THE founder of Happy Animals Club has reached out to Davao City Mayor Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, urging his intervention in the recent closure of the animal shelter.
In a video shared on the animal shelter's Facebook page on the evening of October 20, owner Ken Amante highlighted the overwhelming support from a petition led by the PAWSsion Project, which amassed 33,000 signatures opposing the shelter's shutdown.
Amante expressed optimism that Duterte would find a resolution to the issue.
"Honorable Mayor Sebastian 'Baste' Duterte, 33,000 people have signed that they are against the unjust closure of our shelter. I really hope I get a chance to meet with you and find a solution to this situation," Amante said.
He added, “Make no mistake, those who want the shelter shut down are hoping that the outcry will die down, and this whole thing will blow over. I'm not going to let that happen. I will be posting appeal after appeal until the closure order, which is completely baseless, is reversed."
On October 20, at approximately 1 p.m., the City Health Office (CHO) initiated a re-investigation into the alleged bias surrounding the shelter's closure, amid mounting concerns, particularly on social media.
The closure has drawn criticism from pet enthusiasts and organizations, who have expressed their discontent and opinions across various social media platforms.
However, in a Facebook statement from the animal shelter, they refuted the CHO's claims of obstructing the health inspector's entry. They also alleged that the City Government of Davao's Facebook page is actively deleting comments in their favor.
“This was disappointing to read. Instead of acknowledging the public outcry and promising to work towards a solution with us, the statement contains blatant lies: It says we denied city health inspectors entry. WE NEVER DENIED ENTRY TO ANY CITY OFFICIAL [sic],” the animal shelter’s statement wrote.
Notably, CHO-Environmental Sanitation Division chief Luzminda Paig said in a radio interview that their team was denied entry twice when attempting to inspect the animal shelter.
“Wala siya nakasulod, kay wala siya gipasulod… Walay nag-assist [sa inspector], nga naay daghang iro sa gawas, nga daghang iro pod, mga tulo yata ‘to [ang nag-atang] (The city inspector was not able to enter because he wasn't allowed to enter. No one assisted the inspector when there were many dogs outside),” Paig said in a radio interview, October 20.
The city government of Davao issued the closure order in response to complaints filed about foul odors and noise disturbances originating from the shelter as early as May 2023.
These grievances were lodged with the city government office and the Office of the Punong Barangay of Matina Aplaya. According to CHO’s statement, four warnings were issued to the animal shelter before the eventual closure.
In light of the shelter’s closure based on a "baseless complaint," Amante voiced apprehension about facing permanent closure due to a complaint filed by neighbors before the city government of Davao.
The CHO-Environmental Sanitation Division assured the public that a thorough investigation would be conducted to address allegations of "impartiality" in the closure. They also expressed a readiness to engage with Amante to resolve the situation. ICE