GROUP 1

SUMMARY REPORT
CHAPTER 6: AGRARIAN DISPUTES

1891: Jose Rizal was in Hong Kong when he received distressing news about his family. Dona
Teodora and two younger sisters, Josefa and Trinidad, were, at that time, summoned by the
Spanish authorities concerning the Hacienda de Calamba.

To show his support, he wrote to his family, "I am following your cavalry step by step. Do not be
afraid, I am doing all I can. Patience, a little patience. Courage!"

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:

BRIEF HISTORY OF FRIAR ESTATES IN THE PHILIPPINES

❖ In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Spanish conquistadores arrived in the
Philippines. Approximately 120 Spaniards were given grants that consisted of a large
tract of land known as the Sitio de Ganado Mayor and smaller tracts of land known as
caballerias.
❖ At the time, the Spanish hacenderos failed to develop their lands for three reasons.
➢ The Spanish population in the Philippines was transient. It was a common
practice for Spaniards to return to Spain after having served in the country.
➢ The market for livestock products, which haciendas offered, remained relatively
small until the latter part of the Spanish colonial period.
➢ The Galleon Trade that was based in Manila offered bigger economic rewards and
attracted more Spaniards. Because the Spanish hacenderos lacked the interest and
inclination to develop their lands, the religious orders soon took over the task.
 ❖ The religious orders acquired land through various means.
➢ The lands were donated by Spaniards seeking spiritual benefits.
➢ There were cases, too, in which estates that had been heavily mortgaged to the
ecclesiastics were eventually purchased by the religious orders themselves.
➢ Filipino principales also contributed to the formation of the friar estates through
donations and sales.

❖ Filipinos commonly held the belief that the religious orders had no titles to their lands
and that they had acquired them through usurpation or other dubious means. Despite all
of this, religious estates in the Tagalog region continued to grow, and by the nineteenth
century, they constituted approximately 40% of the provinces of Bulacan, Tondo, Cavite,
and Laguna.

❖ In the 16th and 17th centuries, the social structure found in the haciendas was primarily
composed of lay brother administrators and cultivating tenants.
➢ Lay Brother (top): They were relatively free to make their own decisions on
administrative affairs.
➢ Tenants (bottom): They were expected to work the land and pay an annual rent,
which was usually a fixed amount of harvest and, in later centuries, money.

❖ By the mid-18th century, an Inquilinato system had been born. It is a three-tiered system
with the landlord (top), inquilinos (middle), and sharecroppers (bottom).

INQUILINATO SYSTEM
➢ An individual rented land for a fixed annual amount known as a canon.
➢ Aside from the rent, the inquilino, or lessee, was also expected to render services
to his landlords. If the inquilino failed to satisfy these requirements, he could face
expulsion from the land.
➢ Inquilino may sub-lease the land to a kasama, or sharecropper.
➢ Advantage: Religious hacienderos free themselves from social responsibilities,
and sharecroppers will be exempted from the responsibilities of forced labor
demanded by the Spanish government.
➢ Disadvantage: Two non-cultivating groups further diminished the income of the
sharecroppers.
HACIENDA DE CALAMBA CONFLICT

❖ The Hacienda de Calamba, owned by several Spanish laymen, was a significant property
in the Philippines until 1759, when it was donated to the Jesuits by Don Manuel Jauregui.
➢ In 1767, the government ejected the Jesuits from the Philippines and confiscated
their property.
➢ In 1803, the government sold the property to Don Clemente de Azansa, who later
purchased it for 52,000 pesos.
➢ Rizal's family rented one of the largest leased lands, which was a major source of
income for the family. In 1883, Rizal complained about the friars collecting rents
without issuing receipts, and tenants failed to pay rent due to increased rent and
low sugar prices.
➢ The friars weakened their position, and most tenants were spared from eviction.
The situation escalated when the colonial government demanded a report on the
estate's income and production, leading to the eviction of tenants who refused to
pay rent. Rizal's family's exile was lifted upon a decree from another governor-
general, an experience deeply affecting him and reflected in his second novel, El
Filibusterismo.
➢ The friars' position was weakened, which prevented the removal of the majority
of tenants. Tenants who didn't pay rent were evicted as a result of the colonial
government's demand for a report on the estate's income and productivity. After a
different governor-general's proclamation lifted the exile on Rizal's family, the
author was profoundly affected, and El Filibusterismo, his second book, reflects
this experience.

CONCLUSION

In Jose Rizal’s work “The Agrarian Disputes” helped spread awareness of the
Philippines' need for social justice and land reform, which eventually emerged as crucial
concerns in the country's battle for independence. In the end, it can be inferred from Rizal's
writings that resolving agrarian disputes and implementing land reform were essential to the
development of Filipino society and the fight for independence from colonial rule.