Republic of the Philippines

CENTRAL BICOL STATE UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE

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Republic Act No. 6657

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law
(CARL)
What is R.A 6657?
Republic Act No. 6657, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Law (CARL). It is the redistribution of private and public agricultural lands
to help the beneficiaries survive as small independent farmers, regardless of the
“tenurial” arrangement.

AN ACT INSTITUTING A COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM

PROGRAM TO PROMOTE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INDUSTRIALIZATION,
PROVIDING THE MECHANISM FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES
Who signed the agrarian reform law?
On June 10, 1988, former President Corazon C. Aquino signed into law
Republic Act No. 6657 or otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Law (CARL). The law become effective on June 15, 1988.
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, more commonly

known as CARP, is an agrarian reform law of the Philippines whose legal basis
is the Republic Act No. 6657

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 COMREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM ALW OF 1988, AS AMENDED, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR
 The agrarian reform program is founded on the right or farmers and
regular farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or collectively the land
they till or, in the case of other farmworkers, to receive a just share of the fruits
thereof.

OBJECTIVE
- Its objectives or goals are to promote industrialization and full employment,
promote social justice and equity, food security, and poverty alleviation in the
countryside.
 "SEC. 4. Scope. — The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988
shall cover, regardless of tenurial arrangement and commodity produced, all
public and private agricultural lands as provided in Proclamation No. 131 and
Executive Order No. 229, including other lands of the public domain suitable for
agriculture: Provided, That landholdings of landowners with a total area of five
(5) hectares and below shall not be covered for acquisition and distribution to
qualified beneficiaries.
"More specifically, the following lands are covered by the CARP:
"(a) All alienable and disposable lands of the public domain devoted to or suitable
for agriculture.
"(b) All lands of the public domain in excess of the specific limits as determined by
Congress
"(c) All other lands owned by the Government devoted to or suitable for agriculture;
and
"(d) All private lands devoted to or suitable for agriculture regardless of the
agricultural products raised or that can be raised thereon.
 In accordance with Section 6, Article XIII of the Constitution; all public
agricultural lands which are to be opened for new development and resettlement;
and all private agricultural lands of landowners with aggregate landholdings: above
twenty-four (24) hectares up to fifty (50) hectares which have already been
subjected to a notice of coverage issued, to implement principally the rights of
farmers and regular farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or collectively
the lands they till, which shall be distributed immediately upon the effectivity of this
Act; and
"(b) All remaining private agricultural lands of landowners with
aggregate landholdings in excess of twenty-four (24) hectares, regardless as to
whether these have been subjected to notices of coverage or not.
 "SEC. 22-A. Order of Priority. — A landholding of a landowner shall be
distributed first to qualified beneficiaries under Section 22, subparagraphs (a)
and (b) of that same landholding up to a maximum of three (3) hectares each.
Only when these beneficiaries have all received three (3) hectares each, shall
the remaining portion of the landholding, if any, be distributed to other
beneficiaries under Section 22, subparagraphs (c), (d), (e), (f), and (g)."
 "SEC. 25. Award Ceilings for Beneficiaries. — Beneficiaries shall be
awarded an area not exceeding three (3) hectares, which may cover a
contiguous tract of land or several parcels of land cumulated up to the prescribed
award limits. The determination of the size of the land for distribution shall
consider crop type, soil type, weather patterns and other pertinent variables or
factors which are deemed critical for the success of the beneficiaries.

"For purposes of this Act, a landless beneficiary is one who owns less
than three (3) hectares of agricultural land.
 "SEC. 26. Payment by Beneficiaries. — Lands awarded pursuant to this
Act shall be paid for by the beneficiaries to the LBP in thirty (30) annual
amortizations at six percent (6%) interest per annum. The annual amortization
shall start one (1) year from the date of the certificate of land ownership award
registration. However, if the occupancy took place after the certificate of land
ownership award registration, the amortization shall start one (1) year from
actual occupancy.
 "SEC. 27. Transferability of Awarded Lands. — Lands acquired by
beneficiaries under this Act or other agrarian reform laws shall not be sold,
transferred or conveyed except through hereditary succession, or to the
government, or to the LBP, or to other qualified beneficiaries through the DAR for a
period of ten (10) years: Provided, however, That the children or the spouse of the
transferor shall have a right to repurchase the land from the government or LBP
within a period of two (2) years.
"If the land has not yet been fully paid by the beneficiary, the rights to the land may
be transferred or conveyed, with prior approval of the DAR, to any heir of the
beneficiary or to any other beneficiary who, as a condition for such transfer or
conveyance, shall cultivate the land himself/herself. Failing compliance herewith, the
land shall be transferred to the LBP.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11953

AN ACT EMANCIPATING AGRARIAN REFORM BENEFICIARIES FROM FINANCIAL

BURDEN BY CONDONING ALL PRINCIPAL LOANS, UNPAID AMORTIZATIONS AND
INTERESTS AND EXEMPTING PAYMENT OF ESTATE TAX ON AGRICULTURAL LANDS
AWARDED UNDER THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM PROGRAM

The New Agrarian Emancipation Act, officially designated as Republic Act No. 11953,
is a bill passed by the 19th Congress of the Philippines and signed by President Bongbong
Marcos on July 7, 2023.
Republic Act No. 11953 specifically condones the unpaid amortization, interest,
surcharge, and penalties of existing loans of farmers tilling more than 1 million hectares of land,
incurred by the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARB) under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program (CARP), condoning the P57.557 billion debt of 610,054 farmers.
 SEC. 4. Coverage. - For purposes of this Act, the term Agrarian Reform
Beneficiaries (ARBs) shall refer to farmers or farmworkers who were granted
lands under Presidential Decree No. 27, Republic Act No. 6657, as amended,
and Republic Act No. 9700, and who have outstanding loan balances payable to
the LBP and to private landowners as of the effectivity of this Act.
 SEC. 10. Disqualification of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Due to
Acts and Omissions Constituting Violations of Agrarian Reform Laws. - Any
person convicted by final judgment of any of the prohibited acts and omissions
under Section 73 and meted any of the penalties under Section 74 of Republic
Act No. 6657, as amended, is disqualified to avail of the benefits under this Act.
Disqualification shall likewise result as an outcome of a determination by final
judgment that the ARB, in violation of Section 22 of Republic Act No. 6657, as
amended, willfully refused to make the awarded land as productive as possible
or deliberately neglected or abandoned the awarded land continuously for a
period of two (2) calendar years.
Philippine Republic
“The New Republic”
After the establishment of the Philippine Independence in 1946, the problems of land
tenure remained. These became worst in certain areas. Thus the Congress of the Philippines
revised the tenancy law.

President Manuel A. Roxas (1946-1948) enacted the following laws:

 Republic Act No. 34 -- Established the 70-30 sharing arrangements and regulating share-
tenancy contracts.
 Republic Act No. 55 -- Provided for a more effective safeguard against arbitrary ejectment of
tenants.

Elpidio R. Quirino (1948-1953) enacted the following law:

Executive Order No. 355 issued on October 23, 1950 -- Replaced the National Land
Settlement Administration with Land Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO)
Ramon Magsaysay (1953-1957) enacted the following laws:

• Republic Act No. 1160 of 1954 -- Abolished the LASEDECO and established the National
Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) to resettle dissidents and landless
farmers.
• Republic Act No. 1199 (Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954)
• Republic Act No. 1400 (Land Reform Act of 1955) -- Created the Land Tenure Administration
(LTA)
• Republic Act No. 821 (Creation of Agricultural Credit Cooperative Financing Administration)

President Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1961)

Continued the program of President Ramon Magsaysay. No new legislation passed.

President Diosdado P. Macapagal (1961-1965) enacted the following law:

• Republic Act No. 3844 of August 8, 1963 (Agricultural Land Reform Code)

President Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965-1986)

• Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972 ushered the Period of the New Society. Five
days after the proclamation of Martial Law, the entire country was proclaimed a land reform
area and simultaneously the Agrarian Reform Program was decreed.

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.
• Presidential Decree No. 2, September 26, 1972
• Presidential Decree No. 27, October 21, 1972
President Corazon C. Aquino (1986-1992)

• Executive Order No. 228, July 16, 1987

• Executive Order No. 229, July 22, 1987
• Proclamation No. 131, July 22, 1987
• Executive Order No. 129-A, July 26, 1987
• Republic Act No. 6657, June 10, 1988 (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law)
• Executive Order No. 405, June 14, 1990
• Executive Order No. 407, June 14, 1990

President Fidel V. Ramos (1992-1998)

President Fidel V. Ramos enacted the following laws:

 Republic Act No. 7881, 1995

 Republic Act No. 7905, 1995
 Executive Order No. 363, 1997 Republic Act No. 8435, 1997 (Agriculture and Fisheries
Modernization Act AFMA)
 Republic Act 8532, 1998 (Agrarian Reform Fund Bill)
President Joseph E. Estrada (1998-2000)
President Joseph E. Estrada initiated the enactment of the following law:

• Executive Order N0. 151, September 1999 (Farmer’s Trust Fund)

• During his administration, President Estrada launched the Magkabalikat Para sa Kaunlarang
Agraryo or MAGKASAKA.

President Gloria Macapacal-Arroyo (2000-2010)

• Land Tenure Improvement
• Provision of Support Services
• Infrastrucre Projects
• KALAHI ARZone
• Agrarian Justice
President Benigno Aquino III (2010-2016)
• Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS)
project
• Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP)
• The legal case monitoring system (LCMS)
• Executive Order No. 26, Series of 2011

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte (2016 –2022)

• Directed the DAR to launch the 2nd phase of agrarian reform
• Placed 400 hectares of agricultural lands in Boracay under CARP.
CONCLUSION

Agrarian reform play an important part to create a strong economy in a developing

country with majority populations survive on agriculture production. The redistribution of land to
landless and land-poor rural families is one of the most important measures to be taken to foster
rural development. The offer of Land ownership provide flexibilities to millions of tillers. Culturally,
agrarian reform is basically a social justice program which uplifts and affirms the inherent dignity
of people.

CARL is the most comprehensive agrarian reform law because it covers all private and
public lands and other lands suitable for agriculture regardless of tenurial agreement and crops
produced. The law also adopted various progressive provisions needed by small and marginal
farmers to have equitable land. Aside from transfer of ownership, it also provides access to
support services to ensure that socio-economic improvement of the program beneficiaries is
achieved.