Brief Historical Background of

Agrarian Reform
Economics, Taxation and Agrarian
Reform
March 10, 2014
 Pre-Spanish Era

Types of Land Patter ns In the Philippines

Those who engaged in shifting cultivation
regarding of land as their public domain.
Those who practiced a type of sedentary culture,
a rudimentary form of private ownership.
The pre-Spanish social classes who lived in
barangay to determined the landownership system.
 Pre-Spanish

Practices of Land Ownership System and

Relationship among the Pre-Spanish Classes:
The nobles were free from tribute payment, could own
land, and pay few exactions to the chief, although they
were responsible to fight for the latter of inter-barangay
warfare.
The freeman were entitled to cultivate certain lands,
but were required to pay annual fee of one-half of the
yield of their crops to the datu.
 Pre-Spanish

 The dependents simply served the datus.

They were owned by the datus and could be
sold or traded. They did not have any right
and have never entered the landholding class.
 Spanish Period (1521-1898)

March 17, 1521 - Under the patronage of King Charles

I. Ferdinand Magellan started explore the East Asia
that lead to the discovery of the Philippines.
King Charles 1 – instructed Magellan:
 to treat with justice the native of the lands to be visited
The natives be treated with utmost good faith and great
affection, in order they influenced to become good
Christians.
Serve the Spanish government
 Spanish Period (1521-1898)

1565 – Miguel Lopez de Legazpi expedition

 to look for new spice islands
 Rajah Humabon , his wife & barangay to
convert anito worship to Christianity.
 gradual hispanization in the aspects of politics,
economy, culture, education and religion.
Private ownership was introduce.
 Spanish Period (1521-1898)

December 1503 – encomienda system in the Spanish

colonies began as a result of a Royal Order.
 by virtue of this order – encomienda were granted
to Spanish officials and clerics.
Consolidate several barangay into administrative
units. These were governed by gobernadorcillos.
These gobernadorcillos came from landed class
known as caciques.
 Spanish Period (1521-1898)

18th Century – start of uprising

Major conflict and rebellion:
 tributo
 polo
encomienda
 Spanish Period (1521-1898)

19th Century – several development occurred that aimed

to solidify the land tenure system and aroused
antagonism over its injustices and inequalities.
 Spanish government issued a decrees decreto
realenga – this decrees urged landowners, to secure the
legal titles of the land. The firs was issued in 1880 and
other is 1894 - known as Maura Law.
Pacto de retroventa (Mortgage system).
Inquilinos – a tax called canon.
Philippine Revolutionary Government (1898-1899)

1899- the first Philippine Republic was established, the

government of Emilio Aguinaldo declared it’s
intention to confiscate large estates, especially the
friar land.
May 24, 1898 – it was a provision in the Malolos
Constitution, which stated that all estates, edifices,
and properties possessed by the religious
corporations in the country shall be deemed
restored to the Philippine State.
Philippine Revolutionary Government (1898-1899)

Four classes of estates proprietors:

 Religious orders
 Spanish officials and proprietors
 Mestizos
 Principalia (ruling class)
Philippine Revolutionary Government (1898-1899)

 The friars possessed more than 185,000 hectares or about

one-fifteenth of the land under cultivation. 110,000
hectares in the vicinity of Manila.
 Dominican held states in Laguna – Calamba, and Sta.
Rosa; and in Bataan Lomboy, Pandi and Orion.
 The Augustinians held estate in Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva
Vizcaya; and owned properties in Manila, Cavite and
Bulacan.
 The Recollects owned estates in Imus, Cavite and in
Mindanao.
Philippine Revolutionary Government (1898-1899)

These are the approximate areas of the religious estates:

 49,293 hectares in Manila
 15,961 hectares in Bataan
 1,999 hectares in Morong (now Rizal)
 404 hectares in Bataan
 19,991 hectares in Cagayan
 6,642 hectares in Cebu
 23,656 hectares in Mindanao
 22,838 hectares in Isabela
Philippine Revolutionary Government (1898-1899)

March 23,1901 – Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was

capture by Americans soldiers headed by
Col. Frederic Funston at Palanan,
Isabela.
 American Rule (1898 – 1935)

December 10, 1898 – America became new

colonizers, by the virtue of the Treaty of Paris.
1814- 1884 – Torrens system of land registration.
Introduce by Sir Richard Torrens.
Enforced the registration of lands and issuance of
certificates of land titles granted by the court after
appropriate proceedings.
 American Rule (1898 – 1935)

Land Related Law that US Government

Introduced to the country.
 The Land Registration Act of 1902 sought to
determine the private holdings in the country.
 The Public Land Act of 1903 offered plot not
in excess of 16 hectares to families who had
occupied and cultivated the land they were
residing since August 1, 1898.
 American Rule (1898 – 1935)

Land Related Law that US Government

Introduced to the country.
 The Cadastral Act of 1903 required cadastral
surveys for new land titles.
 The 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 $7,239, 784.66.
 Commonwealth Era (1935-1946)

1933 – Pres. Manuel L. Quezon implemented the Rice

Share Tenancy Act (Act No. 4054)
the purpose of this act was to regulate the share tenancy
contract by establishing minimum standards.
1936 – this act was amended to get rid the loophole, but the
landlords made its application relative and not absolute.
1939 TO 1940 - thousands of peasants in Central Luzon
were being threatened with wholesale eviction.
NLSA –National Land Settlement Administration.
 Second Philippine Republic: Japanese Occupation (1941-
1945)

1941 – HUKBALAHAP was born. Hukbo ng

Bayan Laban sa Hapon.
- Luis Taruc – Charismatic peasant leader
After World War II – the Huks were able to
establish a shadow government in Central
Luzon.
 Third to Fifth Philippine Republic Roxas Administration
(1946-1948)

1946 – Pres. Manuel Roxas proclaimed the Rice

Share Tenancy Act, effective through the
country.
Republic Act No. 34 of 1946, known as Tenant
Act. This provided for a 70-30 sharing
arrangement and regulated share-tenancy
contracts. It was passed to resolve the
ongoing peasant unrest of Central Luzon.
 Quirino Administration (1948-1953)

Pres.Elpedio Quirino announced two main

objectives of his administration
 Economic reconstruction of the nation.
 Restoration of faith and confidence of the
people in the government.
 Magsaysay Administration
(1953-1957)

Pres. Ramon Magsaysay signed into law two land-

related bills.
 The Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954 –
allowed tenant to shift from tenancy to leasehold.
 R.A. No.1199 of 1954 – recognized two systems:
 Share tenancy
 leasehold
 Magsaysay Administration
(1953-1957)

The Land Reform Act of 1955

(Republic Act No. 1400) provided for
the expropriation of private
agricultural land over 300 hectares of
contagious areas, if owned by
individuals.
 Garcia Administration (1957 – 1961)

Pres. Carlos P. Garcia – carried on the land-

related policies of Magsaysay. He did not
make any law or major pronouncements on
agrarian reform.
- Garcia administration was described as a
“stalemate between landlords and their allies
in the Congress and the executive department,
and the elements of favoring land reform”.
 Macapagal Administration
(1961 – 1965)

Pres. Diosdado Macapagal - Achievements

Land Reform Code 1963 – (R.A. No. 3844) this
code provided for the purchase of private
farmlands with the intention of distributing
them in small lots to the landless tenant on
easy terms of payment.
 Marcos Administration

Pre-Martial Law (First Term, 1965-1969)

The first four years of the administration of
President Ferdinand E. Marcos accomplished a
slightly faster land purchase and redistribution
as compared to the last two years of
Macapagal administration. No agrarian law
was made. Only the Agricultural Land
Reform Code (R.A. No. 6389).
 Marcos Administration

Pre-Martial Law (Second Term, 1969 – 1973)

September 10, 1971 – passed further amendments to the
Agricultural Land Reform Code.
 Abolition of personal cultivation conversion to
residential subdivision as grounds for the ejecments
of tenants.
 Automatic conversion of all-share tenants in the
Philippines to leasehold tenants with some
exceptions and qualifications
 Marcos Administration

Pre-Martial Law (Second Term, 1969 – 1973)

September 10, 1971 – passed further amendments to the
Agricultural Land Reform Code.
 Creation of the Department of Agrarian Reform.
 Rights of the tenants on land converted to residential
subdivision to demand a disturbance compensation
equivalent to five times the average gross harvest for
the past three agricultural years;
 Increased financing for the land reform program; and
 Marcos Administration

Pre-Martial Law (Second Term, 1969 – 1973)

September 10, 1971 – passed further
amendments to the Agricultural Land Reform
Code.
 Crediting of rental favor of the tenant against
just compensation that he would have to pay
in case the land was expropriated by the
government for resale to the tenant.