“One Past but many histories”: Controversies and Conflicting views • Code of Luwaran – oldest written laws of the

laws of the Muslim society

in Philippine History which contains provision on the lease of cultivated lands.

Retraction of Rizal Spanish Era (1521-1896)

• Father Manuel Garcia C.M. – discovered the retraction letter of • 1521 – when the Spanish came to the Philippines.
Rizal in 1935. • Pueblo - an agricultural system wherein each Christianized
• December 29, 1896 – the date of the retraction later, it was said native family is given four to five hectares of land to cultivate,
to be signed by Rizal himself. thus there is no landless class.
• Laws of the Indies – the Spanish crown awarded vast tracts of
The first version of the Retraction letter: land to the religious orders in the country.
“I declare myself a Catholic and in this religion in which I was born • Repartiamentos – lands granted to the Spanish military as
and educated. I wish to live and die. I retract with all my heart rewarded for their service.
whatever in my words, writings, publications, and conduct has been • Encomienda – large tracts of land given to Spaniards
contrary to my character as a son of the Catholic Church.” (encomiendero) to manage and have the right to receive
tributes from the natives tilling it.
The second version of the Retraction letter: • Encomienda system – for the encomienderos to protect the
“I retract with all my heart whatsoever in my words, writings, natives and further introduce them into Catholic faith.
publications, and conduct have been contrary to my character as a • compras y vandalas system - tillers were made to compulsory
son of the Catholic church.” sell at a very low price or surrender their agricultural harvests to
Spanish authorities.
• Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda – he sent the first draft of the • 1865 - there was a law made by the Spanish crown ordering
retraction letter to Rizal’s cell in Fort Santiago the night before landholders to register their landholdings but only a few were
his execution. It was rejected as it was lengthy and did not like aware of this decree.
the wording. • 1893 – the Ley Hipotecaria or the Mortgage Laws was
• Fort Santiago – the place where Rizal was imprisoned and introduced that provides the systematic registration of titles
wrote his 14-stanza poem “Mi Ultimo Adios”. and deeds as well as ownership claims.
• Fr. Vicente Balaguer – Rizal’s friend in Dapitan, he testimony • Maura Law or Royal decree of 1894 – the last Spanish land law
that Rizal accepted a short retraction document prepared by Fr. promulgated in the Philippines, it states that farmers and
Pio Pi. landholders were given one year to register their agricultural
• Fr. Pio Pi – the head of the Jesuit Society of the Philippines. lands to avoid declaration of it as a state property.
• Rizal wrote his own retraction after making some modifications • 1896 – the revolution of peasants and farmers that articulated
to the shorter retraction letter shown to him. their aspirations for agrarian reform and for a just society.
• In Rizal’s own retraction letter, he disavowed masonry and • Malolos Constitution, 1896, Article XVII – The revolutionary
religious thoughts that opposed Catholic belief. government confiscated the large landed estates, especially the
friar lands and declared these as properties of the government.
The Cry of Balintawak
Cry of Balintawak/Pugad Lawin – turning point of Philippine History American Era (1898-1935)
• The main focus of the cry is the date and place of Bonifacio Cry. • Philippine Bill of 1902 – regulations on the disposal of public
• Five dates for the cry – August 20, 23, 24, 25 and 26. lands wherein a private individual can own 16 hectares of land
• Five venues for the first cry - Balintawak, Pugadlawin, while the corporate land holdings can avail of 1, 024 hectares.
Kangkong, Bahay Toro, and Pasong Tamo. • Torrens system of land registration – made to replace the
• Balintawak, Caloocan on August 23, 1896 – the first issue, the registration system that was implemented by the Spaniards.
place where the first cry of the revolution took place. • Lands Registration Act of 1902 or Act No. 496 – placed all
• Pugadlawin on August 23, 1896 – the second issue, the private and public lands under Torrens system.
difference is the place but the Balintawak tradition continues to • Cadastral Act or Act No. 2259 – speeds up the issuance of
thrive. Torrens titles.
• End of August 1896 – third issue, all the places mentioned in • Homestead Program – introduced in 1903, it allows
the first and second issues are in Caloocan which back then was enterprising tenants to acquire a farm of at least 16 hectares to
a district of Balintawak. cultivate. It was introduced only in some parts of Mindanao and
Northern Luzon.
• First Public Land Act or Act No. 926 - rules and regulations for
Agrarian Reform Policies selling and leasing portions of the public domain, completing
defective Spanish land titles.
Pre-Colonial Times (before 16th century) • Second Public Land Act of 1919 or Act 2874 - limits the use of
• Barangay – consists of 30-100 families administered by different agricultural lands to Filipinos, Americans, and citizens of other
chiefs. countries.
• Stewardship – a concept where relationship between man and • Act No. 141 - amended the Second Public Act of 1919 or Act
nature is important. No. 2874, it consists of equality on the rights of American and
• Kaingin system/slash and burn method – land cultivation Filipino citizens and corporations.
wherein land was cleared by burning the bushes before planting • Friar Land Act or Act No. 1120 - provided the administrative
the crops. and temporary leasing and selling of friar lands to its tillers.
• Maragtas Code • Rice Share Tenancy Act of 1933 or Act No. 4054 - first
• the only recorded transaction of land sale during this time. legislation regulating the relationship of landlord and tenants
• This is the selling of the Panay Island to ten Bornean datus and the first law to legalize a 50-50 crop sharing arrangement.
in exchange for a golden salakot and a long gold necklace.
• Sugarcane Tenancy Contract Act of 1933 or Act No. 4113 – • R.A. No. 1266 (1955) - Expropriation of Hacienda del Rosario,
regulated the relationship of landlord and tenants in the situated at Valdefuente, Cabanatuan City.
sugarcane fields. • Agricultural Credit and Cooperative Financing Administration
• Colorum and Sakdalista of Luzon and Northeastern Mindanao – (ACCFA) - government agency formed to provide warehouse
they headed the peasant uprisings facilities and assist farmers market their products and
• 1920’s and 1930’s – the uprising resulted to social disorder. established the organization of the Farmers’ Cooperative and
Marketing Associations (FACOMAs).
Commonwealth Years (1935-1942)
- the situation of land ownership and tenancy were Under Carlos P. Garcia (1957-1961)
characterized by the contrasting economic and political There was no legislation passed in President Carlos Garcia’s term but
lifestyle between tenant and the landlord. he continued to implement the land reform programs of President
• Katiwalas – they managed the idle left farms. Magsaysay.

Japanese Era (1942-1945) Under Diosdado Macapagal (1961-1965)

• HUKBALAHAP (Hukbong Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon) – • Agricultural Land Reform Code or R.A. No. 3844
organized by peasants and workers on March 29, 1942 as an - enacted especially on August 8, 1963, it was considered to
anti-Japanese group. be the most comprehensive piece of agrarian reform
legislation.
Evolution of Initiatives on Land Reform (Administration of Quezon) - Because of this, President Macapagal was considered as
1. RA 4054 or the Rice Tenancy Law – first law on crop sharing the “Father of Agrarian reform”.
which legalized the 50-50 share between landlord and tenant.
• 1935 Constitutions - provided specific provisions on social Under Ferdinand E. Marcos (1965-1986)
justice and expropriation of landed estates for distribution to • The Code of Agrarian Reforms or R.A. No. 6389 – governed the
tenants as a solution to land ownership and tenancy problems. implementation of the agrarian reform in the Philippines.
2. Commonwealth Act No. 461 – specified that dismissal of a • R.A. No. 6390 – enacted to accelerate the implementation of
tenant should first have the approval of Tenancy Division of the the agrarian reform program in the fields of land acquisition and
Department of Justice. agricultural credit.
3. Commonwealth Act No. 608 – enacted to establish security of • Presidential Decree No. 2 – core of the Agrarian Reform
tenure between landlord and tenant. It prohibited the common Program of President Marcos, proclaiming the entire country as
practice among landowners of ejecting tenants without clear land reform area.
legal grounds. • Presidential Decree No. 27 - decreeing the emancipation of
• National Rice and Corn Corporation (NARICC) tenants from the bondage of soil
4. Court of Industrial Relations (CIR) – to exercise jurisdiction over
disagreement arising from agri-workers and landowner President Marco’s Agrarian Reform Program is characterized by five
relationship. major components:
5. The Homestead Program continued through the creation of the - Land Tenure Program
National Land Settlement Administration (CA No. 441) and - Institutional Development
tenancy were covered through CA Nos. 461 and 608. - Physical Development,
- Agricultural Development
Under Manuel Roxas Administration (1946-1948) - Human Resources
• Republic Act No. 34 – passed during the administration of
President Manuel Roxas and it was enacted to established a 70-
30 sharing arrangement between tenant and landlord. The Philippine Constitution
• President Roxas also negotiated for the purchase of 8,000
hectares of lands in Batangas owned by the Ayala-Zobel family. • 1899 Constitution (Malolos Constitution)
These were sold to landless farmers. - first constitution drafted by Filipino lawmakers.
- It established the Republic of the Philippines with a
Under Elpidio R. Quirino (1948-1953) government that was "popular, representative, and
• Executive Order No. 355 or Land Settlement Development responsible".
Corporation (LASEDECO) – established to accelerate and
expand the peasant resettlement program of the government. Salient Features of the 1899 Constitution
1. The government was composed of three branches; executive,
Under Ramon Magsaysay (1953-1957) legislative, and judiciary.
• R.A. No. 1199 (1954) The Agricultural Tenancy Act - governed • Executive power – vested to the President who was elected by
the relationship between landholders and tenant-farmers. This the Assembly of Representatives (Legislature).
law helped protect the tenure rights of tenant tillers and • Legislative power – vested in the Assembly of Representatives
enforced fair tenancy practices. who were elected by the people.
• R.A. No. 1160 (1954) – Free distribution of resettlement and • Judicial power – vested to the Supreme Court and such other
rehabilitation of agricultural land and an Act establishing the courts as may be created by law.
National Resettlement and Rehabilitation Administration 2. The legislature was more powerful than the executive
(NARRA). department. It elected the President and the Chief Justice of the
• R.A. No. 1400 (1955) Land Reform Act – known as “Land to the Supreme Court.
Landless” Program which sought improvement in land tenure 3. The Assembly of Representatives, when not in session,
and guaranteed the expropriation of all tenanted landed legislative power is exercised by a Permanent Commission
estates. composed of seven assemblymen.
4. The cabinet secretaries were responsible to the legislature and 14. Karma – Many Filipinos believe in karma, the Indian word which
not to the President. means "the law of nature". The saying "for every action, there is
an equal reaction and opposite reaction" is referred to karma.
Preamble
"We, the Representatives of the Filipino people, lawfully convened, in On Cultural Heritage Issues
order to establish justice, provide for common defense, promote the 1. cultural heritages have been almost forgotten due to the
general welfare, and ensure the benefits of liberty, imploring the aid absence of comprehensive program in preserving or restoring
of the Sovereign Legislator of the Universe for the attainment of them.
these ends, have voted, decreed, and sanctioned the following:" 2. Equally becoming irrelevant and almost forgotten to the present
generation are the other important repositories of our culture,
• Philippine Republic – official name of the country. our folk songs and folk devices.
3. 3. Another landscape of heritage structure which is laid to
Who are Filipinos? (Article 6 of the 1899 Constitution) waste for commercial enterprise is the Rizal Memorial Sports
1. all persons born in the Philippine territory. A vessel of Philippine Complex. This Complex has been declared a National Historical
registry is considered, for this purpose, as part of Philippine Landmark by the National Historical Commission of the
territory; Philippines and an important Cultural Property by the National
2. children of a Filipino father or mother, although born outside of Museum of the Philippines.
the Philippines; 4. In Iloilo, the San Joaquin Convent ruins have become an
3. foreigners who have obtained certification of naturalization; unsightly warren of makeshift stalls and kiosks notwithstanding
4. those who, without such certificate, have acquired a domicile in its heritage status as a National Cultural Treasure.
any town within Philippine territory. 5. The value of old churches such as those in Intramuros like the
Manila Cathedral and the San Agustin Church; The Our Lady of
Purificacion Parish Church in Binmaley, Pangasinan, San
Cultural Values and Cultural Heritage Issues Fernando City, and Bawang churches in La Union and all other
• Culture gives meaning to man's existence. churches located in Dagupan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Laguna,
Balagtas, Visayas, Mindanao churches - which are a link to our
Issues and concerns concerning acceptable cultural values and past and a reflection to our identity becomes a source of pride
practices: to national unity.
1. Filipino Indolence – There are Filipinos who do not care of their 6. Lecturers from the Heritage Conservation Society recalled
future. massacred cultural properties and vista corridors destroyed by
2. "Ningas-Cugon" attitude – At the beginning, Filipinos are very structures like the "Torre de Manila" and also the case of the
eager and ready to do and finish a work but after some time, adoration chapel of the St. Martin de Tours Basilica of Taal and
they become complacent and lazy at the end. that Spanish masonry aqueduct of San Juan City.
3. "Mañana Habit" attitude – This is the tomorrow-attitude or 7. At around the same time, another vintage water system, almost
procrastination attitude. a century old, was severely endangered-the water tower of San
4. "Bahala na" attitude – kind of fatalism in which the person Fernando city, in Pampanga. That was built during the American
leaves everything to fate. colonial period and since then become a veritable landmark of
5. Indulging in gambling – Jueteng, tongits, jai-alai, cara y cruz, the city. To improve on what Spain had left behind, the
pintakasi (sabong) mahjong are some of the forms of gambling. American colonial administration established a modern water
6. "Hiya" Complex – uncomfortable feeling of being found in an supply system to distribute the precious liquid directly to end-
unacceptable position. users through a complicated network of pipes.
7. Amor Propio – Once a person has attained social acceptance,
he will do everything to keep that status. A person will certainly
feel hurt and insulted if the criticism is directed against those
qualities that he holds dear or has value to him.
8. "Lagay" and "Areglo" – often occur in government offices
where special privileges and favors may be obtained in return
for which certain considerations are exchanged.
9. "Palakasan" scheme - This scheme is manifested in a society
where there is strong family ties and the influence of power and
wealth.
10. Use of euphemistic expression – stating an unpleasant opinion,
truth or request as pleasantly as possible to please another
person so as not to directly hurt his ego.
11. The "suerte", "tadhana", "malas", and Buena form of fatalism
– These are beliefs in fate, predestination, in horoscope and
hula (fortune telling).
12. The Existence of Spirits, Ghosts and Supernatural Beings –
Many people believe that spirits possess supernatural powers
and so we pray to them, offer food to the "anitos" and "anitas"
so that they will not harm us.
13. The Gaya-Gaya Practice – has a negative value if it indicates lack
of creativity, imitativeness, pioneering spirit or as a
consequence of timidity to go into a new field of endeavor and
rely on just mere imitation.