
496)
PR OV I D E D F OR A COMP R E H E N SI V E
R E GI STRATI ON OF L A N D T I TL E S UN D E R T H E
TOR R E N S SYST E M. !

THE TORRENS SYSTEM IS THE SYSTEM THAT THE AMER ICANS

INSTITUTED FOR THE REGISTRATION O F L ANDS.

IT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM COM PLETELY. EITHER THEY WER E
NOT AWA RE OF THE L AW OR IF THEY DID, THEY COU LD NOT PAY
THE SURVEY COST AND OTHER FEES REQUIR ED IN APPLYING FO R A
TOR RENS TITLE.
 The Homestead Acts were several laws in the
United States by which an applicant could
acquire ownership of government land or the

PUBLIC LAND public domain, typically called a homestead. 

ACT OF 1903 This was an expression of wanting individual

farmers to own and operate their own farms, as
introduced the homestead
opposed to slave-owners who wanted to buy up
system in the Philippines.
large tracts of land and use slave labor.
 This program allowed an enterprising tenant to
acquire a farm of at least 16 hectares to
cultivate. However, the program was not
implemented nationwide and was introduced
only in some parts of Mindanao and Northern

PUBLIC LAND
Luzon, where there were available public
alienable and disposable lands.

ACT OF 1903 There was no limit on the size of landholdings

introduced the homestead one could possess. Landholdings were once
system in the Philippines. again concentrated in the hands of fewer
individuals who can afford to buy, register, and
acquire fixed titles of their properties. Hence,
more lands were placed under tenancy.
 THE RI C E TEN AN CY AC T ( P UB LI C AC T N O. 40 54 )
OF 19 33 , ALSO F OS TER E D BY TH E AM ER I C A N
ADM I N I ST RAT I ON , PR OV I D ED FOR A 5 0- 50
S HAR I N G A RRAN GE M E N T B ETW EE N THE
TE N AN T AN D T HE L A N D OW N ER , A 1 0 P ERC EN T
I N T ER ES T C E ILI N G ON LOA N S BY THE T EN A N TS ,

TENANCY ACT
A N D THE N ON - DIS M I SS A L OF T EN A N TS ON
T EN U OUS G R OU N DS .

OF 1933 (ACT ON E OF THE P R OVI SI O N S, HO W EVE R , WAS

T HAT T HE M AJ OR I TY OF T HE M U N I C I PAL
NO. 4054 AND C OU N C I L M EM BER S SHO ULD P E TI T IO N FO R THE
I M PLE ME N TATI ON OF THE L AW I N THE I R P L AC E

4113) ( ADR I AN O, 19 91 ) . I T IS UN C L EAR HO W M AN Y

C OUN C I LS DI D I N DE ED P ET I TI O N SUC H
I MP LEM EN TAT I ON BU T T HER E I S EVI D EN C E
THAT GOVE RN ME N TS FAVOR ED A M EL I ORATI V E
ME AS UR ES RAT HER THA N R ED I ST R I BUT I VE
ON ES .
AMER ICAN COLONI ZER S ATTEMPTED TO
ESTABLISH L AND REFORM MEASURES I N THE
P HI LIPP INES FOR THE FIRS T TI ME IN THE
1930S.

THE FIRST EFFORT, INI TIATED DURING THE

WILLIAM H. TAFT ADMINIS TRATI ON, WA S A BL E
TO P URCHASE 166, 000 HECTARES OF FRI AR
L ANDHOLDI NGS TO BE D ISTRIBUTED TO
ABOUT 60, 000 TENANTS.

HOWEVER , I T HAS BEEN REPORTED TH AT

BEC AUSE OF THE TENANTS’ I GNORA NCE OF
THE L AW AND THE COLONI AL GOV ERNMENT’ S
P OLI CY OF SELLI NG THE L ANDS AT A V ERY
HIGH P RIC E, THE BULK OF THESE ESTATES
WENT TO AMERI CAN FI RMS, BUSI NESSMEN,
AND L AND LORDS ( ADRIANO, 199 1) .
THE RE WER E WI DE SPR EAD PEAS ANT
UPR IS INGS , HEADED BY TH E AR MED
PEAS ANTS ’ GR O UPS KNOW N AS
CO LO R UM AN D S AKDALISTA OF LUZON
AND N ORT HEAS TER N MINDANAO
R ESPECT IVELY.

THE SE U PR IS INGS R ESU LTED T O SOCIAL

DISO R DER IN 1920’S AND 1930’S.
HENCE, MO R E MILI TANT PEAS ANTS AND
WOR KER S’ OR G ANIZATIO NS BONDED
TO GET HER F O R A MO R E CO LLECTIVE
ACT IO N AGAI NST T HE ABU SES OF
L AN DLO R DS AND UNJU ST
L AN DO WN ERS HIP S ITUATIO N.

THIS GAVE BIRTH TO THE

C OMMUN IS T PARTY OF TH E
PHIL IP PINES.
 SAKDALISTA
( TAG ALOG : S A KDA L R EVOLT
“AC C U S E” ) The Sakdal Uprising was a
During the early 1930s the brief peasant rebellion in
Sakdals seemed to draw the agricultural area of
inspiration from Gandhi’s central Luzon, Philippines,
noncooperation movement in on the night of May 2–3,
India and urged 1935. Though quickly
nonparticipation in crushed, the revolt of the
government, boycott of Sakdals (or Sakdalistas)
elections, and withholding of warned of Filipino peasant
taxes. frustration with the
oppressive land tenancy
situation.
The Sakdal movement was founded in
1930 by Benigno Ramos, a discontented
former government clerk.
Drawing strength from illiterate, landless
peasants, the movement advocated a
drastic reduction of taxes on the poor
and a radical land reform, including a
breakup of the large estates.
It also opposed the policy of the
dominant Nacionalista Party of accepting
gradual independence from the United
States, demanding instead immediate
severance of all Philippine-American ties.
 COLORUM
T H E OR I G I N OF T H E T E R M C OLOR U M A ND TH E C OLOR U M
M OV E M E NT I S T RAC E D T O T HE S PA NI S H R E GI M E WH EN,
I N 184 3, A P OL I NA R I O D E L A C R UZ , F OU NDE D TH E
C OF RA D I A D E S A N J OS E I N T H E P R OV I NC E OF TAYA BA S
(NOW QU E Z ON) .C H A RAC TE R I S T I C T OWA R D FI LI PI NOS,
T H E D OM I NI C A N C ONV E NT C LOS E D T H E I R D OOR S TO
H I M A ND U NA BL E T O J OI N A L E G I T I M AT E R ELI GI OU S
OR D E R , D E L A C R UZ DE CI D E D T O OR G A NI Z E ONE OF H I S
OW N.
 TAYUG UPRISING
The Tayug uprising, also known as the Sociedad ti Mannalam (land tenants)
ti Sinamauay (mutual organization for improvement of barrio conditions).

The Primero General of this society was Calosa, a then 34-year old farmer.

The Tayug uprising on January 11, 1931, was a revolt against the feudal
system that lasted for only a day. About 70 peasants, armed with bolos,
attacked the constabulary garrison and burned the records of taxes, land
titles, debts, and tenancy contracts as their sign of protest. Five Americans,
two officers and three enlisted men were killed together with over a dozen
rebels.
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THANK
YOU