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Dear
Friends
The article below appeared in the
"Philippine SunStar" (07/10/06).
104
kilos of dog meat seized
By Jane Cadalig
A TOTAL of 104 kilos of dog meat were
confiscated by authorities from two stalls at the
city public market amid this month's "National
Meat Consciousness" celebration.
The confiscation was made
possible via the effort of the National Meat
Inspection Service (NMIS), the Baguio City Police
Office (BCPO) and the Animal Kingdom Foundation
(AKF), a non-government organization advocating
for the promotion of animal rights.
The
dog meat was seized from the stalls of certain
Lita Dizon and Victorino Montano, who are
reportedly known as dog meat vendors in the
market. These were brought to the NMIS compound
for proper disposal.
The slaughtering of a
dog and sale of its meat is prohibited by the
Animal Welfare Act. The Meat Code of the
Philippines also does not classify dogs as food
animal.
Dr. Florencio Pintor, NMIS meat
inspector, said the continuous sale of dog meats
in the market is a violation of the Consumer
Welfare Act (CWA) as these meats do not undergo
post-mortem inspection.
He said there is a
need to strictly implement laws and related local
regulations to protect the welfare of animals,
particularly dogs, which, he said, suffer the most
maltreatment from humans.
"One of the most
popular victims of tortures are dogs so its time
for us to implement laws and (local) ordinances
seeking to protect them," Pintor added.
He
said he already asked Acting Mayor Reinaldo
Bautista Jr. for a dialogue on dog meat trade and
reiteration for the implementation of the city
ordinance that regulates the trade.
Benguet once earned the ire of animal
lovers even outside the country over a
misconception that the province is planning to
legalize dog meat trade. Letters swamped the
Philippine Embassy and other concerned agencies,
calling for the creation of a committee to address
the concern.
The inter-agency committee,
composed of the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI),
the NMIS, the health and interior departments and
provincial and city veterinarians league,
recommended for the prohibition of dog slaughter,
dog trafficking and dog-raising for purposes of
consumption.
We
are pleased to see SOME law
enforcement by the authorities and
congratulate AKF, but don't be fooled into
thinking that this confiscation of 104 kilos of
dog meat marks any change in policing attitudes. The
report doesn't mention whether charges are being
brought against these two dog meat
vendors. We suspect that it is unlikely.
Prosecutions under the Animal Welfare Act are not
common. Even if they are facing charges, Dizon and
Montano certainly won't be losing too much
sleep. Although the law allows for prison
sentences of up to 2 years, the usual penalty is a
fine seldom more than 1,000 pesos (around £12 or
$22). Whilst events such as the above as so rare
as to be considered newsworthy by the
Philippines press, it is clear that little
official resolve exists to tackle this
problem.
Our continued thanks to all of you for your
support and for caring enough to want to make
a difference.
From all the team at
ITD
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