Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Facts:
Article XIII of the Constitution on Social Justice and Human Rights includes a call
for the adoption by the State of an agrarian reform program. The State shall, by law,
undertake an agrarian reform program founded on the right of farmers and regular
farmworkers, who are landless, to own directly or collectively the lands they till or, in the
case of other farmworkers, to receive a just share of the fruits thereof. RA 3844 was
enacted in 1963. P.D. No. 27 was promulgated in 1972 to provide for the compulsory
acquisition of private lands for distribution among tenant-farmers and to specify
maximum retention limits for landowners. In 1987, President Corazon Aquino issued
E.O. No. 228, declaring full land ownership in favor of the beneficiaries of PD 27 and
providing for the valuation of still unvalued lands covered by the decree as well as the
manner of their payment. In 1987, P.P. No. 131, instituting a comprehensive agrarian
reform program (CARP) was enacted; later, E.O. No. 229, providing the mechanics for
its (PP131’s) implementation, was also enacted. Afterwhich is the enactment of R.A.
No. 6657, Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law in 1988. This law, while considerably
changing the earlier mentioned enactments, nevertheless gives them suppletory effect
insofar as they are not inconsistent with its provisions.
The Association of Small Landowners in the Philippines, Inc. sought exception
from the land distribution scheme provided for in R.A. 6657. The Association is
comprised of landowners of rice lands and corn lands whose landholdings do not
exceed 7 hectares. They invoke that since their landholdings are less than 7 hectares,
they should not be forced to distribute their land to their tenants under R.A. 6657 for
they themselves have shown willingness to till their own land. In short, they want to be
exempted from agrarian reform program because they claim to belong to a different
class.
Issue:
Whether or not there was a violation of the equal protection clause.
Held: