GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 1

Constitution – a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or

other organization is governed.
- A codified list of provisions that identifies the limitations of the power of the government and
enumerates its responsibilities to the people. It is the highest law of the land.
- The Philippine Constitution has evolved since 1897; the 1897 Constitution of the Biak-na-Bato,
the 1899 Malolos Constitution, acts of the United States Congress (Philippine Organic Act of
1902, Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, and Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934), the 1935
Constitution, the 1943 Constitution, the 1973 Constitution, the 1987 Constitution.
Malolos Constitution or 1899 Constitution
- It was drafted after the Congress of the Aguinaldo Revolutionary Government convened on
September 15, 1898 at the Barasoain Church in Malolos Bulacan.
- 85 deputies comprised the Committee on Constitution that was tasked to draft the constitution
of the Philippines.
- There were three initial drafts submitted for consideration:
1. The True Decalogue and Constitutional Program of Apolinario Mabini
2. The Pedro Paterno version; and
3. The Felipe Calderon version, which prevailed among the three drafts.
- Majority of the arguments centered on the provision stipulating the separation of Church and
State and the provision contradicting it.
- It was promulgated on January 21, 1898 after it was formally adopted by Congress. -
Significant features:
1. The provision for an independent Republic of the Philippines consisting of three
independent powers distributed to the executive led by the president with a term of
four years and not eligible for re-election, a unicameral legislative, and the judicial;
2. The Bill of Rights;
3. The Separation of Church and State.
- The overall structure of the Constitution was borrowed from Costa Rica, Chile, and Spain.

The Acts of the United States Congress (December 10, 1898 – March 24, 1934)
- The Philippines was a territory of the United States during these periods because of the Treaty
of Paris which transferred the sovereignty from Spain to the United States.
- The acts, such as the Philippine Organic Act of 1902, the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, and
the Tydings-McDuffie Act of 1934, passed by the United States congress were considered as
the Philippine constitutions because they provided for the fundamental political principles
and established the structure, procedures, powers and duties of the Philippine government.

Philippine Organic Act of 1902, also known as the “Philippine Bill of 1902”
- The first organic law enacted by the US congress for the Philippines. It provided for the creation
of the Philippine Assembly, and a bicameral legislature composed of a Philippine
Commission (upper house) and the Philippine Assembly (lower house) were the lawmaking
power was vested.
- Enumerated the bill of rights for the Filipinos and provided for the appointment of two non
voting Filipino Resident Commissioners of the Philippines that would represent the
Philippines in the US House of Representatives.

Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916 “Jones Law”

- Amended the structure of the Philippine government that was provided for the Philippine Bill
of 1902.
- It removed the Philippine Commission and replaced it with the Senate whose members were
elected by the Filipino voters.
- A notable statement of this act was the explicit expression of the United States to grant the
Philippines its independence as soon as a stable Philippine government would be
established.

the 1935 Philippine Constitution

- Written in 1934 with the goal of meeting the US expectation of political maturity among
 Philippine leaders so that a full and real independence could be granted.

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 2

- Promulgated by the 1934 Constitutional Convention and was in operation during the
Commonwealth era (1935-1946), until the Third Republic (July 4, 1946 – January 16, 1973). - The
third Republic started with the granting of Philippine Independence from US domination
to Roxas (1946-48), Quirino (1948-53), Masaysay (1953-57), Garcia (1957-61), and Macapagal
(1961-65).
- During the Commonwealth period, the form of government was Presidential system, with the
president serving a 6 years term without reelection and a unicameral National Assembly.
However, in 1940 president’s term was changed from 6 years without reelection to a
four-year term with a maximum of two consecutive terms in office, and creation of
Bicameral congress composed of a Senate and House of Representatives, independent
electoral commission.
- In the third Republic, the form of government was Unitary Presidential Constitutional
Republic. An amendment was made in 1947, which provided for the provision of the Parity
Rights (equal rights over the Philippine natural resources) between the American and the
Filipino citizens.

The 1943 Constitution (Second Philippine Republic, October 14, 1943 – August 17, 1945) - The Preparatory
Committee for Philippine Independence (PCPI) promulgated the 1943 Philippine Constitution
during the Japanese occupation.
- The 2nd Philippine Republic was a single-party authoritarian republic with Jose P Laurel
appointed as President by the National Assembly (14 October 1943), and Benigno Simeon
Aquino Sr as speaker of the National Assembly.

1973 Constitution (Fourth Philippine Republic, January 17, 1973 – February 22, 1986)
- Promulgated by the 1973 Constitutional Convention, after Marcos declared Martial Law. - A
unicameral legislature was established during this period, whose members were elected for a
six-year term of office.
- The President was elected from among the members of the national assembly for a six-year
term and eligible for reelections.
- The elected president will serve only as purely ceremonial head of state. Executive power was
exercised by the Prime Minister who was also elected from amongst the members of the
national assembly.
- The PM was the head of government and Commander -in-Chief of the Armed Forces. -
The 1973 Constitution amended on four occasions:
1. In the 1976 amendments, the Interim National Assembly was replaced by the Interim
Batasang Pambansa, the President would also become the PM and would exercise
legislative powers until the lifting of martial law, the President can legislate on his
own on an “emergency” basis;
2. In the 1980 amendment, the retirement age of the members of the judiciary was
extended to 70 years;
3. In the 1981 amendments, the false parliamentary system was formally modified into a
French-style semi-presidential system were executive power was restored to the
President, direct election of the president was restored, and executive committee
composed of the PM and not more than 14 members was created to “assist the
President in the exercise of his powers and functions and in the performance of his
duties as he may prescribe,” and the PM was a mere head of the Cabinet.
4. The 1984 amendment abolished the Executive Committee and restored the position of
Vice-President.

The 1986 Freedom Constitution

- President Corazon Aquino issued Proclamation No. 3 to serve as a provisional constitution.
The proclamation contained some provision adopted from the 1973 constitution.
- Powers such as government reorganization, removal of officials, appointment of a commission
to draft a new and more formal Constitution, which upon ratification, would supplant the
Freedom Constitution.
 The 1987 Philippine Constitution (February 8, 1987 to date)
- Drafted by a Constitutional assembly that was mandated in Proclamation No. 3. The
commission composed fifty members of the House of Representatives, former justices of the

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 3

Supreme Court, a Roman Catholic bishop, and political activists against the Marcos regime.
Cecilia Munoz Palma, a former Associate Chief Justice of the SC was elected by the
commission as its president.
- A democratic republican state (Sec 1, Article 2)
- Executive (President and Vice-President, elected by the Filipino people with six-year term) -
Senator (elected by the Filipino people, with six-year term and eligible for reelection) - House
of Representative (elected by district, 3 years term of office with two reelection)

Name: __________________________________- Score: _______

Contextually comparing the different constitutions of the Philippines. Look at the provisions of our
constitutions in the following websites. Then fill out the matrix.
The 1899 Malolos Constitution. The Law Phil Project (http://www.lawphil.net/ consti/consmalo.html)
The 1935 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Official Gazette of the Philippines,
(http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/the-1935- constitution/)
The 1973 Constitution of the Philippines, Chan-Robles Law Office (http://www.
chanrobles.com/1973constitutionofthephilippines.htm)
The 1976 Amendments, Chan-Robles Law Office (http://www.chanrobles. com/1976amendments.htm)
The 1986 Provisional Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. Wikisource
(https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Provisional_Constitution_of_ the_Philippines_(1986)
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. The Law Phil Project, (http://www.
lawphil.net/consti/cons1987.htm) only pertinent provisions were included.)

Philippine Constitution

Complete the table below to compare and contrast the constitutions framed in the country
Form of Ratifying/promulgati Rights specified Distinctive
government ng body in Bill of Rights features

Biak - na – Bato
Constitution

Malolos
Republic
Constitution

1935 constitution

1973 Constitution
1987 Constitution

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 4 Agrarian Reform and its Role in Philippine

Development
Historical Context
Land was not a problem before the Spaniards came to the islands nor owning one presents so
much of a difficulty because of a small population in need of owning a parcel and because of the
abundance of land to inhabit and till. The undisturbed communities or barangays that the Spanish
missionaries witnessed in the Philippines were those lined up along waterways with easy access to
irrigation, water needs and transportation. The size of land to cultivate depended on the ability of
one to till and manage. The size would depend much on how many pairs of hands there were in the
family, for practically, farm labor was done with hands and a few bamboo or wooden implements
without plow since it was introduced by the Spaniards (Corpuz, 1997, pp.12-16). It was true to the
saying that the more children you have, the wealthier you will become. It was then a rule that each
family should have a piece of land, for it is the source of their cereal and an assurance for their
children to have an inheritance to begin their family anew.
But all these things changed when the colonial government of Spain was established by Miguel
Lopez de Legaspi in 1565. Without each native knowing it, the entire archipelago now belongs to the
king of Spain. The Philippines was his royal hacienda and all lands belong to him now. Thus, when the
Spaniards asked for them the rice and hen for each family, which natives may have simply
misunderstood for alms, what the Spaniards was asking for was tribute for they were now Spanish
subjects. It was only 1589 with the establishment of the pueblo that the natives finally realized what
colonization was about when they were forced out of their homes, forcefully dispossessed of their
productive land into a settlement near the mouth of river upon embracing the Christian religion. By
this time, they being landowners before had suddenly become landless. They were resettled into a
new piece land called pueblo which was owned by the King of Spain which they had never seen and
they would never see in their lifetime (Corpuz, 1997, p. 24).
The irony of this scheme was that the pueblo was not intended for the native farmers to be
productive but to make it easy for the tribute collectors to gather and move the tribute collection
from the pueblos to the public treasury in Manila. The resettled natives would still have to clear the
land of about 4 to 5 hectares appropriated per family which they would have to produce from in
order to defray their tribute paid in kind. Previously, while they were still occupying and cultivating
their pre conquest farm, they produce from the land simply to feed the family. The larger the size of
the family, the more hands available to till the land, the bigger would be the size of the land, the
bigger would be its produce which compensates for the bigger family size. There was no problem
with land expansion since there were large lands available. The land should produce enough for
what they would eat for the whole year since there was only one planting season during the rainy
months (Corpuz, 1997, pp. 25-26).
With the pueblo system, the idea was not only to feed themselves but to produce surplus for the
colonial government. Their resettlement to the pueblo, however, served one thing. It made all
natives realize that the new land they were cultivating was not theirs. It belonged to the king. Even
the private encomiendas belonged to the king with the encomendero acting only as a tribute
collector. The crown encomienda which was the king’s reserved land and other fertile lands directly
under the title of the king or realengas produce in surplus for the government’s operation. Anyway,
the whole colony was the king’s royal hacienda. Thus, the native farmers were relegated to be
agricultural laborers in the service of the king, on a land they were dispossessed under a system
where land repossession would be wanting (Corpuz, 1997, pp. 30-31).
Pueblo dwelling also subjected the natives into institutional forced labor for some government
work needed to build a colony. It was work which the gobernadorcillos and cabezas de barangay
became agents-collectors of the need to supply workers for a work project intended for the state.
This could be a church building, road or galleon. The contract for each worker was 40 days of work
once a year without salary which could coincide with the work in the farm. Absence in this work
would penalize the native males 16 to 60 years old with 1.5 reales per day. The native farmers have
now become state laborers for the king for free (Agoncillo and Guerrero, 1977, p. 96).
If life in the pueblo was miserable, those who had the chance to rent land in friar haciendas had a
better chance of getting out of a less miserable life. Friar hacienda or ecclesiastical encomienda was
another land tenure system, which the king granted to missionary or friar orders who participated in
the king’s project to Christianize the natives. The king knew that these friars would never be able to
return to Spain and would live poor lives. As an act of benevolence, the king afforded each friar order

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 5

to own land that would support them. These friars were not farmers. So, they needed workers to till
the land. Those who were not incorporated in the pueblo and those who had the means to buy
themselves in, most of them Chinese immigrants and Chinese mestizos who had the money, were
given the opportunity to work on a bigger parcel of land in return for a rent which they paid to the
friar order. It was through this system that the Rizal family, of Chinese descent, was able to
accumulate wealth as they rented a portion of land in Calamba, a Dominican friar hacienda. These
renter families were called inquilinos (Zaide and Zaide, 1994, p.).
Pueblo lands were not permitted to expand because the fringes of the pueblo belong to the
king. The greed of friars resulted in the expansion of friar haciendas at the expense of the land in the
pueblos. By 1600, San Mateo, Rizal farmers ended up in a land grabbing dispute with the Jesuits
which extended their land in Mariquina and Payatas. The farmers lost their case. The remaining
farmers were embroiled again in another land grabbing case in 1916, this time with the Augustitnians
which they again lost (Corpuz, 1997, pp.64-65). In mid-1745, pueblo farmers of Lian and Nasugbu,
Batangas ended up in revolt against the land grabbing of Jesuits (Agoncillo and Guerrero, 1977, p.
123).
By mid-1700, Spain would have to keep up with the economic developments in the world and the
emergence of Great Britain as an economic power. Spain would have to rethink of its economic
policy in the colony. Gov. Gen. Jose Basco y Vargas had a plan and that was the planting of
exportable crops that would be sold in the world market. This would entail the creation of large
plantations that produce only one crop in large quantities patterned after the British model in
America. The British model would not fit into the land tenure system in the colony for the king
owned the entire colony. He would have to amend this policy and permit local families to own bigger
tracts of land for plantations. The king preferred the status quo. Gov. Gen. Felix Berenguer de
Marquina’s solution to implement Basco’s program was the planting of tobacco and pepper on
several pueblos in selected provinces. The government provided the seedlings while the native
farmers should produce a quota of the crop which they will sell only to the government, most often
at a cheap price to make the government gain profit. At this point, the native farmers had two
responsibilities: one is to plant in order to produce the quota and the other is to plant in order to
feed themselves and pay their tributes. This program was besieged with many problems. Pepper
could hardly be grown on pueblo lands because pepper is a unscrupulous businessmen who would
like to buy the tobacco leaves of farmers at a higher price than what the government offered and
sell them locally for they too wanted to smoke. The leakage ended up in smuggling. Opportunity
cost would also take its toll. The more lands that they would devote for the planting of the
quota-crop the lesser the land that they would allocate for the planting of rice which is their staple
food. They were working then not to feed themselves but to make the government rich on a land
that is not theirs (Corpuz, 1977, pp. 94-101).
In 1812, sweeping changes in Spain reverberated in the colonies. At the aftermath of the French
occupation of Spain in 1784, and after the Spanish civil war in 1868 that deposed Queen Isabella II,
Spain opted for a constitutional government ruled by a parliament. With their experience in having
the Spanish Cortes as their parliament in Cadiz, the only province that stood against the French
invasion became their model of government in transition. But it was a shaky government since the
regent that stood as prime minister was replaced every three months. Without a king or queen, the
king’s estate also had to change. The colony being the king’s real hacienda is no more the king’s
possession but Spain’s. The crown encomienda or realengas which the king’s possession became the
object of expropriation. Those who could afford could now buy these lands. Only those who had the
money could purchase these lands and most of them were either Chinese or Spanish mestizo
families. In 1844, the prohibition against non-Spanish Europeans to settle in the colony was relaxed
and in 1863, the government formally permitted foreigners to settle in the islands and engage in
economic activities. This decree came in the heels of Paul dela Gironeire’s pioneering work in
creating large plantation of sugar cane as early as 1823. Gironeire was a Frenchman who resigned his
commission as a military medical officer and purchased a large tract of land in Jalajala, Laguna which
he converted into sugarcane plantation. Another Frenchman by the name of Yves Leopold Gaston
developed his plantation in Negros. These foreigners had to renew their two-year residence permit
but the 1863 decree permitted them to live and to do business in the islands permanently. Soon
other Spanish entrepreneurs like Agustin Montilla, Jose Ruiz de Luzuriaga and the Lopezes joined
them in establishing large plantations known as private haciendas (Corpuz, 1977, pp. 110-111). This
new land tenure system was labor intensive and needed huge amounts of workers. Several pueblos
were incorporated in these haciendas and pueblo dwellers became workers for the hacienda. At this
point, they were simply relegated to agricultural workers.

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 6

Unfortunately, agrarian relations had already changed by the 1800. The native pueblo farmers
had lost their land to usurious loan they secured from the Chinese mestizo families through whom
native pueblo farmers became indebted. Through the system of sanglang bili, the land that they tilled
became their payment for unpaid loans which they could not really pay because of high interest that
ran for about 25% a month (Corpuz, 1997, p. 60). The land now belonged to the Chinese mestizos, the
native farmers were not driven out of the land, however, but the produce was now in possession of
the new owner. Thus, the native farmer had now become a kasama with the new land owner. When
the Americans came in 1898, the well-entrenched kasama system was the agrarian relations which
the Americans found themselves in an under-developed economy with growing tension. The kasama
system had made tenant farmers (aparceros) as they were now called sharecroppers to the
landowners. In 1902, the U.S. Congress enacted the Philippine Organic Act which provided for the
general laws to administer the affairs in the colony. It temporarily served as the constitution of the
United State colonial government in the islands. Parts of the provisions were the classification of and
the expropriation of land considered to be public (Official Gazette, 1902).
The Philippine Organic Act did not address the land or agrarian relations problems but
expropriated public land. The American government did not address the tenancy problem for it
would intrude on the rich landed families which they were trying to court and ally themselves to
create a more stable colonial government. The land which set their eyes on were the friar haciendas
which they would try to remove from any political or economic interest (Official Gazette, 1902).
The expropriation of these friar estates cannot be implemented without the pre-purchase from
these friar orders. In that year, President Theodore Roosevelt sent Howard Taft head of the Second
Philippine Commission to the Vatican and in December of that year, an agreement was reached with
the purchase of 410,000 acres of land for the price of $7,239,784.66 (Agoncillo and Guerrero, 1977, p.
342). These lands would be sold to Filipinos but the tenant farmers could hardly be the beneficiary for
they did not have much of the money to buy them. On November 6, 1902, the Second Philippine
Commission enacted Act 496 which provided for the adjudication and registration of titles to lands in
the Philippine Islands. The law specified the means of registering land under the Torrens title and
organized the mechanism of resolving land disputes through the Court of Land Registration (Corpus
Juris, 2017). But this exacerbated the problem of agricultural relations even more since other
landowners were able to secure title not just of their land but also other lands tilled by farmers who
never knew such things. What was not thoroughly addressed was the kasama system with which
tenant farmers known as aparceros were engaged in share cropping without contract. The division of
harvest was not standard without a law to regulate it. The sharing could leave the tenant farmer with
only very little to feed his family with, languishing with the experience that he was the one who
sweats to till the land. Without a contract, the tenant farmer could easily be evicted at the whim of
the landowner, inasmuch as it could not go to court for any violation of the farmers rights.
In 1933, the Philippine Legislature passed the Philippine Rice Share Tenancy Act (Commonwealth
Act 4054) which specified the relation of tenant-farmers and landowners (Chan-Robles, 2017). The
Rice Share Tenancy Act of 1933 provided for a contract to govern the relationship between the
tenant farmers and landowners and create a more secure tenure for the tenant-farmer’s work. On
the basis of harvest share, the law also provides a 50-50 division of produce (Chan-Robles, 2017a).

While the law was quite equitable on paper, it was not, however, compulsory. Its implementation
was subject to the petition voted upon by a majority of municipal council in the province upon the
filing of petition to the governor-general. Many landowners who were also politicians opted out of
this arrangement. In 1935, the discontent among tenant-farmers led Benigno Ramos to create the
Sakdal party to champion the interest of tenant-farmers and campaign against the institution of the
commonwealth as an expression of their disgust against the Americans. On May 2-3, the unrest
resulted into a full blown insurrection called the Sakdalista rebellion. Though the rebellion was
quelled at the expense of hundreds who died, the problem had undergone catastrophic proportions
that could undermine the success of the American program to build a government of their own
imposition (Agoncillo and Guerrero, 1977, p. 418).
In 1936, the Philippine Commonwealth passed Commonwealth Act 178 amending certain
provisions of the Rice Share Tenancy Act of 1933(Chan-Robles, 2017b).Even with the amendment,
President Manuel L. Quezon had to do a balancing act among the restive tenant-farmers and the
landlord-politicians. The requirement for a petition of a majority of the municipal councilors was
stricken out of the final provision but the land covered only were rice lands and not those lands
devoted either to corn or to sugar which were owned by hacienderos. Moreover, the act would only

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 7

be applicable to the provinces designated by the president and may be suspended also by him.
Unfortunately, President Quezon designated only the provinces of Central Luzon where the
insurrection took place to be under the jurisdiction of the act and which he only implemented for a
year. The recourse to the problem would be to appropriate public lands which was already provided
for in the Philippine Organic Act of 1902. The homestead system was already recognized in the act
but this was also the means by which Quezon could check the growing presence of Japanese
investors in the lands of Mindanao. The Philippine Commonwealth in 1939 enacted Commonwealth
Act 4054 that created the National Land Settlement Administration (NLSA) which facilitated the
homestead system in Mindanao.
At the end of World War II, more agrarian problems came about due to the disaffection of tenant
farmers in their land. This became an opportunity for the returning landowners to grab more land
without title and have them titled under their names. Agrarian problems intensified. In Central Luzon
the agrarian conflict had escalated into a bloody insurgency war between the government forces and
the remnants of the Hukbalahap (formerly Hukbong Bayan Lumalaban sa Hapon later renamed
Hukbong Magpapalaya ng Bayan in 1949) (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon). The former guerilla gr oup
fought the Japanese during World War II, which turned into an insurgent group that championed the
tenant farmers ownership of land. The seats of rebellion were the Pampanga, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija.
TARLAC, Tarlac – In what is believed to be the bloodiest clash in Central Luzon, more than 100
armed peasants, reportedly members of the Hukbalahap, and three military policemen were
killed yesterday in a clash with the 11th Military Police Company, reinforced by MP units from
Pampanga and Bataan, in Barrio Santa Cruz, Concepcion, Tadeo, The Huks reportedly numbered
1,000.
Tadeo said that the clash started yesterday afternoon and raged until midnight. Concepcion is
a stronghold of the Huk organization and shortly after liberation had a Hukbalahap mayor. Santa
Cruz is three kilometers from the town proper (100 Killed, 1946, p. 1).
In order to pacify the situation, President Manuel Roxas signed into law Republic Act 34 which
amended the Rice Share Tenancy Act of 1933 on September 30, 1946 (Law Phil Project, 2017a). Two
important provisions of Republic Act 34 revolved around the compulsory implementation of the
contract-governed relations between tenant-farmers and landowners all over the country and the
sharing of produce to be 75-25 in favor of the tenant-farmers. During the term of President Elpidio
Quirino, the management of agrarian relations was delegated to the Land Settlement Development
Corporation (LASEDECO) which was created under Executive Order 355. The law which was signed by
President Quirino on October 23, 1950 abolished the NLSA and unified the functions of the Rice and
Corn Production Administration and the Machinery and Equipment division of the National
Development Company (Official Gazzette,1950).
LASEDECO was later on abolished in favor of the National Resettlement and Rehabilitation
Administration (NARRA) under President Ramon Magsaysay. Created under Republic Act 1160 and
signed on June 18, 1954, the new agency almost had the function of its predecessor (Official Gazette,
1954a).While NARRA also facilitated the reclamation of public lands in Mindanao under the
homestead program, the vision of giving land to the landless was framed within the scope of
expropriating public lands. Here LASEDECO had the same function as NARRA. But NARRA also
introduced the purchase of already arable lands owned by private individuals and facilitate their
expropriation to tenant-farmers under Republic Act 1400 which created the Land Tenure
Administration (Law Phil Project, 2017b).
In 1954, also under the presidency of Ramon Magsaysay, Republic Act 1199 known as the
Agricultural Tenancy Act was enacted that introduced the agricultural relations in the form of share
tenancy and leasehold. The share tenancy system would again take another turn by the presidency of
Diosdado Macapagal. In 1963 the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 3844 otherwise known as
the Agricultural Land Reform Code which abolished the share tenancy system recognized under
Republic Act 1199 and by operation of law, transformed all agricultural relations into the leasehold
system of tenant-landowner relations. The code also provided for the right of pre-emption to the
farmer turned agricultural lessee to have the first option to buy the land should the landowner
turned agricultural lessor decide to sell the farm. The farmer was also given the right of redemption,
giving the option for the agricultural lessee to redeem of buy back the land should the
landowner-lessor had sold it to third persons. In order to implement the code, the Land Authority
was created.
In 1971, the Philippine Congress amended Republic Act 3844 with Republic Act 6369 before
the second term of President Ferdinand Marcos expired prior to his declaration of martial law in
1972. Republic Act 6369 abolished the Land Authority and elevated the land reform concerns into
the Department of Agrarian Reform. During the Martial Law period, Marcos imposed Presidential
Decree

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 8

27 and at his ouster, President Corazon Aquino made Agrarian Reform the centerpiece of her
administration. She issued Presidential Proclamation131 and Executive Order 229 on July 22, 1987
providing for all lands, including sugar land to be under the coverage of land reform. On June 10,
1988 the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 6657, known as the Comprehensive Agrarian
Reform Program of 1989 (CARP). President Aquino fell into criticism when Hacienda Luisita with
which her family was co-owner was not expropriated to farmers. It was reduced into stock option,
giving farm workers shares of stock rather than title of ownership. CARP lasted for only 10 years
from the date of its affectivity. In 2008, the Philippine Congress passed Republic Act 9700 or the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms (CARPER) which extended the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law that expired in 2014.

Log on to the following websites and look for these specific laws then answer the questions included at the
end of this lesson.

Presidential Decree No. 27 or the Emancipation of Tenants Law, enacted on October 21, 1972 by Pres. Marcos
during the Martial Law Era Law Philippines Project, Arellano Law Foundation
(http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/presdecs/pd1972/pd_27_1972.html)

Republic Act 2257 or Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or CARP, enacted on June 10, 1988 by Pres.
Cory Aquino after the Marcos Regime, Sections 1-7. (Department of Agrarian Reform
(http://www.dar.gov.ph/ra-6657- what-is-carp-comprehensive-agrarian-reform-program)

Republic Act 9700 or Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program with Reforms or CARPeR, enacted on August
7, 2009 by Pres. Benigno Aquino III, Sections 1-7) (Department of Agrarian Reform
(http://www.dar.gov.ph/ra-9700- carper-comprehensive-agrarian-reform-program-extension)

References:

“Buenavista Tenants’ Rights Safe- Roxas” (1946).The Sunday Times, July 14.
Agoncillo, T. and Guerrero, M. (1977).History of the Filipino people. Quezon City: R.P. Garcia Publishing
Co. Chan-Robles (2017a) Act 4054, Rice Share Tenancy Act, Chan-Robles virtual Law Library
(http://www.chanrobles.com/acts/actsno4054.html)
Chan-Robles (2017b) Commonwealth Act No. 178 , Chan-Robles virtual Law Library
(http://www.chanrobles.com/commonwealthacts/commonwealthactno178.html)
Corpus Juris (2017) Act 496, Land Registration Act of 1902,
(http://www.thecorpusjuris.com/legislative/acts/act-no 496.php)Readings in Philippine History │ 373
Law Phil Project (2017a) Republic Act

Law Phil Project (2017b) Republic Act 1400,The Law Philippines Project - Arellano Law Foundation
(http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1955/ra_1400_1955.html).
Law Phil Project, Presidential Decree 27, Arellano Law Foundation
(http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/presdecs/pd1972/pd_27_1972.html)
Official Gazette (1902) Philippine Bill of 1902,
(www.officialgazette.gov.ph/constitutions/the-philippine-organic-act-of-1902) Official Gazette (1950) Executive Order
355, (http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1950/10/23/executive-order-no-355-s-1950/) Official Gazette (1954a) Republic Act
1160 (http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1954/06/18/republic-act-no-1160/) Official Gazette (1954b) Republic Act 1199 Vol
50, No. 10 pp. 4655-4671.
Republic Act 6657, Department of Agrarian Reform
(http://www.dar.gov.ph/ra-6657-what-is-carp-comprehensive-agrarian reform-program)
Republic Act 9700, Department of Agrarian Reform
(http://www.dar.gov.ph/ra-9700-carper-comprehensive-agrarian reform-program-extension)
Zaide, G. and Zaide, S. (1994).Jose Rizal: Life, works and writings of a genius, writer, scientist and national hero.
Quezon City: All Nations Publishing Co.

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 9 Activity # ________________

Name: ___________________________________- Score: _______ Course & Year

Level: _______________________ Date: ________ Comparing the different

agrarian reform laws in the Philippines. Fill out the matrix.

Agrarian Reform Common Unique

Law Provisions provisions

RA 6657

RA9700

II - It is really necessary for the Philippines to pursue a genuine agrarian reform program to finally
achieve a piece of development? Or is industrialization the way to go forward? Explain your thoughts.

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 10 Activity # ________________

Name: ___________________________________- Score: _______ Course & Year

Level: _______________________ Date: ________

 Buenavista Tenants’ Rights Safe - Roxas
The rights of tenants of the Buenavista Estate will be protected, President Manuel Roxas
declared in a statement last night.
The President further said that he “will oppose every step taken by land speculators,
whoever they may be, to rob the tenants” of the opportunity to own their lands.
The statement was issued in connection with the re-sale of the estate to Gen. Ernest H. Burt
for P5,000,000 by the San Juan de Dios. The estate covers an area of 373,000 hectares and is
occupied by more than 23,000 tenants.
The President also heard of the sale of the Concepcion Hacienda of Malabon by the
Philippine Trust Company to the same parties that had purchased the Buenavista Estate. Other
properties are involved in similar deals, the President had been informed.
Msgr. Jose N. Jovellanos, acting for the archbishop of Manila, yesterday afternoon admitted that the
estate was sold to Burt, but declared emphatically that it was never sold or parts of it to the tenants,
this was done so illegally and in bad faith,”Mgr. Jovellanos said. (The Sunday Times, July 14, 1946, p. 1.)

Some 300 tenants in a hacienda in Jala-Jala, Rizal, administered by Crisanto de Borja are
aroused because of a plan to eject tem. The administrator is reported to be using pressure
trough government man to oust the farmers.
The repeated failure of De Borja to attend conferences called by the tenancy division of the
department of justice has further increased the restiveness of the occupants of the land. De
Borja failed to appear at three projected conferences, the first on June 18 in Cardona, the
second on July 15, in Jala-Jala, and the third in the department of justice, July 29.
Mayor Marcos Francisco of Cardona yesterday appeared in behalf of the tenants, but the conference
could not be held because of the absence of the other party (The Manila Times, July 30, 1946, p. 1.)

1. These events happened just after the World War II. How would you describe the relationship
between tenant-farmers and landlords at that time?
2. These news items appeared on the front page of Manila Times, which means that these were big
events that happened during that time. What, do you think, were the reasons why there was the
sudden urge to own land during that time?

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 11 Cultural Heritage in the Philippines

Cultural Heritage - refer to the totality of cultural property preserved and developed through time and
passed on to posterity (RA 10066).

Cultural Property - refer to all products of human creativity by which a people and a nation reveal their
identity, including architecture and sites or human activity, churches, mosques and other places of
religious worship, schools) and natural history specimens and sites, whether public or privately owned,
movable or immovable, and tangible or intangible.

1. Intangible Cultural Heritage - refer to the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills, as
well as instruments, objects and artifacts associated therewith, that communities, groups and
individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage, such as: (1) oral traditions, usages, customs,
languages and other expressions; (2) performing arts; (3) social practices, religious rites, rituals,
culinary traditions and festive events; ( 4) knowledge and practices concerning nature and the
universe, worship and (5) traditional craftsmanship.
2. Tangible cultural property - refer to cultural property with historical, archival, anthropological,
archeological, artistic, and/or architectural value and with exceptional or traditional production,
whether of Philippine origin or not, including antiques and natural history specimens with significant
value.
Indigenous Peoples (IPs)
- A group of people or homogenous societies identified by self-ascription and ascription by others, who
have continuously lived as organized community on communally bounded and defined territory, and
who have, under claims of ownership since time immemorial, occupied, possessed customs, tradition
and other distinctive cultural traits, or who have, through resistance to political, social and cultural
inroads of colonization, non-indigenous religions and culture, become historically differentiated from
the majority of Filipinos (Phil Statistics Authority)

- The Philippines is a culturally diverse country with an estimated 14- 17 million Indigenous Peoples (IPs)
belonging to 110 ethno-linguistic groups. They are mainly concentrated in Northern Luzon (Cordillera
Administrative Region, 33%) and Mindanao (61%), with some groups in the Visayas area. The Philippine
Constitution, in recognition of this diversity and under the framework of national unity and
development, mandates state recognition, protection, promotion, and fulfillment of the rights of
Indigenous Peoples. Further, Republic Act 8371, also known as the “Indigenous Peoples Rights Act”
(1997, IPRA), recognized the right of IPs to manage their ancestral domains; it has become the
cornerstone of current national policy on IPs (UNDP, 2010).

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 12

CULTURAL COMMUNITIES IN MINDANAO

- The Indigenous cultural communities (ICC) in the Philippines or Lumad are believed to make up about 10% of
the national population.
- Also known as cultural minorities:
a. They are non-Muslim or non-Christian
b. They have been pushed to the mountains and forest by lowlanders.
c. They do not posse’s money or private property and, widely discriminated
d. The ICC struggle to protect their ancestral domain and cultural identity.
e. In 1986, 15 of the more than eighteen ICC in Mindanao adopted the term Lumad, a Bisayan
word for “native” or “indigenous,” to distinguished themselves from the Christians and
Muslims in Mindanao.
- RA 6734, used the term “Lumad” to differentiate the ethnic communities from the Bangsamoro people. -
Anthropologist Felipe Landa Jocano stresses that “in most cases, language is the only differentiating
element in ethnic culture
- Most of the family of languages belong to the Manobo family languages, except the Blaan, T’boli, and
Teduray.
1. The Cotabato Manobo – a group that has traditionally lived in the southwest highlands of Mindanao.
▪ Known as the Dulangan and Tudag, they are mostly Christians and have been largely assimilated and
their traditional culture has disappeared.
▪ Manobo boys and girls filed and blackened their teeth, they underwent a ceremony of
tasting new rice which qualifies them for admission into full manhood and
 womanhood.
2. The Bagobos – a group that live in a very mountainous region of Mindanao between the upper
Pilangi and Davao rivers.
▪ They are divided into two main groups:
a. coastal Bagobo who were influenced by Christianity, plantations were largely
assimilated;
b. Upland Bagobo, who traditionally practiced slash and burn agriculture and derived
about 25% of their food from hunting, gathering and fishing.
▪ Bagobo villages are very small and consist of only a few families living on hill top.
▪ Their culture is characterized by strict incest prohibitions, the formation of vengeance
groups and the production of long epic poems called tuwaang.
3. Bilaanor B’laan – a group that lives in south-central Mindanao. Also known as the Balus, Baraan,
Bilanes, Biraan, Blann, Buluan, Buluanes…
o They live in houses scattered among gardens and are also ruled by datu.
o They wrap their dead inside tree barks.
4. The Bukidnon – a group that lives in the highlands of north-central Mindanao. Also known as the
Binokid, Higaonan and Higaunen.
o They have traditionally been farmers who raised corn, rice, sweet potatoes, bananas and
coconuts and used water buffalo to plow their fields.
o They used to live in communal houses with as many as fifty families but now they live in single
family houses.
5. The Mandaya – an animist ethnic group that lives along the Mayo River.
o Youth filed and blacken their teeth upon reaching puberty. These acts were considered aids to
beauty which helped a young person find a suitable partner for marriage.
6. The T’boli (Tiboli) – people live in the southern part of the province of Cotabato, in are around Lake
Sebu, west of General Santos.
▪ They practiced “slash and burn” agriculture.

The MUSLIMS

- The most significant minority in the Philippines.

- They are for the most part remain outside the mainstream of national of, set apart by their religion and way
of life.
- They are believers of Islam. Islam means complete submission to the will of Allah.
- Complete submission means all the affairs that happen to man including his daily affairs be according to the
will of Allah, be it business, government, education, social life, arts, and culture.
- Creed of the Muslims: there is no god but the GOD; Mohammed is His messenger. God has revealed Himself
to different people and in different languages to inspire thinkers such Moises, Jesus and Mohammed.

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 13 - Philippines Muslims consist of the following subgroups defined on

the basis of language:

Muslims Location Description

subgroup

1. Maguindanao North - People of flooded plain “Tituray, T’boli, Manobos”

Cotabato, - Live in south-central Mindanao
Sultan Kudarat, - Named after the Sultanate that ruled the area.
Maguindanao - Largest group of Muslim Filipinos.

2. Maranao Lanao - People of the lake

- Language is similar to Maguindanao and Iranum
- They form the largest Muslim community & cultural minority in the
Philippines
- Families are traditionally large & close-knit

3. Tausug Tawi-tawi, - Tau “man” & sug “current”, “people of the current”
Palawan, - Name translates to “brave people”
Basilan,
Zamboanga,
Sabah
4. Sama Sulu Archipelago - Highly dispersed in the Sulu archipelago
- Boat-people, spending most of their time in constant movement
throughout the islands.
- Considered the sea-gypsies of the Philippines

5. Yakan Baslan, south - They have two spheres of belief integrating Islamic principles and
of Mindanao traditional beliefs into “folk Islam”
- Primarily under the Sulu Sultanate

6. Ilanon Lanao del Sur, - The Iranum language is in fact seen in the Maranao and
(Iranun) Maguindanao Maguindanao languages.

7. Kolibugan - Means “half-breeds”. Originally from the Subanon tribes - Refer to

all peoples who have accepted Islam through intermarriage.
- These people live the Subanun organization and language

8. Sangil Balut - Came from Sangle (Islands in Indonesia between the Celebes) -
Sarangani, They are people who were already Muslim before they came to
parts of South Philippine shores.
Cotabato & - Known for their boat making
Davao Del Sur

9. Kalagan Davao provinces - Their islamization was achieved through the arrival of the
Maguindaon and the Tausug.

10. Jama Mapun Island of - They are more oriented towards a land-based existence. - They are
Cagayan de heavily oriented towards maritime trade emphasizing copra and
Sulu forest products.
- They live both on the coast and in the interior of their islands. -
Kinship is traced bilaterally, but there are unilineal features such as
the patrilineal inheritance of titles.
- Political structure revolves around the sultanate, but there is also
an ancestor-based grouping called lungun.

11. Badjao Tawi-tawi, Sulu, - Known as the “sea gypsies” “Sama Laut” (Sea Sama)of the Sulu
Basilan, Coastal and Celebes Seas.
of Zamboanga - Living on houseboats, … expert fishermen, deep sea divers, and
del Sur navigators.
- They come to shore to barter their harvests for farmed produce
such as fruits and cassava.

12. Subanun Forest interior - A group of animist slash-and burn agriculturist that live in the
of Southern forest. - Have a history of being exploited and taken as slaves by
Mindanao their coastal Muslim neighbors.
- Live in widely scattered settlements and raise crops almost totally
by hand, without plows or even hoes.
- The division of labor between men and women is very equal.

GEC03 Readings in Philippine History 14

Name:_____________________________ Score:__________

Write True if the statement is correct, otherwise, write false on the space
provided before each number. No Erasure.

1. The Cotabato Manobo is a group that has traditionally lived in the northwest
highlands of Mindanao.
 2. Republic Act 6734, enacted during Corazon Aquino’s time, used the term “lumad” to
differentiate these ethnic communities from the Bangsamoro people.
3. The mandaya live in communal houses with as many as fifty families but now they live in single
family houses.
4. The indigenous cultural communities in the Philippines are believed to make up about thirty
percent of the national population.
5. The bagobos are divided into four min groups.
6. The bilaan people of Mindanao wrap their dead inside the jar.
7. The t’boli people live in the southern part of the province of Cotabato, in the area around Lake
Sebu, west of the city of General Santos.
8. These days slash and burn agriculture is still possible.
9. The mandaya are an animist ethnic grouo that lived along the Mayo River.
10. Some upland Bagobo villages are very small and consist of only few families living on a hilltop.

II – identify what is referred to by the following: Write your answer on the space provided before the
number. No erasure.
1. Known for their boat making
2. Considered the sea-gypsies of the Philippines
3. They live in houses scattered among gardens and are also ruled by datu.
4. They live both on the coast and in the interior of their islands.
5. Living on houseboats, … expert fishermen, deep sea divers, and navigators.
6. recognized the right of IPs to manage their ancestral domains
7. refer to the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills, as well as
instruments, objects and artifacts associated therewith
8. Refer to all peoples who have accepted Islam through intermarriage
9. They have two spheres of belief integrating Islamic principles and traditional beliefs into
“folk Islam”
10. They are heavily oriented towards maritime trade emphasizing copra and forest products.

III – Answer the following questions briefly.

1. Why is there a need of preserving the culture, values and traditions of the Lumads? 2. What are
the issues and challenges of the Indigenous people in the Philippines? Cite at least two and
explain each.