The document provides an overview of agrarian reform in the Philippines, including a history of land ownership from pre-Spanish times through the American period. It discusses key agrarian reform laws and programs, such as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) of 1988. CARP aimed to grant landless farmers and workers ownership of agricultural lands within 10 years of its passage, addressing aspects of land distribution, support services, and beneficiary priority and payments. The document also covers components of agrarian reform like land redistribution and support services, and principles like guiding reforms with social function and responsibility in mind.

1. THE AGRARIAN REFORM
PROGRAM OF THE
PHILIPPINES

2. LAND REFORM VERSUS AGRARIAN REFORM
 Land Reform in the Philippines is a process
of redistributing land from the landlords to
tenant-farmers in order that they will be
given a chance to own a piece of land
improve their plight.
 Agrarian Reform is concerned with the total
development of the farmer’s economic, social
and political transformation. It is defined
as the rectification of the whole system of
agriculture

3. HISTORY OF AGRARIAN REFORM

4. PRE-SPANISH PERIOD
 There is no system of land ownership.
 Rudimentary form of private ownership was
practiced.
 When the Indo-Malayan race came, they
introduced the Muslim system of land
distribution in Southern Philippines.
The different social classes:
1. The Nobles- This social class could own their
own land free from tribute payment.
2. The Serfs- They were entitled to cultivate
certain land, but were required to pay an annual fee
of one-half of the yield of their crops to the Datu.
3. The Slaves- they simply served the Datu or the
Nobles and they could be sold or traded..

5. SPANISH PERIOD
 Spain declared all lands in the Philippines as
part of public domain regardless of local
customs.
 The “Encomienda System” was introduced by the
Spaniards. 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).
 On the middle of 17th century “Encomienda System”
was abolished due to abuses committed by the
Encomienderos. It was replaced by the “Cacique
class”
 The Share tenancy or the “Kasama System” came
also into existence. Large landholders leased
portions of their landed estates to
intermediaries, who, in turn, rented out parcels
to peasants.

6.  The cacique class continues to grow due to
inter-marriage with the Spaniards. They gained
stature with Spanish officials which gave them
powers that they became more oppressive. This
results to rebellions during 18th century in
Central Luzon. Among the causes were:
1. Enforced labor;
2. Relatively heavy head tax; and
3. Required church and government contributions
 At the close of Spanish Period, Gen. Emilio
Aguinaldo confiscated the friar lands and gave
it to landless peasants

7. AMERICAN PERIOD
 At the beginning of the period, Spanish land
records that had existed were either
destroyed or lost, leaving the legal
situation with regard to holdings very
complicated.
 From 1903 to 1938 there was increase in
tenancy rate and land ownership decreased.
 The Public Land Act of 1902 which became
effective on July 26, 1904 offered homestead
plot not in excess of 16 hectares to
families who had occupied and cultivated the
tract they were residing on since August 1,
1898

8.  Further opposition to the government and
local government policies was evident during
the 1940 elections when a socialist and
peasant leader, Pedro Abad Santos almost won
again the candidate of the Pampango
Landlords.
 Indeed, the agrarian problem festered for so
long time that the 1935 Constitution
incorporated a cardinal principle on social
justice to insure the well-being and
economic security of all the people.

9. THE PRESENT REPUBLIC
 After the independence of July 4, 1946 the
need for land reform became pressing.
 In 1946, Pres. Manuel Roxas enacted RA No 34
of 1946, providing for a 70-30 crops sharing
arrangements and regulating share-tenancy
contracts.
 September 1954, Pres. Ramon Magsaysay signed
into law RA No. 1199, as amended by RA No.
2263 which allowed for the division of the
crops

10.  In 1963, Pres. Diosdado Macapagal signed into
law RA No. 3844 otherwise known as the
Agricultural Land Reform Code, abolition of
share tenancy and the imposition of agricultural
leasehold system.
 On September 21, 1972, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos
issued Presidential Decree No. 2, declaring the
entire the Philippines as land reform area.
 On October 21, 1972, Pres. Marcos signed
Presidential Decree No.27, “emancipating the
tenant-farmers from the bondage of the soil”.
 Under the New Constitution, the primary
governing law on agrarian reform is RA No. 6657,
otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Law of 1988.

11. RESISTANCE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF AGRARIAN REFORM
1. Fragmentation of farm-holdings- with the
institution of land reform big landholding
is divided among tenant farmers into a
family size land which is 3 hectares
2. Small farms became less productive- In the
micro level, the farmers become more
productive. The farmers can rely on their
products from daily subsistence. However,
in the macro level, the people will suffer
because there will be few production for
national consumptions.

12. 3. Ineffective government programs- most of
the programs initiated by the government on
agrarian reforms and cooperatives are
ineffective due to the inefficiency of the
people implementing the program.
4. Agrarian reforms failed in the past-
failure of the program may be attributed to
the following:
a. Big landholdings are owned by elite politicians
and relatives
b. Failure of the government to provide measures
that will assist the farmers;
c. Graft and corruption; and
d. Lack of unity and cooperation among farmers.

13. PERTINENT LAWS ON AGRARIAN REFORM
1. Spanish Decree of 1880- Enjoining land holders,
whether the caciques or peasants to secure
legal titles to their lands;
2. Spanish Decree of 1894- a decree granting
landholders one year to secure legal titles to
their land. Failure of the landowners to secure
land title will mean forfeiture of their land.
3. Public Land Act of July 1, 1902- this became
effective on July 26, 1904 offering homestead
plots not in excess of 16 hectares to families
who have occupied and cultivated the tract they
were residing on since August 1, 1898;

14. 4. Act No 4054, The Rice Share Tenancy Act of
1933- Regulating the tenancy share
contracts by establishing minimum standards
of 50-50 crops sharing.
5. Act No 4113 (The Sugar Cane Tenancy
Contracts)- An act regulating the
relationships of landowners and tenants of
sugar land;
6. Commonwealth Act No. 103- An act creating
the Court of Industrial Relations which
will settle disputes between landowners and
agricultural workers.

15. 7. Commonwealth Act No. 213- Defined and regulated
legitimate labor organizations;
8. Commonwealth Act Nos. 178, 461 and 608- a law
giving more protection to agricultural tenants
under Rice Share Tenancy Act;
9. Republic Act No. 34 of 1946- Provides for a 70-
30 crop sharing arrangements and regulating
share tenancy contracts;
10. Republic Act No. 1160 of 1954- Establishing the
National Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Administration to resettle landless residents
and other landless farmers;

16. 11. Republic Act No.1199(The Agricultural
Tenancy Act of 1954)- Amended by RA No.
2263 allowing the division of crops on the
following basis:
Items Equivalent of the Crop
1. Land 30%
2. Labor 30%
3. Animals 5%
4. Implements 5%
5. Final Harrowing 5%
6. Transplanting 25%

17. 12. Republic Act No. 1400 (Land Reform Act of
1955)- Creating the Land Tenure Administration
and providing for the reduction of large
landholdings, resettlement of tenants in areas
abundant land; securing of land titles and the
provision of adequate credit facilities for the
small landholders;
13. Republic Act No. 3844 (The Agricultural Land
Reform Code of 1963)- abolition of share
tenancy and the imposition of agricultural
leasehold system. It also provides for the
eventual expropriation and subdivision of big
landed estates and their resale at cost and on
installment to landless tillers.

18. 14. Republic Act 6389 (Amendments to the
Agricultural Land Reform Code of 1971)-
Creation of the Department of Agrarian Reform
(DAR) to implement the agricultural land reform
programs;
15. Republic Act 6390 (Agrarian Reform Special Fund
Act of 1971)- Created to finance the Agrarian
Reform Program of the government;
16. Presidential Decree No. 2- Declaring the entire
Philippines as a land reform area;
17. Presidential Decree No. 27- Emancipating the
tenant-farmers from the bondage of the soil;
18. Proclamation No. 131- Instituting a
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program;

19. 19. Executive Order No. 228- Signed by Pres.
Corazon C. Aquino on July 16, 1987 declaring
full ownership to qualified farmer
beneficiaries covered by PD No. 27;
20. Executive Order No. 229- Providing for the
mechanism on the implementation of the program;
21. Executive Order No. 129- A signed in July 26,
1987 streamlining and expanding the power and
operation of the DAR;
22. Republic Act No. 6657 (The Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Law of 1988)- An act instituting the CARP to
promote social justice and industrialization ,
providing the mechanism for its implementation and
for other purposes.

20. IMPORTANCE OF LAND REFORMS
1. It will diffuse tension existing between
tenant-farmers and landlords;
2. It will give the farmers a dignified
existence in our society;
3. It will bring social justice;
4. It will increase the efficiency and
productivity of the farmers;

21. 5. It will help solve unemployment;
6. It will increase food production;
7. It will enhance the living conditions of
the poor farmers; and
8. It will correct the imbalance in our
society where concentrations of land,
wealth and political power are in the hands
of a few.

22. ASPECTS OF AGRARIAN REFORM
1. Economic Aspect- Agrarian reform will help
improve agricultural productivity to
accelerate general economic development.
2. Socio-cultural Aspect- Agrarian reform
gives significant social change in the
community.
3. Religious Aspect- When God created earth,
He gives it all to His children. He sees to
it that everything He made are used and
enjoyed by the people.

23. 4. Moral Aspect- The ignorant and poor farmers
are abuse. Therefore, it is the moral
obligation of the government to bring about
peace and prosperity to our country.
5. Legal Aspect- As part of the government’s
moral obligation, it has formulate laws
that will effect agrarian reforms.
6. Political Aspects- Agrarian reform is
ultimately the product of deliberate
political decisions. Henceforth, agrarian
reform must be the highest priority of
government programs.

24. COMPONENTS OF AGRARIAN REFORM
1. Land Distribution- considered as the very
foundation of Agrarian Reform. By virtue of
this component, the farmers are given the
chance to become owners of the land they are
tilling.
2. Support Services- These are services undertaken
by the government to assist the farmers after
redistribution.
2.1 Irrigation facilities;
2.2 Infrastructure development and public works
projects in areas and settlements that come under
agrarian reform including the preparation of the
physical development plan of such settlements
providing suitable barangay sites, portable water
and power resources, irrigation system and other
facilities for a sound agricultural development plan

25. 2.3 Price support and guarantee for all agricultural
produce;
2.4 Extending to small landowners, farmers, and
farmer’s organizations the necessary credit like
concessional and collateral-free loans for agro-
industrialization based on social collaterals like the
guarantees of farmer’s organization;
2.5 Promoting, developing and extending financial
assistance to small and medium scale industries in
agrarian reform areas;
2.6 Undertake research, development and dissemination
of information on agrarian reform and low-cost
ecological sound farm inputs and technologies to
minimize reliance on expensive and imported
agricultural inputs;
2.7 Development of cooperative management skills
through intensive training;
2.8 Assistance in identification of ready markets for
agricultural produce and training in other various
aspects of marketing.

26. THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM
LAW OF 1988
CARP stands for the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program, a government
initiative that aims to grant landless
farmers and farm workers ownership of
agricultural lands. It was signed into law
by President Corazon C. Aquino on June 10,
1988, and was scheduled to have been
completed in 1998.

28. An agrarian system is the dynamic set of
economic and technological factors that
affect agricultural practices. It is
premised on the idea that different systems
have developed depending on the natural and
social conditions specific to a particular
region. Political factors also have a
bearing on an agrarian system due to issues
such as land ownership, labor organization,
and forms of cultivation.
As food security has become more
important, mostly due to the explosive
population growth during the 20th century,
the efficiency of agrarian systems has come
under greater review.

29. THE DIFFERENT PRINCIPLES AND
POLICIES
1. The welfare of the landless farmers and
farm workers will receive the highest
consideration to promote social justice and
to move the nation towards it’s development
and industrialization.
2. By means of appropiate incentives,the
State shall encourage the formation and
maintenance of economically sized family
farms.

30. 3. The state shall be guided by the principles
that land has a social function and
landownership has a social responsibility.
4. The state may lease underdeveloped lands of
the public domain to qualified entities for
the development of capital intensive farms
and traditional and pioneeringh crops
especially under the act.

31. SALIENT FEATURE OF CARP
(RA NO. 6657)
1. The comprehensive Agrarian reform programs covers
all public and private agricultural lands.
2. Ownership of agricultural lands is based on a family
size farm which is not more than three hectares.
3. Qualified beneficiaries in the following order of
priority are the agricultural lessees and share
tenants, regular farm workers, seasonal farm
workers, occupants of public lands, etc.
4. The distribution of all lands covered by CARP shall
be implemented within 10yrs effective immediately
upon signing of the law by Pres. Corazon C. Aquino
on juke 10, 1998.

32. 5. Exemption and exclusions include lands foe
wildlife, forest reserves, reforestation, fish
sanctuaries and breeding grounds, watersheds
and mangroves, national defense, school sites
and campuses, etc.
6. Payments to landowners: 25% cash and 75%
government bonds for above 50 hectares.
7. Beneficiaries pay Land Bank of the Philippines
in 30 annual amortization at 6% interest per
annum.
8. Valuation of lands is determined by
Presidential Agrarian Reform Council (PARC),
headed by the President of the Philippines.