CHAPTER 16

AGRARIAN REFORM

Agriculture is one of the most predominant sectors of the Philippines economy. The
production of food crops, like rice and corn, contributes extensively to the country’s GDP. Its
role in economic growth is also invaluable since the agricultural sector is a major provider of
food for the people and raw materials for production.

This chapter introduces the essential of land reform, agrarian reform, and the Comprehensive
Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). It discusses the basic foundations and rationale of an
authentic agrarian reform which has social, legal, and moral implications.

INTRODUCTION

The issue of genuine agrarian reform program in the Philippines is, as many historian
say, “centuries-old problem” that started from the Spanish and American colonial periods.
According to Constantino, it is “a promise often heard during presidential election campaigns,
but finally sidelined, unheard of, or even forgotten once the votes are cast.”

Agrarian reform was one of the major demand in the 1896 Katipunan uprising. Since
then, successive administrations, from Quezon in 1933 to Aquino in 1988, attempted to
implement different agrarian reform programs. It was seen as matter of sugarcoating empty
promises to the farmers and reassuring the landlords of their interest, which in the end,
rendered genuine and significant changes impossible. These changes should ameliorate the
socio-economic structures that keep the majority of the Filipinos as land tillers who are tired to
tenancy and, hence, to poverty.

Advocates of a genuine agrarian reform, particularly the landless tillers, do not ask for
absolute equality. They want their emancipation from the bandage of the soil that has persisted
for a long time. This kind of bondage is another form of slavery. This exploitation will continue
unless a genuine agrarian reform program is finally realized.
 The implementation of a genuine agrarian reform program in the Philippines would
improve the lives of marginalized Filipino farmers and farmworkers. The Philippines, a country
rich in agricultural resources, will also benefit tremendously from the program.

Essential Concepts

Reform- is a change, a process, or an act to achieve improvements on any current state or

quality.

Land reform- is a measure undertaken to improve the relationship between the tillers and the
landowner, with regard to the former's rights and privileges in the land they are nurturing.

 Land reform was used to connote agricultural reform programs during the American
colonial period until President Diosdado Macapagal's administration. During the latter's
government, a land reform program to mend the landlord-tenant relationship was
introduced.
 This was implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) alone, and its
beneficiaries were tenant-farmers only.

Agrarian reform- pursues a broader improvement, not only on land ownership, but also in the
agrarian system and processes as a whole. This includes credit measures, product development,
mode of production, trainings, and finances.

 During the Aquino administration, a Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)

was initialized through the comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law or CARL(R.A.
No.6657).
 The program, signed by President Cory Aquino on June 10, 1988 and took effect on June
15, 1988, aims to rationalize the distribution and use of all lands suitable for agriculture
and to bring social equity and economic prosperity.

Other Connotations of Agrarian Reform

 Agrarian reform is a development program assisted by various government agencies for

the advancement of its beneficiaries, mostly landless farmers.
  It is a package of support services, price regulations and government on matters related.
 It is an intervention not only limited to the concerns of land use and distribution but in
othe related concern.
 It is concerned not only with the beneficiaries and the land they till but also the
community they live in.

Principle of Agrarian Reform

 Agrarian reform can be found in the 1987 Philippines Constitution and various papal
social encyclicals.
 This means that the demicratization of income and wealth is realized by giving the
marginalized farmers an equal access to land as ther basic productive resource.
 Other principle in the inplimentation of agrarian reform is just compensation for the land
owner.
 Fair market value should be considered in assessing the lands to be redistributed.
 They will work with the concerned government agencies in the preparation, planning, and
implementation of the program.
 The affected landowners and landlords must share with landless tillers the land they have
acquired and benefited from over the years and shift toward industrialization and other
intrepreneurial activities

Aspects of Agrarian Reform

The aspects of agrarian reform explain why an authentic and aggressive agrarian reform
program is an urgent necessity in the Philippines. These aspects or dimensions are discussed
below.

Economic

Since the end of World War II, economic development and progress have been the
concern of all nations. Some, like most Asian nations, were successful in propelling their
economic strategies and goals while others only see them as an elusive dream. The Philippine is
one of these nations awaiting the fruition of its economic development.
 Essentially, it is the agriculture sector that struggles for a long-term economic
development. Agriculture is the main industry in the country.

Socio-Cultural

Agrarian reform implies a socio-cultural transformation that could eventually result in

meaningful changes in the lives of its beneficiaries. Based on the experiences of Japan and
Taiwan, which relentlessly implemented their respective models of agrarian reform, these
positive and favorable socio-cultural changes may be summed up as:

1. A gradual shift from a dependent to a self-subsistent outlook were the farmer-

beneficiaries put all their energies in the farms resulting in surplus and an increase in
income;
2. An enhanced social order in the farming villages and the farmers becoming more aware
of the importance and urgency of maintaining peace and stability in the community for
them to enjoy the increased benefits from their farms;
3. The farmer- beneficiaries’ initiative and active participation in leadership roles apparent
in the forming of associations and exercising of theirs suffrage right, and the decline of
the landlords’ monopoly to land ownership; and
4. The uplifted social status of the farmers brought about by the agricultural productivity
increasing their income, the promoting of improvements like modern family planning
programs, and the awareness of economic alternatives in the urban and industrial sector.

Religious

Agrarian reform cab also be seen in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament. This
is further discussed in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church through papal social
encyclicals.

The basic foundation of agrarian reform is grounded in scriptural teachings, specifically

in genesis 1:27-30, which states that God is the owner of the earth, and He made it for all His
children.

Everyone, not just a privileged few, possesses the God-given right to use and enjoy the
fruits of the earth for their existence, development, and progress. It is indeed contrary to the will
of God if the land He made for all His children should now be appropriated, controlled, and
enjoyed only by a few (Salgado, 1974:512).

The Vatican II Decree, “Pastoral on the church in the Modern World”(Par.69), likewise
stresses and reaffirms the biblical teachings that man should regard external things he
legitimately possesses not only as his own but also as a common possession. They should be able
to benefit not only himself but also others. Also, the right to having a share of earthly goods
sufficient for oneself and one’s family belongs to everyone.

The Papal Encyclical “On the Development of People “(Par.23), quoting St. Ambrose,
states that “you are not making a gift of your possessions to the poor person. You are handing
over to him what is his. For what has been given in common for the use of all, you have
arrogated to yourself. The world is given to all, not only to the rich.

Moral

Philosophical teaching also shows the importance of agrarian reform to a country. Human
reason also sees the need for a just and equitable distribution of lands to people. General Justice
points to the responsibility of treating the rich and the poor equally. Distributive justice
underlines the duty of the government to ration proportionately to all citizens the privileges and
the burdens in the society.

Agrarian reform is based on social justice as far as equitable distribution of land is

concerned. The distribution of land to landless farmers and farmworkers entails the regulation of
state in the acquisition, ownership, use, enjoyment and disposition of private properties.

Legal

Agrarian reform is mandated by the Constitution. The 1987 Constitution clearly cites this
mandates as:

Article II, Sec. 10 – to promote social justice in all phases of national development;

Article II Sec. 21 – to promote comprehensive rural development and agrarian reform;

Article XII Sec. 1 – to promote industrialization and full employment based on sound
agricultural development and agrarian reform;

Art. XIII, Sec. 1 – to regulate the acquisition , ownership, use and disposition of property and its
increments;

Art. XIII, Sec. 2 – to afford full protection to labor and promote equal work opportunities; and

Art. XIII, Sec. 4-10 – to undertake an agrarian reform as well as housings programs for
homeless citizens.

Political

Agrarian reform is a top priority of the government and of almost every Philippine
president. Most often the national leaderships political will is measured through its capacity to
implement significant programs, such as the agrarian reform, regardless of those who will be
affected – families, relatives, friends or foes.

Agrarian reform is ultimately the product of the more deliberate political decisions in
solving the imbalance ownership of agricultural lands.

Implications of Agrarian Reform

Below are the implications of an authentic agrarian reform program.

1. Socio-economic
a. Incentive to produce more
b. More employment
c. Higher farm yields
d. Larger Income
e. Expanded domestic market
f. Greater industrial production
g. National development and dynamic democracy
h. Heightened quality of life
2. Socio-political
a. Enhanced people’s participation
 b. People empowerment
c. Recognition of human dignity
d. More principled and disciplined people
e. More political awareness and involvement
f. Responsive bureaucracy
g. Broad-based democracy
h. National development and dynamic democracy
i. Heightened quality of life
3. Socio-cultural
a. Recognition of human dignity
b. Heightened consciousness and social awareness
c. Enhanced peoples participation
d. More principled and disciplined people
e. Higher education
f. Improved health condition
g. Increased awareness of environmental conservation
h. National development and dynamic democracy
i. Heightened quality of life

Prepared by;

Kriscel Impreso

Raquel Eduvije

Ailyn Jubelea

Rose Ann Sancho

Reyvell Rogado

Marigold Ladrera