A Status on the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program in the Philippines
Ateneo School of Government Master in Public Management Public Governance and the Bureaucracy
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program: Addressing poverty from the Ground up
Introduction Even before the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in the 1500s, lands in the Philippines have always been controlled by a few of families. The Datus and Sultans ruled over massive areas of lands, as power social status was dictated by the size of the land one owned and the number of slaves who worked on them. The arrival of the Spaniards set the formalization of a feudalistic management of these lands. Large Haciendas were established and control of these lands were given to the Spanish colonizers and the Filipino families who pledged their allegiance to the Spanish. Until the 1980s, the small Filipino farmers barely had any rights to the ownership and control of these lands. During the time of President Corazon Aquino, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) was passed through Republic Act 6657 in 1988. Its primary purpose was the proper implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), moving the agriculture program away from feudalism towards modern industrialization and at the same time promoting social justice. During the time of President Gloria Arroyo, Executive Order 456 was passed to further expand the Agrarian Reform implementation in order to strengthen the economic and social impact of this reform to its target beneficiaries. 1
The Problem The implementation of the CARP never went smoothly. The redistribution of the land and the securing of land rights were the primary problems faced by those implementing the program. The large hacienderos argued that the economic impact of the program would gravely affect the existing businesses within the lands, making it less viable for growth and
1
http://www.economywatch.com/agrarian/law/comprehensive.html
Page |2
improvement. There are also socio-political consequences that will arise with the
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program: Addressing poverty from the Ground up
Introduction Even before the Spanish colonization of the Philippines in the 1500s, lands in the Philippines have always been controlled by a few of families. The Datus and Sultans ruled over massive areas of lands, as power social status was dictated by the size of the land one owned and the number of slaves who worked on them. The arrival of the Spaniards set the formalization of a feudalistic management of these lands. Large Haciendas were established and control of these lands were given to the Spanish colonizers and the Filipino families who pledged their allegiance to the Spanish. Until the 1980s, the small Filipino farmers barely had any rights to the ownership and control of these lands. During the time of President Corazon Aquino, the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) was passed through Republic Act 6657 in 1988. Its primary purpose was the proper implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), moving the agriculture program away from feudalism towards modern industrialization and at the same time promoting social justice. During the time of President Gloria Arroyo, Executive Order 456 was passed to further expand the Agrarian Reform implementation in order to strengthen the economic and social impact of this reform to its target beneficiaries. 1
The Problem The implementation of the CARP never went smoothly. The redistribution of the land and the securing of land rights were the primary problems faced by those implementing the program. The large hacienderos argued that the economic impact of the program would gravely affect the existing businesses within the lands, making it less viable for growth and
1
http://www.economywatch.com/agrarian/law/comprehensive.html
Page |2
improvement. There are also socio-political consequences that will arise with the
References: 1987 Philippine Constitution The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law, Republic Act 6657 as amended World Bank Report 2003 The Philippine Star (http://www.philstar.com) The Philippine Daily Inquirer (http://inquirer.net) The Business Mirror (http://businessmirror.com.ph) Various news reports http://www.economywatch.com/agrarian/law/comprehensive.html Submitted by: MARK RONALD LAMBINO G120001 Ateneo School of Government Master in Public Management Public Governance and the Bureaucracy