Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
19th CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. __________ 
__________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by REP. JOHNNY T. PIMENTEL 
__________________________________________________________________ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
On May 7, 2023, the Legislative Executive Development Advisory 
Council reiterated the need for the enactment of the priority bills 
advocated by the Marcos administration. These measures are 
instrumental for the socio-economic advancement of the Filipino 
nation. 
Among these bills is the Amendment to the Anti-Agricultural 
Smuggling. Such measure seeks to strengthen the teeth of the 
criminal statute and meaningfully deter, as well as punish the 
perpetrators of the scourge that is agricultural smuggling. 
Though RA 10845 was just enacted in 2016 with a validity of a shy 
seven (7) years, its legislative intent to protect farmers against the 
rise of agricultural smuggling in the Philippines is far from 
realization. As of today, no indictment has been had against persons 
responsible for agricultural smuggling. Worse, the illegal activities 
have led to the exorbitant increase of agricultural products observed 
in late 2022 and early 2023 for red onions. 
With the primary goal of punishing the unscrupulous persons behind 
smuggling, this measure seeks to impose stiffer penalties expanding 
the coverage of economic sabotage in the penal law. 
The approval of this Bill is earnestly sought. 
JOHNNY T. PIMENTEL 
May 15, 2023
12:53 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
19th CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. __________ 
__________________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by REP. JOHNNY T. PIMENTEL 
__________________________________________________________________ 
AN ACT 
AMENDING CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
10845, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE ANTI-AGRICULTURAL 
SMUGGLING ACT OF 2016, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Philippines, in Congress assembled:  
SECTION 1. The title of Republic Act No. 10845 is hereby 
amended to read as: 
AN ACT DECLARING LARGE-SCALE AGRICULTURAL 
SMUGGLING, HOARDING, PROFITEERING, CARTEL, 
AND OTHER ACTS OF MARKET ABUSES AS ECONOMIC 
SABOTAGE, PRESCRIBING PENALTIES THEREFORE AND 
FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Sec. 2. Section 1 of Republic Act no. 10845 is hereby amended 
to read as: 
 This Act shall be known as the “Anti-Agricultural 
[Smuggling] ECONOMIC SABOTAGE  Act of 2023.  
Sec. 3. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 10845 is hereby amended 
to read as: 
 Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State 
to promote that productivity of the agriculture sector and to 
protect farmers from unscrupulous traders and importers, 
who by their illegal importation of agricultural products, 
especially 
rice, 
significantly 
affects 
the 
production, 
availability of supply and stability of process and food 
security of the State.  
 FURTHERMORE, IT IS ALSO THE POLICY OF THE 
STATE TO PROMOTE THE AFFORDABILITY OF FOOD 
AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES FOR 
FILIPINO CONSUMERS BY PREVENTING LARGE-SCALE 
ABUSE OF MARKET POWER, HOARDING AND OTHER 
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PRACTICES TO MANIPULATE PRICES AND UNDULY 
RESTRAIN SUPPLY.  
 
 The State shall impose higher sanctions for large-scale 
smuggling of agricultural products AND OTHER ABUSES 
OF MARKET POWER as self-preservation measure to 
shield itself from the manipulative scheme of economic 
saboteurs, and to protect the livelihood of our farmers and 
to ensure their economic well-being AND THAT OF 
CONSUMERS.  
 
 
Sec. 4. A new Section 3A shall be inserted after Section 3 of 
Republic Act. No. 10845 to read as: 
 
SEC. 3-A. LARGE-SCALE AGRICULTURAL HOARDING, 
PROFITEERING, 
AND 
CARTEL 
AS 
ECONOMIC 
SABOTAGE. – HOARDING, PROFITEERING, OR CARTEL, 
AS DEFINED IN SECTION 5 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 
7581, INSOFAR AS THEY INVOLVE SUGAR, CORN, 
PORK, POULTRY, GARLIC, ONION, CARROTS, FISH AND 
CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES, IN ITS RAW STATE, OR 
WHICH HAVE UNDERGONE THE SIMPLE PROCESSES 
OF PREPARATION OR PRESERVATION FOR THE 
MARKET, WITH A MINIMUM AMOUNT OF ONE MILLION 
PESOS (P1,000,000.00), OR RICE, WITH A MINIMUM 
AMOUNT OF TEN MILLION (P10,000,000.00), AS 
VALUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR 
DOMESTICALLY PRODUCED COMMODITIES, SHALL 
CONSTITUTE ECONOMIC SABOTAGE.  
 
Sec. 5. A new Section 5 shall be inserted after Section 3 of 
Republic Act. No. 10845 to read as: 
 
SEC. 5. THERE IS HEREBY CREATED AN INTER-
AGENCY COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC INTELLIGENCE, 
HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS COUNCIL, WHICH IS 
MANDATED TO ENFORCE THE PROVISIONS OF THIS 
ACT AND TO PRINCIPALLY COMBAT SMUGGLING, 
HOARDING, PROFITEERING, AND CARTEL: PROVIDED, 
THAT, THE TASK FORCE SHALL BE CO-CHAIRED BY 
THE 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
AGRICULTURE 
(DA), 
DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY (DTI) AND 
THE BUREAU OF CUSTOMS (BOC), AND SHALL 
INCLUDE 
AS 
MEMBERS 
THE 
DEPARTMENT 
OF 
JUSTICE 
(DOJ), 
NATIONAL 
BUREAU 
OF 
INVESTIGATION (NBI), DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR 
AND 
LOCAL 
GOVERNMENT 
(DILG), 
PHILIPPINE 
NATIONAL POLICE (PNP), PHILIPPINE COMPETITION 


 
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COMMISSION (PCC), NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL 
(NSC), AND NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE COORDINATING 
AGENCY (NICA).  
 
 
Sec. 6. Section 4 of Republic Act. 10845 is hereby amended to 
read as:  
 
 Section 4. Penalties. -  (a) The penalty of life imprisonment 
and a fine of twice the fair value of smuggled agricultural 
product OR THE PRODUCT SUBJECT TO HOARDING, 
PROFITEERING, OR CARTEL and the aggregate amount 
of the taxes, duties and other charges avoided shall be 
imposed on any person who commits any of the acts 
enumerated under SectionS 3 AND 3-A of this Act.  
 
(b) The penalty of imprisonment of not less than seventeen 
(17) years but not more than twenty (20) years, and a fine 
of twice the fair value of the smuggled, PROFITEERED, 
HOARDED, OR CARTELLED agricultural product and the 
aggregate amount of the taxes, duties and other charges 
avoided shall be imposed on the officers of dummy 
corporations, nongovernment organizations, associations, 
cooperatives, or single proprietorships who knowingly sell, 
lend, lease, assign, consent or allow the unauthorized use 
of their import permits for purposes of smuggling, 
PROFITEERING, HOARDING, OR CARTELLING.  
 
(c) The penalty of imprisonment of not less than fourteen 
(14) years but not more than seventeen (17) years, and a 
fine of twice the fair value of the smuggled, PROFITEERED, 
HOARDED, OR CARTELLED agricultural product and the 
aggregate amount of the taxes, duties and other charges 
avoided shall be imposed on the following:  
 
XXX 
 (3) The registered owner and lessee of a warehouse, or 
any property, who knowingly stores the smuggled, 
PROFITEERED, 
HOARDED, 
OR 
CARTELLED 
agricultural product subject to economic sabotage; or 
 
(4) The registered owner, lessee, president or chief 
executive officer of the private port, fish port, fish landing 
sites, resorts, and airports who knowingly allows the 
agricultural product to be smuggled into the country, OR 
TO BE HOARDED WITHIN THEIR FACILITIES. 
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Sec 7. Section 7 of Republic Act No. 10845 is hereby amended 
to read as: 
 
Section. 7. Prescription of Crimes. – The crimeS punishable 
under this Act shall prescribe in twenty (20) years.  
 
Sec 8. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DA, DTI AND 
BOC, in consultation with concerned agencies, shall promulgate the 
implementing rules and regulations of this Act within thirty (30) days 
upon its effectivity. 
 
Sec 9. Separability Clause. – If any portion of this Act is declared 
unconstitutional or invalid, the portions or provisions which are not 
affected shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
 
Sec. 10. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, executive 
issuances, rules and regulations inconsistent with this Act are 
hereby repealed and/or modified accordingly. 
 
Sec. 11. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect after 
fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in 
two (2) newspapers of general circulation. 
Approved,