Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in 2019 introduced a unique way of helping rescued dogs and cats heal their emotional and psychological trauma through the Project CALM, or 'Comforting Animals through Literacy Movement'. John Emil Flores, file
MANILA — Akbayan Party-List has filed a bill at the House of Representatives seeking stiffer penalties for animal cruelty, maltreatment or neglect.
Akbayan Party-List Rep. Percival Cendaña filed the bill on Tuesday, accompanied by representatives from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society and by therapy dogs.
Akbayan Party-List Reps. Chel Diokno and Dadah Ismula, as well as Dinagat Islands Rep. Kaka Bag-ao are co-authors of the bill.
Under the proposed ALAGA Act, cruelty, maltreatment, or neglect of animals that leads to their deaths is punishable by imprisonment of one year, six months and one day to three years, and a fine of P100,000 to P500,000.
Grave injuries carry the penalty of a minimum of one year and one day imprisonment to a maximum of one year and six months, with a P50,000 to P80,000 fine.
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The bill proposes six months to one year imprisonment and a fine not exceeding P30,000 for lighter injuries.
The law covers companion animals and not those “raised or kept primarily for slaughter, food or agricultural consumption” except on protection against cruelty and unnecessary suffering.
“Nakita natin na, parang sa dulo, nakalulusot lang under the current policy regime ‘yung mga nananakit sa kanila, at mas mahirap ‘yung prosecution under the current policy regime,” Cendaña said.
(We saw that holding them accountable and prosecuting them us difficult under the current policy regime.)
PAWS Executive Director Anna Cabrera said that under the bill "it’s fine and imprisonment all across convicted animal offenders."
The bill also prohibits and penalizes dog-meat trading, the production and distribution or exhibition of any content depicting intentional infliction of pain, suffering, or death on any animal for purposes of entertainment or commercial gain, and all forms of animal fighting.
Animal experimentation and dissection at the elementary level is also prohibited. Those done at the secondary and tertiary levels of education have to comply with internationally accepted humane standards.
DEDICATED COMMISSION
House Bill 11495 also seeks to create a National Commission on Animal Welfare, a quasi-judicial agency with full fiscal autonomy, rule-making authority, licensing and enforcement powers, and the mandate to facilitate all efforts in prosecuting animal cruelty cases.
"It will have the fiscal mandate, admin, budget to implement all across, even ‘yung farm animals, wild animals, all included,” Cabrera added.
The ALAGA Bill also establishes protection for those who rescue neglected animals by shielding them from criminal liability for entering premises to rescue neglected animals.
Cabrera said that without that protection, animal rescuers could face complaints of theft despite good intentions.
The bill further mandates local government units to deploy full capacitated and trained personnel to implement Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return programs as the primary, humane method of controlling stray animal population.
Under the measure, all animal control facilities shall maintain publicly acessible records on impounded animals, adoptions, euthanasia, deaths, and disease outbreaks.
The bill also mandates pounds to be open to the public on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, and until at least 7 p.m. on weekdays to give owners to a chance to claim their pets after office hours.