Lesson 11-12

Agrarian Reform

Find out how much you absorbed from this reading

1. Briefly discuss the history of the land reform program in the Philippines?
 The American colonization of the Philippines, they tried to solve the agrarian
problem called “friar lands”. The agrarian reformed during the American period was
worsened. Quezon enacted some land reform during Commonwealth period. The
Commonwealth Act No. 178, 1936 amending the Rice Tenancy Act No. 4045 of 1933
provided for certain in the landlord tenant relationships with regard to rice lands.
During the Roxas Administration (1946-1948), President Manual Roxas enacted
Republic Act No. 34 which established 70-38 sharing arrangements between landlord
and tenants and regulated share tenancy contracts. October 30 1950, President Elpidio
Quirino (1948-1953) issued Executive Order No. 355 which replaced the National
Land Settlement Administration. During Magsaysay Administration (1953-1957) that
an attempt on land reform was made. In 1954, President Ramon Magsaysay signed
Republic Act No. 1199 or the Agriculture Tenancy Act of 1954 which governed the
tenet landowner relationship by organizing the share tenancy and household system.
2. What are the salient features of each agrarian system?
 The salient features are intensive farming are conducted in small area, production is
dependent upon technology and inputs used as intensive agriculture and intensive
agriculture focuses in high value crops.
3. How did each system either help our farmers or worsen the agrarian condition?
 It helps the farmers because they created agricultural bank that provided small
farmers and share tenants with low interest loan, invested rights of preemption and
redemption for tenant farmers, they put an administrative machinery for
implementation, credit support, infrastructure and legal assistance for farmers.
4. What is the general condition of the current agrarian system in the Philippines?
 The general condition of agrarian system in the Philippines is good because many
farmers have a higher income, improved land tenure, access to market and reduce the
poverty among the famers

Test Your Skills

1. T
2. F
3. F
4. T
5. F
6. F
7. T
8. F
9. T
10. T

Reflect Upon
Evaluate the current agrarian reform program. Having experienced the plight of our farmers,
how do you think should the program be amended? You may also opt to draft a new equitable
policy that would improve the present agrarian system in general.
 I think the program should be emended by giving incentives to the landowners and
support them through giving technology, production and financial support.
Extend Your Knowledge
1. What is the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program? Research more about its objective
and key features.
 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program is the redistribution of public agriculture
lands to help the beneficiaries survive as small independent farmers, regardless of the
tenurial arrangement. The objective is providing security of land tenure for small
farmers. It also aimed to provide support services to its benefiaries in such forms as
capital, marketing support and infrastructure.