President Corazon Aquino envisioned agrarian and land reform as the centerpiece of her administration 's social legislative agenda . However , her family background and social class as a privileged daughter of a wealthy and landed clan became a lightning rod of criticisms against her land reform agenda . On 22 January 1987 , less than a month before the ratification of the 1987 Constitution , agrarian workers and farmers marched to the historic Mendiola Street near the Malacañan Palace to demand genuine land reform from Aquino 's administration . However , the march turned violent when Marine forces fired at farmers who tried to go beyond the designated demarcation line set by the police . As a result , 12 farmers were killed and 19 were injured in this incident now known as the Mendiola massacre . This incident led some prominent members of the Aquino Cabinet to resign their government posts
Mendiola massacre
Mendiola massacre
Land reform in the Philippines