UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MINDANAO

Agrarian Reform Policies

Topic 7
 Topic Outline

• Definition of Agrarian Reform

• Agrarian Reform History

• Definition of CARP and importance

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 Intended Learning Outcomes

• Propose recommendation or solution to socio-

political, economic and cultural problems through
understanding their roots causes and their
anticipation of future scenarios (Agrarian Reform
Policies)

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 Definition of Agrarian Reform
• Includes measures to modernize the agricultural
practices and improving the living conditions of entire
agrarian population.

• Essentially the rectification of the whole system of

agriculture.

• Centered on relationship between production and the

distribution of land among farmers.
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• Agrarian Reform means the redistribution of lands,
regardless of crops or fruits produced to farmers and
regular farmworkers who are landless, irrespective of
tenurial arrangement, to include the totality of factors and
support services designed to lift the economic status of the
beneficiaries and all other arrangements alternative to the
physical redistribution of lands, such as production or profit-
sharing, labor administration, and the distribution of shares
of stocks, which will allow beneficiaries to receive a just
share of the fruits of the lands they work.

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 Republic Act No. 6657
• An act instituting a comprehensive agrarian reform program to
promote social justice and industrialization, providing the mechanism
for its implementation, and for other purposes

• This Act shall be known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law

of 1988.

• The welfare of the landless farmers and farmworkers will receive the
highest consideration to promote social justice and to move the
nation toward sound rural development and industrialization, and the
establishment of owner cultivator ship of economic-size farms as the
basis of Philippine agriculture.
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• With due consideration for the rights of landowners to just
compensation and the ecological needs of the country, a more
equitable distribution and ownership of land must be implemented in
order to give farmers and farmworkers the chance to improve their
quality of life and increase their sense of dignity through increased
productivity of agricultural lands.

• The agrarian reform program is founded on the right of farmers and

regular farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or collectively
the lands they till or, in the case of other farm workers, to receive a
just share of the fruits thereof.

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 Agrarian Reform History
Pre-Spanish Period

• 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 mamamahay
(serfs) and aliping saguiguilid (slaves).
• Despite the existence of different classes in the social
structure, practically everyone had access to the fruits of the
soil.

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 Spanish Period
• 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).

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 American Period
Significant legislation enacted during the American
Period:

• Philippine Bill of 1902 – Set the ceilings on the hectarage of

private individuals and corporations may acquire: 16 has. for
private individuals and 1,024 has. for corporations.

• Land Registration Act of 1902 (Act No. 496) – Provided for a

comprehensive registration of land titles under the Torrens
system.
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• Public Land Act of 1903 – introduced the homestead system
in the Philippines.

• Tenancy Act of 1933 (Act No. 4054 and 4113) – regulated

relationships between landowners and tenants of rice (50-50
sharing) and sugar cane lands.

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 Common Wealth Period
Significant legislation enacted during Commonwealth
Period:

• 1935 Constitution – "The promotion of social justice to ensure

the well-being and economic security of all people should be
the concern of the State“

• Commonwealth Act No. 178 (An Amendment to Rice Tenancy

Act No. 4045), Nov. 13, 1936 – Provided for certain controls in
the landlord-tenant relationships
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• National Rice and Corn Corporation (NARIC), 1936 –
Established the price of rice and corn thereby help the poor
tenants as well as consumers.

• Rural Program Administration, created March 2, 1939 –

Provided the purchase and lease of haciendas and their sale
and lease to the tenants.

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 Japanese Occupation
• “The Era of Hukbalahap”

• 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.

• 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.
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 COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN
REFORM PROGRAM
• Redistribution of public and private agricultural lands to farmers and
farm workers who are landless regardless of tenurial arrangements.
• Aims to promote social justice and industrialization.
• Promote higher incomes and increases the chances of farmer
beneficiary to be non-poor.

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 References
http://www.dar.gov.ph/about-us/agrarian-reform-history/

https://www.land-links.org/country-profile/philippines/

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