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Rizal on agrarian issues

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(http://knightsofrizal.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/picture-11.jpg)By Sarreal
D. Soquiño – The persistent call from farmers’ groups and the Church for
the extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program for another five
to ten years coupled with the need for increased farm production due to the
looming food crisis have once again underscored the importance of government
support to the agriculture sector. The government knows fully well that the
advancement of agriculture in the country is fundamental in its development
policy.

As a college instructor in history, particularly the Rizal course, I have always

emphasized to my students that our greatest hero, Jose P. Rizal, firmly believed
in the crucial role of the colonial administration to pursue the improvement of
agriculture, including various forms of assistance for the tillers. This view was
clearly expressed in his article, The Filipino Farmers, that appeared in La
Solidaridad in 1889. In the article, Rizal suggested that the colonial
administration pursue meaningful actions that would protect the landowners and
farmers from abuses committed by both corrupt local officials and marauding
bandits.

Rizal realized the vital role of agriculture in nation-building. The short-lived Liga
Filipina that Rizal formed in 1892 reflected his interest in agrarian matters.
Based on the aims of the Liga Filipina, Rizal firmly believed that the success of
uniting the “whole archipelago into a compact homogenous body†must
be accompanied with the development of education, commerce and agriculture.

During his exile years in Dapitan (1892 to 1895), Rizal cultivated the 70
hectares of fertile lands he bought in Mindanao, and planted it with fruit trees,
sugarcane, coffee, corn and cacao. Wanting to improve the life of the fishing
community, he introduced a modern technique of fishing that enabled them
increase their catch. Rizal showed the residents of Dapitan that continued
learning for an improved agriculture was a necessity, particularly in a
community whose sustenance depends primarily on the generosity of nature.

Rizal learned many things related to the agrarian issues from his personal
experience in the land conflict between the Dominican Order(hacienda owner in
Calamba) and its tenants in Calamba, Laguna. Adhering to the order of
Governor-General Emilio Terrero, Rizal investigated the circumstances of the
agrarian conflict that started in 1887. The results of his investigation, promptly
submitted to Malacañang, enabled Terrero to understand the Calamba
problem. His involvement in the conflict further angered the Dominican friars

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3/1/2018 Rizal on agrarian issues » Jose Rizal » knightsofrizal.org

who already considered him a filibustero following the publication of Noli me

Tangere. Clearly, the hacienda conflict had inspired Rizal to write the story of
Cabesang Tales and his family that was included in the second novel. This
story depicts the hard work and dedication of a toiling farmer, usurpation of land
by a powerful group, judicial corruption, revenge and death. A nationalist
historian, Renato Constantino, once wrote that the simmering land question
during the 19th century served as a primary factor that made a national uprising
against the colonial regime in 1896 an irreversible imperative.

A hundred years after the publication of El Filibusterismo, it appears that we

have not fully appreciated the warning of our great hero that unresolved
agrarian disputes may spark rebellion and violence.

Mr. Soquiño is a History Instructor at the Filamer Christian College, Roxas

City, Capiz

Photo by tekgik

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