Angelica B. Miranda
BSED 4F
a. What is CARP (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program), or RA 6657?
CARP, or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, is the redistribution of public and private
agricultural lands to farmers and farmworkers who are landless, irrespective of tenurial
arrangement. CARP’s vision is to have an equitable land ownership with empowered agrarian
reform beneficiaries who can effectively manage their economic and social development to have
a
better
quality
of
life.
One of the major programs of CARP is Land Tenure Improvement, which seeks to hasten
distribution of lands to landless farmers. Similarly, the Department offers Support Services to the
beneficiaries such as infrastructure facilities, marketing assistance program, credit assistance
program, and technical support programs. Furthermore, the department seeks to facilitate, resolve
cases
and
deliver
Agrarian
Justice.
The legal basis for CARP is the Republic Act No. 6657 otherwise known as
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) signed by President Corazon C. Aquino on June
10, 1988. It is an act which aims to promote social justice and industrialization, providing the
mechanism for its implementation, and for other purposes.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 6657
(June 10, 1988)
AN ACT INSTITUTING A COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM PROGRAM TO
PROMOTE SOCIAL JUSTICE AND INDUSTRIALIZATION, PROVIDING THE
MECHANISM FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law was laid down in the year 1988, to protect the
agricultural workers in Philippines. The comprehensive agrarian reform law aimed at helping the
small and marginal farmers of Philippines by providing them easy access to land and other
necessary inputs.
A brief history: Agrarian Condition in Philippines
For a long period of time, the agrarian system of Philippines was being controlled by the large
landlords. The small farmers in Philippines were struggling for their rights to land and other natural
resources. It was observed that about 2.9 million small farms occupied about half of the total arable
land of Philippines, whereas the medium and large farms occupied about 11.5% of the total
farmland. The agrarian system in Philippines followed a feudalistic approach.
Implementation of Agrarian Reform in Philippines: Drawbacks
The implementation of Agrarian reforms proceeded at a very slow pace. This was due to the lack
of political will. The redistribution of land was also very slow. As a consequence, a large amount
of agrarian land in Philippines was converted to industrial land.
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law: Philippines
The Republic Act No. 6657, alternatively called the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law was
signed by President Corazon C. Aquino on 10th June, 1988. The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Law is responsible for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program
(CARP) in Philippines. The law focussed on industrialisation in Philippines together with social
justice.
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law: Objectives
The primary objective of instituting the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform law was to successfully
devise land reform in Philippines. It was President Arroyo, who signed the Executive Order No.
456 on 23rd August to rename the Department of Land Reform as Department of Agrarian Reform.
This had been done to expand the functional area of the law. Apart from land reform, the
Department of Agrarian Reform began to supervise other allied activities to improve the economic
and social status of the beneficiaries of land reform in Philippines.
State of Hacienda Luisita
Hacienda Luisita – owned by President Aquino's family – is the most famous case study of the
alleged failure of the Philippines' land reform program
MANILA, Philippines – In a historic final ruling in 2013, the Supreme Court awarded to farmer
beneficiaries about 4,000 hectares of the Hacienda Luisita, the landholdings owned by President
Benigno Aquino III's family.
However, as Aquino delivers his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 27,
many farmers continue to condemn the land title distribution as a hoax.
"Like his mother Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, President Aquino promised social justice and land
reform in Hacienda Luisita as part of his electoral campaign. But Aquino’s actions speak
differently," according to Luisita Watch, a group of individuals and organizations advocating the
cause of Hacienda Luisita farmworkers.
"Puro panloloko, pandarahas, at pangangamkam ng lupa (It's all deception, violence, and
landgrabbing)," the group said in a fact sheet it recently presented at the University of the
Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication.
Farmers of the vast agricultural land condemned anew the alleged harassment and other human
rights violations committed against them by TADECO over the years.
The alleged violations in Hacienda Luisita were presented by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng
Pilipinas (KMP) during the recently concluded International People’s Tribunal (IPT) held in
Washington DC, where Aquino was found "guilty of gross and systematic violations of human
rights."
Alleged violations
Incidents
Victims
Extrajudicial killing
1
1
Frustrated extrajudicial killing
3
6
Torture/Mauling
9
30+
Illegal arrest and detention
9
28
Trumped up charges
22
189
Source: KMP
The Luisita Watch cited the following reasons the land distribution has not been effectively
implemented :

Lot allocation through lottery worked to reconcentrate the land back to the landlords

The exclusion of a number of bona fide farm workers in the final master list of
beneficiaries, and the underhanded insertion of names of unqualified ones

The imposition of compulsory signing of promissory notes (Application to Purchase and
Farmers Undertaking) to ensure amortization payments

The grant of overpriced landlord compensation to Hacienda Luisita Inc (HLI) – about
P471.5 million – reportedly coursed through the controversial Disbursement Acceleration
Program (DAP)

The facilitation of the audit of P1.33 billion in assets that HLI and Centenary Holdings
acquired from the sale of agricultural land

The inaction on farmworkers’ appeal for the revocation of a conversion order covering 500
hectares. A solar power public-private partnership (PPP) project is now in place between
the Department of Energy and PetroGreen, a firm owned by the Yuchengcos of Rizal
Commercial Banking Corporation. RCBC is HLI’s successor-in-interest in the disputed
property.

The deceit and coercion of beneficiaries through false statements and excessive use of
armed state forces during the so-called distribution process

The exclusion of hundreds of hectares of agricultural land from distribution, causing
confusion, dispute, and dislocation
Luisita farmworkers joined other farmers who protested during Aquino's last SONA.
Hacienda Luisita is the most famous case study of the state of the country's land reform. The
country's rich families maintain control over 107,639 landholdings, including the Cojuangcoowned Hacienda Luisita.
As of August 2014, more than 700,000 hectares of agricultural land have yet to be awarded to
farmer beneficiaries across the country, according to government data. In 2012, the Aquino
administration promised to complete land distribution by 2014.