RPH 4

• The Philippines is a newly industrialized economy whose exports are one of the key drivers of growth.
• The Philippines' GDP is accounted by 50% service sector, 33% industry sector and 17% agriculture sector.
• Philippines' key economic activities are business process outsourcing (BPO), food processing, textiles and garments, and manufacturing of electronics.
• US and Japan are the main largest export markets, China, Hong Kong, Germany, Netherlands, France, South Korea, India and ASEAN are also slowly inching towards being key export markets.
• Before World War II (1939-1945) the economy of the Philippines was based on the production and export of a narrow range of primary commodities, mainly agricultural and forest products.
• The Philippines had virtually no manufacturing other than the processing of food products, primarily for the United States market.
• After independence in 1946, the Philippines initially remained dependent on free-trade access to United States markets for its agricultural commodities, especially sugar.
• In the 1970s the government implemented a policy to encourage export manufactures and foreign investment, and the rate of economic growth accelerated.
• The country’s foreign debt rose dramatically, however, and by the mid-1970s the country faced problems meeting payments on its international loans.
• At this time the Philippine economy also suffered from more than a decade of economic mismanagement under President Ferdinand Marcos, who ruled by decree after declaring martial law in 1972.
• Government-mandated monopolies were set up in various sectors, while subsidies and special privileges were awarded to close associates of Marcos.
• This concentration of ownership and control among the president’s closest business associates, friends, and relatives became known as crony capitalism.
• Land Reform in the Philippines is a process of redistributing land from the landlords to tenant-farmers in order that they will be given a chance to own a piece of land improve their plight.
• Agrarian Reform in the Philippines is concerned with the total development of the farmer’s economic, social and political transformation.
• The pre-Spanish period in the Philippines saw no system of land ownership, with a rudimentary form of private ownership practiced and the Muslim system of land distribution introduced by the Indo-Malayan race in Southern Philippines.
• The Spanish period in the Philippines saw Spain declare all lands in the Philippines as part of public domain regardless of local customs, and introduce the “Encomienda System” where Encomienderos must defend his encomienda from external attack, maintain peace and order within, and support the missionaries.
• The American period in the Philippines saw the Public Land Act of 1902 offer homestead plot not in excess of 16 hectares to families who had occupied and cultivated the tract they were residing on since August 1, 1898.
• After the independence of July 4, 1946 the need for land reform became pressing, with the first land reform law enacted in 1946 under President Manuel Roxas and the second in 1954 under President Ramon Magsaysay.
• Ineffective government programs on agrarian reforms and cooperatives are ineffective due to the inefficiency of the people implementing the program.
• On September 21, 1972, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 2, declaring the entire Philippines as a land reform area.
• The 1987 Constitution was ratified on February 2, 1987 and features the reinstitution of a Democratic Government, the separation of Church and State, sovereignty of the people, renunciation of war as a national policy, supremacy of Civilian authority over the military, and separation of Powers.
• Economic Aspect of agrarian reform is to improve agricultural productivity to accelerate general economic development.
• Moral Aspect of agrarian reform is that the ignorant and poor farmers are abused, therefore, it is the moral obligation of the government to bring about peace and prosperity to our country.
• The 1973 Constitution was ratified on January 17, 1973 and features the establishment of a modified parliamentary government, the suspension of the Bill of Rights, and has given greater power to the president.
• CARP stands for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program, a government initiative that aims to grant landless farmers and farm workers ownership of agricultural lands.
• The primary governing law on agrarian reform is RA No. 6657, also known as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988.
• The 1935 Constitution was ratified on May 14, 1935 and features the establishment of the Commonwealth Government, a Democratic and Republican government, and the inclusion of the Bill of Rights.
• Socio-cultural Aspect of agrarian reform gives significant social change in the community.
• Religious Aspect of agrarian reform is that when God created earth, He gives it all to His children and sees to it that everything He made are used and enjoyed by the people.
• Legal Aspect of agrarian reform is that the government has formulated laws that will effect agrarian reforms.
• Features of the 1987 Constitution are pro-God, pro-life, pro-poor, pro-Filipino, anti-dictatorship.
• Small farms become less productive in the micro level, but in the macro level, the people will suffer because there will be few production for national consumptions.
• Agrarian reforms have failed in the past due to factors such as big landholdings owned by elite politicians, failure of the government to provide measures that will assist the farmers, graft and corruption, and lack of unity and cooperation among farmers.
• Fragmentation of farm-holdings occurs with the institution of land reform, where big landholding is divided among tenant farmers into a family size land which is 3 hectares.
• The Biak na Bato Constitution of 1897, Malolos Constitution of 1899, 1935 Constitution (transition government), 1973 Constitution (Marcos regime), 1986 Freedom Constitution, and 1987 Constitution (this is what is enforced/effective right now!) are the constitutions of the Philippines.
• Political Aspects of agrarian reform is that agrarian reform is ultimately the product of deliberate political decisions and must be the highest priority of government programs.
• In 1963, Pres. Diosdado Macapagal signed into law RA No. 3844, which abolished share tenancy and imposed an agricultural leasehold system.
• Constitutional Provision of Foreign Policy: The state shall pursue an independent foreign policy, with national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination as paramount considerations.
• Foreign Policy: General objectives that guide the activities and relationships of one state in its interactions with other states.
• Issues on Philippine Foreign Policy and the Global Realities: Role of China, Japan, and the United States; importance of ASEAN; significance of the international Islamic community; dependence on foreign investments.