Negros slaughterhouse passes off dog meat as goat’s in Metro

BAGUIO CITY — An illegal slaughterhouse in Negros Occidental butchering dogs and shipping their meat, passing it off as goat meat, to Metro Manila was raided by authorities this week.

Volunteers of the London-based Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF) and operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), led by Chief Inspector Moises Villaceran, swooped down on the illegal slaughterhouse in Pulupandan town and found chains of dogs and a freezer full of dog meat, weighing at least 100 kilos.

No live dogs were found in the slaughterhouse, according to Brando Gegway, the AKF’s Northern Luzon representative.

In its campaign against animal cruelty, the AKF has been closely coordinating with Philippine authorities in rescuing dogs being transported to slaughterhouses.

Last month, at least 140 dogs "snatched" on the streets of Laguna were rescued by a joint police-AKF team at checkpoints in La Union while they were en route to Baguio City restaurants which serve dog dishes.

Gegway said the raid on the Negros Occidental slaughterhouse was covered by a search warrant issued by Bago City Executive Judge Henry Trocino.

Gegway said the slaughterhouse, reportedly owned by a municipal councilor, was under surveillance for several months.

The slaughterhouse was found not duly registered with the Department of Agriculture, a violation of Section 2 of Republic Act 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998.

AKF senior researcher Luis Buenaflor and veterinarian Winston Samaniego both confirmed that the slaughterhouse shipped dog meat to Metro Manila through a livestock company.