The good, the bad and the encouraging

I am getting ready to have Pepsi our Puspin spayed this weekend. It is a decision that I have made because Pepsi loves to take long walks in our village. And, as a responsible pet owner I don’t want to have unwanted pregnancies.

I have been told that spaying/neutering an adopted pet is one of the kindest things I can do for our Pepsi. I am well aware of the fact that the overpopulation of strays is one of the reasons why some people find it so easy to be cruel to a stray animal.

In the village where I live, the stray cats (and a few dogs) are fed by the people in the community. I often pass by houses, which have a few bowls of cat food outside the gate for the cats.

In our house, we also have a feeding time for cats. Now that Pepsi is part of our household I have noticed that there are more cats that come into the garage to have a meal or two.

Yes, I am well aware of the fact that pet overpopulation is a serious problem and by allowing Pepsi to have litters, I will be adding to the problem.

Of course, I am also happy that studies have shown that a spayed cat is a calmer cat. Without the drive to mate, your cat may be quieter and won’t be prone to cat-calls.

And, lastly, spaying a cat keeps it healthier and gives it a longer life. Spaying is the removal of the ovaries and uterus. Without these organs, ovarian cysts, uterine infections and cancer of the reproductive tract are no longer a concern.

* * *

The talk about cruelty to animals was high on the agenda last weekend.

I learned from Anna Cabrera, program director of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), that PAWS recently helped Marian Yutuc of Montalban. Yutuc filed a case before the prosecutor’s office against Christopher Babe and Gilbert Babe.

In the case filed, Yutuc claimed that the two men beat her leashed dog (an aspin named Kevin) to death before her very eyes — even as she pleaded for them to stop. According to her testimony and affidavit, the intoxicated Babe brothers were asking Yutuc to give Kevin to them as pulutan.

The case is pending in the municipal trial court of Rodriguez, Rizal as Criminal Case No.0912-273 — People of the Philippines versus Christopher and Gilbert Babe for violation of RA 8485 or The Animal Welfare Act.

“There have been many more case where PAWS helped helpless citizens in filing,” added Anna. “We have learned that there are so many pet lovers who are willing to go to court if their beloved pet is harmed.” 

* * *

 I asked Anna about the status of the Candare case — the one where UP student  Joseph Carlo Candare cruelly killed a cat and even boasted about his dastardly act.

Anna informed me that criminal case no. 10-00859 was filed in the metropolitan court of Quezon City.

Candare, 19, a physics student at UP, was indicted for killing a kitten on April 15, 2009.  Candare bragged about the kitten-kill in his blog where he  expressed his hatred for cats and the exhilarating pleasure he gets for killing them.  The blog was read worldwide and stirred angry reactions from various people here and abroad.

PAWS filed a complaint before the Office of the City Prosecutor.  PAWS also spearheaded the prosecution of the administrative case filed by Nancy H. Cu Unjieng of CARA, before the UP Student Disciplinary Tribunal.

The UP Student Disciplinary Tribunal in the administrative case said Candare’s action —  “deplorable though they may seem to some, if not most people, do not constitute any misconduct actionable under University rules”; thereby dismissing the case.

The good thing is that the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City has found probable cause to indict Candare for violation of RA 8485 based on his blog confessions; the affidavits of a UP student eyewitness and that of a university personnel; and the disclosures and manifestations of a UP faculty member. 

The case was filed and raffled to the Metropolitan Trial Court of Quezon City, Branch 40 under Judge Josephus de Asis.

Candare posted P4,000 bail last Nov. 9. Arraignment is set on March 21, 2011.

* * *

Over the weekend I also got an e-mail from Dinky Ang where she shares what happened to her in one of the malls on Dec. 4. 

Here are excerpts from Dinky’s e-mail:

I went to Rockwell Power Plant Mall because I was told that the mall is a pet-friendly mall.  

I was happy to bring my one-year-old Bichon Frise named Chandi to a new place she had never visited.

As a pet owner, I know that inside a mall we should carry or put the dog inside a bag or a stroller. 

Chand was carried by her nanny while in the mall. 

On our way to the carpark, I  remembered  that I needed something from True Value.  The nanny asked my permission to bring Chandi out of the store so they could wait for me in the bench outside.

When I was at the cashier ready to pay, the nanny went to me crying, carrying my bloodied Chandi.

She told me that a guy just used a knife to slash my Chandi’s nose.

My nanny told me that she put Chandi in a pushcart because Chandi had fallen asleep.  She was approached by a tall and big guy who looked at Chandi, and  then he bent down to blow Chandi’s nose.  Chandi was not pleased with what the man did because she was asleep so she woke up and started barking.  The nanny carried her and transferred to the other bench. They were followed by the man who then took a knife from his pocket and slashed the nose of Chandi.

I confronted the guy and he told me that Chandi tried to bite him. I asked him if he got bitten but he ignored me because all the people there saw how cruel the man was.  He kept shouting, “Papatayin ko aso mo.” 

* * *

There is a lot more information about the man who did the cruel act to Dinky’s dog. But we will leave that for another time.

In the meantime, Dinky sent me this e-mail to warn pet owners to be wary of stranger who approach their dogs in malls and other places.

* * *

And then some encouraging news, too.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia sent flowers to former President and current Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her son, Rep. Diosdado Macapagal-Arroyo, to commend them for recently co-authoring and filing House Bill 174, which, if passed, would ban the sale of shark and stingray parts throughout the country. The ban would also make the purchase, possession, and transport of any byproducts of these endangered species illegal. The proposed bill even has provisions that would make accidental killing or injury of the animals illegal as well as require that all animals who are caught accidentally be released immediately into the sea unharmed.

Humans kill nearly 100 million sharks and billions of other sea animals each year. Overfishing by “sport” and commercial fishers seeking shark fins and cartilage has undoubtedly put shark populations in peril. These fishers have also endangered swimmers and surfers by throwing bait into the water to draw sharks closer to the shore.

The Philippines is known to export shark fins to countries where it is illegal to hunt these sea creatures. Many compassionate Filipinos are concerned that Sorsogon, home to many endangered sharks, is fast becoming notorious for the mass slaughter of these animals. Photos of this massacre are already all over the Internet. Such cruelty would no doubt dampen the Department of Tourism’s recently launched plans to pitch the Philippines as a country of beauty and natural splendor.

 “While sharks aren’t particularly cuddly, they need our protection too,” says PETA Asia vice president of international operations Jason Baker. “The former President and her son are setting an example for all by asserting that there is simply no justification for pulling sharks out of the water, cutting off their fins, and then throwing them mercilessly back into the sea.”