Epekto ng pagkamatay ng tenant sa sakahan

ni Atty. Persida Rueda-Acosta - @Magtanong Kay Attorney | February 1, 2022

Dear Chief Acosta,

Ang ama ko ay tenant sa malaking lupang sakahan. Sa kasamaang palad, siya ay yumao na nitong buwan lamang. Nais sana naming ituloy ang pagsasaka sa nasabing lupa, ngunit ayaw ng may-ari sapagkat patay na diumano ang aking ama. Nais ko lamang malaman kung tama ba siya? – Brad

Dear Brad,

Para sa inyong kaalaman, ang Section 3 ng Republic Act No. 2263 o mas kilala bilang An “Act Amending Certain Sections of Republic Act Numbered One Thousand One Hundred Ninety-Nine, otherwise known as the Agricultural Tenancy Act of the Philippines” ang batas na naaangkop sa inyong sitwasyon:

“Section 3. Section nine of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows:

“Sec. 9. Severance of Relations. The tenancy relationship is extinguished by the voluntary surrender or abandonment of the land by, or the death or incapacity of, the tenant:

Provided, That in case of the tenant’s death or incapacity, the tenancy relationship shall continue between the landholder and one member of the tenant's immediate farm household who is related to the tenant within the second degree by consanguinity and who shall cultivate the land himself personally unless the landholder shall cultivate the land himself personally or through the employment of mechanical farm implements, in accordance with section fifty hereof. Should the deceased or incapacitated tenant have two or more members of his immediate farm household qualified to succeed him, the landholder shall have the right to choose from among them who should succeed. The expiration of the period of the contract as fixed by the parties, or the sale, alienation or transfer of legal possession of the land does not of itself extinguish the relationship. In the latter case, the purchaser or transferee shall assume the rights and obligations of the former landholder in relation to the tenant, In case of death of the landholder, his heir or heirs shall likewise assume his rights and obligations.”

(Binigyang-diin)

Base sa mga nabanggit, maaari pa ring magtuloy ang tenancy relationship sa kabila ng pagkamatay ng mismong tenant kung ang isa sa mga miyembro ng kanyang pamilya ang mismong magtutuloy ng pagsasaka o pagbubungkal ng lupang sakahan. Maliban na lamang kung ang may-ari ng lupa na mismo ang personal na magsasaka o maglilinang nito gamit ang mga makinaryang pangsaka. Maaari ninyong igiit ang inyong karapatan base sa nabanggit na probisyon ng batas sa Tanggapan ng Department of Agrarian Reform na nakasasakop sa lugar kung saan matatagpuan ang nasabing sakahan.

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang inyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa impormasyong inyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng inyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.