Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

Fifteenth Congress
First Regular Session

House Br. no.__ 3698

Introduced by Representative DEOGRACIAS B. RAMOS, Jr.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The State has the duty to protect and promote the right to health of the
people. It is this mandate that this bill seeks to implement.

With the undeterred and unmitigated proliferation in the market of meat and
meat products from dead animals, or animals that never undergo pre and post
mortem inspection, as well as those that are illegally imported, there is an urgent
need to curtail these malevolent market practices as they pose serious threat to the
health of consumers.

Worthy of mention is the fact that in more ways than one, the livestock and
poultry industry is being shortchanged since ‘hot meat’ or ‘bocha’ is easily sold to
unsuspecting consumers for being a lot cheaper than meat that passed government
inspection.

The current government efforts to arrest this menace by confiscation of hot
meat and meat products and the imposition of administrative fine pursuant to
existing laws are not enough to curtail it. It is respectfully submitted that it is only
by criminalizing this reprehensible practice can the government send a clear and
strong message to the greedy perpetrators that we mean business.

The immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

‘AS B/RAMOS, JR.
S¢cond District, Sorsogon


Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

Fifteenth Congress
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 3698

Introduced by Representative DEOGRACIAS B. RAMOS, Jr.

AN ACT PENALIZING THE SALE, TRANSPORT AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS
INVOLVING ‘HOT MEAT’, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 2, 4
AND 56 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9296, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “THE MEAT
INSPECTION CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES”.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in the
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 9296 is hereby amended to include an
additional policy of the State, viz:

(h) To stop the widespread trade of meat and meat products
from dead or diseased animals, or from animals which have not passed
government inspection through the imposition of stiffer penalties.

SECTION 2. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 9296 is hereby amended to include in
the definition of terms paragraph 37 defining ‘hot meat’ as follows, viz:

(37) Hot Meat ~ refers to carcass or parts of carcass of food
animals which was slaughtered from unregistered or unaccredited
meat establishment and/or has not undergone the required inspection.
It also refers to undocumented, illegally shipped, unregistered carcass
and/or parts of carcass from other countries and those that may be
classified by the National Meat Inspection Service as such.

SECTION 3. Section 56 of Republic Act No. 9296 is hereby amended to read as
follows, viz:

Section 56. Penalties - Any person, firm or corporation who
shall transport, sell or otherwise dispose of carcasses, organs or parts
thereof for food which have not passed ante-mortem and post-mortem
inspection by competent authority, or who shall falsify, forge or alter
any accompanying certificate or other document or paper issued by


the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) or NMIS deputized
government personnel, or who shall forge the NMIS or LGU seal or tag
on said carcasses, organs or parts thereof shall upon conviction, suffer
a penalty of imprisonment ranging from a period of at least six (6)
months and one (1) day but not more than six (6) years and pay a
fine of at least Fifty Thousand Pesos (P50,000.00) but not more than
Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P500,00.00) at the discretion of the
court. Accomplices and accessories in the crime shall suffer a penalty
of imprisonment of at least than three (3) months and one (1) day but
not more than three (3) years and pay a fine of not less than Thirty
Thousand Pesos (P30,000.00) but not more than Three Hundred
Thousand Pesos (P300,000.00).

Any person, firm or corporation who shall store, transport, sell
or otherwise dispose of meat or meat products which has been
brought to the country without authority from the NMIS and the
Bureau of Animal Industry shall suffer a penalty of imprisonment
ranging from one (1) year and one (1) day to ten (10) years and pay a
fine of at least Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P500,000.00) but not
more than One Million Pesos (P1,000,000.00), at the discretion of the
court. Accomplices and accessories in the crime shall suffer a penalty
of imprisonment of at least six (6) months and one (1) day but not
more than five (5) years and pay a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand
Pesos (P50,000.00) but not more than Five Hundred Thousand Pesos
(P500,000.00).

In addition, the hot meat shall be confiscated and vehicles and
other modes of conveyances used shall be impounded and their
registration and/franchise cancelled. Livestock and poultry farms and
other hot meat establishments shall be closed and their business
permits cancelled.

Alll other violations of the provisions of Republic Act No. 9296
shall be penalized with imprisonment ranging from two (2) months to
not more than two (2) years and pay a fine of not less than Five
Thousand Pesos (P5,000.00) but more than Fifty Thousand Pesos, at
the discretion of the Court.

The Secretary of Agriculture, by regulation, shall issue a
schedule of administrative fines and other penalties for violations of
Republic Act No. 9296.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,