Land Reform That Stalled

Why the Philippines' agrarian reform programme from 1988 took decades to redistribute land, how landowners resisted, and the effects on farming.

Land ownership in the Philippines has been highly concentrated.

CARP

The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), passed in 1988 under Corazon Aquino, aimed to redistribute land to tenant farmers.

Slow progress

Implementation took decades; the programme was extended until 2014.
Landowners used exemptions, legal challenges and schemes like distributing shares instead of land.
Hacienda Luisita, owned by Aquino’s own family, became a famous dispute; the Supreme Court ordered land distributed in 2011-12.

Problems for beneficiaries

Farmers received land but lacked credit, irrigation and support.
Some sold or leased land back.
Amortisation payments burdened farmers; in 2023, a law condoned unpaid dues.

Comparison

Land reforms in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan after WWII were fast and transformed rural areas; the Philippines’ slow reform had weaker results.

Lesson

Land reform needs political will, speed and support services.

The share instead of land

On one estate, farmers were given company shares instead of land plots, leaving them with little control or income.

Thinking land reform laws guarantee redistribution

Philippine reform stalled for decades due to resistance.

Key takeaways

CARP was passed in 1988 to redistribute land.
It took decades amid landowner resistance.
Beneficiaries lacked credit and support.
East Asian land reforms were faster and more successful.