PRESIDENTIAL DECREE

No. 533 August 8, 1974

THE ANTI-CATTLE
RUSTLING LAW OF 1974

The purpose of this law is to

protect the cattle industry.

What is cattle rustling?

Cattle rustling is the taking away by
any means, method or scheme,
without the consent of the
owner/raiser, of any of the abovementioned animals whether or not for
profit or gain, or whether committed
with or without violence against or
intimidation of any person or force
upon things.

It includes the killing of large cattle, or

taking its meat or hide without the
consent of the owner/raiser.

Large Cattle
Shall include :
Cow
Carabao
Horse
Mule
Ass
or other
domesticated member
of the bovine family

Owner/Raiser
herdsman
caretaker
employee or tenant of any firm or
entity engaged in the raising of large
cattle
other persons in lawful possession of
such large cattle

Duty of the owner/raiser

before the large cattle belonging to
him shall attain the age of six months,
register the same with the office of the
city/municipal treasurer where such
large cattle are raised

Permit to Buy and Sell Large

Cattle
No person, partnership, association,
corporation or entity shall engage in the
business of buy and sell of large cattle without
first securing a permit for the said purpose
from the Provincial Commander of the
province where it shall conduct such business
and the city/municipal treasurer of the place
of residence of such person, partnership,
association, corporation or entity. The permit
shall only be valid in such province.

Clearance for Shipment of

Large Cattle

Certificate of
Ownership
Provincial
Commander /
City/Municipal
Treasurer

Certification from the

Provincial
Veterinarian

There is a presumption of cattle

rustling if a person fails to present the
necessary documents for inspection.

Taer v. Court of Appeals

Facts :

In the evening of December 5, 1981, accused

Cirilo Saludes slept in the house of his compadre
accused Jorge Taer at Datag, Garcia-Hernandez,
Bohol.
At about 2:00 o'clock dawn, December 6, 1981,
accused Emilio Namocatcat and Mario Cago arrived at
Taer's house with two (2) male carabaos owned by
and which Namocatcat wanted Taer to tend. The said
carabaos were left at Taer's place.

Taer v. Court of Appeals

Held :
Accessory of the crime of cattle-rustling
At most the facts establish Taer's knowledge of the crime.
And yet without having participated either as principal or as an
accomplice, for he did not participate in the taking of the
carabaos, he took part subsequent to the commission of the act
of taking by profiting himself by its effects. Taer is thus only
an accessory after the fact.
Inasmuch as Taer's culpability is only that of an
accessory after the fact, under Art. 53 of the Revised Penal
Code, the penalty lower by two degrees than that prescribed by
law for the consummated felony shall be imposed.

Ordonio v. Court of
Appeals
Facts :

On January 6, 1982, Anastacio Pajunar discovered the

loss of his eleven month old cow (which he pastured 100
meters from as house on January 5, 1982). He searched for it
and asked his not too distant neighbor, Constancio Ordonio,
whether he had seen it. Ordonio allegedly denied having seen
it, and when Pajunar heard the mooing of a cow, Ordonio was
quick to say that was the cow he was tending. However,
Pajunar followed the direction of the sound and discovered
that it was his own cow. Ordonio insisted that it was his
brother's cow which was entrusted to him. So Pajunar tied it
near Ordonio's house and left to report the matter to the
authorities.

Ordonio v. Court of
Appeals
Held :
Crime of cattle-rustling.
The accused-petitioner had the temerity to act thus even
if the calf did not belong to him, but to the complainant as he
admitted before the trial court. But independent of the
admission by the accused, complainant ownership of the calf is
further forfeited with this one important circumstance. When
complainant went to accused's house, accompanied by barangay
councilman, Pajunar, and two PC soldiers, the milking cow was
brought along. Upon arrival, the PC soldiers let loose the calf
and the latter immediately ran to the milking cow to suck on
its milk. Such conduct of the calf manifests all the signs of
the young whether human or not, on finding a lost mother.