The Social Philosophy of Agrarian Reform

in the light of the maxim

“Salus populi est suprema lex”

Agrarian Reform, from its socio-philosophical viewpoint, on

account of the legal maxim “salus populi est suprema lex” speaks of
common good.

Laws are enacted to serve their purpose of recognizing,

protecting, and promoting the good for not just a few, but for the
public. This is evident in The Constitution that, in dealing with issues,
it is public good which always deserves the highest consideration.
Thus, any subsequent enactments must keep grounded on such
principle upheld by the very constitution itself.

With the creation of Agrarian Reform, by its sense, implies that

seeing what we Filipinos have gone throughout a violent and
suppressing history, we indeed need change in our system. Everyone
deserves freedom with fairness; that all might enjoy their land, and
their fruits, along with having good relationships with every fellow
countrymen.

And with such rationale, with Agrarian Reform in the light of the
maxim-at-hand, common people are acknowledged to have a capacity
to learn to think for themselves, to work and carry out their plans, to
cooperate for common ends, and to be trusted with social power. With
this, we can hold that our land is deserved by not just a populus, but
deserved by a populi.

With such philosophy of the Agrarian Reform enlightened by

such maxim, we do not believe that God gave this land to “me”; but we
believe that God gave this land to us.

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