Low-income residents in Marikina City are living in fear of losing their precious pooches over a law that forbids dog ownership in resettlement areas.
Proponents of the ban under Ordinance No. 156, including local city officials and veterinarians, say that it is only meant to make sure dogs don’t end up in bad situations where they might cause diseases and be mistreated.
But 19-year-old resident “Jenny” told the Inquirer that she feels like she’s living under martial law. She said that she has been hiding her two dogs in her house in a in a resettlement area in Barangay (village) Malanday, and that City Hall employees had previously aggressively rounded up local dogs. Jenny’s third dog Cha-cha was already seized by City Hall employees and put in a shelter in Barnday Concepion. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes: The animals (kept in the pound) are dying,” said “Jenny.”
Animal welfare activists have also criticized the law for discriminating against poorer people who live in resettlement areas.
Head of the Marikina City Veterinarian Office Dr. Manuel Carlos, for his part, said that ban is only meant to protect residents from diseases and pets from animal cruelty. “I hope they understand. Never mind if some of them get mad at me, just as long as the majority (believe it’s a good law),” he said.
