Low number of animal cruelty cases upsets PAWS

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is “upset” with online users who opt to post animal cruelty incidents on social media, instead of filing a case in court.

PAWS chief Anna Cabrera, when asked about a cat-kicking incident at Ayala Triangle Gardens (ATG) in Makati, said the organization “can’t do anything about the video” unless the aggrieved party submits a complaint.

“There’s a tendency for people to try to do the posting first before the affidavit. That’s not ideal because if they do this, the perpetrator will have the time to make up an excuse, a defense for the crime or go into hiding,” Cabrera told The STAR in a phone interview yesterday.

The CARA Welfare Philippines, a volunteer animal group, sought help on Thursday to locate a Chinese man who kicked a frail community cat at ATG on Jan. 4.

The cat, named “Ken” by volunteers, suffered liver and gallbladder damage and died two days after.

Rowena Taniegra, a volunteer for overseeing community cats at ATG and Glorietta, said ATG guards apprehended the Chinese, but authorities failed to file charges.

“The ATG guards brought the suspect to Barangay Bel-Air along with two witnesses who saw what he did. But the guards said he couldn’t be detained because he didn’t provide an address, a requisite before filing a case, and he asked us to write a letter to the Chinese embassy,” Taniegra told The STAR in Filipino.

Taniegra said they wrote a letter to the embassy, with assistance from Ayala Land, which owns the urban park, but has yet to receive a response.

The CARA Welfare Philippines is firm in charging the Chinese and holding him accountable, she added.

“Every chance that we get, like this, we will do something to make the public aware that people are actually filing cases to people who harm animals,” Taniegra said.

Cabrera said she is upset by the cat-kicking incident due to the failure to file a case against the suspect even after three months.

She lamented that the prevailing trend in animal cruelty cases is to post on social media first and then leave the perpetrator unaccountable.

The Animal Welfare Act of 1998 penalizes anyone who tortures an animal, neglects to provide adequate care, sustenance or shelter and maltreats any animal.