WRITTEN REPORT

ON
AGRARIAN LAW

SUBMITTED BY: MARK HIRO D. NAKAGAWA

SUBMITTED TO: ATTY. TANYAG

 For the first time in my life, I came to a realization that this law has such tremendous
benefits for the farmers. With more in depth study of this act, I learned from the presentation
that Agrarian Reform’s objective is basically to breakup agricultural lands and transform them
into economic-size farms to be owned by the farmers themselves, with the end in view of
uplifting their social status. But has this goal been the one really attained by these farmers? Is
this a topic for expectations vs reality kind of thing? More than what meets the eyes, the law is
far from being a fruition.

It has always been an uphill battle for these farmers to fully acquire the so-called land
they are working on, and it seems that the government has not addressed this for quite
sometime now. As what we always hear, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting
poorer. It has been almost three decades, and what we can witness is just a tip of the iceberg
result from the law.

The question for some is, Is it poorly implemented? Is it poorly budgeted? We can’t solely
rely on all of this on the government alone. We, too, must also make our stand, regardless of how
minute it is. The local government unit responsible for this might not be able do it on their own.
With the aid of the community and the society, I think, would alleviate if not most, at least some
of the burden these local farmers are carrying on their backs.

Another would be active participation form the youth sector. In this day and age, they
were able to show their utmost reliance involving protests or mobilization to show their support
for the agrarian reform, much of these we see in the news or in social media. Convincing these
young minds to join and commit themselves has always been a challenge, given the needs of
society, but with the right information and the right people, we might be able to address the core
issue and treat the needs of these farmers. Their mere presence will definitely boost the morale
of the farmers.

It was provided under Section 2 of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform

Law of 1988 --
“To this end, a more equitable distribution and ownership of land, with due regard
to the rights of landowners to just compensation and to the ecological needs of the
nation, shall be undertaken to provide farmers and farmworkers with the
opportunity to enhance their dignity and improve the quality of their lives through
greater productivity of agricultural lands.
 The agrarian reform program is founded on the right of farmers and regular
farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or collectively the lands they till or,
in the case of other farm workers, to receive a just share of the fruits thereof. To
this end, the State shall encourage and undertake the just distribution of all
agricultural lands, subject to the priorities and retention limits set forth in this Act,
having taken into account ecological, developmental, and equity considerations,
and subject to the payment of just compensation. The State shall respect the right
of small landowners, and shall provide incentives for voluntary land-sharing.

The State shall recognize the right of farmers, farmworkers and landowners, as
well as cooperatives and other independent farmers' organizations, to participate
in the planning, organization, and management of the program, and shall provide
support to agriculture through appropriate technology and research, and
adequate financial production, marketing and other support services.”1

I firmly believe, if this act is truly implemented, would tremendously benefit the farmers
themselves. This law was made to protect such agricultural workers and promote economic
development. We might say that this law has already reached a milestone however, collective
efforts from the government and the public still needs tremendous endeavor so that in the end,
these farmers shall enjoy what the law has rightfully provided for them.

1 Republic Act No. 6657 The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988