BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The City Veterinary’s Office is looking into the alleged killing of a dog and the theft of dog food at the dog pound and animal shelter at the Calajunan Sanitary Landfill in Mandurriao district.
Mayor Jerry Treñas has ordered an investigation into these incidents, adding that he instructed City Veterinarian Dr. Fernando Abulencia to submit a written report on the case.
“These cannot be allowed to happen under my watch as mayor of the city,” said Treñas.
To help address similar animal-related issues within the city, the Iloilo City Council has proposed an ordinance called the Iloilo City Animal Welfare Council.
The council passed on second reading the proposed 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 quality of life.
The council notes that animals are being exploited by humans in the form of experimentation for new products. Human activities also destroy animals’’ natural habitats, endangering their welfare.
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.
“The City of Iloilo must enact a statute to establish policies, rules, and regulations for the protection of the people and to integrate animal welfare as the guiding principles in all laws, policies, and regulations regarding companion animals,” the ordinance states.
It adds that the establishment of the Animal Welfare Council would safeguard the rights of animals, assure their welfare, and ensure that animals are treated as humanely as possible while under human control.
The animal welfare council aims to “protect and promote the welfare of all animals” through the establishment of a system that would supervise and regulate the treatment, maintenance, handling, transporting, treating, and use of animals either as objects of trade or pets in the city.
The animal council will also formulate policies, guidelines, standards, rules, and regulations for the effective implementation of the Animal Welfare Act.
The council also intends to establish an emergency animal response, rescue system, and rehabilitation unit to respond in cases of calamities and other natural disasters.
It will also develop mechanisms and provide relevant support for the development and implementation of specific programs, projects, and activities in coordination with the City Veterinary, the city agriculturist, and other concerned agencies and offices./PN
