Page |1
Siguiente, Louise Anne N.
Santiago, Nemei S.
Villarin, Clarissa Marie R.
AGRARIAN REFORM
I. Concepts
1. Reform – change in something, a process
or an act to achieve improvements in its current
state or quality
2. Land Reform – measure to be undertaken
to improve the relationship between the tillers
and landowners, as regards to the farmer’s rights
and privileges in the land they are nurturing.
 It was used to connote agricultural
reform programs during the American colonial
period in the Philippines until President
Diosdado Macapagal’s administration.
3. Agrarian Reform – pursues a broader
improvement, not only on the land ownership,
but also in the agrarian system and processes as a
whole. It refers to the reform and development
assisted by various government agencies for the
advancement of its beneficiaries, land they till
and the community they live in. Land reform
plus social reforms and support services.
II. Principles of Agrarian Reform
 Social justice which means that the
democratization of income and wealth is
realized by giving the marginalized farmers
an equal access to land as their basic
productive resource.
 Just compensation of the landowners.
Together, they will work with the concerned
government agencies in the preparation,
planning and implementation of the
program.
III. Aspects of Agrarian Reform
A. Economic – the agricultural development is
prior to industrial development and
progress
B. Socio-cultural – self-reliance, self esteem,
dignity, and improvement quality of life for
the beneficiaries may be achieved
4POL2
LRT
Atty. Maria Elvira B. Herrera
C. Religious – agrarian reform is solidly
grounded in both the Old and New
testaments and Social Teachings
D. Moral – sound reason sees the need for a
just and equitable distribution of
agricultural lands to landless farmers, in
line with the essence of social justice
E. Political – measures the extent of
willingness on the part of national
leadership to implement the law regardless
of those affected.
F. Legal – agrarian reform is based on
constitutional mandates
1. Art. II, Sec. 10 – The State shall
promote social justice in all phase of
national development
2. Art. II, Sec. 21 – The State shall
promote comprehensive rural
development and agrarian reform.
3. Art. XII, Sec. 1 [2] – The State shall
promote industrialization and full
employment based on sound
agricultural development and agrarian
reform, through industries that make
full and efficient use of human and
natural resources, and which are
competitive in both domestic and
foreign markets. However, the State
shall protect Filipino enterprises against
unfair foreign competition and trade
practices.
4. Art. XIII, Sec. 1 [2] – The State shall
regulate the acquisition, ownership,
use, and disposition of property and its
increments.
5. Art. XIII, Sec. 2 – The promotion of
social justice shall include the
commitment to create economic
opportunities based on freedom of
initiative and self-reliance.

6. Art. XIII, Sec. 3-10 – Labor
IV. Objectives of Agrarian Reform
A. National development
B. Dynamic democracy
C. Heightened quality of life
V. Historical Background of Agrarian Reform
A. Pre-Spanish Era
 Land was not distributed during the pre-
colonial period in the Philippines.
 Land is communal or the barangay
commonly owned the land.
B. Spanish Period (1521 – 1898)
 Private ownership was introduced.
 Large tracts of uncultivated lands, not
circumscribed within a given municipality,
were granted by the Spanish monarch to
deserving Spaniard, this reward was known
as the encomienda.
 Encomienda system – encomiendas were
granted to Spanish officials and clerics,
who were entrusted with the responsibility
to look after the colonized territory.
 Tributo – tribute (monetary) paid by the
natives.
 Cacique – landed class or the land owners,
they were given the rights to collect taxes.
 Decreto Realenga – issued by the Spanish
government which urged landowners to
secure the legal title of their land.
 Decreto Real de 1880
 Maura Law – granted landholders
one year to secure legal title to their
land or suffer its forfeiture.
 Pacto de Retroventa – a landowner
who has loaned a peasant some
money becomes the peasant’s
landlord.
A. Philippine Revolutionary Government
(1898-1899)
 Malolos Constitution – states that all the
estates, edifices and properties possessed
by the religious corporations in the country
shall be deemed restored to the Philippine
State.
Page |2
B. American Rule (1898-1935)
 Torrens system of land registration –
enforced the registration of lands and
issuance of certificates of land title granted
by the court after appropriate proceedings.
 Land Registration Act of 1902 - sought to
determine the extent of private
landholdings in the country.
 Public Land Act of 1903 – offered plots
not in excess of 16 hectares to families
who had occupied and cultivated the land
they were residing on since August 1,
1898.
 Cadastral Act of 1903 – required cadastral
surveys for new land titles which allows
the government redefined the lands that
will be classified as private or public.
 Friar Lands Act of 1904 – provided the
terms and conditions on the sale and lease
of purchased friar estates of 410 000
hectares in the amount of US$
7,239,784.66.
C. Commonwealth Era (1935-1946)
 Rice Share Tenancy Act of 1933 – to
regulate the share-tenancy contacts by
establishing minimum standards, 50-50
sharing of the crop, regulation of interest
to 10% per agricultural year.
 National Land Settlement Administration
– began orderly settlement of public
agricultural lands.
D. Second Philippine Republic: Japanese
Occupation (1941-1945)
 Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon
(HUKBALAHAP) – comprised from the
ranks of peasant and labor organizations,
from the merger of the Communist Party
of the Philippines and the Socialist Party.
They also took upon the cause of the
peasants against landlords.
E. Roxas Administration (1946-1948)
 Republic Act No. 34 of 1946 (Tenant Act)
– provide for the 70-30 sharing
arrangements and regulated share-tenancy
contracts.

F. Quirino Administartion (1948-1953)
 He did not make any agrarian reform law
instead he continued the agrarian reform
policy of his predecessor.
G. Magsaysay Administration (1953-1957)
 Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954 (RA
No. 1199) – allowed tenants to shift from
tenancy to leaseholder.
 Land Reform Act of 1955 (RA No. 1400)
– provided for the expropriation of private
agricultural land over 300 hectares of
contiguous areas, if owned by individuals.
H. Garcia Administration (1957-1961)
 No new land-policies were made instead
he just carried on the land-related policies
of Magsaysay.
I. Macapagal Administration (1961-1965)
 Agriculture Land Reform Code of 1963
(RA No. 3844) – provided for the
purchase of private farmlands with the
intension of distributing them in small lots
to the landless tenants on easy terms of
payments.
It also necessitated the creation of the
Land Authority. This agency was tasked to
implement the policies set forth in RA
3844.
J. Marcos Administration (1965-1981)
 RA No. 6389 - gave rise to the
establishment of the Department of
Agrarian Reform (DAR). It is the agency
that has the authority and responsibility to
implement the policies of the State on
agrarian reform.
 Agrarian Reform Special Fund Act (RA
No. 6390) – created an agrarian reform
special account to finance the Agrarian
Reform Program of the government.
 Presidential Decree No. 2 – declaring the
entire Philippines as a land reform area.
Establishment of Land Bank of the
Philippines as financial arm, prohibited
and penalized the ejectment of tenant-
tillers from landholdings.
Page |3
 Tenant Emancipation Act (PD No. 27) –
launched the Operation Land Transfer
which transferred the ownership of the
land to the tenants who tilled it and
provided the instruments and mechanisms
needed in such transfer. Also, landlords
who owned more than seven hectares of
land had to sell the excess to the DAR,
which in turn sells these to the landless
farmers tilling the land.
K. Aquino Administration (1986-1992)
 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
(July 22, 1987)
- Proclamation 131 – embodied the
general principles of the program
- Executive Order No. 229 – detailed the
mechanisms of its implementation.
 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law
(RA No. 6657) – intended to promote
social justice and industrialization by
providing the mechanism for its
implementation and for other purposes.
L. Ramos Administration (1992-1998)
 RA No. 8532 – extending the program of
CARL to another 10 years.
M. Estrada Administration (June 30, 1998 –
January 20, 2011)
 Magkabalikat para sa Kaunlarang Agraryo
(MAGSASAKA) – encourage foreign
investments to the agricultural sector and
help farmers to learn advanced technology
in crop production.
N. Arroyo Administartion (January 21, 2001
– June 30,2010)
 Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
Extension and Reforms (RA No. 9700) –
extended CARL to five more years and
allocated more funds for the
implementation of CARP.