FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
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) 
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SENATE 
S.NO. 214 
flECEivm flY .""_.~_ .. ~ •..... 
Int.·oduced by Senator Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IV 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Hoarding, especially in times of scarcity, is undoubtedly one of the gravest manifestations of 
human selfishness. As a recognized public evil, it far antedates the Christian era and is probably 
as old as history itself' . 
Unfortunately, even up to this time, there is actually no law directly penalizing hoarding. In order 
to provide against this practice which has been causing untold sufferings upon the Filipino 
people and which has been very rampant in the light of the present acute scarcity and/or shortage 
of affordable prime commodities (particularly rice and flour), it is imperative to properly label 
the same as the grave social evil that it is and then to impose severe penalties for its commission. 
This Bill seeks to tag the highly pernicious practice of hoarding and its variants, price 
manipulation and profiteering, as tantamount to economic sabotage. Furthermore, the Bill seeks 
to define the said practices as criminal offenses punishable not only by substantial fines but also 
by incarceration. 
It is the hope of the author that this Bill will be of great help in the effort to stamp-out these 
malevolent business practices and provide much needed relief for our people. 
The immediate passage of the Bill is, therefore, imperative. 
1 Proverb of Solomon: "He that withholdefhe om, the people shall c q eh im: but blessing shall be upon the 
head ofhimfhat selleth if."(Prov. 12:26) 
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FIFTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session 
) 
) 
) 
SENATE 
S N 
214 
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Introduced by Senator Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IV 
. ANACT 
DEFINING THE OFFENSES OF HOARDING, PRICE MANIPULATION AND 
PROFITEERING, DECLARING THE SAME TO BE TANTAMOUNT TO 
ECONOMIC SABOTAGE, AND PROVIDING PENALTIES THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Declaration alld State Policy. - It is hereby declared that offenses of 
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hoarding, price manipulation and profiteering with respect to the rice, palay, corn, flour, cereals, 
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sugar, powdered milk, infant formula and other essential foodstuff and staple food articles and 
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commodities, as defined below, amount to economic sabotage. Hence, it is the policy of the State 
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to consider the same as criminal offenses and to severely penalize the same. 
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SEC. 2. Dejinitioll. - The offenses of hoarding, price manipulation and profiteering 
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hereby are defined as follows: 
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(a) There is hoarding when a trader, wholesaler, miller, distributor, retailer, warehouse 
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or similar middlemen of rice, palay, corn, flour, cereals, sugar, powdered milk, 
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infant fOllliula and other essential foodstuff and staple food articles and 
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commodities, whether licensed or unlicensed by the proper authorities, excessively 
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accumulates said commodities and withholds the same from the normal flow and 
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distribution of said connnodities in the market Hoarding shall likewise mean the 
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keeping or concealing of the subject commodities in amounts or quantities in excess 
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of the ordinary demands of trade or business. 
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(b) Price manipulation shall mean the acquisition of the subject commodities with the 
intent of creating, or tending to create, or effecting artificial scarcity thereof in the 
market, in order to alter prices; while -
(c) Profiteering shall mean comering or hoarding commodities for the purpose of 
obtaining unjustifiable profits thereii'om, even if maximum prices have not been 
fixed for such commodities. 
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SEC. 3. Penalties. - Any person found to be engaged in hoarding, price manipulation 
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and/or profiteering shall be subjected to imprisonment for a period of not less than four (6) years, 
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one (I) day but not more than ten (10) years or a fine of not less than one (1) million pesos nor 
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more than ten (10) million pesos, or both; Provided, however, That in the case of aliens, in 
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addition to the penalty herein provided, the offender shall, upon conviction, and after service of 
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sentence, be immediately deported without any further proceedings. 
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Whenever any of the offenses described above is committed by a corporation or 
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association, the president and each one of the managing directorls or managers of said 
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corporation or association, or its agent or representative in the Philippines, in case of a foreign 
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corporation or association, who shall knowingly permitted or failed to prevent the commission of 
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such offenses, shall be held liable as principals thereof. 
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Any govemment official or employee, who by neglect or connivance, has in any manner 
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aided or abetted in the violation or circumvention of the provisions of this Act, shall be held 
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criminally liable as co-principal under this section and shall, in addition, suffer the penalty of 
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perpetual absolute disqualification to hold public office. 
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SEC. 4. Sepllrability C[lluse. - If any provision of this Act or the applicability of such 
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provision to any person or circumstance shall be held invalid, the validity of the other provisions 
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of this Act and the applicability of such provisions to other persons or circumstances shall not be 
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affected thereby. 
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SEC. 5. Repealing Clause. . All laws, executive Issuances, orders and rules and 
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regulations contrary to or inconsistent with this Act, or any part thereof, are hereby repealed, 
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amended and/or modified accordingly. 
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SEC. 6. Effectivity Clause . . This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its 
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publication in the Official Gazette and two (2) newspapers of general circulation in the country. 
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Approved, 
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