ON Wednesday evening, October 18, a non-government organization launched an online petition opposing the closure of the Happy Animals Club Shelter in Davao City.
Malou Perez, the founder of the PAWSsion Project, initiated the petition intending to gather 15,000 signatures to call on officials of the City Government of Davao to conduct "a thorough reassessment of the decision to close the animal shelter".
The plea also called for an open dialogue between the shelter and relevant authorities to address concerns raised and find mutually agreeable solutions. It also aimed to show support and recognize the contributions of the Happy Animals Club and offer assistance in securing a more suitable location if necessary.
“We, the undersigned, are deeply troubled and alarmed by the unjust order to close the Happy Animals Club shelter in Davao. This shelter, which began as the selfless effort of a young boy named Ken, has transformed countless lives of stray animals and stands as a testament to the power of compassion in our community,” the petition stated.
In a radio interview, Leah Daño, one of the animal shelter rescuers, said that the closure order was issued two weeks ago. She expressed shock at the decision of the city government, adding that they sought help from different organizations to determine their next steps.
“Kailangan na daw mi mobalhin kay naabot na daw sa higher office ang among issue, ingon nila na mobalhin mi, wala sila naghatag og laing solution (They said that we need to move out from the animal shelter because the issue has reached a higher office, and they told us to transfer, and they have not provided any other solution),” Daño said.
On October 19, the owner of the animal shelter, Ken Amante, expressed concern through a Facebook video that their shelter would be permanently closed over a "baseless complaint."
The video included closed-circuit television footage in which officials can be heard suggesting that the "shelter could be abandoned, their license revoked, and the animals inside confiscated".
In a television interview, CHO officer-in-Charge Dr. Tomas Miguel Ababon stated they have "no comments yet" regarding the closure of the animal shelter, as they await the city government’s directive.
Sunstar Davao attempted to reach out to the CHO through phone calls, text messages, and face-to-face interviews, but no response was received from the office.
Sunstar Davao remains open to hearing the side of the CHO should they be willing to provide a statement. ICE
