Hontiveros seeks probe into pet crematorium scam

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros has filed a resolution seeking a Senate investigation into the unregulated commercial pet service industry following the discovery of dozens of dead pets abandoned in a vacant lot in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

Senate Resolution 762, filed yesterday, seeks a legislative inquiry into the alleged fraud involving pet owners who paid between P3,000 and more than P10,000 for cremation and other aftercare services.

The remains of 29 dogs and cats were found on Oct. 29 in Barangay Minuyan, stuffed into sacks labeled with their names and weights.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) had recorded 250 affected pet owners as of Nov. 4.

Hontiveros’ resolution also cited previous incidents in the same area, including sacks of dead dogs found in a septic tank in November 2025, 14 dead dogs discovered in May 2026 and more remains recovered from an abandoned pit on Nov. 3.

She stressed the urgency of establishing strict regulations to protect families, noting that Filipinos spent an estimated P95 billion on their pets in 2023, with 14.2 million households keeping companion animals.

The Bulacan police, led by acting provincial director Col. Jay Baybayan, said they had intensified monitoring, tightened checkpoints and deployed mobile patrols in strategic areas to help prevent similar incidents and identify those involved.

The police are also coordinating with local government units and other authorities to support the investigation and ensure that those responsible are held accountable under applicable laws.

P500K fine, jail time proposed

Meanwhile, a bill filed in the House of Representatives seeks to impose a maximum fine of P500,000 and up to four years in prison on pet crematorium operators who knowingly dump animal remains or misrepresent communal cremation as individual cremation.

House Bill 11785, filed by FPJ Panday Bayanihan party-list Rep. Brian Poe, seeks to regulate pet aftercare services, including cremation and burial, and establish penalties for violations.

Offenders would face fines ranging from P100,000 to P500,000, imprisonment of one to four years or both.

Poe filed the measure following the Bulacan pet crematorium reports.

Actor John Arcilla, who joined Poe at the bill’s presentation along with representatives of the Animal Kingdom Foundation and two pet owners who reportedly fell victim to a pet crematorium in Cavite, said he had his 11 dogs cremated.

He said he was distressed to think that the urns for his pets that he had kept beginning in 2004 might contain ordinary ash or, worse, manure.

“This is not just a piece of toy. We have a serious relationship with our pets, which is why we have given them that kind of decent burial or cremation, because we want to cherish and value our relationship with them,” he added.

“We are all victims here. We are calling on those who love their pets to go out and make noise. Our officials need to see our strength as a whole or in general. This issue has to be resolved sooner rather than later,” Arcilla said. — Ramon Efren Lazaro, Delon Porcalla