The Agricultural Land Reform Code, officially designated as Republic Act No. 3844, was an advancement of
land reform in the Philippines
Land reform in the Philippines has long been a contentious issue rooted in the Philippines's Spanish Colonial Period. Some efforts began during the American Colonial Period with renewed efforts during the Commonwealth, following independence, du ...
that was enacted in 1963 under President
Diosdado Macapagal. It abolished tenancy and established a leasehold system in which farmers paid fixed rentals to landlords, rather than a percentage of harvest. In agricultural leasehold, the farmer cultivates the land belonging to, or possessed by, another with the latter's consent for a price certain in money or in produce or both. It also established the
Land Bank of the Philippines
Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP; often referred to simply as LandBank), is a government-owned bank in the Philippines with a special focus on serving the needs of farmers and fishermen. While it provides the services of a universal bank, it ...
to help with land reform, particularly the purchase of agricultural estates for division and resale to small landholders, and the purchase of land by the agricultural lessee.
While the law was a significant advance over previous legislation, the bill was weakened by numerous amendments imposed by
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
, which was dominated by
landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, t ...
s.
It was also weakened by the failure of Congress to allocate necessary funds for effective implementation of the law. The act has been further amended several times subsequent to becoming law by later legislation.
[Subsequent legislation includes]
Republic Act No. 6657
approved June 10, 1988
approved February 23, 1995
approved February 23, 1995
approved February 23, 1998
Provisions
The main provisions of the Agricultural Land Reform Code were:
*To establish and encourage the formation of family-sized farms as the basis for Philippine agriculture
*To improve the lives of farmers by liberating them from harmful practices such as illegal interest rates
*To encourage greater productivity and increase income of small farmers
*To apply labor laws equally regardless of status
*To provide a land settlement program and promote equitable distribution of land
*To make poor farmers self-reliant, responsible citizens to strengthen society
See also
*
Department of Agrarian Reform
The Department of Agrarian Reform ( fil, Kagawaran ng Repormang Pansakahan}, abbreviated as DAR or KRP) is an executive department of the Philippine government responsible for the redistribution of agrarian land in the Philippines.
List of t ...
*
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, more commonly known as CARP, is an agrarian reform law of the Philippines whose legal basis is the Republic Act No. 6657, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL). It is the redistri ...
*
Land reform in the Philippines
Land reform in the Philippines has long been a contentious issue rooted in the Philippines's Spanish Colonial Period. Some efforts began during the American Colonial Period with renewed efforts during the Commonwealth, following independence, du ...
References
External links
Department of Agrarian Reform website
{{Asia in topic, Land reform in
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
Agriculture in the Philippines
Philippine legislation
Presidency of Diosdado Macapagal