Amendments to Certain Sections of Act No. 4054 Re: Well-Being of Tenants in Agricultural Lands
Commonwealth Act No. 178, enacted on November 13, 1936, amends several sections of Act No. 4054, which regulates tenant-landlord relationships in rice agriculture. It allows parties to freely enter tenancy agreements, provided they comply with existing laws and ethics, and establishes that such contracts are binding unless challenged within thirty days of registration. The law mandates the use of official weights and measures in transactions related to agricultural products and outlines the tenant's responsibilities in maintaining the farm and care for any work animals provided by the landlord. Furthermore, the act is specifically applicable to rice lands and will take effect following a presidential proclamation, with provisions for translation and distribution in local languages.
November 13, 1936
COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 178
AN ACT AMENDING SECTIONS SEVEN, FIFTEEN, TWENTY-THREE AND TWENTY-NINE OF ACT NUMBERED FOUR THOUSAND AND FIFTY-FOUR, ENTITLED "AN ACT TO PROMOTE THE WELL-BEING OF TENANTS (APARCEROS) IN AGRICULTURAL LANDS DEVOTED TO THE PRODUCTION OF RICE AND TO REGULATE THE RELATIONS BETWEEN THEM AND THE LANDLORDS OF SAID LANDS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES"
SECTION 1. Section seven of Act Numbered Four thousand and fifty-four, entitled "An Act to promote the well-being of tenants (aparceros) in agricultural lands devoted to the production of rice and to regulate the relations between them and the landlords of said lands, and for other purposes," is hereby amended so as to read as follows: DcaECT
"SEC. 7. Rules governing tenancy contracts. — In any contract of tenancy mentioned in this Act, the contracting parties shall be free to enter into any or all kinds of agreements or stipulations so long as they are not contrary to existing laws, customs, morals and public policy, and such contract shall be conclusive evidence of what has been agreed upon between the contracting parties, except in case of fraud or error, if their stipulations are not denounced or impugned within thirty days from its registration in the office of the municipal treasurer, as provided in section five of this Act."
SECTION 2. Section fifteen of Act Numbered Four thousand and fifty-four is hereby amended so as to read as follows:
"SEC. 15. Use of official weights and measures. — In all transactions entered into between landlords and tenants on agricultural products, whether contracting a debt or making payment thereof, the official weights and measures of the Government shall be used."
SECTION 3. Section twenty-three of Act Numbered Four thousand and fifty-four is hereby amended so as to read as follows:
"SEC. 23. Standard of conduct to be observed by tenant. — The tenant shall be under obligation to cultivate the farm as a good father of the family, by doing all the work necessary to obtain the greatest possible returns from the farm entrusted to him, such as the proper preparation of the soil, the cutting of shrubs and grasses that may be growing on the land as well as the repair of dikes.
"The tenant shall also be obliged to take reasonable care of the work animals that may be delivered to him by the landlord, necessary for the work entrusted to him; otherwise, he shall be liable for their death or physical incapacity by reason of his negligence."
SECTION 4. Section twenty-nine of Act Numbered Four thousand and fifty-four is hereby amended so as to read as follows:
"SEC. 29. Final provisions. — This Act shall be applicable to the relations between landlords and tenants of rice lands only, and shall take effect after January first, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven by proclamation to be issued by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation of the Secretary of Labor, when public interests so require, in the municipalities and on the date designated in such proclamation; and once enforced, its effects may similarly be suspended. This Act shall be translated into the local languages of the municipalities to which its provisions shall apply, and a sufficient number of copies shall be printed for free distribution by the municipal treasurer concerned to the persons asking for them."
APPROVED, November 13, 1936.