Man fined P5,000 for killing, eating dog

MANILA, Philippines — A man in Caloocan City was fined P5,000 but spared a prison term for killing a dog and cooking it as a meal last March 17.

In a June 14 order handed down by Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 52 Judge Dorothy Grace Daguna-Inciong, Roberto Olivar was convicted for violating the amended Animal Welfare Act and fined P5,000.

Animal lover Emma Manalili yesterday said she reported Olivar to the police after seeing a video posted on Facebook showing him bashing the head of a dog and bringing the animal into his house to cook.

His neighbors told Manalili they heard the dog crying as he flayed the animal alive, according to the complainant, who rescues stray dogs and cats and owns 17 dogs and 12 cats to date.

When she handed down the order, Daguna-Inciong, who also owns three dogs, warned the convict that she would make sure he will be sentenced the maximum prison term if he is caught killing dogs again.

According to the amended Animal Welfare Act, a convicted animal killer shall be imprisoned for one year and six months to two years, fined an amount not exceeding P100,000 or both.

Olivar pleaded guilty to killing the dog. 

In the video, Olivar was seen bashing the head of the dog before feeding his four other dogs. The dogs, two of which were the offspring of the slain dog, have been rescued and turned over to an animal shelter, Manalili said.

Olivar apparently raised the dogs to be eaten and had been doing it until his arrest. The uploader of the video, his neighbor, was not interested in filing the complaint, Manalili said.

The P5,000 fine was also lower than the P20,000 bail posted by Olivar after nine days in detention, the complainant added.