More funding for animal welfare programs urged

CEBU, Philippines — An animal welfare advocate recently criticized the Cebu City government's alleged lack of political will in implementing existing pet laws.

Norman Marquez said the “extortionate” P200 registration fee provided under City Ordinance 2526, or the Animal Welfare Ordinance of Cebu City, should already provide the city with enough funds for anti-rabies vaccines.

He aired his concerns during a public hearing for Councilor Paul Labra’s proposed ordinance titled "An Ordinance Establishing Guidelines on Responsible Pet Ownership, Humane Community Pet Care and Stray Animal Management in the City of Cebu" on Tuesday, May 19.

"We have so much. We only exercise our political will to discipline and register these pet owners, even if it's P50 (registration fee), we’ll have a hundred million. We have so much to buy the medicine,” Marquez said.

Meanwhile, he said that “humane community pet care” and “stray animal management” principles are provisions that contain inconsistencies and contraventions.

Marquez said the principles in the proposed ordinance were problematic. He claimed that the measure tolerates strays through the Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (CNVR) program, where animals are released after the initiative.

“Since the enactment of the Anti-Rabies Act and the 1998 Animal Welfare Act, after two and a half decades, and one and a half decades since the 2007 Anti-Rabies Act, we feel that we are still a failure,” Marquez said.

Marquez also emphasized the need to delve into the root of the problem and for the City Council to fully support and help provide a budget for the implementation of the measure.

He said stray animals are not the problem, stressing that they will continue to exist and grow in number, while noting the lack of budget for spay and neuter programs. — Michaela Tabar, CNU Intern/MRM (FREEMAN)