AGRARIAN

REFORM FROM
THE SPANISH
COLONIAL
PHILIPPINES TO
THE PRESENT
 PRE-SPANISH PERIOD
Filipinos already lived in villages
and barangays even before the
Spaniards came to the Philippines.
The settlements were rules by
chieftains or datus who comprised
the nobility. There were also
maharlikas ( freemen ) , the aliping
mamamahay ( serfs ) and aliping
saguiguilid ( slaves ) .
PRE-SPANISH PERIOD
Despite the existence of a
social structure , everyone had
access to the fruits of the soil.
Rice was the medium of
exchange as money was yet
unknown.
SPANISH PERIOD (1521 – 1896)
 The Spaniards introduced the concept
of encomienda to the Philipines.
ENCOMIENDA was a system of giving
lands ( Royal Land Grants ) to the
Spanish conquerors that were loyal to
the Spanish monarch. As a matter
policy , encomenderos must defend his
encomienda from external attack ,
maintain peace and order within
 And support the missionaries. In
turn , the encomenderos were given
the right to collect taxes ( tributes )
from the indios (natives). Because
of this , encomenderos started to
abuse their power by renting their
lands to a few powerful landlords ,
and the natives who once freely
cultivated the land became share
tenants.
AGRARIAN UPRISINGS (1745-46)
Set in the areas of
Batangas, Cavite,
Laguna, Rizal, and
Bulacan, the roots of the
Agrarian Revolts
stemmed from the
usurpation of lands by
several religious orders,
leaving the inhabitants
poor and desolate.
While Spanish forces eventually
quelled the uprisings, Pedro
Calderon, an investigator for
the Royal Audiencia, found that
the religious orders—with the
collaboration of a corrupt
surveyor named Juan Monroy—
usurped the lands rightfully
belonging to the natives and
ordered the lands to be
returned to their rightful
owners.
THE FIRST PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC
When Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo came
to power in 1899 , the Malolos
Constitution which they crafted
intended to confiscate the so-
called Friar lands and other large
estates. However , the first
Philippines Republic was short-
lived so that the plan to confiscate
the lands was never executed.
AMERICAN PERIOD(1898-1935)
“Long live America”
Significant legislation enacted during the
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.
 The Torrens system, which the Americans
instituted for the registration of lands, did not
solve the problem completely. Either they were
not aware of the law or if they did, they could not
pay the survey cost and other fees required in
applying for a Torrens title.
COMMONWEALTH PERIOD(1935-1942)
Government for the Filipinos”
 President Manuel L. Quezon espoused the
"Social Justice" program to arrest the
increasing social unrest in Central Luzon.
 Significant legislation enacted during
Commonwealth Period:
 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 Era of Hukbalahap”
 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.
 Unfortunately, the end of war also signaled the end of
gains acquired by the peasants.
 Upon the arrival of the Japanese in the Philippines in
1942, peasants and workers organizations grew strength.
Many peasants took up arms and identified themselves
with the anti-Japanese group, the HUKBALAHAP (Hukbo ng
Bayan Laban sa Hapon).