THE Cebu City Council has asked the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO) and the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Fisheries (DVMF) to comply with RA 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act.
In an approved resolution filed by Councilor Jose Lorenzo Abellanosa on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024, the Council moved to ask the CCDRRMO and DVMF to issue advisories during natural calamities for the preservation of pet animals in flood and landslide-prone areas in the city.
RA 8485, Section 6, says “it shall be unlawful for any person to torture, neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat any animal.”
“We have seen and heard harrowing videos and stories/anecdotes of pet animals who were left to survive and fend for themselves their own devices during natural disasters such as floods,” wrote Abellanosa in his resolution.
Last July 24, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) upgraded Carina from a tropical depression into a super typhoon, with winds of 185 to 230 kilometer per hour.
Typhoon Carina caused significant disruptions, including flight cancellations, suspended classes, flooding, landslides, and traffic jams.
Pagasa reported that Super Typhoon Carina had exited the Philippine area of responsibility on July 25.
With Carina having exited Philippines, reports said the aftermath uncovered an unverified number of dogs and cats drowned in their cages at the onslaught of the typhoon.
DVMF head Alice Yutang, in an interview on Wednesday, Aug. 7, said they do not want what happened in Luzon, where impounded dogs were left to drown in floodwater, to happen in Cebu.
Yutang said she will wait for a copy of the resolution before making any public advisories. / JPS