EVOLUTION OF
AGRARIAN REFORM
IN THE PHILIPPINES
WHAT IS AGRARIAN REFORM?
Agrarian reform is the redistribution of land and other agricultural
assets, generally with the aim of providing "land to the tiller." The basic
idea is that those who work the land should also own it, to ensure that
they benefit from the fruits of their own labor.
Providing impoverished rural people with access and secure rights to
land is central to reducing poverty, empowering poor people and
communities, and promoting both broader economic growth and social
harmony
• There can be different types of agrarian reform
measures like credit measures, integration of land
and training of the farmers. The measures also
focus on securing the rights of the farmers, the
rights of the peasants working on leased land and
aiding them in availing loans from private sectors.
The government must also offer support services to
the farmers which complement the other
measures. They also run campaigns to increase the
camaraderie level between the farmers.
Landownership in the
Philippines Under Spain
● COMMUNAL
OWNERSHIP
OF LAND
● Every member
of the
community has
a right and claim
to the land.
● PUEBLO AGRICULTURE
● Families were not
allowed to own their
land
● King of Spain became
the owner of the
lands
● Cultivate
● Colonial tributes are
paid.
● Law of Indies was
implemented called
Encomienda
System.
● Lands were
awarded to religious
orders,
repartamientos and
Spanish
encomenderos
● Unfair and abusive
“compras y
vandalas”
● HACIENDA SYSTEM
● Exporter of raw
materials
● Importer of goods
● New form of
ownership
● Lands were claimed
and registered in
other people's
names
● Revolts against
the Spanish
Government
were motivated
mainly by
agrarian issues.
Landownership in the
Philippines Under the
Americans
● Land policies
were
implemented
● The Philippine
Bill of 1902
● Act No. 496
(Land
Registration Act)
● Torrens system
● Household
program
● Landownership
did not improve
● No limit to the
size of
landholdings
● Hacienderos were
forced to take the
lands of the
tenants who
cannot pay their
debts.
● Sakdal Uprising
(1935)
POST-WAR Interventions
TOWARDS AGRARIAN
REFORM
PRESIDENT MANUEL
L. ROXAS
• The administration of President Roxas passed Republic Act
No.34
• Republic Act No.34 is to establish 70-30 sharing
agreement 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.
• Respectively, which reduced the interest of landowners'
loans to tenants at six percent or less.
• The government also attempted to redistribute hacienda
lands, falling to prey to the woes of similar attempts since
no support was given to small farmers who were given
PRESIDENT ELPIDIO
QUIRINO
•Under the term of President Elpidio
Quirino, the Land Settlement
Development Corporation(LASEDECO),
was established to accelerate and expand
the resettlement program for peasants.
•And later on this agency became the
National Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Administration(NARRA) under the
administration of President Ramon
Magsaysay.
PRESIDENT RAMON
MAGSAYSAY
• Magsaysay saw the importance of pursuing genuine
land reform program and convinced the congress,
majority of which were landed elites, to pass
legislations to improve the land reform situations.
• Republic Act No.1199- or the Agricultural Tenancy Act
was passed to govern the relationship between
landholders and tenant farmers, protecting the tenurial
rights of tenants and enforced tenancy practices.
• In 1955 the Court of Agricultural Relation was created
to improve tenancy security, fix land rentals of tenanted
farms, and resolve land disputes field by landowners
and peasant organizations.
• The Agricultural Tenancy was also established to
administer problems created by tenancy.
• Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Financing
Administration(ACCFA) was also created mainly
to provide warehouse facilities and assist
farmers in marketing their products.
• The administration spearheaded the
establishment of the Agricultural Bank to
provide easier terms in applying for homestead
and other farmlands.
•NARRA accelerated the government 's
resettlement program and distribution
of agricultural lands to landless tenants
and farmers.
•It also aimed to convince members of
HUKS, a movement of rebels in Central
Luzon, to resettle in areas where they
could restart and their lives as peaceful
citizens.
PRESIDENT DIOSDADO
MACAPAGAL
• A major stride in land reform arrived during the term
of President Diosdado Macapagal through the
Agricultural Land Reform Code, Republic Act No. 3844.
Primary Source: Declaration of Policy Under R.A. 3844
or Agricultural Land Reform Code.
• Source: Section 2. Declaration of Policy of the State:
1. To establish owner-cultivatorship and the
economic family-size farms as the base of
Philippine agriculture, and as a consequence,
divert landlord capital in agriculture and industrial
development;
2. To achieve a dignified existence for the small farmers free
from precious institutional restraints and practices;
3.To create a truly viable and social economic structure in
agriculture conducive for a greater productivity and higher
farm incomes;
4.To apply all labor laws equally and without discrimination to
both industrial and agricultural wage earns;
5.To provide more vigorous and systematic land resettlement
program and public land distribution;
6.To make small farmers more independent, self-reliant and
responsible citizens, and a source of genuine strength in our
democratic society.
•This code abolished share tenancy in the
Philippines and prescribed to convert
tenant-farmers to lessees and later on
owner-cultivators.
•It also aimed to free tenants from
tenancy and emphasize owner-
cultivatorship and farmer independence,
equity, productivity improvement, and
public land distribution.
AGRARIAN LAND REFORM
ON MARCOS
ADMINISTRATION
•In 1972, Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial
Law which help essentially wipe out the
landlord-dominated Congress.
•It was through his “technocrats” that he was
able to expand executive power to start “
fundamental restructuring” of the
government.
•Presidential Decree No.27 or the CARP –
became the core of agrarian reform during
Marcos regime.
• On 10 September 1971, President Ferdinand E.
Marcos signed the Code of Agrarian Reform of the
Philippines into law which established the Department
of Agrarian Reform
• In 1978, the DAR was renamed the Ministry of
Agrarian Reform.
• On 26 July 1987, following the People Power
Revolution, the department was re-organized through
Executive Order (EO) No. 129-A.
• In 1988, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law
created the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program which is also known as CARP.
Primary Source:
Presidential Decree No.27, 21 October 1972.
The tenant farmer , whether in land classified as landed
estate or not, shall be deemed owner of a portion constituting
a family-size farm of five hectares if not irrigated and then
three hectares if irrigated.
The landowner may retain an area of not more than seven
hectares upon cultivation.
For determining the cost of the land to be transferred to the
tenant farmer pursuant , the value of the land shall be
equivalent to two and one-half times the average harvest of
three normal crop years immediately preceding the
promulgation of this Decree.
• The total cost of the land ,including interest at
the rate of six per centum per annum, shall be
paid by the tenant in fifteen years of fifteen
equal annual amortization.
• Under the rice self-sufficiency program
“Masagana ‘99” , farmers were able to barrow
from banks and purchase three-hectare plots of
lands and agricultural inputs. However the
landlord class still found ways to circumvent the
law.
President Marcos enacted the following laws:
• Republic Act No. 6389, (Code of Agrarian Reform) and RA No.
6390 of 1971 -- Created the Department of Agrarian Reform
and the Agrarian Reform Special Account Fund. It
strengthens the position of farmers and expanded the scope
of agrarian reform.
• Presidential Decree No. 2, September 26, 1972 -- Declared
the country under land reform program. It enjoined all
agencies and offices of the government to extend full
cooperation and assistance to the DAR. It also activated the
Agrarian Reform Coordinating Council.
• Presidential Decree No. 27, October 21, 1972
1988 1998 2008
•C A R P E
R
• COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM PROGRAM
EXTENSION WITH REFORMS
• Republic act no. 9700
(CARPER)
• The amendatory law that
extended the deadline of CARP
(Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program) to five (5)
more years.
• Section 30 of the law mandates
that any case and/or proceeding
involving the implementations
of the provisions of CARP.
• PRESIDENT GLORIA
MACAPAGAL ARROYO
• Filipino professor and
politician
• 14th President of the
Philippines
• SHE SIGNED REPUBLIC ACT NO.
9700 IN AUGUST 7, 2009
•GOVERNMEN
T AGENCIES
DAR
D E PA RT M E N T O F
AGRARIAN REFORM
• Department of AGRARIAN REFORM
• Is the executive
department of the
Philippine Government
responsible for the
redistribution of agrarian
land in the Philippines.
•D E N
R D E PA RT M E N T O F
ENVIRONMENT AND
N AT U R A L R E S O U R C E S
• DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT
AND NATURAL RESOURCES
• Is the executive department
of the Philippine government
responsible for governing and
supervising the exploration,
development, utilization, and
conservation of the country's
natural resources.
• CARPER in ACTION
From 2009 to 2014, CARPER has distributed a
total of 1 MILLION hectares of land to 900,000
farmer beneficiaries.
BUT
After 27 years of land reform and two Aquino
administrations, 500,000 hectares of lands
remain undistributed.
• PROBLEMS THAT HINDER
AGRARIAN REFORM
• POWERFUL LANDED ELITE
• Elites who have more power
and authority over these
certain land areas through
the control of wealth.
• INEFFECTUAL BURUEACRACY
• CARP and CARPER were
indeed powerful laws but it
was led by an irresolute and
timid agency head.
•THANK YOU!
