HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF MAJOR AGRARIAN REFORM

LAWS/ISSUANCES/PROGRAMS UNDER THE DIFFERENT PHILIPPINE LEADERSHIP

By
Legislative Research and Statistics Division
Bureau of Agrarian Legal Assistance
Department of Agrarian Reform

A.MANUEL L. QUEZON (1935-1944)

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."
Act No. 4054(Rice Share Tenancy Act)
This is the first law on crop-sharing which legalized the 50-50 share
between landlord and tenant
B.MANUEL A. ROXAS (1946-1948)
Republic Act No. 34 An Act Amending Certain Sections of Act Numbered Four
Thousand Fifty-Four, As Amended, Otherwise Known as "The Philippine Rice
Share Tenancy Act"
It established a 70-30 sharing arrangement between tenant and
landlord
It provided that whoever shouldered the expenses of planting and
harvesting and provided the work animals would be entitled to 70 percent of
the harvest
It also reduced the interest on landowner loans to tenant at no more
than 6 percent instead of 10 percent
C.ELPIDIO R. QUIRINO (1948-1953)
Executive Order No. 355 Creating the Land Settlement and Development
Corporation and Dissolving the National Land Settlement Administration, the Rice
and Corn Production Administration and the Machinery and Equipment
Department of the National Development Company
Replaced the National Land Settlement Administration (NLSA) with the
Land Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO) which took over the
responsibilities of the Agricultural Machinery Equipment Corporation and the
Rice and Corn Production Administration
Created the Land Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO) on
October 23, 1950 to accelerate the resettlement program which was launched
shortly before World War II

D.RAMON DF. MAGSAYSAY (1953-1957)

Republic Act No. 1160(NARRA Law) An Act to Further Implement the Free
Distribution of Agricultural Lands of the Public Domain as Provided for In
Commonwealth Act Numbered Six Hundred and Ninety-One, As Amended, to
Abolish the Land Settlement and Development Corporation Created Under
Executive Order Numbered Three Hundred and Fifty-Five, Dated October TwentyThree, Nineteen Hundred and Fifty, and to Create in Its Place the National
Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration, and for Other Purposes
Abolished the Land Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO)
and created in its place the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Administration (NARRA)
The NARRA was established in order to hasten free distribution of
agricultural lands of the public domain to landless tenants and farmworkers
It was particularly aimed at the peasant base of the HUK movement
(Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa Hapon HUKBALAHAP)
It was successful in attracting farmers-turned-rebels to a peaceful life
by giving them homelots and farms in NARRA settlements in Palawan and in
some parts of Mindanao
Republic Act No. 1199(Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954) An Act to
Govern the Relations Between Landholders and Tenants of
Agricultural Lands (Leasehold and Share Tenancy)
The first land reform law which regulated all forms and aspects of
tenure relations, except civil lease
It gave share tenants the right to shift to leasehold where they pay
landowners a fixed rental instead of a variable share
This law also provided security of tenure to tenants by prohibiting the
ejectment of tenants unless the Court of Agrarian Relations found just cause
The law also allowed the purchase or expropriation of private lands to
be subdivided and resold to tenants at cost
This law created the Court of Agrarian Relations (CAR)
Republic Act No. 1400 (Land Reform Act of 1955) An Act Defining a
Land Tenure Policy, Providing for An Instrumentality to Carry Out the
Policy, and Appropriating Funds for Its Implementation
Provided for the acquisition of large tenanted rice and corn lands over
300 hectares if owned by individuals and 600 hectares, if owned by
corporations (i.e., it provided for retention limits of 300 hectares and 600
hectares, respectively)
Also known as "Land to the Landless Program", it sought to:

1.reduce large landholdings and consolidate smaller, uneconomic

holdings into plots of adequate sizes;
2.resettle tenants in areas where land was abundant;
3.provide adequate credit facilities for small landholders;
4.reduce rental and interest rates in order to provide security for
those who would remain tenants;
5.secure land titles for small holders; and
6.reform the property tax structure.
E.DIOSDADO P. MACAPAGAL (1961-1965)
Republic Act No. 3844(Agricultural Land Reform Code/Code of Agrarian Reforms)
An Act to Ordain the Agricultural Land Reform Code and to Institute Land
Reforms in the Philippines, Including the Abolition of Tenancy and the Channeling
of Capital Into Industry, Provide for the Necessary Implementing Agencies,
Appropriate Funds Therefor and for Other Purposes
Aimed to make the farmers owners of the land they tilled
It lowered the retention limit from 300 to 75 hectares
This Code abolished share tenancy and instituted the leasehold system
Invested rights of preemption and redemption for tenant farmers
Institutionalized a judicial system of agrarian cases
Incorporated extension, marketing and supervised credit system of
services to farmer beneficiaries
One of the law's basic objectives was to establish owner-cultivatorship
and the economic family-sized farm as the basis of Philippine agriculture and
as a consequence, divert landlord capital in agriculture to industrial
development
This law created the Land Authority headed by a Governor (under the
control and supervision of the President) for its implementation and to carry out
the aforementioned basic objective
It incorporated some of the features of previous land reform laws
The Code exempted coverage of plantation crops which were deemed
too important as export earners that time
F.FERDINAND E. MARCOS (1965-1986)
Republic Act No. 6389 An Act Amending Republic Act Numbered Thirty-Eight
Hundred and Forty-Four, As Amended, Otherwise Known as the Agricultural Land
Reform Code, and for Other Purposes)

Significantly amended several provisions ofRepublic Act No. 3844

Created the Department of Agrarian Reform, a separate administrative
agency for agrarian reform, replacing the Land Authority
Instituted the Code of Agrarian Reforms
Presidential Decree No. 2(Proclaiming the Entire Country as a Land
Reform Area)
Placed the whole country under land reform program
Presidential Decree No. 27 (Decreeing the Emancipation of Tenants from the
Bondage of the Soil, Transferring to Them the Ownership of the Land They Till
and Providing the Instruments and Mechanism Therefor)
Restricted land reform scope to tenanted rice and corn lands
It provided for tenanted lands devoted to rice and corn to pass in
ownership to the tenants who worked the properties
It lowered the ceiling for landholdings to 7 hectares
Share tenants who worked from a landholding of over 7 hectares could
purchase the land they tilled, while share tenants on land less than 7 hectares
would become leaseholders
At the time of land transfer, Certificates of Land Transfer (CLTs) were
issued to the new owners and when payments were completed, Emancipation
Patents (EPs) were granted
Before being given a CLT, a beneficiary must join an agrarian reform
cooperative or the Samahang Nayon (SN)
G.CORAZON C. AQUINO (1986-1992)
1987 Constitution(Article II, Section 21) "The
comprehensive rural development and agrarian reform"

State

shall

promote

Proclamation 131(Instituting a Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program)

Instituted the CARP as a major program of the government
It provided for a special fund known as the Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF)
in the amount of 50 Billion Pesos to cover the estimated cost of the program
for the period 1987-1992
It covers all agricultural lands regardless of tenurial arrangement and
commodity produced, all public and private agricultural lands, including other
lands of the public domain suitable to agriculture
Executive Order No. 229(Providing the Mechanism for the
Implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program)
Provided the mechanisms for CARP's implementation such as

administrative procedures and mechanics for land registration, private land

acquisition, and compensation procedures to landowners
It also specified the composition and functions of the governing entities
that will coordinate and supervise the implementation of the program
Executive Order No. 129-A(Modifying Executive Order No. 129,
Reorganizing and Strengthening the Department of Agrarian Reform
Program and for Other Purposes)
Provided for the strengthening of the DAR as the lead agency
responsible for the implementation of CARP
Reorganized, streamlined and expanded power and operation of DAR
Executive Order No. 228(Declaring Full Land Ownership to Qualified
Farmer Beneficiaries Covered by Presidential Decree No. 27;
Determining the Value of Remaining Unvalued Rice and Corn Lands
Subject to P.D. No. 27; and Providing for the Manner of Payment by
the Farmer Beneficiary and Mode of Compensation to the
Landowner)
Declared full landownership to qualified farmer-beneficiaries covered
byP.D. No. 27
Determined the value of remaining unvalued rice and corn land subject
toP.D. No. 27
Provided for the manner of payment by the FB and mode of
compensation to the landowner
Republic Act No. 6657(Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law) An
Act Instituting A Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program to
Promote Social Justice and Industrialization, Providing the
Mechanism for Its Implementation, and for Other Purposes)
Pursuant to Section 4, Article XIII of the1987 Constitution, it
undertakes an agrarian reform program founded on the right of farmers and
regular farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or collectively the lands
they till or, in the case of other farmworkers, to receive a just share of the fruits
thereof
It covers, regardless of tenurial arrangement and commodity produced,
all public and private agricultural lands as provided inProclamation No.
131andExecutive Order No. 229, including other lands of the public domain
suitable for agriculture
More specifically, the following lands are covered by CARP:
a)All alienable and disposable lands of the public domain devoted to
or suitable for agriculture;

b)All lands of the public domain in excess of the specific limits as

determined by Congress in Section 4 (a) ofR.A. No. 6657;
c)All other lands owned by the government devoted to or suitable for
agriculture; and
d)All private lands devoted or suitable for agriculture regardless of
the agricultural products raised or that can be raised thereon
Executive Order No. 405(Vesting in the Land Bank of the Philippines the
Primary Responsibility to Determine the Land Valuation and
Compensation for All Lands Covered Under Republic Act No. 6657,
Known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988)
Vested in the Land Bank of the Philippines the primary responsibility for
land valuation
Executive Order No. 406(Mandating Certain Departments and
Agencies to Align Their Respective Programs and Projects with the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, Directing the Department
of Agrarian Reform to Accelerate the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
Development Through the Provision of Economic and Social
Infrastructure Support, and Providing the Necessary Implementing
Mechanisms for the Purpose)
Emphasized that CARP is central to the government's efforts to hasten
countryside agro-industrial development
Directed the implementing agencies to align their respective programs
and projects with the CARP
This created CARP Implementing Teams from the national to the
municipal levels
It also identified and gave priority to 24 Strategic Operating Provinces
(SOP) where the bulk of CARP workload lies, without prejudice to program
implementation in other provinces of the country
Executive Order No. 407(Accelerating the Acquisition and Distribution of
Agricultural Lands, Pasture Lands, Fishponds, Agro-Forestry Lands and
Other Lands of the Public Domain Suitable for Agriculture)
Directed all government instrumentalities, including financial institutions
and corporations, to turn over to DAR all lands suitable for agriculture for
coverage under CARP
Executive Order No. 448(Amending Executive Order No. 407, Series
of 1990, Entitled, "Accelerating the Acquisition and Distribution of
Agricultural Lands, Pasture Lands, Fishponds, Agro-Forestry Lands
and Other Lands of Public Domain Suitable for Agriculture")
AmendedExecutive Order No. 407, series of 1990, providing that:

"All lands or portions thereof reserved by virtue of Presidential proclamations for

specific public uses by the government, its agencies and instrumentalities,
including government-owned or controlled corporations suitable for agriculture
and no longer actually, directly and exclusively used or necessary for the
purposes for which they have been reserved, as determined by the Department
of Agrarian Reform in coordination with the government agency or
instrumentality concerned in whose favor the reservation was established, shall
be segregated from the reservation and transferred to the Department of
Agrarian Reform for distribution to qualified beneficiaries under the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program."

Executive Order No. 506(Further Amending Executive Order No. 407,

Series of 1990, as Amended By Executive Order No. 448, Series of 1991,
Accelerating the Acquisition and Distribution of Agricultural Lands,
Pasture Lands, Fishponds, Agro-Forestry Lands and Other Lands of
Public Domain Suitable for Agriculture)
It declared that except national parks and other protected areas, all lands
or portions of the public domain reserved by virtue of proclamation or law for
specific purposes or uses by departments, bureaus, offices and agencies of
the Government, which are suitable for agriculture and no longer actually,
directly and exclusively used or necessary for the purpose for which they have
been reserved as determined by the Department of Agrarian Reform in
coordination with the government agency or instrumentality concerned in
whose favor the reservation was established, shall be segregated from the
reservation and transferred to the Department of Agrarian Reform for
distribution to qualified beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program.
It also provided that all existing and proposed National Parks, Game
Refuge and Bird Sanctuaries, Wildlife Reserves, Wilderness Areas and Other
Protected Areas, including old growth or virgin forests, and all forests above
1,000 meters elevation or above 50 percent slope, are hereby excluded from
the present segregation, acquisition and distribution procedures being
conducted by the Department of Agrarian Reform until such time as these area
shall have been identified, studied and determined to be either retained and
reclassified under the National Integrated Protected Areas System of DENR or
to be segregated for agricultural purposes.
H.FIDEL V. RAMOS (1992-1998)
Republic Act No. 7881(An Act Amending Certain Provisions of Republic Act No.
6657, Entitled "An Act Instituting a Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program to
Promote Social Justice and Industrialization, Providing the Mechanism for Its

Implementation, and for Other Purposes")

Amended certain provisions ofRepublic Act No. 6657, more
significantly Section 10 thereof on exemptions and exclusions from CARP, to
wit:
a)Lands actually, directly or exclusively used for parks and wildlife,
forest reserves, reforestation, fish sanctuaries and breeding grounds,
watersheds and mangroves;
b)Private lands actually, directly or exclusively used for prawn farms
and fishponds: Provided, That said prawn farms and fishponds have not
been distributed and Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) issued
to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) under CARP; and
c)Lands actually, directly and exclusively used and found to be
necessary for sites and institutions, and all lands with 18% slope and
over, except those already developed.
Republic Act No. 7905(An Act to Strengthen the Implementation of the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, and for Other Purposes)
It aimed to strengthen the implementation of the CARP by amending
certain provisions ofRepublic Act No. 6657, particularly the provisions on the
creation of support services office (Section 35), funding for support services
(Section 36), Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee (Section 44)
and province-by-province implementation of CARP (Section 45).
Republic Act No. 8532 (An Act Strengthening Further the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), By Providing
Augmentation Fund Therefor, Amending for the Purpose Section 63
of Republic Act No. 6657, Otherwise Known as "The CARP Law of
1988")
It authorized the appropriation of an additional amount of not more than
P50 billion needed to implement the CARP until year 2008
It provided for yearly appropriations of not less than P3 billion from the
General Appropriations Act
ARCs (Agrarian Reform Communities)
The DAR, under the leadership of President Fidel V. Ramos and
Secretary Ernesto D. Garilao, pursued the "development of agrarian reform
communities (ARCs) as its key program for national development."
An ARC is a barangay at the minimum or a cluster of contiguous
barangays where there is a critical mass of farmers and farmworkers awaiting
the full implementation of agrarian reform. These farmers and farmworkers will
anchor the integrated development of the area.

In order to optimize the allocation and use of limited resources and

create an impact, the DAR has adopted a geographical focus and realigned its
priorities towards the development of viable ARCs. In these areas, DAR shall
intensify its interventions to increase farm production, improve household
income, and promote sustainable development.
ARCs shall serve as growth points in the countryside.
I.JOSEPH E. ESTRADA (1998-2001)
Executive Order No. 26(Providing Opportunities for the Development of
Beneficiaries Under the Comprehensive Land Reform Program to Become
Productive Entrepreneurs, Providing the Mechanism Therefor and for Other
Purposes)
It provided that lands covered by Certificates of Land Ownership Award
(CLOA) shall now be accepted as collateral to secure loans by their registered
owners, with the consent of the farmers cooperative to which they are
members, with the government financial institutions, as well as, with the private
financial institutions: Provided, That the loan proceeds shall be used
exclusively in the furtherance of the agricultural productivity of the land and
related activities.
MAGKASAKA (Magkabalikat sa Kaunlarang Agraryo)
To ensure adequate support services, there is a need for greater private
sector participation, both civil society and business, in the development of
agrarian reform areas.
MAGKASAKA, pursued under the framework of Joint Economic
Enterprises, aimed to bring investments into the countryside. Investors will be
encouraged to become partners of the farmers in establishing rural business
enterprises, particularly in agrarian reform communities (ARCs). They will
contribute capital, technology and management support, while the farmers will
contribute the use of their land but not the land itself. The land cannot be used
to settle obligations of the enterprise. This ensures that ownership of the land
remains in the hand of the farmers.
J.GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO (2001-2010)
Bayan-Anihan (Bayan-Anihan Program for Rural Development BPRD)
It is DAR's banner program under the Arroyo Administration to hasten
the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)
The six main thrusts of Bayan-Anihan are the following:
(a)fast tracking of land acquisition and distribution;
(b)integrating, rationalizing and institutionalizing the delivery of support
services;

(c)swift delivery of agrarian justice;

(d)promoting peace;
(e)intensifying and institutionalizing social marketing; and
(f)modernizing the DAR bureaucracy.
K.BENIGNO SIMEON C. AQUINO III (2010-PRESENT)