Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Land Reform Before 1972
Land Reform Before 1972
Between 1898 and 1935, the Americans sought to give land to the landless,
rationalize the system of land registration and the issuance of land titles, break up
landed estates, and improve tenancy conditions in the Philippines (Bauzon, 1975).
They failed. Nationals preferred to remain in community settlements rather than
adopt the American pattern of homesteads that separated families miles from
one another. In addition, landlord manipulation blocked tenants from applying for
homestead grants, and there was no means of systematically surveying public
lands available for homesteading. Possession standards, such as rendering
productive one-fifth of the homestead within five years, were too stringent and
the infrastructure, such as bridges and roads and health care, was inadequate to
support population dispersion. Many of the landed estates had been owned by
Catholic friars. When these were purchased by the government, the friars
retained their best lands. Of the friar lands actually acquired by the government,
some were left undistributed. These were leased, or eventually acquired, through
purchase, by American business firms and affluent Filipinos. Bigger holdings and
increased tenancy resulted (Bauzon, 1975).
Pre-Spanish Period
Before the Spaniards came to the Philippines, Filipinos lived in villages or barangays
ruled by chiefs or datus. The datus comprised the nobility. Then came the maharlikas
(freemen), followed by the aliping mamamahay (serfs) and aliping saguiguilid (slaves).
Spanish Period
When the Spaniards came to the Philippines, the concept of encomienda (Royal Land
Grants) was introduced. This system grants that Encomienderos must defend his
encomienda from external attack, maintain peace and order within, and support the
missionaries. In turn, the encomiendero acquired the right to collect tribute from the
indios (native).
When the First Philippine Republic was established in 1899, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
declared in the Malolos Constitution his intention to confiscate large estates, especially
the so-called Friar lands.
American Period
Philippine Bill of 1902 – Set the ceilings on the hectarage of private individuals and
corporations may acquire: 16 has. for private individuals and 1,024 has. for corporations.
Land Registration Act of 1902 (Act No. 496) – Provided for a comprehensive registration
of land titles under the Torrens system.
Public Land Act of 1903 – introduced the homestead system in the Philippines.
Tenancy Act of 1933 (Act No. 4054 and 4113) – regulated relationships between
landowners and tenants of rice (50-50 sharing) and sugar cane lands.
Commonwealth Period
President Manuel L. Quezon espoused the "Social Justice" program to arrest the
increasing social unrest in Central Luzon.
1935 Constitution – "The promotion of social justice to ensure the well-being and
economic security of all people should be the concern of the State"
Commonwealth Act No. 178 (An Amendment to Rice Tenancy Act No. 4045), Nov.
13, 1936 – Provided for certain controls in the landlord-tenant relationships
National Rice and Corn Corporation (NARIC), 1936 – Established the price of rice
and corn thereby help the poor tenants as well as consumers.
Commonwealth Act. No. 461, 1937 – Specified reasons for the dismissal of
tenants and only with the approval of the Tenancy Division of the Department of
Justice.
Rural Program Administration, created March 2, 1939 – Provided the purchase
and lease of haciendas and their sale and lease to the tenants.
Commonwealth Act No. 441 enacted on June 3, 1939 – Created the National
Settlement Administration with a capital stock of P20,000,000.
Japanese Occupation
The Second World War II started in Europe in 1939 and in the Pacific in 1941.
Hukbalahap controlled whole areas of Central Luzon; landlords who supported the
Japanese lost their lands to peasants while those who supported the Huks earned fixed
rentals in favor of the tenants.
Philippine Republic
After the establishment of the Philippine Independence in 1946, the problems of land
tenure remained. These became worst in certain areas. Thus the Congress of the
Philippines revised the tenancy law.
Executive Order No. 355 issued on October 23, 1950 -- Replaced the National Land
Settlement Administration with Land Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO)
which takes over the responsibilities of the Agricultural Machinery Equipment
Corporation and the Rice and Corn Production Administration.
Republic Act No. 3844 of August 8, 1963 (Agricultural Land Reform Code) -- Abolished
share tenancy, institutionalized leasehold, set retention limit at 75 hectares, invested
rights of preemption and redemption for tenant farmers, provided for an administrative
machinery for implementation, institutionalized a judicial system of agrarian cases,
incorporated extension, marketing and supervised credit system of services of farmer
beneficiaries.
The RA was hailed as one that would emancipate Filipino farmers from the bondage of
tenancy.
Proclamation No. 1081 on September 21, 1972 ushered the Period of the New Society.
Five days after the proclamation of Martial Law, the entire country was proclaimed a
land reform area and simultaneously the Agrarian Reform Program was decreed.