The document provides an overview of the historical development and challenges of agrarian reform programs in the Philippines from the Spanish period to present day. It discusses the various laws and initiatives implemented under different administrations to reform land ownership and the tenant-landlord system. However, many of the programs faced challenges including lack of funding, non-compliance from landlords, failure to fully implement redistribution goals, and insufficient support for farmer beneficiaries. As a result, agrarian reform in the Philippines remains an ongoing issue.

1. TOPIC LESSON FOR 18 April 2023
Module 03
Learning Packet 02
Success and Failures of the Philippine Agrarian Reform Programs
INTRODUCTION:
Agrarian reform is one of the hottest issues hounding the Philippines since the Spanish
period. The basic principles of a genuine, meaningful and sustainable agrarian reform
program are enshrined in the long history of agrarian unrest and rural social movements that
have punctuated the country’s experience since colonial times. These core principles are not
translated in the real agricultural landscape of the Philippines between the tenants and the
landlords. There are many laws enacted relative to this but ironically until now, the major
issues concerning agrarian reform has not been fully addressed. The role of agrarian reform
to the development of our country is very critical and this can be achieving with the genuine
implementation of the agrarian reform laws.
OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:
1. Discuss the historical and legislation development of agrarian reform programs;
2. Identify core issues related to agrarian reform policies and initiatives of every
administration;
3. Cite the important role of agrarian reform programs in the Philippine economic
development.

2. READINGS:
This topic attempts to provide a historical presentation on how land reform in the Philippines
has progressed beginning from the colonial rule up to the present time. It emphasizes on
agricultural lands where agrarian relations between farm owners/landlords/corporations and
tenants/ farm workers exist. This unique agrarian relation after all has been the root of unrest
and political debacles for centuries. Given this view, this topic raises the question: Is land
reform program a failure as a policy? Or it is just deficient in its content to achieve the goals.
And this topic emphasizes on the still significance of land reform within the agrarian
development framework and in tackling poverty issue and equity consideration.
Land issues have a centuries-long history in the Philippines, beginning from the colonial time
of Spanish regime in 1500s up to the EDSA2 revolution period in 1986. In each period of
colonialism and independence, access to and power over land has played a decisive part in
political reality. The agrarian issues were decided presumably upon the well-being of farm
households and acceptance of political leadership especially in the midst of rural unrest,
despite the fact that every colonial power and government followed land policies differing in
terms of emphasis and prioritization. In regard to the many regime changes that the country
has undergone in the last century, the legislation effort led to the accumulation of a diverse
set of land policies, laws, and programs either complementary or opposing to each other. The
succeeding sections impart this fact as it conveys the origin of agrarian structures, early
agrarian reform measures in various political regimes, and the present CARP agenda of the
government.
THE PHILIPPINE AGRARIAN PROGRAMS LEGISLATION DEVELOPMENT
Spanish Period: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 The creation of Encomienderos he must defend his encomienda from external attack,
maintain peace and order within and support the missionaries.
 It has the right to acquire the right to collect tribute from the Indios (native).

3. Spanish Period: Agrarian Program Challenges
 The degenerated into the abuse of power by the Encomienderos.
 The tribute soon became land rents to a few powerful landlords.
 The natives who once cultivated the lands in freedom were transformed into mere
share tenants.
American Period: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 Philippine Bill of 1902 also known as Cooper Act, it provided a Bill of Rights for the
Filipinos that protected their rights: to live, to acquire property, to practice their
religion, to be subjected to due process, to exercise their obligations, to enjoy
compensations due to them, and freedom of expression
 Rice Tenancy Act of 1933 (Act No. 4054 and 4113) – regulated relationships between
landowners and tenants of rice (50-50 sharing) and sugar cane lands.
American Period: Agrarian Program Challenges
 After the eight years of the Philippines Bill of 1902, despite the prohibition of
landholdings larger than 1,024 hectares, shows that it was not completely
implemented. As a consequence, big plantations emerged in Visayas and Mindanao
islands. They concentrated on export crop production and were operated by
corporations accompanied by a breakdown of the paternalistic structure in tenant—
landlord relationships.
 The share tenancy with sharing arrangements of 50 by 50 percent, or sometimes lower
for the tenant, persisted as the major form of land tenure in rural farming.
 In Land Reform Act the majority of tenants within one estate had to petition for
redistribution and given the power relations within haciendas, the landowners could
easily avoid major petitioning.
Japanese Occupation: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 HUKBALAHAP (Hukbo ng Bayan Lab an sa Hapon) a peasants and worker
organizations grew strength.
 Those who supported the Huks earned fixed rentals in favor of the tenants.
Japanese Occupation: Agrarian Program Challenges
 The landlords who supported the Japanese lost their lands to peasants. • The end of
the war also signaled the end of gains acquired by peasants.
Manuel A. Roxas: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 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.
Manuel A. Roxas: Agrarian Program Challenges
 President Roxas also negotiated for the purchase of 8,000 hectares of lands in
Batangas owned by Ayala Zobel Family. These were sold to landless farmers.

4.  Due to lack of support facilities, these farmers were forced to resell their lands to the
landowning class. This failure gave basis to doubt the real meaning of land reform
program.
Elpidio R. Quirino: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 Executive Order No. 355 issued on October 23, 1950 – Replaced the National Land
Settlement Administration with Land Settlement Development Corporation
(LASEDECO) which takes over the responsibilities of the Agricultural Machinery
Equipment Corporation and the Rice and Corn Production Administration.
Elpidio R. Quirino: Agrarian Program Challenges
 Due to the limited post-war resources, the program was not successful.
Ramon F. Magsaysay: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 Republic Act No. 1199 (Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954) -- governed the
relationship between landowners and tenant farmers by organizing sharetenancy and
leasehold system. The law provided the security of tenure of tenants. It also created
the Court of Agrarian Relations.
 Republic Act No. 1400 (Land Reform Act of 1955) -- Created the Land Tenure
Administration (LTA) which was responsible for the acquisition and distribution of
large tenanted rice and corn lands over 200 hectares for individuals and 600 hectares
for corporations.
Ramon F. Magsaysay: Agrarian Program Challenges
 Out of the targeted 300 haciendas for distribution, only 41 were distributed after its 7
years of implementation. This was due to the lack of funds and inadequate support
services provided by these programs.
 Landlords continued to be uncooperative and critical to the program, the
landownership and tenancy continues.
Diosdado P. Macapagal: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 Republic Act No. 3844 of August 8, 1963 (Agricultural Land Reform Code) --
Abolished share tenancy, institutionalized leasehold, set retention limit at 75 hectares,
invested rights of preemption and redemption for tenant farmers, provided for an
administrative machinery for implementation, institutionalized a judicial system of
agrarian cases, incorporated extension, marketing and supervised credit system of
services of farmer- beneficiaries.
Diosdado P. Macapagal: Agrarian Program Challenges
 The landed Congress did not provide effort to come up with a separate bill to provide
funding for its implementation.
 This law was never implemented as Magcapagal‘s term ended after it was enacted and
replaced by Presidential Decree (PD) 27 in 1972, the agrarian reform program of the
Marcos Administration.
Ferdinand E. Marcos: Agrarian Program Accomplishments

5.  A land reform commission was formed, and the CARL, otherwise known as RA 6657,
with its implementing program the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
(CARP) was enacted in 1988.
 The total original area to be covered by CARP was 10.3 million hectares, one-third of
the country ‘s land area of 30 million hectares. As a result of CARP Scope Validation,
the covered area was reduced to 8.169 million hectares to be distributed among the
4.5 million beneficiaries.
Ferdinand E. Marcos: Agrarian Program Challenges
 The reform laws contained legal loopholes that gave landlords the opportunity to have
their lands be exempted, if not delaying the inclusion, through legal means. This fact
gave rise to rural unrest that peaked up at the time of Marcos.
 The martial law gave them the opportunity to register the lands under their name and
establish vast haciendas.
Corazon C. Aquino: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 Executive Order No. 228, July 16, 1987 – Declared full ownership to qualified
farmer-beneficiaries covered by PD 27. It also determined the value remaining
unvalued rice and corn lands subject of PD 27.
 Executive Order No. 229, July 22, 1987 – Provided mechanism for the
implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).
 Republic Act No. 6657, June 10, 1988 (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law) – An
act which became effective June 15, 1988 and instituted a comprehensive agrarian
reform program to promote social justice and industrialization providing the
mechanism for its implementation and for other purposes. This law is still the one
being implemented at present.
Corazon C. Aquino: Agrarian Program Challenges
 Issues in the absence of a clear-cut guidelines that would answer problems on land use
conversion. Minimal efforts were exerted to discouraged and/or prevent the
conversion of lands into other use.
 It experienced budgetary shortfall due to low remittances from the Asset Privatization
Trust and the Presidential Commission on Good Government.
 This administration also experienced constant changes in DAR leadership. This led to
lack of continuity of priority, programs, and projects.
 Allegation on the lack of political wills leadership and genuine commitment to
implement the program. Critics say that the President could have implemented a
genuine agrarian reform program because of her revolutionary powers after People
Power I.
Fidel V. Ramos: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 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.
 The passage of RA 8532 which extended the land reform program for another ten
years (1998-2008) and the provision of more public funds to support its
implementation amounting to Php 50 billion (US$ 909.09 million).

6. Fidel V. Ramos: Agrarian Program Challenges
Failure in enforcing the installation of some farmer beneficiaries on awarded lands an issue
for this administration.
 Some sectors also complained on the slowness of this administration in the acquisition
and distribution of privately owned lands. Although this administration was credited
for having the biggest accomplishment in terms of LAD, critics say this is because the
land acquired and distributed were more on public lands and rice and corn lands.
Joseph E. Estrada: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 Initiated the passage of Executive Order 151 that allowed farmers to access long-term
capital from the formal lending institutions.
Joseph E. Estrada: Agrarian Program Challenges
 Fiscal constrains encountered by this administration resulted to the unpaid or delayed
payment of landowners covered under the compulsory acquisition and VOS schemes.
 There were also issues on inter and intra ARBs conflicts due to arguments for control
over negotiations with prospective joint venture partners, some of which became
violent.
Gloria M. Arroyo: Agrarian Program Challenges
 Due to bureaucratic slowness, the total percentage of accomplishment was recorded at
around 80 percent against the total land for redistribution. Without other alternative,
Arroyo and her allies in congress extended the program.
 The RA 9700 is considered as the funding figures the costly land reform in the
Philippine history.
Benigno S. Aquino: Agrarian Program Accomplishments
 Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services
(ARCCESS) project were created to contribute to the overall goal of rural poverty
reduction especially in agrarian reform areas.
 Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP) provided credit support for crop
production to newly organized and existing agrarian reform beneficiaries’
organizations (ARBOs) and farmers’ organizations not qualified to avail themselves
of loans under the regular credit windows of banks.
 The legal case monitoring system (LCMS), a web
—based legal system for recording and monitoring various kinds of agrarian cases at
the provincial, regional and central offices of the DAR to ensure faster resolution and
close monitoring of agrarian-related cases, was also launched.
—Executive Order No. 26, Series of 2011, to mandate the Department of Agriculture-
Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Department of Agrarian Reform
Convergence Initiative to develop a National Greening Program in cooperation with
other government agencies.
Benigno S. Aquino: Agrarian Program Challenges
 With only two years left before the agrarian reform program expires, his government
will likely fail to distribute the remaining bulk of 1 million hectares of agricultural

7. lands. These include big contentious landholdings controlled by the elite in the
Philippines, including his family’s Hacienda Luisita”.
 The government clearly fails to protect, respect and fulfil their right to adequate food
as it shows no sign of taking land distribution seriously.
 The farmer leaders have stated that there is still an opportunity for the current
administration to turn the wheel around and erase its reputation as “the worst”
performer in land reform.
GENERALIZATION:
It is true that Philippines is very rich in natural resources, however agricultural sector needs
more attention. Generally, farmers in this country are below poverty line, thus, it is high time
that the practice of share tenancy must advance to owner-cultivator. This change will
eventually improve the living conditions of the farmers, as they themselves will become
taking an active role in social and economic progress.
ACTIVITY
Activity Sheet
POSITION PAPER
Direction: The student will make position paper about the agrarian reform question:
“Is Agrarian Reform Program a Success or a Failure?”.
Write your answer in an A4 bond paper. Follow the format of position paper and be guided
with the rubric (link below) Position Paper Format:
1. Introduce your topic with some basic background information.
2. Introduce possible objections to your position.
3. Support and acknowledge the opposing points.
4. Explain that your position is still the best one, despite the strength of counter-
arguments
Position Paper Rubric Link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Nn45uJOX1d6AbGINomxh4GcPhRa0AVZK/view?usp=s
haring
END OF THE LESSON

8. Name: ____________________ Date: _________________ Rating: _______
Course /Yr. & Section: _________________ Student No. ______________
RIPH—ACTIVITY No # ____ (for the Final Period)
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