The movement to enhance animal welfare legislation brought to light by the recent brutal killing of Killua, a golden retriever in Camarines Sur, has reached the House of Representatives.
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. David Suarez condemned the killing of Killua, as he vowed to support any move to investigate the matter and craft legislation to enhance animal welfare laws.
“I do share the sentiments of Senator Grace Poe. My heart bleeds when I heard about the news and I will support any investigation and legislation to promote animal welfare dito po sa ating bansa (here in our country),” said Suarez, who also owns 13 dogs himself.
Earlier, Poe said she was enraged and heartbroken to learn about the case of Killua, who was brutally killed by a man, claiming the dog chased his child.
“Kami ng family namin (Our family) had a lot of dogs. And noong nalaman ko po ‘yung balita na, ‘yon nga ang nangyari, siyempre (when I found out in the news what happened), you know, it’s sad. And, of course, it’s unfortunate and it is indeed a wake-up call for us legislators to revisit the law and to find out if it would require stiffer penalties and when it comes to enforcement,” he added.
One of the amendments to the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 that he sees is empowering local government units in the enforcement of the law.
Davao Oriental Cheeno Almario, who also owns eight dogs, said the killer of ‘Killua’ should not have resorted to such fatal action against the dog.
“It really hurts as an animal lover. Why resort to such cruelty? I’d understand maybe if he (the killer) just scared it, so it won’t come closer, or tried to just shoo the dog away. But to kill the animal already speaks of the motive, that there is really an intent to end the life of that animal,” Almario said.
“I think, to me, it is tantamount to straight up murder. It may not involve another human being but to an animal who is loved and cared for by its owner, masakit din na bagay ‘yon (that really hurts),” he added.
House Assistant Majority Leader Raul Angelo Bongalon of Ako Bicol party-list group said now is the best time to revisit the Animal Welfare Act of 1998.
“I think it would be the best time for us to revisit this Animal Welfare Act. And, as mentioned, the maximum penalty of imprisonment for the violation, for instance, in the killing of an animal is six months to one year of imprisonment, with the penalty or a fine of not exceeding 100,000 pesos,” said Bongalon, a lawyer.
“But then again, I would like to address also another issue, I guess the lack of awareness of the people that there is a law that protects animal welfare. So, I guess that should also be addressed by the local government units, by barangays and other NGOs (non-government organizations),” he added.
Bongalon urged the Philippine Animal Welfare Society to look into the matter of raising the awareness of people of the law, of the penalties that will be imposed if a person hurts or kills an animal.