In the Philippine legal landscape, agricultural tenancy is governed by the principle of Security of Tenure. This means that once a leasehold relationship is established, the tenant-lessee cannot be ejected from the landholding except upon authorization by the court (now the Department of Agrarian Reform Adjudication Board or DARAB) for specific causes provided by law.

The primary governing statutes are Republic Act No. 3844 (Agricultural Land Reform Code), as amended, and Republic Act No. 6657 (Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law).

The Fundamental Rule: Security of Tenure

Under Section 7 of R.A. 3844, once the tenancy relationship is established, the agricultural lessee shall be entitled to security of tenure. The expiration of the term of the leasehold contract or the sale/alienation of the land to a third party does not extinguish the relationship. The transferee is simply subrogated to the rights and obligations of the former landowner.

Specific Grounds for Ejectment

Section 36 of R.A. 3844 enumerates the exclusive grounds under which an agricultural tenant may be legally dispossessed of their landholding:

1. Land Reclassification and Suitability

If the landholding is declared by the appropriate government agency—upon the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture—to be suited for residential, commercial, industrial, or other non-agricultural purposes.

Condition: The ejectment is only valid if the conversion is approved by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
Tenant Right: The tenant is entitled to disturbance compensation equivalent to at least five times the average of the gross harvests on their landholding during the last five preceding calendar years.

2. Failure to Comply with Contractual Terms

When the agricultural lessee failed to substantially comply with any of the terms and conditions of the leasehold contract or the provisions of the Code.

Exception: This does not apply if the terms of the contract are contrary to law, morals, or public policy.

3. Use of Land for Unauthorized Purposes

If the tenant plants crops or uses the landholding for a purpose other than what had been previously agreed upon, or for a purpose that results in the degradation of the soil's productivity.

4. Failure to Adopt Proven Farm Practices

The tenant is required to follow proven farm practices which have been demonstrated to be necessary to the conservation of the land and the improvement of its productivity.

Note: The landowner must prove that such failure was willful and resulted in a significant decrease in production.

5. Substantial Damage to Land or Improvements

When through the fault or negligence of the agricultural lessee, the land or other substantial permanent improvements thereon suffer material damage.

6. Non-Payment of Lease Rental

Deliberate failure to pay the agreed lease rental when it falls due.

Critical Exception: Ejectment will not prosper if the non-payment is due to crop failure caused by a fortuitous event (force majeure) or other circumstances beyond the tenant's control.

7. Employment of a Sub-lessee

Agricultural tenancy is personal. If the tenant sub-lets the landholding or any part thereof to a third party without the written consent of the landowner, it constitutes a valid ground for dispossession.

Abolished Grounds: Personal Cultivation

It is important to note that personal cultivation by the landowner is no longer a valid ground for ejectment. While it was permitted under the original text of R.A. 3844, Republic Act No. 6389 (1971) abolished this ground to further protect the security of tenure of the tiller.

Procedural Requirements and Jurisdiction

A landowner cannot unilaterally evict a tenant. The process must adhere to strict legal requirements:

DARAB Jurisdiction: The Department of Agrarian Reform Adjudication Board (DARAB) has primary and exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether a tenant should be ejected.
Burden of Proof: The burden of proof rests solely on the landowner to show, by substantial evidence, that a legal cause for ejectment exists.
Final Order: No tenant shall be ejected unless a final and executory order is issued by the DARAB or the appropriate court.

Summary Table of Compensation and Rights

Situation	Landowner Obligation	Tenant Right
Legal Ejectment (Fault of Tenant)	None	Right to harvest pending crops
Land Conversion (No Fault)	Pay Disturbance Compensation	5x Average Gross Harvest
Sale of Land	Notify Tenant (Pre-emption)	Right of Redemption (within 180 days)

Are you looking for more details on how "disturbance compensation" is specifically computed in cases of land reclassification?