Manila, Philippines — To further strengthen the government’s campaign against agricultural economic sabotage in the country, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Customs (BOC), and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) signed a Tripartite Agreement to enhance cooperation and information-sharing among the three agencies in curbing smugglers, hoarders, and cartels that manipulate the supply and prices of agricultural products and threaten the country’s food security.
Under the agreement, the three agencies will form a Joint Task Force that will serve as a unified group for intelligence gathering, investigation, and the filing of cases against individuals found to be involved in agricultural smuggling, profiteering, hoarding, and cartelization.
The agreement also covers the expedited processing of cases against those behind illegal activities that threaten the livelihood of local farmers, fisherfolk, and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
Within 30 days, the agencies are also expected to establish a Technical Working Group (TWG) that will oversee coordination, guidelines, referral mechanisms, information-sharing protocols, and other necessary measures to ensure the effective implementation of the agreement.
Republic Act No. 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, has been in effect for two years now.
Under the law, large-scale agricultural smuggling is considered economic sabotage when the value of the agricultural or fishery products involved reaches at least 10 million pesos.
Those found guilty may face life imprisonment and a fine equivalent to five times the total value of the products involved in the smuggling.
According to the BOC, they endorsed at least 15 cases involving alleged agricultural economic sabotage to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for appropriate action.
In 2025, the agency also filed 30 agriculture-related cases involving 127 respondents.