Lesson 14: Agrarian Reform

Agriculture plays an important role in the country’s economy. According to the World

Bank data from 1960 to 2016, the average value for the Philippines during the period was 21.36

percent with a minimum of 9.65 percent in 2016 and a maximum of 31.06 percent in 1974. This

shows a sad truth that the percent of GDP (value added) contributed from the agriculture sector

continues to decrease (De Guzman, 2018). Although people still think of the Philippines as an

agricultural economy, strictly speaking, and based on the data, this is not the case. And before

having the agrarian system that we have now, there were a lot of processes to come up with what

we have now but due to poor implementation, it seems like agriculture is dying in our country.

During the American colonization period, the Philippines tried to solve the agrarian

problem by purchasing the friar lands also the time where President Quezon espoused for "social

justice" In Commonwealth Era, Quezon amended Rice Tenancy Act No. 4045 and created

NARIC. Roxas Administration enacted R.A. No. 34 the 70-30 sharing arrangement and Quirino

administration E.O. No.355 The Land Settlement Development Corporation (LASEDECO) was

established to accelerate and expand the peasant resettlement program of the government, due to

limited post-war resources, the program was not successful.

Ramon Magsaysay administration signed R.A. NO. 1199 Agricultural Tenancy Act

provided security of tenure for tenants created Courts of Agrarian Relations and R.A. NO. 1166

(1954) Creation of National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration (NARRA) for

peasant of the HUKBALAHAP movement. R.A. NO. 1400 (1955) Land Reform Act provided

for the acquisition of large tenanted rice and corn lands over 200 hectares if owned by

individuals; 600 hectares if owned by corporations. But during Carlos P. Garcia administration
(1957-1961) there was no legislation passed in Garcia’s term but he continued to implement the

land reform programs of President Magsaysay.

On the second Stage – Agricultural Leasehold, Diosdado Macapagal (1961-1965) “Father

of Agrarian Reform” Agricultural Land Reform Code or RA No. 3844 was enacted. RA NO.

3844 abolished share tenancy in the Philippines institutionalized leasehold. Third Stage – Full

Ownership, under Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965-1986), Code of Agrarian Reform in the

Philippines or RA no. 6389 - amended several provision of agricultural land reform code and

created Department of Agrarian Reform - an agrarian reform special account in the general fund

was created. The Presidential Decree No. 2 - put the whole country under the Land Reform

Program Presidential Decree No. 27- restricted land reform scope to tenanted rice and corn lands

these was called “revolutionary” this reform was characterized by components: land tenure

program, institutional development, physical development, agricultural development and human

resources. Also fulling the Promise of Full Ownership through the Comprehensive Agrarian

Reform Program. The Corazon C. Aquino (1986-1992) term, 1987 Constitution armed that “The

State shall promote comprehensive rural development and agrarian reform.’ (Article 2, Section

21). Aquino had the Proclamation 131 the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) -

provided the agrarian reform fund lasted from 1987 – 1997 EXECUTIVE ORDER (EO) NO.

129 - reorganized, expanded in power and operation of DAR, EO 228 declared the full

ownership of the land EO 229. RA 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform. The

administration of Fidel V. Ramos (1992 – 1998) was recognized for bringing back support of key

stakeholders of CARP and by bringing certain policy gaps on land acquisition and distribution,

land evaluation and case resolution enhancing internal operating system and strengthening the

capabilities of the DAR bureaucracy and tapping more resources to help implement the program.
During Joseph Ejercito Estrada (1998– 2001) MAGKASAKA: MAGKABALIKAT PARA SA

KAUNLARANG AGRARYO directed to investors aims to encourage investors to bring

investment reworks performance targets.

While Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001 – 2010) term where bayanihan united people

working together for the successful implementation of Agrarian reform, salin-lupa: accelerating

land transfer & improving land tenure, fair settlement of agrarian disputes and delivery of fair

justice government of appropriate support services. Lastyly, Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III

(2010-2016) with the R.A. 9700 or Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with

Reforms(CARPER): an act strengthening the comprehensive agrarian reform program (carp),

extending the acquisition and distribution of all agricultural lands, instituting necessary reforms,

amending for the purpose certain provisions of republic act no. 6657, otherwise, known as the

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) of 1988. Comprehensive Agrarian Reform

Program was a response to the people’s clamor and expectations of a more effective land reform

program that would correct the many flaws that plagued the previous land reform programs.

Republic Act No. 6657, signed into law on June 10, 1988 by President Corazon Aquino, known

as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 (CARL), is an act instituting a

Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program to promote social justice and industrialization,

providing the mechanism for its implementation and for other purposes. The law’s major features

are the following: it provides for the coverage of all agricultural lands regardless of crops

produced or tenurial status of the tiller; it recognizes as beneficiaries of the program all workers

in the land given that they are landless and willing to till the land; it provides for the delivery of

support services to program beneficiaries; it provides for arrangement that ensure the tenurial

security of farmers and farm workers such as the leasehold arrangement, stock distribution
option and production and profit sharing; and it increases an adjudication body that will resolve

agrarian disputes.

Each system has its vision to help the farmers but due to poor implementation some didn't

produce good results rather worsen the agrarian condition. As of now, some studies like

Ballesteros, Ancheta and Ramos (2018), show great results of the agrarian system that shows

positive effects on total household income due to better access to various government

interventions also based on the 2009 World Bank study found that 52 percent of CARP

beneficiaries who were poor in 1999 became non-poor in 2000. The results seem to be true in

some ways but their studies only observed in the areas covered have higher productivity. Does it

really reflect in our current condition? Based on my opinion, it does not really show the current

condition of our agrarian system. A lot of farmers are still struggling and not earning much

income that they deserve. I think the government really need to focus into the problems, support

programs to modernize agriculture like help them to improve their ways through the help of

technology and introducing new methods also agribusiness venture for them to learn, and earn

more. On the other hand, the issues on land can be addressed through the efforts of land

agencies. These things will not only benefit the farmers but also our country.
Lesson 13: The Philippine Constitution

Each and every state has a constitution of their own like, every game having some rules

of its own. Volleyball having its own rules which differs from basketball. And the rules for a

state or nation is called a constitution. It is defined as the fundamental law of a nation or state.

Rules are there to fix and manage the structure of the government. It is important to have a

constitution for every state functions on a basis of certain rules and principles. A constitution

also described as "the highest expression of the law" in which it is the body or rules and

principles governing the affairs of an organized group. Under this written document, there are

rules and principles that make the individuals rights to be transparent and free from abusive use

of government power.

Throughout out the different constitution, the Bill of Rights is a major article. It is the

declaration and enumeration of a person's rights and privileges which the constitution is designed

to protect against the violation by the government, or by individual or group of individuals. It is

the charter of liberties for the individual upon the power of the State.

A constitution undergoes a total of 4 phases according to William (2006). First phase

involves the preparatory where the outline process happen and second phase the constitutional

drafting phase, third phase is the public consultations and the last phase the final review and

adoption phase.

The Malolos constitution is the first important Filipino document ever produced by the

people's representatives. It is anchored in democratic traditions that ultimately had their roots in

American soil. It created a Filipino state whose government was "popular, representative and

responsible" with three distinctive braches- the executive, the legislative and the judicial (,). The
constitution specifically provided safeguards against abuses, and enumerated the national and

individual rights of the Filipinos.

The separation of the church and state became a controversial issue during the Malolos

Republic for it is the law that will not respect the establishment of religion and also prohibits free

exercise thereof. Of course, as a Christian country that we claim to be, it will be the talk of the

nation for a lot of people declined because the two seek to serve the same people (the faithful and

the citizens).
Lesson 2: Understanding Sources

In this generation where information circulates really fast, do we actually know what is

the credible one?

Primary source provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or

work of art. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results

of experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches,

and art objects. Interviews, surveys, fieldwork, and Internet communications via email, blogs,

and newsgroups are also primary sources. While secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret,

comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary source

materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie reviews, or articles

found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original research. primary and

secondary source material is essential. Basically, this distinction illustrates the degree to which

the author of a piece is removed from the actual event being described, informing the reader as to

whether the author is reporting impressions first hand (or is first to record these immediately

following an event), or conveying the experiences and opinions of others—that is, second hand.

(CSUDH Gerth Archives & Special Collection, n.d.). In my opinion, primary sources are the

ones who really encountered and witnessed a particular event while secondary sources are the

people who have heard and learned the information from the one who really have witnessed i

Primary sources help us relate in a personal way to events of the past and promote a

deeper understanding of history as a series of human events. Because primary sources are

snippets of history, they encourage to seek additional evidence through research.

These are contemporary accounts of an event, written by someone who experienced or witnessed

the event in question (UC Santa Cruz, n.d.)

 The function of secondary source is to interpret primary sources, and so can be described

as at least one step removed from the event or phenomenon under review. Secondary source

materials, then, interpret, assign value to, conjecture upon, and draw conclusions about the

events reported in primary sources. These are usually in the form of published works such as

journal articles or books, but may include radio or television documentaries, or conference

proceedings (UC Santa Cruz, n.d.).

Based on Timmer (2017), there are factors in discriminating contradicting sources like

accuracy or checking who published the source, the purpose of the source, currency or when it

was created/updated, and its content. Also see if it has any potential bias and, if a webpage,

provides references or reliable links to other sources.

And as for the government, official records are made accessible to the public. There is an

act which is Freedom of Information Act that plays an important role in keeping government

transparent and accountable, and has been used to expose a wide range of government

misconduct and waste, along with threats to the public's health and safety. While FOIA is

intended to increase transparency, it doesn't provide access to all government documents. There

are a series of exemptions, set forth by Congress, that allow agencies to withhold information to

protect national security and personal privacy, among other matters (History, 2018).
Lesson 3: Magellan’s Voyage Around the World

Antonio Pigafetta was an Italian scholar and explorer from the Republic of Venice. He

traveled with the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan and his crew by order of the King

Charles I of Spain on their voyage around the world. During the expedition, he served as

Magellan's assistant and kept an accurate journal which later assisted him in translating the

Cebuano language. It is the first recorded document concerning the language. Pigafetta was one

of the 18 men who returned to Spain in 1522, out of the approximately 240 who set out three

years earlier. The voyage completed the first circumnavigation of the world; Juan Sebastián

Elcano served as captain after Magellan's death.

According to Pigafetta, locals like Rajah Humabon and his wife Juana welcomed

Magellan and his crew peacefully, accommodated them well and even exchanged goods with

them. Magellan and his crew were treated nicely by the locals. They even baptized them and

which made the local Christians. Magellan was really respected by the kings where most of them

agreed to be Christians and be their superior.

Islanders are known to have a “LAID BACK” way of life (Fuertes, 2018). They are for

the most part a contented group of people. Their culture is simple with certain variations because

of the distance. Originally they are mostly animistic, putting spiritual soul on objects such as

trees, animals, caves, rocks and many things found on their island. This practice allows them to

live in harmony with nature since it is regarded with respect, very different from those who claim

to be civilized, but continually promotes war and creates industries that ravage the environment

for profit.
 On Pigafetta's account, Magellan spends time trading with local leaders and trying to

convert them to Christianity. And this is what caused the battle of Mactan. For Magellan grew

angry at one chief named Lapu-Lapu who refused to cooperate, however, and ordered an attack

on his village. It was the battle where Magellan was killed.

After losing the battle, and travelled back to Spain, Pigafetta tried to publish his journal.

Unfortunately, he failed to find a financier who would pay for the deposit required by the printer

and because by that time, accounts of Maximilianus Transylvanus and Peter Martyr were already

out and interest on Magellan expedition had died down.

Lesson 4: Customs of the Tagalogs

Fray Juan de Plasencia with a real name of Joan de Portocarrero Is a spanish friar, came

together with the first batch of Franciscan missionaries in the Philippines in 1578. As soon as he

arrived, he joined forces with another missionary, Fray Diego de Oropesa, and they both started

preaching around Laguna de Bay and Tayabas, Quezon, in Quezon Province, where he founded

several towns. During the following years they are also credited with the foundation of a large

number of towns in the provinces of Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal, such as Tayabas, Caliraya,

Lucban, Mahjayjay, Nagcarlan, Lilio(Liliw), Pila, Santa Cruz, Lumban, Pangil, Siniloan,

Morong, Antipolo, Taytay, and Meycauayan. Other works attributed to him are the "Relacion de

las Costumbres de Los Tagalos" (1589), that not only helped understand and preserve many of

the traditional ways of the local population, but also provided the first form of Civil Code, used

by local governors to administer justice. He also wrote the Doctrina Christiana en Lengua

Española y Tagala which later became the first printed book in the Philippines in 1593.

He revealed that Filipino believed in a supreme being called Bathala, the creator of

heaven and earth, and all living things. Filipinos also worshipped the spirits of their ancestors

called anitos. They carved wooden or stone idols to represent their gods and anitos, which they

kept in their homes and propitiated with food, animals and other sacrifices to bring about success

in war, a bountifuI harvest, or a happy marriage. However, not all anitos were benevolent. Bad

anitos existed in the shapes of the spirits of dead tribal enemies. Fr. Plasencia categorically

branded all types of pagan practices as devil worship and divided their practitioners into twelve

categories: catolonan, mangagauay, manyisalat, mancocolam, hocloban, silagan, magtatanggal,

osuang, mangagayoma, sonat, pangatahojan and bayoguin.

 Reflection about Voter’s Registration

As a citizen of a state or nation, it is important to be involve and participate in voting.

Reaching the age of 18 years old, we are allowed to be a voter of our government but first, we

need to be registered. Every adult is given the right to vote, regardless of their sex, class,

occupation and so forth. unfortunately, a lot of people don't take part of the voting for the reason

of their vote does not really make a difference or change but actually it has an impact Another

factor I think is their trust to our government is deteriorating. These factors did not stop me from

registering and I won’t take this opportunity for granted.

On a Saturday morning, exactly 8 o’clock in the morning, we arrived at the municipal

hall. we went there early because we were worried that there would be a long line. Gladly, there

were only few people. The staff accommodated us very well and gave us the papers to be filled

out. The good thing is there are signs about the steps in registration. Whenever we have a query,

they always answer us clearly and calmly even if there are a lot of people in the office. After

filling up the papers, both of my thumbs had an ink for the thumb mark. Then, the staff took a

photo of me also my signature and thumb and index fingerprint. Lastly, they gave me the stub as

an evidence or proof that I am now a registered voter. And they told us that they will be releasing

voter's certification some time on October. Overall, the registration process went well and I was

shocked that it is easy and fast. The only thing that I wanted to improve is the place because it is

too small to accommodate all the people. M

Voting is a fundamental right of any citizen that enables them to choose the leaders of

tomorrow. It also allows us choose our representatives in the government and our own

government. It is a basic process that keeps a nation’s governmental system works. It also

enables us people with the right to question the government about issues and clarifications. It is
the way to express the opinion of a citizen in a democratic nation. It is really important to take

part and be a registered voter where in your one vote can make a huge difference in our society.
Lesson 1: Learning History

According to Gottschalk (1950), the English word history is derived from the Greek

noun istoia, meaning learning. By its most common definition, the word history bow means, "the

past of mankind." The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, wherein he defined history as systematic

account of a set pf natural phenomena especially human affairs, in chronological order.

According to the book, history is the study of the beliefs and desires, practices and

institutions of human beings. So, it means that history is not just about the past and present itself

but also the people's way of living, beliefs, desires, traditions and also culture and such. History

is not only the story of the past, but also the present. Where many questions asked and many

answers can be found. It can be changed and molded to fit the current society, which are passed

down through generations.

Llewelyn and Thompson (2018) said that history is where we get our sense of identity or

where we came from. And from this we got to better understand who we are. It also gives us

meaning and answers to our lives and our very own existence, providing us information about

how things are and also how will the next generation will be in the future. In addition, it also

teaches people what it means to be human, highlighting the great achievements and disastrous

error of human race. Through those achievements and errors, it offers us how we can organize

and manage our society for its betterment and all those who live in it.

The historians are the one who study the history. They draw insights from the ideas and

realities that have shaped the lives of men and women and the society. As a student, we need to

study history to better understand our society, culture and even our identity. Corfield (2018) said

that, all people are living histories – which is why history matters. The study of the past is
essential for 'rooting' people in time. The answer is that people who feel themselves to be

rootless live rootless lives, often causing a lot of damage to themselves and others in the process.

In addition, according to Gagno (2018), studying allows us to gain valuable perspectives on the

problems of our modern society and Philippines itself is interesting.

The role of history takes in the study of the Philippine’s society, culture and identity is

that it holds the key. We can never truly understand the latter if we neglect the former. History

has shaped our nation to what is it today. It is not merely a collection of events in the past, but it

also shows the consequences. The way our ancestors has lived before has definitely affected our

society and culture now. We have a popular saying that “History repeats itself”. It may be true in

some cases, but if we have a better understanding of it, we may avoid having the same mistakes

and come up with a better solution.

References:

Cathy, T. (2017). How do I know if a source is reliable?. Retrieved from

http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2016/07/23/executive-order-no-02-s-2016/

Corfield, P.J. (2008). Why study history. Retrieved from https://archives.history.ac.uk/

makinghistory/resources/articles/why_history_matters.html

CSUDH University Library. (n.d.). Primary Source Research and Discovery: An introduction to
primary source research. Retrieved from https://libguides.csudh.edu/c.php?g=731504&p=522557
7&fbclid=IwAR2GGJoG-01Ok4vu8PN_s7SyHIztWgxhSQDK-1s2gfbjhxHuGc5MNS4LKyE

Filipino.biz.ph. (n.d.). Constitution. RETRIEVED FROM http://msc.edu.ph/centennial

/malolos.html

Fuertes, J. (2018). How are the islanders way of life, cultural practices, and religious beliefs
describes. Retrieved from https://brainly.ph/question/1712915
Gagno, G. (2018). Importance of history. Retrieved from http.//quora.com

Torres, J.V. (2018). Batis: Sources in Philippines History. C & E Publishing, Inc. Quezon City.

UC Santa Cruz. (n.d.). Primary Sources. Retrieved from https://guides.library.ucsc.edu › c.php

William, S. (2006). The constitution making process. Retrieved from
http://wwww.osce.org/kosovo
https://brainly.ph/question/1712915

https://peoplepill.com/people/juan-de-plasencia/
Documentation