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By Sarreal D. Soquiño
The persistent call from
farmers’ groups and the Church for the extension of the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program for another five to ten years
coupled with the need for increased farm production due to the
looming food crisis have once again underscored the importance of
government support to the agriculture sector. The government knows
fully well that the advancement of agriculture in the country is
fundamental in its development policy.
As a college instructor in
history, particularly the Rizal course, I have always emphasized to
my students that our greatest hero, Jose P. Rizal, firmly believed
in the crucial role of the colonial administration to pursue the
improvement of agriculture, including various forms of assistance
for the tillers. This view was clearly expressed in his article, The
Filipino Farmers, that appeared in La Solidaridad in 1889. In the
article, Rizal suggested that the colonial administration pursue
meaningful actions that would protect the landowners and farmers
from abuses committed by both corrupt local officials and marauding
bandits.
Rizal realized the vital role of
agriculture in nation-building. The short-lived Liga Filipina that
Rizal formed in 1892 reflected his interest in agrarian matters.
Based on the aims of the Liga Filipina, Rizal firmly believed that
the success of uniting the “whole archipelago into a compact
homogenous body” must be accompanied with the development of
education, commerce and agriculture.
During his exile years in Dapitan
(1892 to 1895), Rizal cultivated the 70 hectares of fertile lands he
bought in Mindanao, and planted it with fruit trees, sugarcane,
coffee, corn and cacao. Wanting to improve the life of the fishing
community, he introduced a modern technique of fishing that enabled
them increase their catch. Rizal showed the residents of Dapitan
that continued learning for an improved agriculture was a necessity,
particularly in a community whose sustenance depends primarily on
the generosity of nature.
Rizal learned many things related
to the agrarian issues from his personal experience in the land
conflict between the Dominican Order(hacienda owner in Calamba) and
its tenants in Calamba, Laguna. Adhering to the order of
Governor-General Emilio Terrero, Rizal investigated the
circumstances of the agrarian conflict that started in 1887. The
results of his investigation, promptly submitted to Malacañang,
enabled Terrero to understand the Calamba problem. His involvement
in the conflict further angered the Dominican friars who already
considered him a filibustero following the publication of Noli me
Tangere. Clearly, the hacienda conflict had inspired Rizal to write
the story of Cabesang Tales and his family that was included in the
second novel. This story depicts the hard work and dedication of a
toiling farmer, usurpation of land by a powerful group, judicial
corruption, revenge and death. A nationalist historian, Renato
Constantino, once wrote that the simmering land question during the
19th century served as a primary factor that made a national
uprising against the colonial regime in 1896 an irreversible
imperative.
A hundred years after the
publication of El Filibusterismo, it appears that we have not fully
appreciated the warning of our great hero that unresolved agrarian
disputes may spark rebellion and violence.
Mr. Soquiño is a History
Instructor at the Filamer Christian College, Roxas City, Capiz 
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