Senator Grace Poe has called for separate funding for animal welfare in the 2025 budget to ensure the protection and humane treatment of animals.
Poe, the Senate finance committee chairperson, also said the budget should include programs such as neutering, spaying, anti-rabies shots, and support for local government units maintaining pounds for dogs and cats.
Poe, along with Senators Cynthia Villar and Nancy Binay, is pushing for a nationwide campaign to neuter and spay dogs and cats as part of responsible pet ownership.
The animal welfare fund is currently lodged with the Bureau of Animal Industry under the Department of Agriculture (DA), but there is no allocation for spay and neuter programs from the national government.
Poe filed Senate Bill No. 2458, which seeks a revised Animal Welfare Act to strengthen standards, policies, rules, regulations, implementation, and enforcement, as well as provide tougher penalties to violators.
The bill proposes a Barangay Animal Welfare Task Force to capacitate local officers to address animal welfare issues with dispatch.
