Article 117Labor and Agrarian Laws and Social Legislation, p. 117

LABOR LAWS AND SOCIAL LEGISLATION SPECIAL LAWS AND IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS

agricultural lands subject to the terms and conditions

and order of priority hereinbelow specified.

a. all idle or abandoned private agricultural lands, except

those

held or purchased within one year from the

approval

of

this

Code

by

private

individuals

or

corporations for the purpose of resale and subdivision

into economic family-size farm units of not more than six

(6)

hectares

each

in

accordance

with

the

policies

enunciated in this Code: Provided , That the subdivision

and resale shall be substantially carried out within one

year from the approval of this Code;

b. all private agricultural lands suitable for subdivision into

economic family-size farm units of not more than six (6)

hectares owned by private individuals or corporation

worked

by

lessees, no substantial portion of whose

landholding

in

relation

to

the

area

sought

to

be

expropriated, is planted to permanent crops under labor

administration, in excess of twenty-four hectares except

all private agricultural lands under labor administration:

Provided , That private agricultural lands occupied and

cultivated continuously for not less than ten years by

tillers or their ascendants who are not farm laborers or

lessees may be subject to expropriation under this Code:

Provided, further , That any court action filed for the

ejectment of the tiller shall not interrupt the running of

the ten-year period unless such action is filed within

three years from the date of occupancy: Provided, finally ,

That if the final decision rendered in the court action is

favorable

to

the

tiller,

the

ten-year

period shall be

considered as continuous and uninterrupted; and

c. in expropriating private agricultural lands declared by

the Department of Agrarian Reform to be necessary for

the implementation of the provisions of this Code, the

following order of priority shall be considered;

1. idle or abandoned lands;

2. those whose area exceeds 1,024 hectares;

3. those whose area exceeds 500 hectares but is not more

than 1,024 hectares;

4. those whose area exceeds 144 hectares but is not more

than 500 hectares;

5. those whose area exceeds 75 hectares but is not more

than 144 hectares; and

6. those whose area exceeds 24 hectares but is not more

than 75 hectares.

(2) To acquire private agricultural lands regardless of area

through negotiated purchase subject to approval of the

court as to price for distribution and sale at cost to their

actual occupants who are tillers of the land in lots of not

more than six hectares: Provided , That where there are

several groups or individuals of such tillers petitioning for

the acquisition of their respective occupancy, priority shall

be given to the group with a greater number of tillers

who first filed the petition over a group with a lesser

number of tillers, and the latter over individual tillers:

Provided, further , That the group or individual who has

continuously tilled the land longest shall have the first

priority;

(3) To help bona fide farmers without lands or agricultural

owner-cultivators of uneconomic size farms to acquire

and own economic family-size farm units of not more

than six hectares each;

(4) To administer and dispose of agricultural lands of the

public domain under the custody and administration of

the

National

Resettlement

and

Rehabilitation

Administration and the Economic Development Corps of

the Armed Forces of the Philippines prior to the approval

of this Amendatory Act and such other public agricultural

lands as may hereafter be reserved by the President of

the Philippines or by law for resettlement and sale, in

accordance with such terms and conditions as are set

forth under this chapter: Provided , That the exercise of

the authority granted herein, as well as the preceding

subparagraph, shall not contravene public policy on the

permanency of forest reserves or other laws intended for

the preservation and conservation of public national and

municipal forests, parks and watersheds: Provided, further ,

That said authority shall not be construed to exclude the

other modes of disposition of public agricultural lands

under the public land Act or to contravene the authority

granted by law to the Department of Agriculture and

Natural Resources over all public agricultural lands not

covered

by

the Agrarian Reform Program: Provided,

finally ,

That

the

Secretary

of

the

Department

of

Agriculture and Natural Resources shall within a period of

ten years from the approval of this Amendatory Act,

release

to

the

Department

of

Agrarian

Reform

for

resettlement and sale all lands of the public domain

reserved for agricultural resettlement and sale except

public

agricultural

lands

which

are

reserved

as

settlements for the national cultural minorities under the

administration

of

the

Commission

on

National

Integration;

(4) To develop plans and initiate actions for the systematic

opening of alienable and disposable lands of the public

domain for speedy distribution to and development by

deserving and qualified persons who do not own any

land in sizes of not more than six hectares;

(5) To recommend to the President, from time to time

after

previous

consultation

with

the

Secretary

of

Agriculture and Natural Resources, what portion of the

alienable, or disposable public lands shall be reserved for

resettlement or disposition under this Chapter;

(6) To give economic family-size farms of not more than

six hectares to landless citizens of the Philippines who

need, deserve, and are capable of cultivating the land

personally, through organized resettlement, under the

terms and conditions the Department may prescribe,

giving priority to qualified and deserving farmers in the

province where such lands are located;

(7) To reclaim swamps and marshes for agricultural

purposes only, obtain titles thereto whenever feasible and

subdivide them into economic family-size farms of not

more than six hectares for distribution to deserving and

qualified farmers;

(8) To undertake measures which will insure the early

issuance of titles to persons or corporations who have

actually settled and cultivated disposable alienable lands

of the public domain;

(9) To survey, subdivide and set aside lands or areas of

land-holdings under its custody and administration for

economic family-size farms, large-scale farm operations,

town sites, roads, parks, government centers and other

civic

improvements

as

circumstances

may

warrant:

Provided ,

That

the

Bureau

of

Lands and the Land

Registration Commission, as the case may be, shall verify

the

said

surveys

or

subdivisions,

and

after

such

verifications, approve or disapprove the same; and issue,

in case of approval of said surveys or subdivisions, the

corresponding patents and titles thereto;

(10) To inform the Agricultural Productivity Commission

and

the

Department

of

Agriculture

and

Natural

Resources of the problems of settlers and farmers on

lands under its administration and in land reform areas:

Provided , That it is mandatory for the said Commission

and Department to provide field agricultural extension

service

to these areas upon being informed of the

problems obtaining: Provided, further , That settlement

projects

and

land

reform

areas,

especially

private

agricultural lands acquired by the government, shall be

given first priority in the diffusion of useful and practical

information, knowledge and skills on agriculture, soil

conservation,

livestock,

fisheries,

forest

conservation,

public lands and natural resources laws, home economics

and rural life, in order to encourage their application

through field demonstrations, lectures and conferences,

publications and other means of imparting information,

stimulation, promotion and organization of agricultural

cooperatives and encouragement in the formation and

growth of private associations, study clubs, committees

© Compiled By RGL

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