Agrarian Reform in the Philippines

Evolution of Agrarian Reform

• Agrarian reform in the Philippines has evolved significantly from the Spanish era to the contemporary period.
• The King of Spain owned all the land, awarding it to religious orders and encomenderos.
• Encomenderos were responsible for defending their land from external attack and maintaining order.
• This system was often unfair and abusive to the indigenous people.
• The Royal Decree of 1754 aimed to protect indigenous property rights, but was ineffective due to illegal land seizure by Spaniards, mestizos, and members of the principalia.
• Religious orders and caciques (tribal chieftains) were often the dominant estate owners.

Spanish Era

• The Spanish crown owned all land.
• Land was given to religious orders and encomenderos.
• Encomenderos were required to protect the land and maintain peace.
• This system was often unfair.
• The Royal Decree of 1754 attempted to protect indigenous property rights.
• The decree's implementation was ineffective due to illegal land grabs.

American Period

• The Philippine Organic Act of 1902 established land ownership regulations.
• Private land ownership was limited to 16 hectares, while corporate land ownership could reach 1024 hectares.
• The Land Registration Act of 1902 introduced the Torrens system for registering land titles.
• The Public Land Act of 1903 allowed landless peasants to acquire public land through the homestead system.
• Landlord manipulation hindered tenant applications for grants.
• Government surveys were incomplete due to lack of resources.
• Insufficient infrastructure impacted efficient land management.

Commonwealth Period

• The Commonwealth Act No. 178 amended the Rice Tenancy Act (Act No. 4045). This Act regulated landlord-tenant relationships.
• The Commonwealth Act No. 441 of 1939 created the National Settlement Administration to facilitate land acquisition and migration.

First Republic

• Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo intended to confiscate large estates, but this was never implemented due to the short lifespan of the republic.
• The Philippines-American War occurred during this period.

The Republic (1946-Present)

• Republic Act No. 34 (Roxas Administration) established share tenancy arrangements and contracts.

• Republic Act No. 55 (Roxas Administration) protected tenants against arbitrary eviction.

• Executive Order No. 355 (Quirino Administration) replaced the National Land Settlement Administration with the Land Settlement Development Corporation.

• Republic Act No. 1160 (Magsaysay Administration) abolished the Land Settlement Development Corporation and established the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA).

• Republic Act No. 1199 (Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954) regulated landowner-tenant relationships.

• Republic Act No. 3844 (Macapagal Administration) abolished share tenancy, aiming to free tenants from the system.

• President Ferdinand Marcos' agrarian reform code aimed to transform agricultural workers into landowners.

• Republic Act No. 6657 (Aquino Administration) established the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARP), promoting social justice and industrialization.

• Republic Act No. 8532 (Ramos Administration) provided additional funding for CARP and extended its implementation for 10 years.

• Executive Order No. 151 (Estrada Administration) focused on consolidating small farm operations into larger enterprises as well as providing long-term capital access.

• Republic Act 9700 (Arroyo Administration) extended the deadline for CARP.

• Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) program (Aquino III Administration) promoted poverty reduction.

• Landless farmers were granted undistributed lands during Duterte's administration