18 dogs saved from butcher in Nueva Ecija

MANILA, Philippines – Government investigators and animal welfare activists have rescued 18 dogs from the butcher’s knife in Nueva Ecija, using a new law with stronger provisions against the country’s illegal meat trade, an official said yesterday.

Two suspected dog meat traders – Jacinto Jalova, 60, and son-in-law Renato Quijano, 40 – were arrested in Monday’s raid and charged under a new Anti-Rabies Law which provides tougher penalties for killing dogs for human consumption, said Serafin Gil, a National Bureau of Investigation agent who led the operation.

If convicted, the traders face up to four years in jail plus a fine of P5,000 per dog traded. Under a previous law, traders faced milder sentencing.

In Monday’s sting, Gil said activists from the Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc., a local affiliate of the British-based International Wildlife Coalition Trust, posed as dog meat buyers when government agents swooped down on the two suspects. – AP, Artemio Dumlao