SOCIAL LEGISLATION- defense, school sites and campuses, including experimental farm stations operated by
public or private schools for educational purposes, seeds and seedling research and pilot
1. RA 9700 CARPER LAW
SECTION 34. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2009 and it shall be
published in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved: August 7, 2009
Published in the Philippine Star on August 24, 2009.
2. RA 7881
February 20, 1995 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"
SECTION 1. Section 3, Paragraph (b) of Republic Act No. 6657 is hereby
amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 3. Definitions. For the purpose of this Act, unless the context indicates
otherwise:
"(b) Agriculture, Agricultural Enterprise or Agricultural Activity means the cultivation of
the soil, planting of crops, growing of fruit trees, including the harvesting of such farm
products, and other farm activities and practices performed by a farmer in conjunction
with such farming operations done by persons whether natural or juridical." cdt
SECTION 2. Section 10 of Republic Act No. 6657 is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 10. Exemptions and Exclusions.
"a) Lands actually, directly and exclusively used for parks, wildlife, forest reserves,
reforestation, fish sanctuaries and breeding grounds, watersheds and mangroves shall
be exempt from the coverage of this Act.
"b) Private lands actually, directly and exclusively used for prawn farms and fishponds
shall be exempt from the coverage of this Act: Provided, That said prawn farms and
fishponds have not been distributed and Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA)
issued to agrarian reform beneficiaries under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program.
"In cases where the fishponds or prawn farms have been subjected to the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, by voluntary offer to sell, or commercial farms
deferment or notices of compulsory acquisition, a simple and absolute majority of the
actual regular workers or tenants must consent to the exemption within one (1) year from
the effectivity of this Act. When the workers or tenants do not agree to this exemption,
the fishponds or prawn farms shall be distributed collectively to the worker-beneficiaries
or tenants who shall form a cooperative or association to manage the same.
"In cases where the fishponds or prawn farms have not been subjected to the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, the consent of the farm workers shall no longer be
necessary, however, the provision of Section 32-A hereof on incentives shall apply." aisa
dc
"c) Lands actually, directly and exclusively used and found to be necessary for national
production center, church sites and convents appurtenant thereto, mosque sites and
Islamic centers appurtenant thereto, communal burial grounds and cemeteries, penal
colonies and penal farms actually worked by the inmates, government and private
research and quarantine centers and all lands with eighteen percent (18%) slope and
over, except those already developed, shall be exempt from the coverage of this Act."
SECTION 3. Section 11 Paragraph 1 is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 11. Commercial Farming. Commercial farms, which are private agricultural
lands devoted to saltbeds, fruit farms, orchards, vegetable and cut-flower farms, and
cacao, coffee and rubber plantations, shall be subject to immediate compulsory
acquisition and distribution after ten (10) years from the effectivity of this Act. In the case
of new farms, the ten-year period shall begin from the first year of commercial production
and operation, as determined by the DAR. During the ten-year period, the Government
shall initiate steps necessary to acquire these lands, upon payment of just compensation
for the land and the improvements thereon, preferably in favor of organized cooperatives
or associations which shall thereafter manage the said lands for the workers-
beneficiaries."
SECTION 4. There shall be incorporated after Section 32 of Republic Act No.
6657 a new section to read as follows:
"Sec. 32-A. Incentives. Individuals or entities owning or operating fishponds and
prawn farms are hereby mandated to execute within six (6) months from the effectivity of
this Act an incentive plan with their regular fishpond or prawn farmworkers or fishpond or
prawn farm workers' organization, if any, whereby seven point five percent (7.5%) of their
net profit before tax from the operation of the fishpond or prawn farms are distributed
within sixty (60) days at the end of the fiscal year as compensation to regular and other
pond workers in such ponds over and above the compensation they currently receive.
"In order to safeguard the right of the regular fishpond or prawn farm workers under the
incentive plan, the books of the fishpond or prawn farm owners shall be subject to
periodic audit or inspection by certified public accountants chosen by the workers.
"The foregoing provision shall not apply to agricultural lands subsequently converted to
fishpond or prawn farms provided the size of the land converted does not exceed the
retention limit of the landowner."
SECTION 5. There shall be incorporated after Section 65 of Republic Act No.
6657 new sections to read as follows: cdasia
"Sec. 65-A. Conversion into Fishpond and Prawn Farms. No conversion of public
agricultural lands into fishponds and prawn farms shall be made except in situations
where the provincial government with the concurrence of the Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources (BFAR) declares a coastal zone as suitable for fishpond
development. In such case, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR) shall allow the lease and development of such areas: Provided, That the
declaration shall not apply to environmentally critical projects and areas as contained in
title (A) sub-paragraph two, (B-5) and (C-1) and title (B), number eleven (11) of
Proclamation No. 2146, entitled "Proclaiming Certain Areas and Types of Projects as
Environmentally Critical and Within the Scope of the Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) System established under Presidential Decree No. 1586," to ensure the protection
of river systems, aquifers and mangrove vegetations from pollution and environmental
degradation: Provided, further, That the approval shall be in accordance with a set of
guidelines to be drawn up and promulgated by the DAR and the BFAR: Provided,
furthermore, That small-farmer cooperatives and organizations shall be given preference
in the award of the Fishpond Lease Agreement (FLAs).
"No conversion of more than five (5) hectares of private lands to fishpond and prawn
farms shall be allowed after the passage of this Act, except when the use of the land is
more economically feasible and sound for fishpond and/or prawn farm, as certified by the
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), and a simple and absolute majority
of the regular farm workers or tenants agree to the conversion, the Department of
Agrarian Reform, may approve applications for change in the use of the land: Provided,
finally, That no piecemeal conversion to circumvent the provisions of this Act shall be
allowed. In these cases where the change of use is approved, the provisions of Section
32-A hereof on incentives shall apply."
"Sec. 65-B. Inventory. Within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, the BFAR
shall undertake and finish an inventory of all government and private fishponds and
prawn farms, and undertake a program to promote the sustainable management and
utilization of prawn farms and fishponds. No lease under Section 65-A hereof may be
granted until after the completion of the said inventory.
"The sustainable management and utilization of prawn farms and fishponds shall be in
accordance with the effluent standards, pollution charges and other pollution control
measures such as, but not limited to, the quantity of fertilizers, pesticides and other
chemicals used, that may be established by the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA),
the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), and other appropriate government
regulatory bodies, and existing regulations governing water utilization, primarily
Presidential Decree No. 1067, entitled "A Decree Instituting A Water Code, Thereby
Revising and Consolidating the Laws Governing the Ownership, Appropriation,
Utilization, Exploitation, Development, Conservation and Protection of Water
Resources." cd i
"Sec. 65-C. Protection of Mangrove Areas. In existing Fishpond Lease Agreements
(FLAs) and those that will be issued after the effectivity of this Act, a portion of the
fishpond area fronting the sea, sufficient to protect the environment, shall be established
as a buffer zone and be planted to specified mangrove species to be determined in
consultation with the regional office of the DENR. The Secretary of Environment and
Natural Resources shall provide the penalties for any violation of this undertaking as well
as the rules for its implementation."
"Sec. 65-D. Change of Crops. The change of crops to commercial crops or high
value crops shall not be considered as a conversion in the use or nature of the land. The
change in crop should however, not prejudice the rights of tenants or leaseholders should
there be any and the consent of a simple and absolute majority of the affected farm
workers, if any, shall first be obtained."
SECTION 6. There shall be incorporated after Section 73 of Republic Act No.
6657 a new section to read as follows:
"Sec. 73-A. Exception. The provisions of Section 73, paragraph (E), to the contrary
notwithstanding, the sale and/or transfer of agricultural land in cases where such sale,
transfer or conveyance is made necessary as a result of a bank's foreclosure of the
mortgaged land is hereby permitted." acd
SECTION 7. Separability Clause. If for any reason, any section or provision of
this Act is declared null and void, no other section provision or part thereof shall be
affected and the same shall remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 8. Effectivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after
its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved: February 20, 1995
3. RA 7905
February 23, 1995 REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7905
AN ACT TO STRENGTHEN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMPREHENSIVE
AGRARIAN REFORM PROGRAM, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
SECTION 1. Section 35 of Republic Act No. 6657, otherwise known as the
"Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988", is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 35. Creation of Support Services Office. There is hereby created the Office
of Support Services under the DAR to be headed by an Undersecretary.
"The Office shall provide general support and coordinative services in the implementation
of the program, particularly in carrying out the provisions of the following services to
farmer beneficiaries and affected landowners: cda
"1) Irrigation facilities, especially second crop or dry season irrigation facilities;
"2) Infrastructure development and public works projects in areas and settlements that
come under agrarian reform, and for this purpose, the preparation of the physical
development plan of such settlements providing suitable barangay sites, potable water
and power resources, irrigation systems, seeds and seedling banks, post harvest
facilities, and other facilities for a sound agricultural development plan. For the purpose
of providing the aforecited infrastructure and facilities, the DAR is authorized to enter into
contracts with interested private parties on long term basis or through joint-venture
agreements or build-operate-transfer scheme;
"3) Government subsidies for the use of irrigation facilities;
"4) Price support and guarantee for all agricultural produce;
"5) Extending to small landowners, farmers and farmers' organizations the necessary
credit, like concessional and collateral-free loans, for agro-industrialization based on
social collaterals like the guarantees of farmers' organizations;
"6) Promoting, developing and extending financial assistance to small and medium-
scale industries in agrarian reform areas;
"7) Assigning sufficient numbers of agricultural extension workers to farmers'
organizations;
"8) Undertake research, development and dissemination of information on agrarian
reform, plants and crops best suited for cultivation and marketing, and low-cost and
ecologically sound farm inputs and technologies to minimize reliance on expensive and
imported agricultural inputs;
"9) Development of cooperative management skills through intensive training;
"10) Assistance in the identification of ready markets for agricultural produce and
training in the other various aspects of marketing;
"11) Conduct an effective information dissemination system through the Department of
Agriculture to promote marketing and minimize spoilage of agricultural produce and
products;
"12) Create a credit guarantee fund for agricultural landowners that will enhance the
collateral value of agricultural lands that are affected or will be affected by coverage
under the agrarian reform program; and
"13) Administration, operation, management and funding of support services programs
and projects including pilot projects and models related to agrarian reform as developed
by the DAR."
SECTION 2. Section 36 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 36. Funding for Support Services. In order to cover the expenses and cost of
support services, at least twenty-five percent (25%) of all appropriations for agrarian
reform shall be immediately set aside and made available for this purpose: Provided,
That for the next five (5) years, a minimum of one (1) Agrarian Reform Community (ARC)
shall be established by the DAR, in coordination with the local government units, non-
governmental organizations and people organizations in each legislative district with a
predominant agricultural population:Provided, further, That the areas in which the ARCs
are to be established shall have been fully subjected under this law.
"For this purpose, an Agrarian Reform Community shall be defined as a barangay or a
cluster of barangays primarily composed and managed by Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
who shall be willing to be organized and undertake the integrated development of an area
and/or their organizations/cooperative. In each community, the DAR, together with the
agencies and organizations abovementioned, shall identify the farmers association,
cooperative or their respective federation approved by the farmers-beneficiaries that shall
take the lead in the agricultural development of the area. In addition, the DAR shall be
authorized to package proposals and receive grants, aid and other forms of financial
assistance from any source."
SECTION 3. Section 44 of the same law is hereby amended as follows:
"Sec. 44. Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee (PARCCOM). A
Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee is hereby created in each province,
composed of a Chairman, who shall be appointed by the President upon the
recommendation of the EXCOM, the Provincial Agrarian Reform Officer as Executive
Officer, and one (1) representative each from the Departments of Agriculture, and of
Environment and Natural Resources and from the LBP; one (1) representative each from
existing farmers' organizations, agricultural cooperatives and non-governmental
organizations in the province; two (2) representatives from landowners, at least one (1) of
whom shall be a producer representing the principal crop of the province, and two (2)
representatives from farmer and farmworker or beneficiaries, at least one (1) of whom
shall be a farmer or farmworker representing the principal crop of the province, as
members: Provided, That in areas where there are cultural communities, the latter shall
likewise have one (1) representative.
"The PARCCOM shall coordinate and monitor the implementation of the CARP in the
province. It shall provide information on the provisions of the CARP, guidelines issued by
the PARC and on the progress of the CARP, in the province; in addition, it shall:
"a) Recommend to the PARC the following:
"1) Market prices to be used in the determination of the profit sharing obligation of
agricultural entities in the province;
"2) Adoption of the direct payment scheme between the landowner and the farmer
and/or farmworker beneficiary: Provided, that the amount and terms of payment are not
more burdensome to the agrarian reform beneficiary than under the compulsory
coverage provision of the CARL: Provided, further, That the agrarian reform beneficiary
agrees to the amount and terms of payment: Provided, furthermore, That the DAR shall
act as mediator in cases of disagreement between the landowner and the farmer and/or
farmworker beneficiary;Provided, finally, That the farmer and/or farmer beneficiary shall
be eligible to borrow from the LBP an amount equal to eighty-five percent (85%) of the
selling price of the land that they have acquired;
"3) Continuous processing of applications for lease back arrangements, joint-venture
agreements and other schemes that will optimize the operating size for agricultural
production and also promote both security of tenure and security of income to farmer
beneficiaries: Provided, That lease back arrangements should be the last resort." cdasia
SECTION 4. Section 45 of the same law is hereby amended to read as follows:
"Sec. 45. Province-by-province Implementation. The PARC shall provide the
guidelines for the province-by-province implementation of the CARP, taking into account
the peculiarities and needs of each place, kind of crops needed or suited, land
distribution workload, beneficiaries development activities and other factors prevalent or
obtaining in the area. In all cases, the implementing agencies at the provincial level shall
promote the development of identified ARCs without neglecting the needs and problems
of other beneficiaries. The ten-year program of distribution of public and private land in
each province shall be adjusted from year to year by the province's PARCCOM in
accordance with the level of operations previously established by the PARC, in every
case ensuring that support services are available or have been programmed before
actual distribution is effected."
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Approved: February 23, 1995
4. RA 8532
February 23, 1998 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"
SECTION 1. Section 63 of Republic Act No. 6657, otherwise known as the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 is hereby amended to read as
follows: cdrep
"Section 63. Funding Source. The amount needed to implement this Act until the year
2008 shall be funded from the Agrarian Reform Fund.
"Additional amounts necessary for this purpose are hereby authorized to be appropriated
in excess of the initial funds, amounting to Fifty billion pesos (P50,000,000,000.00)
provided under Sections 20 and 21 of Executive Order No. 229.
"The additional amount hereby authorized to be appropriated shall in no case exceed
Fifty billion pesos (P50,000,000,000.00).
"Sources of funding or appropriations shall include the following:
"a) Proceeds of the sales of the Assets Privatization Trust;
"b) All receipts from assets recovered and from sales of ill-gotten wealth recovered
through the Presidential Commission on Good Government;
"c) Proceeds of the disposition of the properties of the Government in foreign
countries, for the specific purposes of financing production credits, infrastructure and
other support services required by this Act; cdtai
"d) All income and collections arising from the agrarian reform operations, projects and
programs of CARP implementing agencies;
"e) Portion of amounts accruing to the Philippines from all sources of official foreign aid
grants and concessional financing from all countries, to be used for the specific purposes
of financing production, credits, infrastructures, and other support services required by
this Act;
"f) Yearly appropriations of no less than Three billion pesos (P3,000,000,000.00) from
the General Appropriations Act;
"g) Other government funds not otherwise appropriated."
SECTION 2. This Act shall take effect within fifteen (15) days following the
completion of its publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. cdlex
Approved: February 23, 1998
5. HISTORY AND EVOLUTION OF MAJOR AGRARIAN REFORM
LAWS/ ISSUANCES/ PROGRAMS UNDER THE DIFFERENT
PHILIPPINE LEADERSHIP
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 Twenty-Three, 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 of Republic 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 State shall promote comprehensive rural
development and agrarian reform"
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 by P.D. No.
27
Determined the value of remaining unvalued rice and corn land subject to P.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 the 1987 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 in Proclamation No. 131 andExecutive 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) of R.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")
Amended Executive 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 of Republic Act No. 6657, more significantly Section consent of the farmers cooperative to which they are members, with the government
10 thereof on exemptions and exclusions from CARP, to wit: financial institutions, as well as, with the private financial institutions: Provided, That the
a) Lands actually, directly or exclusively used for parks and wildlife, forest reserves, loan proceeds shall be used exclusively in the furtherance of the agricultural productivity
reforestation, fish sanctuaries and breeding grounds, watersheds and mangroves; of the land and related activities.
b) Private lands actually, directly or exclusively used for prawn farms and fishponds: MAGKASAKA (Magkabalikat sa Kaunlarang Agraryo)
Provided, That said prawn farms and fishponds have not been distributed and Certificate To ensure adequate support services, there is a need for greater private sector
of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) issued to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) under participation, both civil society and business, in the development of agrarian reform
CARP; and areas.
c) Lands actually, directly and exclusively used and found to be necessary for sites MAGKASAKA, pursued under the framework of Joint Economic Enterprises, aimed
and institutions, and all lands with 18% slope and over, except those already developed. to bring investments into the countryside. Investors will be encouraged to become
Republic Act No. 7905 (An Act to Strengthen the Implementation of the Comprehensive partners of the farmers in establishing rural business enterprises, particularly in agrarian
Agrarian Reform Program, and for Other Purposes) 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
It aimed to strengthen the implementation of the CARP by amending certain land cannot be used to settle obligations of the enterprise. This ensures that ownership of
provisions of Republic Act No. 6657, particularly the provisions on the creation of support
the land remains in the hand of the farmers.
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). J. GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO (2001-2010)
Republic Act No. 8532 (An Act Strengthening Further the Comprehensive Agrarian Bayan-Anihan (Bayan-Anihan Program for Rural Development BPRD)
Reform Program (CARP), By Providing Augmentation Fund Therefor, Amending for the It is DAR's banner program under the Arroyo Administration to hasten the
Purpose Section 63 of Republic Act No. 6657, Otherwise Known as "The CARP Law of implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP)
1988")
The six main thrusts of Bayan-Anihan are the following:
It authorized the appropriation of an additional amount of not more than P50
(a) fast tracking of land acquisition and distribution;
billion needed to implement the CARP until year 2008
(b) integrating, rationalizing and institutionalizing the delivery of support services;
It provided for yearly appropriations of not less than P3 billion from the General
Appropriations Act (c) swift delivery of agrarian justice;
ARCs (Agrarian Reform Communities) (d) promoting peace;
The DAR, under the leadership of President Fidel V. Ramos and Secretary (e) intensifying and institutionalizing social marketing; and
Ernesto D. Garilao, pursued the "development of agrarian reform communities (ARCs) as (f) modernizing the DAR bureaucracy.
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