Monday, March 19, 2007 Amendment to animal welfare law sought
A GROUP of restaurant operators in Baguio and La Trinidad is asking the author of the Animal Welfare Act to amend the law.
The United Preservation of Indigenous Culture and Cuisine (Upicc), a group of restaurant operators serving dog meat, has asked Senator Edgardo Angara to propose amendment to Republic Act (RA) 8485 to be more accommodating to them. The senator is among the authors of the law.
Adamant that the eating of dog meat is part of the diet of several people in Cordillera and other parts of the country, the group said the law has been discriminating to these individuals.
"There is discrimination. Why does the law prohibit a person from eating his favorite food? If people in other countries do not eat dog meat, that is (because it is not part) of their customs and traditions," Upicc stated in a letter to Angara.
It said Igorot families who are domesticating dogs know how to distinguish dogs that are for pet purposes and those that could be used for other purposes.
The group claimed RA 8485 is now being used by law enforcement authorities and other agencies to harass and extort (money from) dog traders, slaughterhouses and establishments serving dog meat and even individuals eating it.
RA 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act bans the slaughtering of dogs for purposes other than those that are required by customary practices and traditions.
Some rituals in Cordillera require the butchering of dogs since the animal serves as an offering.
Benguet Vice Governor Crescencio Pacalso also said in earlier consultations that the dog meat could be used to cure some form of ailments.
Implementers of the law have said in various forums that they respect the traditions of the indigenous peoples, saying what they are against is the commercialization of dog meat.
Health authorities, on the other hand, said dogs are not considered food animals and warn that eating its meat could cause diseases to humans. (JC)
