Readings in Philippine History Agrarian Reform in The Philippines Time Frame: 3 Hours Chapter Objectives

Readings in Philippine History
Agrarian Reform in the Philippines
Time Frame: 3 Hours
Chapter Objectives:
At the end of the chapter the student should be able to:
 Examine how the nation embarked on an agrarian reform program

from the time of President Quezon to the time of President Aquino;
 Describe the evolution of land ownership from the precolonial
period to the American period; and
 Analyze the principal programs of the administrations of Macapagal,
Marcos, and Aquino to achieve agrarian reform.
Discussion Topics:
1. Agrarian Reform during the Postwar Period

2. Presidential Decree No. 27 (October 21, 1972)
3. Excerpt from Republic Act No. 6657 or Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Law of 1988
About this Chapter:
American administrators of the succeeding century saw the pressing need to improve the
conditions of small farmers and tenants by solving the land problem. They expropriated friar
lands, implemented land registration and through the Homestead Program, and initiated the
ownership of land by tenants. These steps, however, had a limited impact and
local hacienderos who occupied high positions in government remained untouched. The 1920s
and 1930s saw eruptions of large-scale peasant uprisings, that as the Colorums and Sakdalistas in
Luzon where most of the haciendas are located. In the wake of these tragic events,
Commonwealth President Manuel Quezon through his social justice program took on the task of
uplifting the common man and attempted to implement land reform by purchasing big estates
and dividing and selling them to tenants. Quezon also aimed to stabilize and improve agriculture
through the establishment of the National Rice and Corn Corporation and National Sugar Board.
Laws were passed to regulate the relationship of landlords and tenants and to protect the land
tenure of farmers. Quezon, however, was caught in between his goal to emancipate the peasants
and the interests of hacienderos who dominated his Cabinet and the legislature. Landlords
circumvented laws, started hiring private armies and organized themselves in associations to
keep the status quo in their favor. Quezon’s efforts to achieve what he calls social justice would
be cut short by the Japanese invasion in 1941 which brought massive destruction in the country.
Agrarian reform would remain a major challenge during the postwar period.
This chapter briefly outlines the evolution of land ownership in the Philippines and
focuses on government efforts toward agrarian reform from the Commonwealth to the postwar
periods.
Pretest
Answer the following questions with true or false.
______1. With the opening of the Philippines to world trade, haciendas have expanded their
land-holdings through purchase or land grabbing, robbing the small farmers of property.
______2. In Luis Taruc's autobiography, he talked about the abuses he suffered under landlords
wherein, as a child of a peasant, he was ordered to do housework for the landlord's home.
______3. Under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), all public agricultural
lands must be distributed to the nearby tenants.
______4. Under Republic Act No. 6657, ancestral lands of indigenous communities are partially
controlled by a sole landlord who hailed from the community to ensure its protection.
______5. The extensive land distribution program was hindered by shortage of budget,
corruption scandals, and the influence of landlords in the government.
Filipino rice farmers incorporating the use of rice straw in their field. (Photo courtesy of
Wikimedia Commons)
Excerpt from the Message of President Roxas on Agrarian Reforms (August 8, 1946)
President Manuel Roxas (1946–1948) acknowledged the evils of the prevailing

agricultural tenancy system. During his term, Republic Act No. 34 was passed which established
a 70-30 sharing agreement between the tenant and landlord respectively, and reduced the interest
rates of landlord’s loans to tenants to at most six percent. In his message to Philippine
lawmakers, he decried the tenancy system and proposed several changes. His intended reforms,
however, were never fulfilled because of his untimely death in 1948.
Excerpt from Born of the People (1953) by Luis Taruc
Luis Taruc was one of the prominent leaders of the HUKBALAHAP or Hukbo ng Bayan
Laban sa Hapon movement, an anti-Japanese resistance movement with a peasant mass base in
Central Luzon. The Huks, as members of the movement were known, played an important role
during the Japanese occupation when they engaged in guerrilla resistance which significantly
weakened Japanese military hold over Luzon provinces. During the late 1940s and early 1950s,
the Communist-led organization became known as the Hukbong Mapagpalaya ng Bayan (HMB)
as they fought the government which they accused of serving the interests of the Americans and
the landlord class. The government responded with military campaigns and arrests of Huk
leaders. Clashes between government and Huk forces brought turmoil in the provinces. Taruc
was granted amnesty by President Elpidio Quirino in 1948 but subsequent negotiations between
the government and the rebels failed and the insurgency continued. In 1954, Taruc finally
surrendered to President Ramon Magsaysay. In the excerpts on pages 231 to 232 taken from
Taruc’s autobiography, he describes his upbringing among the peasantry.
Excerpt from Republic Act No. 3844 or Agricultural Land Reform Code
It was President Diosdado Macapagal (1961–1965) who undertook the first

comprehensive agrarian reform program during the postwar period. The law which made it
possible was Republic Act No. 3844, also known as the Agricultural Land Reform Code and
passed in 1963. Under the said law, the tenancy system was to be gradually abolished and
replaced with an agricultural leasehold system. It ultimately sought to turn tenant farmers into
owner-cultivators by focusing on land redistribution, farmer independence, and productivity
improvement. Initial results in towns declared as land reform areas proved to be promising but
there were also setbacks such as the Congress’ failure to enact a bill to fund the implementation
of the program. The excerpt on page 233 (taken from the Agricultural Land Reform Code of
1963) includes the declaration of policy and the bill of rights for agricultural labor.
Presidential Decree No. 27 (October 21, 1972)
Focus Question:
How did the Philippine government pursue agrarian reform and what were the major challenges
to its success?
President Ferdinand Marcos, through his Proclamation No. 1081 signed on September 21,
1972, declared Martial Law all over the country and assumed all powers of government. Citing
“widespread discontent and unrest among our farmers” as contributing to the “existing national
emergency,” he proclaimed the entire country as a land reform area through his Presidential
Decree No. 2. President Marcos’ land reform program was expounded in his Presidential Decree
No. 27 which provided that all tenanted private agricultural lands devoted to rice and corn
production will be distributed to the tenants. Landowners were allowed to retain no more than 7
hectares, while tenants who worked on the land can purchase 5 hectares (3 hectares if irrigated)
of land to be paid through amortization in 15 years. The program, however, was limited in scope
and had problems in its implementation. By the end of martial rule, very few tenants were
actually awarded lands. The full text of President Marcos’ Presidential Decree No. 27 follows on
page 236.
Excerpt from Republic Act No. 6657 or Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988
Focus Question:
How did the Philippine government pursue agrarian reform and what were the major challenges
to its success?
Agrarian reform was a key policy of the Corazon C. Aquino administration (1986–1992)
in its drive towards economic industrialization. Proclamation No. 131 articulated
the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) of the government. It declared that all
public and private agricultural lands are to be distributed to tenants thereby making the program
the broadest in terms of scope.
Republic Act No. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law signed by the

President on June 10, 1988 became the legal basis for the agrarian reform program of the Aquino
government.
The implementation of CARP faced various challenges. There were corruption scandals
related to land valuation such as the Garchitorena scam. The program also suffered budgetary
shortage. Lastly, there were allegations of lack of political will and commitment on the part of
the government. President Aquino herself was a member of the Cojuangco family who owned
the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac, an estate which remained undistributed to farmers. Like before,
landlord influence in government continued to hold back agrarian reform. Violence continued
between landowners and tenants as peasant leaders and farmers asserting their rights to land were
killed.
Posttest
Please answer the question.
1. Compare and contrast the aims, scope and mechanism of the agrarian programs of
Presidents Diosdado Macapagal and Corazon Aquino. In what ways is CARP an
improvement of the earlier program?
Activity
Write a report on the current status of the agrarian reform program in the country. Your paper
must address the following questions:
a. What are the new laws or amendments passed?
b. Is agrarian reform still a government priority?
c. What are the challenges to its successful implementation today?
d. What are the present conditions of Filipino farmers?

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Readings in Philippine History

Agrarian Reform in the Philippines

Time Frame: 3 Hours

At the end of the chapter the student should be able to:

 Examine how the nation embarked on an agrarian reform program

1. Agrarian Reform during the Postwar Period

About this Chapter:

Answer the following questions with true or false.

President Manuel Roxas (1946–1948) acknowledged the evils of the prevailing

It was President Diosdado Macapagal (1961–1965) who undertook the first

Presidential Decree No. 27 (October 21, 1972)

Republic Act No. 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law signed by the

Please answer the question.

a. What are the new laws or amendments passed?

b. Is agrarian reform still a government priority?

c. What are the challenges to its successful implementation today?

d. What are the present conditions of Filipino farmers?

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