Pres. Quirino and his ilk and oligarchic supporters knew that the U.S. will provide financial aid whether they follow/implement or not the recommendations from the Hardie report. And so Quirino ignored the recommendations for land reform. And the US did not force the issue.
The practice of paying lip-service to land reform and ignoring any implementation for social justice has become a pattern of rule of subsequent ruling regimes in our homeland.
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US Pushes Philippine Land Reform and gets Nowhere_AR-47-53.pdf
Pres. Quirino and his ilk and oligarchic supporters knew that the U.S. will provide financial aid whether they follow/implement or not the recommendations from the Hardie report. And so Quirino ignored the recommendations for land reform. And the US did not force the issue.
The practice of paying lip-service to land reform and ignoring any implementation for social justice has become a pattern of rule of subsequent ruling regimes in our homeland.
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Pres. Quirino and his ilk and oligarchic supporters knew that the U.S. will provide financial aid whether they follow/implement or not the recommendations from the Hardie report. And so Quirino ignored the recommendations for land reform. And the US did not force the issue.
The practice of paying lip-service to land reform and ignoring any implementation for social justice has become a pattern of rule of subsequent ruling regimes in our homeland.
Direitos autorais:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Formatos disponíveis
Baixe no formato PDF, TXT ou leia online no Scribd
A M E R I C A N U N I V E R S I T I E S F I E L D S T A F F 522 HFTH AVENUE NEW YORK 36. N. Y. THE UNITED STATES PUSHES PHI LI PPI NE LAND REFORM AND GETS NOWHERE A St af f l e t t e r from Albert Ravenholt Manila, June 17, 1953 Dear Associ at e: When the Second Philippine Congress adjourned i t s f our t h sessi on t hree weeks ago without enacting any si gni f i cant land reform l egi s l at i on, it administered a major defeat t o American policy i n these Islands. This ref'usal of the Philippine Government t o perform one of i t s major commitments made as a condition for American ai d i ndi cat es the p' ol i t i cal power exercised here by the land-owning gentry, It suggests a need f or re-examining t he methods t he United St at es has employed in encouraging t hi s underdeveloped young protege republic t o modernize i t s oft en feudal land-use pract i ces. Our f ai l ur e t o secure reforms has l e f t the discontented Fi l i pi no tenant farmer more dependent f or any improvement i n hi s l o t upon the pol i t i c a l fact i ons st ruggl i ng f or power here i n t hi s pr esi dent i al el ect i on year -- most ordinary farmers lack the experience and dependable l ocal l eaders needed t o organize pol i t i cal l y for t he i r own ends. On the 12th of September, 1952, U.S. Ambassador Raymond Spruance delivered t o t he Phi1ippl.de Foreign O f f i ce t hree copies of a report ent i t l ed Phi l i ~pi ne Land Tenure Reform - Analysis and Recommendations, prepared here by t kae Mutual Securi t y Agency. This was the f i r s t American attempt t o secure performance of the phi l i ppi ne Government's pledge t o implement a program of land r edi st r i but i on through the purchase of l arge es t at es for r esal e t o small farmers and to provide t enant s with great er secur i t y of tenure and a more equi t abl e share of tkheir crops. The pledge was incorporated i n the Quirino-Foster Agreement of November, 1950, when t he Philippine Government i n r et ur n f or American t echni cal and economic ai d promised a I t . . . bold implementation of measures t hat w i l l bring about a higher degree of soci al justice i n the Philippinestt i n l i ne with recommendations of the Bel l Mission,which had surveyed the Islands ear l i er t hat year. Later ths Philippine Congress had committed i t s el f i n a f omai resolution t o support the Agreement and the Missionls recammendat ion s , Des i t e these subst ant i al beginnings, the report dekiv- ! ered by he American Ambassador f or transmittal t o President Elpidio Quirino was ignored by the Philippine Government unt i l l a t e December when the l ocal and American press secured access t o several copies and began publishing excerpts. Sud- denly land reform became important and controversial news. Although much of the information included was gleaned from ear l i er findings of off i cf a1 investigations and census figures "The Hardie ReportM -- named af t er MSA Land Tenure speci al i st Robert Hardie -- was described by House Speaker Eugenio Perez as "an insidious and systematic release of confidential MSA reports , Tr Jose Yulo, wealthy chairman of the Philippine Council f or United States Aid, publicly denied he had ever received a copy of the report, which had been prepared with his f u l l knowledge, While a delegation of Central Luzon farmers organized by the -Liberal Party cal l ed upon President Quirino t o assure him t hat a l l was peace and order in t hei r region, one of the l arger landowners i n the area was assassinated by his tenants, Nacionalista Party opposition leaders defended "The Reportw and it was endorsed by the Manila Junior Chamber of Commerce and other ci vi c groups, Provincial governors announced their support or opposition t o Hardie's findings, often on the basis of t hei r pol i t i cal allegiance. College students held a large r al l y i n downtown Manila, asking t hat the land reform recommenda- tions be upheld. The President t s brother, Judge Antonio Quirino, cr i t i ci zed the Hagdie Report and Americans i n general as %nemies arrest i ng Philippine Economic de~elopment.~' The Committee on Un-Filipino Act i vi t i es of the Philippine Congress launched a special investigation and several months l at er published a 103-page "preliminary study and analysisn purporting t o show a si mi l ari t y between the MSA findings and Communist charges of poverty and di ssat i sfact i on among tenant farmers. During a l l t hi s noisy discussion refl ect i ng i n part the temper of the approaching elections, the American Embassy and MSA Mission refused t o issue or deny statements. In a confi dent i al conference with t he seni or American of f i c i a l s Presi dent Quirino deplored publ i cat i on of t he Report and admitted t he accuracy of i t s. cont ent s. But he f ai l ed t o promise remedial a c t ion. Publicly t he President t r i e d t o dodge the i ssue by announcing that hi s sol ut i on was tha opening Q of new lands. Meanwhile, the MSA s peci al i s t s i n cooperation with t he i r Fi l i pi no counterparts draft ed speci f i c proposals f or land reform l egi sl at i on. A nLease-hold Tenancy Acttt was prepared t hat would l egal l y abol i sh t he present "Kasama tenancy system" whereby t he landlord and tenant occupy the l egal posi t i on of partners. Under the old pract i ce t he land- l or d has f u l l cont rol over management and has a pr i or l i e n on up t o 85 percent of the t enant sf share of t he crop t hat t he owner oft en r et ai ns f or himself i n the form of i nt erest , charges on loans, charges f or t enant ' s use of water buffal o and equipment, et c. This proposed a c t provided f or a l ease- hold cont ract between tenant and land owner si mi l ar t o American pr act i ce and est abl i shed guiding pri nci pl es i n ant i ci pat i on of the time when such cont ract s could be wri t t en f or a l l farmers rent i ng land. The present l egal rent cei l i ng of 30 percent on r i ce crops was extended t o include a l l crops and maximum charges were fi xed f o r the use of work animals and t ool s. A second "Court of Agrarian Relations Acttt was dr af t ed t o give tenant farmers and land owners easi er and inexpensive access t o speci al court s f or settlement of disputes. This Act al s o would have est abl i shed of f i c i a l machinery f or i nvest i - gating and bringing t o t r i a l those who vi ol at ed land tenure laws. An amendment t o the present Minimum Wage Law a l s o was prepared t o di f f er ent i at e l egal l y between tenants and farm l aborers, who ar e of t en considered as interchangeable under the exi st i ng "kasamaH system. Because operators of farms with l e s s than 30 acres (t hree times t he s i ze of the average farm) ar e exempt from t he provisions of the old minimum wage law t hi s amendment was needed t o prevent landlords from can- vert i ng t hei r t enant s i nt o laborers. The l egi s l at i on draft ed under MSA guidance was designed t o al l evi at e t he most acut e causes of tenant discontent and t o i ni t i a t e an i nt egrat ed land reform program. A t a fut ure dat e the MSA s peci al i s t s planned t o encourage government purchase of l arge land holdings f or subdivision and r esal e t o i ndi vi dual farmers. The governing council of PHILCUSA, which r ef l ect s t he at t i t udes of President Quirinols Li beral Party, refused t o approve the proposed l egi sl at i on o r t o endorse it t o t he spring sessi on of t he Phi l i ppi ne Congress. But several s t af f members of t hi s of f i c i a l Philippine organization est abl i shed t o cooperate with MSA worked pri vat el y with i nt erest ed Fi l i - pino newspapermen and slipped copies of the proposed l egi sl a- t i on t o sympathetic members of Congress, They prodded these Congressmen t o push the l egi sl at i on. And l at e i n the fourt h session the "Lease-hold Tenancy Actti was reported out of the House Agrarian and Social Welfare Committee. It was recom- mended t o be consolidated with a similar act passed by the Nacionalista controlled Senate l a s t year and calendared f or a second reading. The tlCourt of Agrarian Relations Actrt was reported out of the House Judiciary Committee, al so wi t h the recommendation that it be calendared for a second reading. But the Liberal Party leadership controlling the House refused t o act on ei t her b i l l , leaving both t o expire with t h i s Congress, An inadequate b i l l designed t o buy est at es volun- t ar i l y offered for sale by owners t hat was introduced l a s t year suffered a similar f at e, The amendment t o the Minimum Wage Law never was introduced.into Congress. Unless another special session of the second Philippine Congress i s called before the elections next November any of t hi s l egi sl at i on t hat is t o be considered again mud be reintroduced i nt o the Third philippine Congress next year, In retrospect Filipinos and ' ~meri cans most intimately concerned with land reform recognize they made several mistakes t hat contributed t o t hi s defeat of t hei r l egi sl at i on i n Congmss, ~t l eas t some Americans f ai l ed t o real i ze t hat President Qui ri nol s promise t o act as embodied i n the Quirino-Foster Agreement could not be depended upon i n an el ect i on year when he and his Party are sol i ci t i ng support from the landowners who boss most provincial pol i t i cal machines. The President and hi s chief henchmen are convinced t hat the United St at es must continue t o aid the Philippines economically and mi l i t ar i l y regardless of what they do. So f a r no responsible American - of f i ci al has disabused these Filipino pol i t i ci ans of t hi s assumption, nor convinced them t hat irresponsible verbal attacks upon the United States w i l l cost them anything. The present Philippine Government is modelled l argel y af t er the pat t ern of authority t hat grew up here during the period of United St at es colonial administration. The President retains much of ths centralized power t hat formerly belonged t o the American Governor-Generawhen a community needs a bridge or typhoon r el i ef they send a delegation t o see the President, Once President Quirino had indicated even h i s un- of f i ci al opposition t o action on land reform, it became dangerous f or an of f i ci al i n any subordinate branch of the government t o f aci l i t at e such action. It appears noTa t hat t he American of f i ci al s here might have been more successful i f they had delayed f or nal diplomatic present at i on of the land tenure reforrn report unt i l a f t e r they had mobilized widespread support f or such act i on - ~ i t h i n lower echelons of the Phi l i p- pine Government. If Fi l i pi no s peci al i s t s within the Depart- ments of Just i ce and Agriculture, t he National Economic Council and ot her government agencies concerned had reached r el at i ve agreement i n advance on the kind of i n i t i a l program t hat would work fewer Congressmen would have opposed the l egi sl at i on. 1i is possible t hat t he great popular sent i - ment supporting land reform t hat responded t o publ i cat i on of the Wardie Reportn could have been molded and di rect ed f or pol i t i cal act i on t h a t would have made land r ef om p o l i t i cal l v desi rabl e f or the present government. The Philfppine Government and Congress ar e ujnusually sensi t i ve t o the opinions expressed by t he two and one-half mi l l i on Fi l i pi nos who l i ve i n and around Manila. And these ar e the Fi l i pi nos who have easy access t o newspapers and radios and ar e not af r ai d t o express themselves; they ar e f r ee from the i nt i - midation t hat keeps so many r ur al ci t i zens from voicing opposition t o t he i r l ocal gentry, The i nt egrat i on of economic and soci al development ef f or t s with popular " f e l t needstt i n order t o prompt act i on by a rel uct ant government requi res r ar e s ki l l s on t he par t of the responsible American of f i ci al s and technicians . They must be able t o funct i on qui et l y i n the background, supporting , guiding- and encouraging t he Fi l i pi nos who do the act ual work and, a t t he s t r at egi c moment, cont ri but i ng t he leverage t hat ,American ai d makes'possible. One sympa- t het i c Fi l i pi no of f i c i a l who helped unof f i ci al l y i n t he attempt t o i ni t i a t e land reform explained: "It' s r eal 1 a b a n rel at i onshi p problem." He added that forei gn %ch- ni ci ans had proven most ef f ect i ve here when they const ant l y kept i n mind t he pol i t i c a l and s oci al pressures within which operate the Fi l i pi no groups they ar e assi st i ng, In t he i r ef f or t s t o i ni t i a t e land reform here United St at es diplomatic and t achni cal represent at i ves f ai l ed t o do some important missionary work among Fi l i pi no Congressmen and ot her persons who wield power. No one explained i ndi vi dual l y t o these Fi l i pi nos the importance of improved land tenure pr act i ces f or achieving increased agr i cul t ur al production. Most Fi l i pi no l eaders ar e anxious t o s t a r t i ndust r i al i zi ng t he i r country. But they were never educated t o the possible use of a land reform program t o speed i ndust r i al i zat i on by s hi f t i ng capi t al from r ur al t o urban areas. American speci al - i s t s were discouraged from est abl i shi ng cordi al personal re- l at i ons with Filipino pol i t i cal leaders and encouraging t hei r acceptance of new at t i t udes, 'Iths MSA Mission has not incorporated into the i rri gat i on prograqdeveloped jointly with the Philippine Govermnent,principles of limitation of individual holdings on land t hat benefits from public investment, such as have been established practice In the opening up of ths American West, These and ther omissions i n the United States ef f or t often refl ect a . 8b mpartmentalization of thinking among our technicians. Relatively few of the Amerqcan speci al i st s seem aware of the social rgsults of the application of t hei r technology. With some out-- standing exceptions, they f a i l t o rel at e t hei r own ef f or t s t o the achievement of broad fundamental changes such as land reform, The earl y prospscts for improving the l ot of the st eadi l y increasing number of Filipino tenant farmers now depend largely upon the elections t o be held here next Ebvember. President Quirlno, who i s seeking reelection on the Liberal Party Ticket, has become more dependent for support upon the large landowners, Carlos P, Romulo and Vice President Fernando Lopez, a wealtw sugar planter took t hei r followers out of the Liberal Partg: and are organ I zing a new Democratic Partp* So f ar they have corralled pol i t i cal supporters wherever possible and shown l i t t l e prmi se of evolving a socially meaningful program, other than t o demand Ita change1( i n t hei r favor. Ramon Magsagsay has carried hi s campaign as Nacionalista Party candidate for president into remote "barriosu hitherto ignored by offi ci al s and politicians. He promises t o build community water systems, open more schools issue land t i t l e s and meet other urgent demands of the rural f d k . He has avoided t o date di rect attacks upon the landed gentry who also are strong i n hi s own party, But Magsaysay does appreciate the cr i t i cal need for land reform and has privately said t hat i f elected he w i l l take f i r m action. To the extent that ordinary Filipino farmers organize pol i t i cal l y and support candidates for the Senate and House they w i l l be able t o i nsi st upon performance i n t hei r i nt erest s when the Third Congress meets. But the land- owning i nt erest s are entrenched a t most levels of control and/or influence i n the Philippines and the prevailing philosophy regarding property supports t hei r position. Even i f the more progressive candidates are elected here next November, American help w i l l be needed i n order t o peacefully modify t hi s ssci al structure and to offer the tenant' farmer more productxve and remunerative opportunitiesa % Uni t ed States Embassy, Mani l a, Phi l i ppi ne Islands.
The Commonwealth of The Philippines Author(s) : Ifor B. Powell Source: Pacific Affairs, Mar., 1936, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Mar., 1936), Pp. 33-43 Published By: Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia