Central Luzon and the land reform program of President Ramon Magsaysay (1954-1957)

• Main Author: Santiago, Fernando A., Jr.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2002
• Subjects: Land reform; Agriculture and state; Economic policy; Farm tenancy; Land use; Rural; History
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/2675
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study shows that the land reform program of Ramon Magsaysay was a consolidation of his gains as Secretary of National Defense and that it was a sincere effort to improve the condition of the peasantry that prevented the rise of serious peasant unrest. This thesis uses the historical method of research. It involves desription and analysis. It also involves the critical examination of data and its interpretation to bring about an impartial account of events in the past. The study covers the period 1954-1957, the years of Ramon Magsaysay's presidency. The focus is on Central Luzon, which, at the time, was the primary hotbed of peasant unrest. The laws that were legislated for land reform were presented and analyzed on the basis of the objectives of the program and how the objectives were addressed. The DLSU Library, the Ramon Magsaysay Library, the U.P. Law Library, the National Library, the Library of the Department of Agrarian Reform, as well as the researchers extensive collection of literature on land reform provide sources of pertinent information for the study. The study concluded that President Magsaysay's administration trail-blazed on a route not yet taken in Philippine history. The Magsaysay Land Reform Program opened new doors to address the tenancy problem. It began the breaking of the shackles that bound the peasantry for many generations and broke down the barriers that prevented them from owning the land they tilled. Despite its being a pioneering effort, within a short span of four years, Magsaysay laid down the foundation of a solution to a problem that had existed for decades or even centuries.Despite its weaknesses, the Land Reform Program of Magsaysay changed the course of Philippine history. Indeed it formed the beginning of a serious attempt on the part of the government at liberating the peasantry from bondage to the institutions that had been used for their exploitation. The establishment of peace and order, has been a quest that had long been pursued from the Spanish times to the present, especially in Central Luzon, which was the focus of this study. Towards this end, no matter how transitory, Magsaysay was truly successful.