The mounting public outcry over incidents of animal cruelty, the latest of which was the brutal killing of a three-year-old Golden Retriever named Killua in CamSur, should be a “wake-up call” for the 19th Congress to toughen up laws promoting and protecting the welfare of all animals, LRay Villafuerte, a congressman representing the province and president of the National Unity Party (NUP), has said.
Villafuerte said the recent beating to death of Killua, which has since then gone viral on social media (socmed) and triggered a public uproar, underscores “the increasing consciousness of Filipinos on animal welfare that needs to be matched by our existing laws’ ability to ensure the humane treatment in all aspects of caring, keeping, maintaining, handling, transporting, breeding, selling, training, treating and use of animals, and meting out the appropriate or just punishment to violators.”
HB 6509 slaps a penalty of imprisonment of 6 months and a minimum fine of P30,000 on any person who subjects any animal to cruelty, torture, maltreatment or any of the prohibited acts under the bill.
“We are hoping that Killua’s senseless death in the hands of its owners’ neighbor would be,” he said, “a wake-up call for the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate to act on proposed amendatory laws meant to tone up the 26-year-old Animal Welfare Act by establishing a better system of state supervision and regulation for dealing with animals; enhancing public awareness of responsible pet ownership through education and information dissemination; and strengthening interagency, multisectoral and local-government cooperation for promoting good animal welfare.”
Villafuerte said that in the House, for instance, he has introduced House Bill (HB) No. 6059 that aims to put more weight on the law by, among others, slapping harsher penalties on errant individuals, establishing a Bureau to be attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to safeguard the rights of animals, and deputizing animal welfare enforcement officers with the powers to seize and rescue maltreated or illegally traded animals and arrest violators.
HB 6059, which is pending with the House committee on agriculture and food, seeks to tweak Republic Act (RA) No. 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 and RA 10631, which amended RA 9485.
Villafuerte expressed the hope that both the House and Senate could attend to pending legislations promoting animal welfare when the 19th Congress reopens after its March 23-April 28 Lenten break.
The former governor made this appeal to his fellow legislators following the public outrage over Killua’s violent death, after a ccTV footage released by the dog’s owner—showing it was already fleeing when chased and hit by Anthony Solares—went viral on socmed.
Killua was owned by Solares’ neighbor, Vina Rachelle Arazas who is a resident of CamSur’s municipality of Bato. The pet dog’s bloodied remains were later found in a sack.
Bato’s municipal chief P/Major Ronald Brugada was reported as having launched an investigation into Killua’s death.
Solares claimed he attacked Killua after it chased his child, but the ccTV video showed that the dog was already fleeing when struck by the assailant.
Villafuerte at the same time called on the Bato police to “speed up their investigation of Killua’s killing, as what had been announced by police chief Brugada.”
“I believe CamSur folk and all animal lovers elsewhere are hoping the local police will conduct and complete a thorough investigation at the soonest, leading to the prosecution of the perpetrator of this dastardly act against Killua,” he said.
However, Villafuerte raised doubts on the assailant’s claim that he had simply acted in self-defense, as the congressman pointed out that Golden Retrievers, along with Labradors, are among the most popular breeds and most ideal family companions because of their playfulness plus loving and affectionate behavior.
Otherwise known as “The Revised Animal Welfare Act,” HB 6509 seeks to create an Animal Welfare Bureau (AWB) as a DA-attached agency that shall have regional, provincial and municipal offices to carry out the provisions of this Act.
As a line bureau, this proposed AWB shall:
· Establish an emergency animal response and rescue system to appropriately respond in cases of calamities such as but not limited to floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters;
- Promulgate guidelines for humane slaughter of animals, in consultation with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), local government units (LGUs) and other concerned government agencies;
- Implement a system for inspection of animal facilities to ensure compliance with animal welfare standards and regulations;
- Monitor compliance of LGUs with animal welfare programs, standards, rules and regulations; and
- Ensure proper coordination with non-government organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (POs) and the academe for the strict enforcement of the Act’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR).
As proposed by Villafuerte’s bill, the DA Secretary shall deputize animal welfare enforcement officers from NGOs, POs, citizens’ groups, community organizations and other volunteers who have undergone necessary training for this purpose.
The Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other law enforcement agencies shall, under the bill, designate animal welfare enforcement officers who shall assist in the implementation of this Act.
“These would-be deputized animal welfare enforcement officers shall have the full authority to seize and rescue illegally traded and maltreated animals and to arrest violators of this Act, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations on arrest and detention,” Villafuerte said.
Villafuerte’s bill makes it unlawful to torture, abuse, exploit any animal, to neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat any animals, cause or procure to be tortured, or deprive such animals of adequate care sustenance or shelter, or maltreat or use the same in research or experiments not expressly authorized by the proposed AWB.
Also, the bill prohibits subjecting animals to fights such as but not limited to dog fighting, carabao or bull fighting or horse fighting and the like, not authorized or regulated by law.
Any person who participates in such animal fights shall be considered accessories in the commission of animal fighting and/or abetting in the commission of animal cruelty.
Promoters or organizers of any show, media or entertainment are required by the bill to obtain necessary permits from the Bureau whenever they are using animals; and to assign licensed veterinarians on duty during the entire show, taping, shooting or program.
The bill requires LGUs, in coordination with the AWB municipal, provincial or regional offices, to implement a mandatory spaying and/or neutering of stray dogs, cats and other animals identified by the Bureau.
HB 6509 slaps a penalty of imprisonment of 6 months and a minimum fine of P30,000 on any person who subjects any animal to cruelty, torture, maltreatment or any of the prohibited acts under the bill.
Villafuerte said his bill proposes the establishment of an Animal Welfare Fund to be administered by the Bureau as a special account in the National Treasury.
This Fund shall be derived from fines imposed and damages awarded pursuant to violations of this Act; fees charged for permits, registrations, and authorizations, donations, endowments, administrative fees or grants in the form of contributions.
Contribution to this Fund shall be exempt from donor taxes and all other taxes, charges or fees imposed by the government.
The bill makes it mandatory for all primary and secondary education schools, public and private to integrate in their curriculum and have activities on the promotion and protection of the welfare of animals, on responsible pet ownership, and on the concept of animal welfare.
Along with concerned government agencies, and in partnership with organizations, the would-be Bureau shall implement programs towards increasing awareness on animal rights and animal welfare through various information awareness activities and programs.
