AGRARIAN REFORM LAW COURSE OUTLINE SUMMER 2018

Part One – Overview of the Course on Agrarian Law

1. General Concepts of Agrarian Reform

2. Historical and Legal Backdrop

3. Core concepts of agrarian reform law as designed and implemented under RA 6657
(as amended).

4. AGRARIAN REFORM LAW as a social justice legislation.

Part Two – CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL BASES

A. Constitution

- Art II, Sec 10

- Art XIII, Secs 1-2

– Social Justice - Calalang vs Williams (G.R. No. 47800)

- Police Power, Eminent Domain

-Constitutional Issues

CASES:

(Association of Small Landholders of the Philippines vs. Secretary of Agrarian

Reform (G.R. No. 78742)

B. THE LAWS

1. RA 3844, as amended by RA 6389 – Code of Agrarian Reforms of the

Philippines

2. PD 27 – Decree Emancipating Tenants from the Bondage of the Soil

3. EO 129-A – Modifying EO 129 Reorganizing and Strengthening DAR

 4. EO 228 – Declaring Full Land Ownership to Qualified Beneficiaries under PD 27

5. Proc. 131 –Instituting a Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program

6. RA 6657 – Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program enacted on June 10,

1988

7. Sec. 2 of RA 6657, as amended by RA 9700 – Declaration of Principles and

Policies

8. RA 7881 – Amending the CARP

9. RA 9700 – Strengthening the CARP

Part Three – Land Acquisition

1. Agrarian Reform Defined – Sec. 3(a), RA 6657

2. Scope of the Program – Sec. 4, RA 6657

3. Priorities of Coverage – Sec. 7, RA 6657

4. Land Acquisition: Compulsory Acquisition – Sec. 16, RA 6657

5. Land Acquisition: Voluntary Offer to Sell – Sec. 19, RA 6657

Cases:

1. Association of Small Landowners in the Phils. v. Sec. of Agrarian Reform, GR.

No. 79310 , July 14, 1989

2. Roxas v. CA, GR No. 127876, Dec. 17, 1999

3. Corporate Landowners: Stock Distribution Option – Sec. 31, RA 6657

4. Award of Lands to Children of Landowners – Sec. 6, RA 6657

REFERENCE/Issuance: DAR AO 2, S. 2009 – Rules and Regulations on the Acquisition

and Distribution of Agricultural Lands under RA 6657, as amended by RA 9700

Part Four – Retention, Exemption and Exclusions

1. Retention Rights – Sec. 6, RA 6657 Case: Alita vs. CA, G.R. No. 78517, February 27,
1989 REFERENCE/ Issuance: DAR AO 2, S. 2003 – 2003 Rules of Procedure on
Landowners Retention Rights

2. Exemptions and Exclusions – Sec. 10, RA 6657

3. Sec. 3(c) of RA 6657, in relation to DOJ Opinion No. 44 s. 1990 and the case of
Natalia Realty v. DAR, GR No. 103302, August 12, 1993

Issuances:

1. DAR AO 13, S. 1990 – Rules and Procedures Governing Exemptions of Lands under
Sec. 10 of RA 6657

2. DAR AO 4, S. 2003 – 2003 Rules on Exemption of Lands under Sec. 3c, RA 6657 and
DOJ Opinion 44 s. 1990

Cases:

1. Milestone Farms, Inc., v. Office of the President, G.R. No. 182332. February 23, 2011

2. Luz Farms v. Sec. of Agrarian Reform, GR No. 86889, December 4, 1990

3. DAR v. Sutton, G.R. No. 162070. October 19, 2005

4. RA 7881 (1995) Exempting Prawn Farms and Fishponds from CARP

Issuance: DAR AO 3, S. 1995 – Rules and Regulations on the Exemption of Fishponds

from the Coverage of CARL pursuant to RA 7881

Cases:

1. Central Mindanao University v. DARAB, G.R. No. 100091. October 22, 1992

2. DAR v. DECS, G.R. No. 158228. March 23, 2004

3. Province of Camarines Sur v. CA, G.R. No. 103125 May 17, 1993

4. Roxas & Company, Inc. v. DAMBA-NFSW, G.R. No. 149548. December 4, 2009
Part Five – Land Valuation

1. Land Valuation under Operation Land Transfer pursuant to PD 27

2. PD 27 and EO 228: Valuation Formula under para. 4 of PD 27 and Sec. 2 of EO 228

3. Determination of Just Compensation – Sec. 17, RA 6657

4. Valuation and Mode of Compensation – Sec. 18, RA 6657

5. Procedure for Acquisition of Private Lands in Case of Landowner’s Rejection or Failure

to Reply – Sec. 16 (d) of RA 6657

6. Land Valuation and Landowner Compensation, Sec. IV-D of DAR AO 2, S. 2009

Cases:

1. Just Compensation as discussed in Association of Small Landowners in the Philippines

v. Secretary of Agrarian Reform, GR. No. 78742, July 14, 1989

2. Land Bank of the Phils. v. Natividad, G.R. No. 127198. May 16, 2005

3. Land Bank of the Phils. vs. CA, GR No. 118712, Oct. 6, 1995

4. Lubrica v. Land Bank of the Phils., G.R. No. 170220. November 20, 2006

Reference: Preliminary Determination of Just Compensation per Rule XIX of the 2009
DARAB Rules of Procedure

Part Six – Land Redistribution

1. Land Redistribution per Secs. 22 to 27 of RA 6657, as amended

2. Principle of affordability to the farmers

Case: Land Bank of the Phils. v. Palmares, G.R. No. 192890, June 17, 2013
3. Indefeasibility of Titles

Case: Estribillo v. DAR, G.R. No. 159674. June 30, 2006

Part Seven- Land Tenure Improvement

1. Determination of Lease Rentals – Sec. 12, RA 6657

2. Leasehold Relationship

Cases:

1. Caballes v. DAR, GR No. 78214, December 5, 1988

2. Gabriel v. Pangilinan, G.R. No. L-27797. August 26, 1974 3. Gelos v. CA, G.R. No.
86186. May 8, 1992

Part Seven- Land Tenure Improvement

1. Determination of Lease Rentals – Sec. 12, RA 6657

2. Leasehold Relationship

Cases:

1. Caballes v. DAR, GR No. 78214, December 5, 1988

2. Gabriel v. Pangilinan, G.R. No. L-27797. August 26, 1974 3. Gelos v. CA, G.R. No.
86186. May 8, 1992

References/ Issuance: AO 2, S. 2006 – Revised Rules and Procedures Governing

Leasehold Implementation in Tenanted Agricultural Lands

1. Production-Sharing – Sec 32, RA 6657

2. Agribusiness Venture Arrangements (AVAs) in Agrarian Reform Areas per DAR AO

09-06

Part Eight – Conversion of Agricultural Lands

1. Conversion of Lands – Sec 65, RA 6657

2. Conversion of Agricultural Lands: Difference among Exemption, Conversion and
Reclassification

Cases:

1. CREBA v. Secretary of Agrarian Reform, G.R. No. 183409. June 18, 2010

2. Ros v. DAR, G.R. No. 132477. August 31, 2005

3. Land Reclassification – Sec. 20 of RA 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991

References/Issuances:

1. MC 54, s. 1993 from the Office of the President – Prescribing the Guidelines
governing Sec. 20 of RA 7160 Authorizing Cities And Municipalities to Reclassify
Agricultural Lands to Non-Agricultural Uses

2. DAR AO 1-02 – The 2002 Comprehensive Rules on Land Conversion

Case: Fortich v. Corona, GR. No. 131457, April 24, 1998 – Decision, Opinion and
Resolution of the Motion for Reconsideration with the Decision of the Office of the
President (OP) on the Sumilao Case

Part Nine – Mechanisms for Program Implementation

1. Presidential Agrarian Reform Council – Secs. 41, 42, 43, 49, RA 6657

2. Provincial Agrarian Reform Coordinating Committee – Secs. 44 and 45, RA 6657

3. Barangay Agrarian Reform Committee – Secs. 46 to 48, RA 6657

4. Department of Agrarian Reform – EO 129-A dated July 26, 1987

5. Department of Agrarian Reform Adjudication Board (DARAB) – Sec. 13, EO 129-A

Part Ten – Financing the Program

1. Funding Source per Sec. 63 of RA 6657 and Financing under Secs. 21 and 22 of EO
229 (1987)

2. RA 8532 (1998) Providing Augmentation Fund for the CARP with an Additional
Amount of Fifty Billion Pesos
3. Additional Funding Source – Sec. 21 of RA 9700, amending Sec. 63 of RA 6657

Part Eleven – Agrarian Justice or the Resolution of Agrarian Disputes

1. Administrative Adjudication – Secs. 50-53 of RA 6657

2. DAR AO 3, S. 2003 – 2003 Rules on Agrarian Law Implementation [ALI] Cases

3. The 2009 DARAB Rules of Procedure

Case: Vda. de Tangub vs. CA, UDK 9864, December 3, 1990

4. Award to Beneficiaries – Sec. 9 of RA 9700 amending Sec. 24 of RA 6657

Reference/Issuance: DAR AO 3, S. 2009 – Rules and Procedures Governing the

Cancellation of Registered CLOAs, EPs and Other Titles Issued under Any Agrarian
Reform Frogram

Case: DAR v. Cuenca, G.R. No. 154112. September 23, 2004

5. Exclusive Jurisdiction on Agrarian Dispute – Sec. 19, RA 9700 amending Sec. 50-A,
RA 6657

Reference/ Issuance: DAR AO 4, S. 2009 – Rules and Regulations Implementing Sec. 19

of RA 9700 (Jurisdiction on and Referral of Agrarian Disputes)

6. Special Agrarian Courts – Sec 57, RA 6657

Cases:

1. Land Bank of the Phils. v. CA, GR No. 128557, December 29, 1999

2. Land Bank of the Phils. v. Celada, G.R. No. 164876. January 23, 2006

3. Land Bank of the Phils. v. Heirs of Eleuterio Cruz, G.R. No. 175175, September 29,
2008

4. Land Bank of the Phils. v. Martinez, G.R. No. 169008. August 14, 2007

5. Phil. Veterans Bank v. CA, GR No. 132767, January 18, 2000

6. Modes of Appeal/Review from the DARAB

7. Rule 43 of the Rules of Court (1997 Rules of Civil Procedure)

8. Certiorari – Sec. 54 of RA 6657 and Rule 65 of the Rules of Court

Part Twelve – Jurisdiction on Agrarian Disputes

1. Updates on Laws on Rules of Procedure of DARAB

2. Jurisprudence on Jurisdiction over Agrarian Cases

Cases:

1. DAR v. Paramount Holdings Equities, Inc., G.R. No. 176838, June 13, 2013

2. Del Monte Phils. Inc. Employees Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (DEARBC)
v. Sangunay, G.R. No. 180013, January 31, 2011