DECREEING THE EMANCIPATION OF THE TENANT’S FROM THE BONDAGE OF THE SOIL, TRANSFERRING TO THEM THE OWNERSHIP OF THE LAND THEY TILL AND PROVIDING THE INSTRUMENTS AND MECHANISM THE…

Inasmuch as the old concept of the land ownership by a few has
sprawned valid and legitimate grievances that gave rise to violent
conflict and social tension,

The redness of such legitimate grievances being one of the
fundamental objectives of the New Society,

Since Reformation must start with emancipation of the tiller of the
soil from his bondage,

NOW, THEREFORE, I FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of
the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the
Constitution as Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces of the
Philippines, and pursuant to Proclamation No. 1081, dated September 21,
1972, and General Order No. 1 dated September 22, 1972, as amended do
hereby decree and order the emancipation of all tenant farmers as this
day, October 21, 1972;

This shall apply to all tenant farmers of private agricultural lands
primarily devoted to rice and corn under a system of share-crop or
lease-tenancy, whether classified as landed estate or not;

The tenant farmer, whether in land classified as landed estate or
not, shall be deemed owner of a portion constituting a family-size farm
of five (5) hectares if not irrigated and three (3) hectares if
irrigated;

In all cases, the landowner may retain an area of not more than seven
(7) hectares if such landowner is cultivating such area or will now
cultivate it;

For the purpose of determining the cost of the land to be transferred
to the tenant-farmer pursuant to this Decree, the value of the land
shall be equivalent to two and one-half (2 1/2) times the average
harvest of the three normal crop years immediately preceding the
promulgation of this Decree;

The total cost of the land, including the interest at the rate of six
(6) per centum per annum, shall be paid by the tenant in fifteen (15)
years of fifteeen (15) equal amortizations;

In case of default, the amortizations due shall be paid by the
farmer’s cooperative having a right of recourse against him;

The government shall guaranty such amortizations with shares of stock
in government-owned and government-controlled corporations;

No title to the land owned by the tenant-farmers under this Decree
shall be actually issued to a tenant-farmer unless and until the
tenant-farmer become a full-fledge member of a duly recognized farmers’
cooperative;

Title to land acquired pursuant to this Decree or the Land Reform
Program of the Government shall not be transferrable except by
hereditary succession or to the Government in accordance with the
provisions of this Decree, the Code of Agrarian Reforms and other
existing laws and regulations;

The Department of Agrarian Reform through its Secretary is hereby
empowered to promulgate rules and regulations for the implementationof
this Decree.

All laws, executive orders, decrees and rules and regulations, or
parts thereof, insconsistent with this Decree are hereby repealed and or
modified accordingly.

Done in the City of Manila, this 21st day of October, in the year of
Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-two.

(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS President Republic of the Philippines