Barangay exec in hot water for killing dog

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya —- A barangay official here is in hot water for allegedly ordering the slaughter of his neighbor’s dog.

But he may be able to get away with a comparatively light sentence for a crime that would merit a harsher penalty in other countries.

Barangay elder Rizalino Villanueva was accused of violating the Animal Welfare Act after he reportedly ordered the slaughter of a Labrador owned by Rev. Crisanto Tenorio, a pastor of the Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ.

If convicted, Villanueva may face up to two years in prison or a fine of P1,000 under the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 — a relatively light sentence for a law that is rarely enforced in country where dog meat is considered a delicacy.

In California recently, a man was sentenced to nine years in prison for stabbing a dog. The animal survived.

The Tenorios are accusing Villanueva of ordering his workers to butcher the Labrador, which had broken away from its leash last March 21.The dog wandered into Villanueva’s farm where two workers reportedly butchered it for pulutan or bar chow.

The two farm workers — Arnel Bautista and Arthur Rivera — signed a joint statement claiming Villanueva ordered them to slaughter the stray dog.

The two claimed dividing the meat where Villanueva got the two legs, the head, the hip and the neck of the dog.

The law even provides lengthy exceptions for killing dogs and other animals, especially if the killing is "part of a religious ritual or as an ethnic custom."

In northern Philippines, particularly in Baguio City, dog meat is still considered a delicacy, an indication that little is being done to enforce the law on animal rights.

The Philippines has a long way to go in enforcing animal rights as compared to other countries.

In Cal;ifornia Hugo Vargas Garcia was sentenced to nine years in state prison after he was convicted of stabbing his niece’s German shepherd between the eyes. The dog managed to survive the attack.

A witness testified seeing Garcia plunge a Swiss army knife into the two-year-old dog’s skull because he was upset by its barking.

US Judge Anita Dymant said the attack reveals a "high degree of callousness and viciousness" on the part of Garcia, who had put up a defense of being "a paranoid schizophrenic."

In the Nueva Vizcaya case, Villanueva can simply pay up — with no extra charge.

But he denied slaughtering the dog for viand, hence the complaint against him.

The Tenorios also sought Villanueva’s suspension aside from reimbursement of P45,000 for the dog and another P50,000 for moral damages and costs of the suit.

The complainants alleged the dog was able to extricate itself from the leash and strayed around the neighborhood for several days.

The incident turned into a controversy after Villanueva allegedly backed out of an agreement to reimburse the Tenorios or replace the three-year-old Labrador with another imported breed.

Villanueva, a councilman of Barangay Bonfal West here, denied having agreed with the Tenorios and claimed he was away when the dog was butchered.

Barangay chairman Dionisio Laureta said the Tenorios even brought up their complaint before the town council, prompting the aldermen to conduct a hearing and investigation on the abuse of authority and grave misconduct on the part of Villanueva.

The incidents reflect the worldwide concern over animal rights where the Philippines has been consistently put in the world map for its dog meat trade and its relevance to Filipino culture.

According to the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), an estimated 100,000 dogs are illegally slaughtered each year.

Foreigners may find it difficult to understand why Filipinos eat dog meat as a delicacy and even as a kind of aphrodisiac.

Even after the Animal Welfare Act was enacted in 1998, the law has been difficult to implement since the practice of slaughtering dogs is still rampant and the penalties are too light to be enforced.