Historical Background and Evolution of Agrarian Reform Law

CA No. 141 of 1936 o "tenant" shall mean a farmer or farm laborer who undertakes to work and
Public Land Act cultivates land for another or a person who furnishes the labor with the
Governed the disposition of lands of the public domain consent of the landlord.
Prescribed rules and regulation of the homesteading, selling and leasing of portions of The contract on share tenancy, in order to be valid and binding, shall be drawn in
the public domain, and prescribed the terms and conditions to enable persons to triplicate in the language or dialect known to all the parties thereto, to be signed to
perfect their titles to public lands in the Philippines thumb-marked both by the landlord or his authorized representative and by the tenant,
before two witnesses, one to be chosen by each party.
Also provided for the issuance of patents to certain native settlers upon public lands for
the establishment of town sites and sale of lots therein, for the completion of imperfect RA 1160 June 18,1954
titles and for the cancellation or confirmation of Spanish concessions and grants in the An act to further implement the free distribution of agricultural lands of the public
islands domain as provided for in commonwealth act numbered six hundred and ninety- one (
CA 691), as amended to abolish the land settlement and development corporation
The second Public Land Act was more comprehensive in scope but limited the
created under executive order numbered three hundred and fifty-five, dated october
exploitation of agricultural lands
twenty-three, nineteen hundred and fifty, and to create in its place the national
PD 27 October 21, 1972 resettlement and rehabilitation administration, and for other purposes
Decreeing the emancipation of tenants from the bondage of the soil, transferring to to help speed up the free distribution of agricultural lands of the public domain to
them the ownership of the land they till and providing the instruments and mechanism landless tenants and farm workers who are citizens of the Philippines
therefor to encourage migration to sparsely populated regions
Restricted land reform scope to tenanted rice and corn lands and set the retention limit National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA)
at 7 hectares o to perform under the supervision and control of the President of the
Philippines, through the Office of Economic Coordinator all the duties and
RA 539(parang mali) functions of the Bureau of Lands as amended by this law
An Act to Amend Commonwealth Act Numbered Six Hundred and Five Entitled An Act o have at least three divisions, to wit:
to Provide Pensions for Veterans of the Past Philippine Revolutions or Wars, to Create a Settler Selection and Screening,
Board on Pensions for Veterans and to Appropriate Funds Thereof Transportation and Supplies,
Settlement Assistance and Community Work
CA No. 539 ( possible na realated sa Agra) o See RA for its special powers
An act authorizing the president of the philippines to acquire private lands for resale in
small lots; providing for the creation of an agency to carry out the purposes of this act; RA 1199 August 30, 1954
and setting aside funds and authorizing the issuance of bonds for the payment of said An act to govern the relations between landholders and tenants of agricultural lands
lands (leaseholds and share tenancy)
President of the Philippines is authorized to acquire private lands or any interest Purpose (sec 2):
therein, through purchase or expropriation, and to subdivide the same into home lots or o to establish agricultural tenancy relations between landholders and tenants
small farms for resale at reasonable prices and under such conditions as he may fix to upon the principle of school justice;
their bona fide tenants or occupants or to private individuals who will work the lands o to afford adequate protection to the rights of both tenants and landholders;
themselves and who are qualified to acquire and own lands in the Philippines. o to insure an equitable division of the produce and income derived from the
land;
RA 34 September 30,1945 o to provide tenant- farmers with incentives to greater and more efficient
amended Rice Share Tenancy Act agricultural production;
introduced changes in crop division o to bolster their economic position
Landlord and tenants interpreted o to encourage their participation in the development of peaceful, vigorous and
o Landlord shall mean and include either a natural or juridical person who is democratic rural communities.
the real owner of the land which is the subject- matter of the contract, as well Agricultural tenancy is the physical possession by a person of land devoted to
as a lessee, a usufructuary or any other legitimate possessor of agricultural agriculture belonging to, or legally possessed by, another for the purpose of production
land cultivated by another. through the labor of the former and of the members of his immediate farm household,
in consideration of which the former agrees to share the harvest with the latter, or to
pay a price certain or ascertainable, either in produce or in money, or in both.
 o Classified into 2 RA 6389 September 10,1971
Share tenancy exists An act amending republic act numbered thirty-eight hundred and forty-four, as
two persons agree on a joint undertaking for agricultural amended, otherwise known as the agricultural land reform code, and for other purposes
production Sec. 1,2,3 and 4 of RA 3844 are hereby amended
wherein one party furnishes the land and the other his the Code of Agrarian Reforms of the Philippines
labor, with either or both contributing any one or several
of the items of production, RA 6390 September 10, 1971
the tenant cultivating the land personally with the aid of An act to accelerate the implementation of the agrarian reform program by creating an
labor available from members of his immediate farm agrarian reform special account in the general fund, providing the necessary funds
household, therefor, and for other purposes
the produce thereof to be divided between the landholder Sum of 50 Million pesos annually
and the tenant in proportion to their respective
contributions. RA 6657 June 10,1988
Leasehold tenancy exists when The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform law
a person who, either personally or with the aid of labor o signed by President Corazon C. Aquino on June 10, 1988. It is an act which
available from members of his immediate farm household, aims to promote social justice and industrialization, providing the mechanism
undertakes to cultivate a piece of agricultural land for its implementation, and for other purposes.
susceptible of cultivation by a single person together with o is the redistribution of public and private agricultural lands to farmers and
members of his immediate farm household, farmworkers who are landless, irrespective of tenurial arrangement.
belonging to or legally possessed by, another in CARPs vision is to have an equitable land ownership with empowered agrarian reform
consideration of a price certain or ascertainable to be paid beneficiaries who can effectively manage their economic and social development to
by the person cultivating the land either in percentage of have a better quality of life.
the production or in a fixed amount in money, or in both. One of the major programs of CARP is Land Tenure Improvement, which seeks to hasten
distribution of lands to landless farmers. Similarly, the Department offers Support
RA 1266, June 11, 1955 Services to the beneficiaries such as infrastructure facilities, marketing assistance
An act authorizing the national resettlement and rehabilitation administration (narra) to program, credit assistance program, and technical support programs. Furthermore, the
expropriate the hacienda del rosario, situated at valdefuente, cabanatuan city, and department seeks to facilitate, resolve cases and deliver Agrarian Justice.
subdivide said hacienda into lots to be sold to bona fide occupants thereof
RA 7881, February 20,1995
RA 1400 September 9,1955 An act amending certain provisions of republic act no. 6657, entitled an act instituting a
An act defining a land tenure policy, providing for an instrumentality to carry out the comprehensive agrarian reform program to promote social justice and industrialization,
policy, and appropriating funds for its implementation providing the mechanism for its implementation, and for other purposes
Land Reform Act of 1955
Declaration of policy : to create and maintain an agrarian system which is peaceful, RA 7905, February 23 1995
prosperous and stable, and to this end the Government shall establish and distribute as An act to strengthen the implementation of the comprehensive Agrarian reform
many family- size farms to as many landless citizens as possible through the opening up program, and for other purposes.
of public agricultural lands and the division and distribution of private agricultural lands
where agrarian conflicts exist RA 8532, February 23, 1998
Thus they created this Land Tenure Administration An act strengthening further the comprehensive agrarian reform program (carp), by
Some of its function is the resale or lease of urban lands already authorized by existing providing augmentation fund therefor, amending for the purpose section 63 of republic
laws act no. 6657, otherwise known as "the carp law of 1988"

RA 3844 August 8,1963 RA 9700, August 7,2009
An act to ordain the agricultural land reform code and to institute land reforms in the An act strengthening the comprehensive agrarian reform program (carp), extending the
philippines, including the abolition of tenancy and the channeling of capital into acquisition and distribution of all agricultural lands, instituting necessary reforms,
industry, provide for the necessary implementing agencies, appropriate funds therefor amending for the purpose certain provisions of republic act no. 6657, otherwise known
and for other purposes as the comprehensive agrarian reform law of 1988, as amended, and appropriating
Agricultural Land Reform Code funds therefor