Christine M.

Almeyda October 22, 2018

BSAIS-1A Mr. Reynald Alfred Recede

Philippine History

It was my first time to watched General Luna and the line of him that best

described them was “It is better to die in war, than to be invaded by Americans”. That

line showed how Filipino during colonialism was strong and their love for our country.

Even Filipinos themselves are the killer of their own fellowmen, even the meaning of it is

to kill the greatest man among of them that make them stupid. Like what General Luna

said that really hit me and I know every one of us did is the “Mga kapatid, mayroon

tayong mas malaking kaaway kaysa mga Amerikano. Ang ating sarili” this line still

describes us until now. We are what we call crab mentality; we are insecure on what

others have. We can’t just be happy for them. I know not all of us is not like that but

admit it or not, it came to our lives that we are envy to others maybe because they have

our most awaited things; others have our dream life, others got the popularity that we

want and etc. In politics, just to be a president, secretary and so forth they did

everything just to destroy the good image of one another in public just to win the place. I

must say that a people like Luna is very rare, to sacrifice himself for the country? I don’t

know if I can meet a person like him. Because now a day, honestly speaking, we do not

have care to our country, we just let it to the president and its comrade. We don’t have

that love like what Luna’s have for our country. Our only concern is our face, grade, life,

body, jewelries and all the earthly things. We want change but we can’t even change

our selves. I know all of that because that is also me. In my age I don’t think what I can

do for this country because I think what I can do for my family, peoples surrounds me

and myself. Because not everyone given a chance to show their nationality and I hope

those people that got that chance can be the inspiration to all, to change young people’s

perspective.
 Now it’s about the discussion about the policies on Agrarian Reform under Spain,

Americans, Post-war Intervention, under Marcos and Post 1986. Philippine is also

known because of its agriculture. Agrarian Reform is about the production and the

distribution of the farming land. First is under the Spain, according to the book, a system

of pueblo agriculture where rural communities were organized into a pueblo and given a

land to cultivate. The King of Spain is the only one can owned a land and the Filipino

families are the one who will cultivate; in short Filipino will work for the Spaniards. And it

is the way for them to pay their tributes to Spanish. Under Americans, they know that

Filipino is arguing for owning the land so they attempt to make policies. First is the

Philippine Bill of 1902 that regulates the proper disposal of lands. The Land Registration

Act that issued a land title. And the Homestead programs that allowing Filipino to have

an agricultural business. Next is the Post war Interventions toward Agrarian Reform, it is

the administration of Pres. Roxas that provide a solution and that is the Republic Act of

No. 34. It is about 70-30 sharing of land, 70% for Filipino and 30% for foreigner. Next is

under Marcos, the Presidential Decree No. 27 that expand the executive power of

starting a “fundamental restricting” to solve the deep structural Problem of the Philippine

when it comes to the agrarian. And last is the Post 1986, the Comprehensive Agrarian

Reform law that introduced the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform program that enables

the redistribution of agricultural land to tenant- farmers from landowners. After the

agrarian reform, the evolution of the taxation in the Philippine is next. First is the

taxation in Spanish. The way of the Filipino before in paying tributes to Spanish was

through a forced labor. I remember my teacher in elementary I think, she said that once

they got 18 years old and above Spanish forced them to labor and most of them was

men. Next is taxation under Americans. Paying of tax here is from the source of their

revenue like cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and tobacco. It like the taxation now a day.

In every goods that we buy there’s an input VAT we pay. Next is under the Commonwelt

Period. In the age of 18 people are not exempted in paying tax. And last is the Fiscal

Policy to present, the very popular, VAT that we paid in every goods that we buy.