Question & AnswerQ&A (Commonwealth Act No. 178)
The main purpose of Commonwealth Act No. 178 is to amend certain sections of Act No. 4054 in order to promote the wellbeing of tenants (aparceros) in agricultural lands devoted to the production of rice and to regulate the relations between these tenants and the landlords.
Under Section 7 of the amended Act No. 4054, the contracting parties are free to enter into any or all kinds of agreements or stipulations as long as they are not contrary to existing laws, customs, morals, and public policy.
A tenancy contract is considered conclusive evidence of the agreement between the parties if it is not denounced or impugned within thirty days from its registration in the office of the municipal treasurer, except in cases of fraud or error.
Section 15 requires that in all transactions between landlords and tenants involving agricultural products, including contracting a debt or making payment, the official weights and measures of the Government must be used.
The tenant is obliged to cultivate the farm as a good father of the family, doing all necessary work to obtain the greatest possible returns, such as preparing the soil properly, cutting shrubs and grasses, repairing dikes, and taking reasonable care of work animals provided by the landlord.
The tenant shall be liable for the death or physical incapacity of the work animals caused by his negligence.
This Act applies only to the relations between landlords and tenants of rice lands.
The Act shall take effect after January 1, 1937, by proclamation issued by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation of the Secretary of Labor, designating the municipalities and date when public interests require it.
Yes, once enforced, the effects of the Act may be suspended by proclamation in a similar manner as its enforcement.
The Act must be translated into the local languages of the municipalities to which it applies, and sufficient copies must be printed and distributed for free by the municipal treasurer to persons who request them.