The most recent incident of animal cruelty documented – this time, here in Laguna province – have once again shed a harsh spotlight on a seeming disregard for animal welfare in the Philippines.
In case you haven’t seen it (or, as a diehard animal lover, can’t bear to watch), a viral video that has been making the rounds online showed residents in San Pedro City repeatedly clubbing a dog that reportedly bit four children.
One of those who hit the dog was one of its victims, reports added.
And what's more heartbreaking is that the dog was apparently abandoned by its owner and was roaming the streets when it chanced upon the group of boys playing with kites.
Recently, one of our columnists, Ms. Rose de la Cruz, lamented what she called the "dismal" state of animal welfare in the Philippines.
The recent incident in San Pedro City is the latest in a string of viral social media posts of animals being abandoned (either in the streets or inside animal pounds – I remember this animal pound in Cavite, if I'm not mistaken, where cats apparently turned to cannibalism due to lack of food) or being mistreated and killed without mercy.
And what’s more disturbing is that some netizens actually defend those who attack the animals, not realizing that there are actually laws that prohibit the maltreatment of animals.
The Animal Welfare Act of 1998 (Republic Act No. 8485, then amended in 2013 by virtue of Republic Act No. 10631) is one of the many laws in the Philippines that aimed to protect the welfare of animals by prohibiting acts of cruelty towards animals, such as maltreatment, torture, killing, and neglect.
The animal welfare law also regulates the sale, transport, and handling of animals to ensure their welfare.
And yet, more than two decades after it was passed, what we see is an utter disregard for these laws (well, not surprising, given the average Filipinos’ utter disregard for law and order itself), and what many advocates believe is an entrenched culture of “irresponsible” pet ownership.
Heck, there have been reports of so-called “pandemic pets” – dogs or cats who were bought or adopted at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic – being abandoned by their owners when the crisis had passed, as if they were nothing but toys bought for amusement and discarded when their owners had tired of them.
Quoting a columnist from a major newspaper – “What we see reflects our society’s values and priorities in life and the extent of willingness to extend our humanity to all living beings. It could be plain apathy – a reflection of how our parents raised us or how civilized we are” – I have come to believe that our serious disregard for animal welfare is a symptom of our serious disregard for human dignity.
The culture of impunity that the Duterte administration has inculcated in many of our public officials and even among ordinary people – that his policy of “kill, kill, kill” is not only acceptable but even justified in some cases – has apparently extended to our treatment of animals.
Seriously, I’d like to say this: a man who treats other creatures with utter contempt is sure to show no mercy to a fellow human being.
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