Motorists leaving cats on Skyway ramps to die?

MANILA, Philippines - An online petition gaining support in platform Change.org has alleged that some motorists are intentionally leaving unwanted cats or kittens on Skyway ramps to die.

“Every morning when I drive to work, I would often see flattened cats on Skyway ramps. What on earth were these cats doing on an elevated expressway? They just dropped from the sky?” said Ime Buela in the petition that listed over 1,700 supporters as of yesterday afternoon.

“It should not take rocket science to know the answer: some motorists left their unwanted cats or kittens on the elevated ramp, because this was the easiest way to get rid of their cats. Easy way to kill cats, but brutal,” she said.

Buela asked the Skyway management, which has yet to issue a statement on the matter, to impose a penalty on motorists who intentionally abandon cats on the ramp.

“Skyway has (closed-circuit television or CCTV cameras) they can use to catch the culprits,” she said.

The petitioner said that while this might be the least of Skyway’s concerns, there are people who care and would want the management to do something about it.

“It’s time that these people get what they deserve. It’s time to teach them a lesson. It’s time the Skyway management stop turning a blind eye on this disgusting practice,” read the petition.

Buela also suggested that the alleged motorists who leave animals on the ramps be reported to the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), as the group may go after them.

“The act of abandoning an animal with the intention of killing it or resulting in the death of the animal is a violation against the Animal Welfare Act of 1998,” she said.

Based on Republic Act 10631, which amended the Animal Welfare Act, the penalty for cruelty, maltreatment or neglect that results in the animal’s death may be imprisonment of up to two years, a fine not exceeding P100,000 or both.

“For some people maybe these are just cats. But for all responsible pet owners and pet lovers, these cats are family,” Buela added.

PAWS looking into the incident

In an interview with The STAR, PAWS executive director Anna Cabrera joined the petitioners in urging the Skyway management to look into the matter.

“Maybe they can use their CCTVs to monitor the areas,” she said, adding that they are even willing to meet with the Skyway management to discuss the issue.

But instead of reporting to PAWS, Cabrera said people who see motorists who abandon animals should report them to law enforcement agents who can make the arrest. “We’re not law enforcers, it’s going to take a toll on us to investigate,” she said.

Cabrera, however, said that they are willing to be the lead complainant in the filing of the cases once all relevant information about the incident is gathered and submitted to them.

She said that they could not proceed with the filing of charges in some of the complaints that they receive because those who tell them about the incidents are not willing to issue affidavits or become witnesses.

“It is important for Filipinos to participate in the filing of cases if we really want to end this,” she said, stressing that no one has yet to be convicted in the Philippines for abandoning their pets.

She noted that they had an earlier meeting with the Metro Manila Development Authority following similar reports along EDSA.