142.5 kilos of dog meat seized in Baguio City market

BAGUIO CITY — In yet another tack to cut off the supply chain of the dog meat trade in the city and nearby Benguet, agriculture officials and leaders of an animal welfare group swooped down on the meat section of the city market early this week, seizing 142.5 kilos of dog meat.

The city government and the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC) of the Department of Agriculture earlier created Task Force Bantay Karne to go after sellers of dog meat.

The Consumer Act and Animal Welfare Act and a city ordinance ban the slaughter of dogs and sale of dog meat.

Despite these laws, dog meat is still being sold at the city market for P75 per kilo.

Brando Gegway, Northern and Central Luzon officer of the London-based Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF), said at least six dog slaughterhouses are operating in Baguio City alone.

During the first quarter, the AKF and the police raided a slaughterhouse here and rescued more than four dozen dogs.

According to Gegway, at least seven sacks of dog meat — or about six to seven dogs — are sold in the city market daily.