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Despite economic growth in recent years, poverty in the Philippines remains stubbornly rooted in the countryside. Farmers, fisherfolk, rural families, and indigenous peoples continue to bear the heaviest burden, with poverty rates in agricultural and rural areas nearly three times higher than in urban centers. Experts identify insecure land tenure and weak resource governance as critical barriers — factors that entrench poverty, discourage investment, impede agricultural modernization, and fuel conflict in vulnerable regions.
Over the past three decades, the Philippines has pursued landmark reforms, including the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), the Philippine Fisheries Code (PFC), and the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA). These programs sought to redistribute land, strengthen tenure, and improve rural governance. While reforms have, on paper, transferred rights over 13.37 million hectares — nearly half the country’s land area — implementation remains incomplete. Overlapping claims, fragmented mandates, slow adoption, and persistent disputes continue to undermine their effectiveness.
Findings from recent studies — including the ANGOC 2023 State of Land and Resource Tenure Reform, the 2024 Discussion Paper on Land Tenure Security (ADB), and the 2024 Philippine Land and Resource Conflict Monitoring Report — confirm that unresolved conflicts, insecure tenure, and weak protection for women, smallholders, and indigenous peoples remain central obstacles. In 2024 alone, over 262 unresolved land and resource disputes affected more than 100,000 households, many lasting for more than a decade. These issues are most acute in Mindanao, where unresolved land claims constrain peace and growth.
