CITY of Naga Mayor Valdemar Chiong vowed to launch an investigation concerning reports of the mass poisoning of stray dogs and cats at a private subdivision in Barangay Inoburan.

Saying that it was his first time to hear about it, Chiong told SunStar Cebu on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023, that he plans to convene the City’s staff to investigate the matter.

Chiong said he was surprised that residents of Casa Mira South Subdivision in Barangay Inoburan resorted to mass poisoning stray dogs as they could have always sought the City Government’s help in impounding the dogs if the homeowners had a problem with them.

Chiong said the City has its own dog pound located in Barangay Naalad.

Meanwhile, local police in the City of Naga who are investigating the incident said they have yet to secure any lead as to who was behind the mass poisoning of stray dogs and other animals at the Casa Mira South Subdivision.

Lt. Col. Junel Caadlawon, chief of the City of Naga Police Station, said they will ask permission from the subdivision’s maintenance personnel and homeowners to review their respective CCTV footage in order to identify the culprit.

They will also conduct a cleanup drive around the subdivision to remove traces of the poison.

Earlier this week, concerned citizens and pro-animal rights groups planned to file charges against several individuals that were allegedly involved in the poisoning of around 50 dogs and cats inside the subdivision.

The stray animals reportedly ate food soaked in Racumin, a brand of poison used to kill rats and mice, that were sprinkled on the village’s roads.

Though the poisoning initially targeted stray dogs, pet owners living in the subdivision were alarmed after their own pets were also poisoned after coming in contact with the laced food while walking around the subdivision.

Following complaints from netizens and concerned residents of the subdivision, pro-animal welfare advocates from the Island Rescue Organization or IRO, Happy Tails Philippines and other groups accompanied personnel from the City of Naga Police Station to the subdivision on Wednesday, Feb. 1, to investigate the matter.

During the investigation, the group found corpses of poisoned dogs in some of the subdivision’s untended units.

The pro-animal welfare groups vowed to file charges against those responsible. (JKV, AYB / TPT)