BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The City Council was asked to integrate into its newly approved animal welfare ordinance a system to ensure the humane treatment of animals and accountability of pet owners.
Norman Marquez, founder of the League of Animal Welfare Organizations of the Philippines, has asked the City Council to amend the Iloilo City Animal Welfare Council and include “no impounding citation system.”
In the context of animal welfare and management, a “no impounding citation system” refers to a policy or practice where instead of impounding stray or loose animals, authorities issue citations or fines to the owners of these animals.
This approach aims to hold pet owners accountable for their pets’ behavior and ensure they adhere to responsible pet ownership practices without impounding the animals, which can often be stressful and harmful to them. Instead of impounding, the system issues citations or fines to pet owners who fail to secure their animals properly.
Incorporating a “no impounding citation system” into an animal welfare ordinance involves outlining specific regulations and guidelines to ensure the humane treatment of animals and the accountability of pet owners.
In his proposal, Marquez said the proposal also aims to empower the community and make responsible pet ownership without resorting to euthanasia to control the animal population.
“The system intends to eliminate the necessity for pounds to take custody of pets, thus eradicating the risk of publicly-deplored euthanasia to impounded animals, regardless of age and health conditions,” said Marquez.
The City Council has approved the Iloilo City Animal Welfare Council during their session on July 3 and designated October of each year as “Animal Welfare Month” in Iloilo City.
Councilor Miguel Treñas, the ordinance’s principal author, emphasized the need for a comprehensive legislative framework to regulate companion animal trade, promote responsible pet stewardship, and establish an intelligence network for monitoring zoonotic diseases and other animal welfare concerns.
“The City of Iloilo, as a highly urbanized city, is committed to demonstrating its dedication to promoting the rights of animals, as well as ensuring the health, sanitation, and welfare of its residents, visitors, and tourists,” the ordinance read.
The council passed the ordinance aimed at promoting the humane treatment of animals to ensure the well-being of animals and advancing a culture of compassion and responsibility among its residents.
The measure acknowledges that animals are integral to human existence, supplying not just food and sustenance essential to human life but also providing labor and companionship that deeply enhance the quality of life.
The council notes that animals are being exploited by humans in the form of experimentation for new products.
In 1998, Congress passed Republic Act 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act, which provides protection and promotes the welfare of animals in the country.
Despite the enactment of the above law, the council says cases of animal cruelty, exploitation, and even serious neglect persist.
Under this measure, the Office of the City Veterinarian (OCV) was designated as a lead office to enforce the ordinance.
These include regulating the keeping of domestic animals, rescue, prevention, rehabilitation, and providing care for stray animals, especially those that have no owners, are unregistered, or uncared for, in any public place within the city;
The veterinary office personnel will also establish a workable disease investigation, surveillance, reporting, and appraisal of the animal disease intelligence network.
They will also conduct free spay and neuter programs to control the population of stray animals and information and education campaigns on responsible pet ownership and stewardship in the city.
The veterinary office will take charge of the operation and management of the Iloilo City Pound and Animal Shelter (ICPAS).
Under the ordinance, ICPAS will be a two-part facility with distinct functions, namely, the Iloilo City Pound and the Iloilo City CARE Animal Shelter.
The facility will serve as a temporary holding area for newly captured or impounded stray companion animals wherein they will be given animal care, and for record-keeping and transfer or adoption.
Likewise, a Task Force for Animal Welfare Enforcement will be created and responsible for apprehending violators and conducting regular inspections for compliance, among others.
It is also stipulated in the ordinance that there should be a City Rabies Prevention and Control Program to be implemented by the OCV.
Its component activities include mass vaccination of dogs and cats; establishment of a central database system for registered and vaccinated dogs and cats; impounding, field control, and disposition of unregistered, stray, and unvaccinated dogs and cats, among others.
Under the ordinance, pet owners or stewards are mandated to ensure regular vaccination of their dogs and cats against rabies and maintain a registration card containing all vaccination records for accurate documentation; and other necessary care demonstrating responsible ownership and stewardship.
Under the companion animal registration, all dogs and cats, upon reaching three months of age and older, must be vaccinated against rabies and registered at the veterinary office every year.
The city will implement a Pet Identification and Unified Data Storage with a Microchip System wherein each registered dog or cat shall be implanted with a microchip, a permanent and tamper-proof electronic/digital identification and data storage system.
Likewise, the ordinance prohibits individuals from torturing or maltreating any animal or neglecting to provide adequate care, sustenance, or shelter or causing or procuring to be tortured or deprived of adequate care, sustenance, or shelter, or maltreat or cause the same for research or experiment and fights unauthorized by law.
Those found guilty of these acts will be penalized under Republic Act No. 8485, also known as “The Animal Welfare Act of 1998”, as amended by Republic Act No. 10631./PN
