A man from Payatas A in Quezon City was charged this week with animal cruelty after shooting a neighbor’s dog with an air gun.
According to the Facebook page of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, which helped file the complaint, Marilou Magtibay’s dog Bamba “staggered back into their home bleeding from the side of her chest” on July 12. The dog died soon after.
A witness identified Alfredo Roxas Sr. as the shooter, and a complaint was filed against him at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
PAWS has been helping file cases for violations of the Animal Welfare Act because, it said, “the filing of criminal charges helps save many animals from would-be animal offenders, and help gain closure for those who have been victimized.”
Among the cases PAWS filed was against a University of the Philippines student who admitted on his blog, since deleted, that he killed a cat on campus. The case was the first conviction for animal cruelty in the Philippines.
Violating the Animal Welfare Act carries a penalty of imprisonment of from six months to two years and a fine of from P1,000 to P5,000.
—
Photo: PAWS
