Land Ownership and The Rise of Friar Lands

Land Ownership
and the
Rise Of Friar Lands
Land Ownership by the Church
The Encomenderos
Land Ownership by the Church
With the coming of Spaniards, a regalian doctrine on the ownership of lands was
adopted. This means all lands belongs to the king. Lands were given to
encomenderos as a reward for helping in the pacification of the island.
The word encomienda comes from the word “encomendar” which means to
commend or entrust . The duty of encomenderos was to see to it that the inhabitants
in these lands were protected from their enemies that they were given the christian
instruction and that they become civilized and remain loyal to Spain. They also
collected taxes or tributes for the king. Encomienda grants however were good only
up to the third generation of the encomendero and the land reverted back to
government after three generations or earlier.
Some lands were given to individuals for having done something meritous to the
government. Like Chinese Son Tua who remained loyal to the Spaniards while most
of his country men sided the british during the invasion of manila. In exchange they
grant him land which covers Marikina up to eastern Manila. Another person is Juan
Makapagal who remained loyal to Spain during the Maniago rebellion in 1660. his
land stretched from what is now the area of Arayat to Bataan.
The Inquilino Role
in the
Agrarian Problem
The Inquilinos were mostly mestizos and they
were more managers rather than actual
farmers.
Physically, it was impossible for them to farm the entire hacienda, that’s
why they hire sharecroppers or kasamas. Kasamas do the actual
cultivation of the land. The payment for the rent of the land would be
done in many ways how a sharecroppers pay his inquilino depending on
the agreement h entered in to. It could be 70/30 agreement in which the
kasama pays the inquilino 1/3 of his produce with the kasama supplying
the seeds etc. Another agreement is a 50/50 basis with the kasama
sharing the produce with his inquilino.
Sometimes the kasama was forced to borrow from the inquilino: and the
borrowing rates were usurios or high. Ex. He borrowed 1 cavan of palay
in return will be 2 cavans. if the inquilino was in need he runs to the
landlord. In both manner, inquilino’s can hold the kasama and the
landlord do the same against the inquilino’s.
However an inquilino is in charge of getting the products from the

kasama and choose products for the best prizes. They pay the used of
the land to the landlord and partial payment of their harvest. The landlord
is just waiting for a grace coming from the inquilino at the same time for
the rent of the land.
The Hacienda de Calamba
The Role of Rizal

and his
Family
After getting married to Teodora by Francisco Engracio Mercado, they decided to
move neighboring town of Calamba where Dominicans had hacienda, in fact the
entire town was owned by Dominicans. Calamba was originally owned by the
Jesuits but it became the government property when they were expelled in 1768.
The government managed the hacienda up to 1808 until it was placed on public
auction. Jose G. Azanza won in the public bidding and managed the Hacienda De
Calamba until 1831. That year Azanza suffered from financial difficulties and forced
to sell the hacienda to the Dominicans. The hacienda was over 2k hectares from
the boundary of Biñan and Sta. Rosa to the foothills of Mount Makiling.
Dominicans lands, taxes were being paid by inquilino’s and Don Francisco
Engracio is one of the inquilinos. He developed friendly relations with the
Dominicans and he was paying the tax of the 500hectares land. Since Don
Francisco was able to manage their finances and he was able to built a house of
stone near the plaza of Calamba. Aside from farming, Don Francisco was engaged
in the trading of sugar and dyestuff. Later on, He was able to improve their house
on another part of Calamba. Rizal’s house had a library with more than a thousand
books which was rarity at that time.
TRAGEDY WAS EXPERIENCED BY THE RIZAL’S FAMILY – 1872
- Dona Teodora was accused of being accomplice to an

attempted murder
- Don Jose Alberto, a rich landowner who went to a trip of
Europe, who have put Dona Teodora in a “ Hot Water” of
trying to poison’s her mind’s wife for living with another man.
- Dona Teodora Formoso de Alberto wife of Don Jose Alberto
- Dona Teodora, mother of Rizal was arrested by a certain
Alferez or the Town Police Chief
- Rizal said, her mother was roughly treaded by the
Gobernadorcillo
- Dona Teodora spent many years in jail if not the help of the
Dominicans who recommended the services of 2 lawyers.
The Hacienda De Calamba
Controversy
THE HACIENDA DE CALAMBA CONTROVERSY:
- When Rizal first Homecoming in 1887, he participated in an

angry protest against the Dominicans
- Rizal joined the fray and helped draft an information regarding
the agrarian situation in hacienda de Calamba
- Governor – general Emilio Terrero have investigated the
Dominicans
- Dominicans took advantage of the tenants by raising the rent
of the people’s houses and lands every year.
- High penalties will be charged if delayed payments of rent as
well as confiscation of animals by the Dominicans
- Dominicans said that the loss income of the farmers was not
due to increased rents or poor harvest but because of the
laziness of farmers themselves who were addicted to
gambling.
- Rizal left Calamba for Europe in February 1888, the tenants

openly refused to pay their rents. Their lawyer Felipe
Buencamino reportedly told the tenants not to pay a single cent to the
Dominicans unless they showed that they really owned the
hacienda.
- The tenants won their case at the Justice of the Peace in

Calamba where according to historian Fr. Villarroel Paciano
practically dictated the decision of the court. The Dominicans were
able to prove that they were legitimate owners of Calamba and the
other haciendas.
- The new Governor General, Valeriano Weyler sent more

troops to expel all the defiant tenants. Weyler deported
Paciano, brother-in- law Silvestre Ubaldo and twenty-five other
individuals to Mindoro. Another brother-in-law, Manuel Hidalgo,
was deported to Bohol.
Note:
Was Rizal right in agitating his townspeople against the
Dominicans?

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Land Ownership and The Rise of Friar Lands

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Land Ownership

However an inquilino is in charge of getting the products from the

The Role of Rizal

- Dona Teodora was accused of being accomplice to an

- When Rizal first Homecoming in 1887, he participated in an

- Rizal left Calamba for Europe in February 1888, the tenants

- The tenants won their case at the Justice of the Peace in

- The new Governor General, Valeriano Weyler sent more

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