EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE
Senate Bill No. 21T6
DATE
"
X
Introduced by Senator FRANCIS N. PANGILINAN
AN ACT
TO SUPPORT THE STRENGTHENING OF THE LOCAL SWINE INDUSTRY, 
CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE THE SWINE COMPETITIVENESS 
ENHANCEMENT FUND, FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8178, AS 
AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Since October 2020, the country and ordinary consumers have been reeling from the 
effects of high meat prices. Retail prices of pork kasim/pigue and liempo remain as high as 
P380.00 to P400.00 per kilogram. Previously, pork prices were relatively stable at P224.00 
per kilogram. The spike in retail prices pushed meat inflation from 3.5 percent to 4.4 
percent in 2019 and 2020, respectively, to 19.6 percent in Q1 2021. In March 2021, the 
elevated meat inflation was the top contributor to overall inflation.
Such high prices of pork reflect the dwindling local supply of hogs in the Luzon 
area. This is attributed to the fact that the African Swine Fever (ASF) has not been abated 
since it was first reported in 2019. The situation, moreover, was exacerbated by the 
destructive effects of typhoons in the last quarter of 2020.
The ASF outbreak has affected the livelihood of over 68,000 hog raisers and has 
already cost the local hog industry and allied sectors more than PlOO billion. Hog raisers 
estimate that around 36 percent of the total hog population or about five (5) million heads 
are affected by the ASF. In May 2021, a State of Calamity throughout the country was 
declared due to the outbreak.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) could have probably lessened the impact of 
the ASF had it been given the sufficient resources to combat such a highly contagious and 
deadly disease. Unfortunately, it was not. Of the more than P8.5 billion it proposed as 
2020 budget for the livestock sector, the DA was given P2.7 billion, or about a third of its 
proposal. For 2021, it sought P12.83 billion but was granted P3.08 billion, again measly 
when compared to what it sought. Out of this P3 billion, P768.5 million has been allocated


for the swine sector, so miniscule when compared to the total worth and contribution of 
the industry to the economy.
Thus, to help curtail the further spread of the ASF and contribute to the recovery of 
the industry, this bill seeks to create the Swine Competitiveness Enhancement Fund 
(SCEF) to be funded out of all the duties collected from the importation of swine meat. 
The duties shall be collected for the next six (6) years and shall be placed as a Special 
Account in the General Fund. Collection for the SCEF may be extended upon the 
recommendation of the Congressional Oversight Committee on Agricultural and 
Fisheries Modernization and subsequent approval of Congress.
The SCEF, as an additional fund aside from the regular appropriations for the swine 
sector, shall be utilized for the eradication of the ASF, subsidies for the fransport of hogs 
and pork from producing areas to pork-consuming markets, swine sector development 
and repopulation, credit assistance to hog raisers, and insurance fund for hog raisers 
affected by the culling of infected hogs. Essentially, all these programs to be funded by 
the SCEF aim to strengthen the local hog industry, repopulate farms, protect them from 
being affected again by the ASF, and make them more efficient and productive, thereby 
producing pork at affordable costs.
This measure also aims to institutionalize timely and accurate data generation and 
validation in order for policymakers and implementors to protect our agricultural 
producers and our consumers. Timely and accurate data will provide the DA and 
regulatory agencies the bases to act accordingly.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
FRANCIS N^P^GILINAN 
Senators


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE
Senate Bill No. 2176
DATE
TIME
Nt>fcX
Introduced by Senator FRANCIS N. PANGILINAN
AN ACT
TO SUPPORT THE STRENGTHENING OF THE LOCAL SWINE INDUSTRY, 
CREATING FOR THE PURPOSE THE SWINE COMPETITIVENESS 
ENHANCEMENT FUND, FURTHER AMENDING REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8178, AS 
AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted hy the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
1
2
SECTION. 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Affordable Pork Act of
2021."
3 
SEC. 2. Section 12 of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 8178, otherwise known as the
4 
"Agricultural Tariffication Act", as amended, is hereby further amended to read as
5 
follows:
6 
"SEC. 12. Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund. - To
7 
implement the policy enunciated in this Act, there is hereby created the
8 
Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund, herein referred to as the
9 
Fund. The Fund shall consist of all duties collected from the importation of
10 
agricultural products, except rice AND SWINE MEAT, under the MAV
11 
mechanism, including unused balances and collections from repayments
12 
from loan beneficiaries including interests, if any. The Fund shall be
13 
automatically credited to Special Account 183 in the General Fund of the
14 
National Treasury: Provided, That fund releases shall not be subject to any
15 
ceiling by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
16 
"X X X
17 
SEC. 3. A new section 16 is hereby inserted after Section 15 of the same Act, as
18 
amended, to read as follows:
19 
"SEC. 16. SWINE COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT FUND. -
20 
THERE IS HEREBY CREATED A SWINE COMPETITIVENESS
21 
ENHANCEMENT FUND, HEREIN REFERRED TO AS THE SCEF. THE


1 
SCEF SHALL CONSIST OF ALL DUTIES COLLECTED FROM THE
2 
IMPORTATION OF SWINE MEAT FOR THE NEXT SIX (6) YEARS AND
3 
SHALL BE AUTOMATICALLY CREDITED TO A SPECIAL ACCOUNT
4 
IN THE GENERAL FUND OF THE NATIONAL TREASURY, WHICH
5 
SHALL BE IN PLACE WITHIN NINETY (90) DAYS UPON THE
6 
EFFECTIVITY OF THIS ACT.
7 
THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE SHALL BE ACCOUNTABLE
8 
AND RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SCEF IN COORDINATION WITH
9 
OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES CONCERNED. THE
10 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (DA) AND OTHER PERTINENT
11 
AGENCIES SHALL SUBMIT AN ANNUAL REPORT CONTAINING,
12 
INTER ALIA, THE STATUS OF THE SCEF AND AN IMPACT
13 
ASSESSMENT OF THE PROGRAMS IMPLEMENTED UNDER THIS
14 
ACT TO THE COCAFAM. THE COCAFM SHALL CONDUCT A
15 
PERIODIC REVIEW OF THE USE OF THE SCEF AS NECESSARY.
16 
AT THE END OF THE FIFTH (5th) YEAR, A MANDATORY REVIEW
17 
SHALL BE CONDUCTED BY THE COCAFM TO DETERMINE
18 
WHETHER THE SCEF AND ITS USE AS PROVIDED FOR UNDER THIS
19 
ACT SHALL BE AMENDED, TERMINATED, OR EXTENDED. ANY
20 
REMAINING BALANCE AT THE DATE OF EXPIRATION OF
21 
COLLECTION OF DUTIES FOR THE SCEF SHALL REMAIN IN THE
22 
SPECIAL ACCOUNT AND SHALL CONTINUE TO BE USED FOR THE
23 
PURPOSE FOR WHICH IT WAS COLLECTED AND SET ASIDE. THE
24 
COCAFM SHALL UTILIZE THE INCREASE OR DECREASE IN HOG
25 
RAISERS' INCOMES AS A PRIMARY BENCHMARK IN
26 
DETERMINING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE INTERVENTIONS
27 
UNDER THE PROGRAM AND ITS POSSIBLE EXTENSION.
28 
SUBJECT TO THE USUAL ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING
29 
RULES AND REGULATIONS, THE SCEF SHALL BE ALLOCATED AND
30 
DISBURSED TO PORK PRODUCING AREAS, AS FOLLOWS:
AFRICAN SWINE FEVER (ASF) PREVENTION PROGRAMS, 
INCLUDING VACCINATION AND THE BANTAY ASF SA 
BARANGAY PROGRAM;
SUBSIDIES FOR TRANSPORTATION AND FREIGHT COST 
OF HOGS AND PORK;
SWINE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT, PROPAGATION AND 
PROMOTION, INCLUDING THE INTEGRATED NATIONAL 
SWINE PRODUCTION INITIATTVES FOR RECOVERY AND 
EXPANSION (INSPIRE);
CREDIT ASSISTANCE, WHICH SHALL BE MADE 
AVAILABLE IN THE FORM OF CREDIT FACILITY WITH 
MINIMAL INTEREST RATES AND WITH MINIMUM 
COLLATERAL REQUIREMENTS TO HOG RAISERS AND 
COOPERATIVES, TO BE MANAGED EQUALLY BY THE
31
(A)
32
33
34
(B)
35
36
(C)
37
38
39
40
(D)
41
42
43
44


1
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
(E)
AGRICULTURAL CREDIT POLICY COUNCIL (ACPC), THE 
LAND BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES (LBP) AND THE 
DEVELOPMENT BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES (DBP); AND 
INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR CULLED HOGS TO BE 
ADMINISTERED BY THE PHILIPPINE CROP INSURANCE 
CORPORATION (PCIC)."
SEC. 4. A new Section 17 is hereby inserted in the same Act, to read as follows:
"SEC. 17. DATA COLLECTION AND SHARING REGIME ON 
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. - TO ENSURE THE TIMELY AND 
ACCURATE COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION OF STATISTICS 
AND INFORMATION ON AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, THE DA, 
PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY (PSA), BUREAU OF CUSTOMS 
(BOC), AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS SHALL COORDINATE ON 
THE GENERATION AND VALIDATION, AND CONTINUOUSLY 
SHARE DATA ON THE PRODUCTION, IMPORTATION, 
EXPORTATION AND CONSUMPTION OF AGRICULTURAL 
PRODUCTS, THE IMPORTATION AND EXPORTATION OF WHICH 
WERE LIBERALIZED.
19 
IN ORDER TO FACILITATE THE INVESTIGATION AND
20 
PROSECUTION OF CASES OF ANTI-COMPETnTVE BEHAVIOR ON,
21 
INCLUDING PRICE MANIPULATION OF, AGRICULTURAL
22 
PRODUCTS, THE DA AND THE BOC ARE HEREBY MANDATED TO
23 
PROVIDE THE PHILIPPINE COMPETITION COMMISSION (PCC) AND
24 
THE PRICE COORDINATING COUNCIL OPEN AND TIMELY ACCESS
25 
TO RELEVANT DATA ON PRICES, MARKET SHARES, SUPPLY
26 
CHAIN, AND OTHER INFORMATION NECESSARY FOR THE
27 
PERFORMANCE OF THEIR FUNCTIONS.
28
29 
FAILURE BY ANY STAFF OR OFFICER OF THE DA OR THE BOC
30 
TO PROVIDE SUCH PERTINENT INFORMATION TO THE PCC SHALL
31 
BE DEEMED A NEGLECT OF LAWFUL DUTIES AND SHALL BE
32 
SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS AS PROVIDED
33 
UNDER R. A. NO. 2260, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE "CIVIL SERVICE
34 
ACT OF 1959."
35 
SEC. 5. Sections 16,17,18 and 19 of the same Act are hereby renumbered as Sections
36 
18,19,20 and 21, respectively.
37 
SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive issuances, and rules and
38 
regulations inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified
39 
accordingly.
40 
SEC. 7. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part of this Act is held invalid or
41 
unconstitutional, the other provisions hereof which are not ciffected shall continue to be'
42 
in full force and effect.


1 
SEC. 8. Bffectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
2 
publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,