City thinking of a law to protect residents from rabies

BANKING on the virtue of responsible pet ownership, city councilors recently proposed an ordinance to protect residents from rabies. In a public hearing at City Hall last week, Committee on Health chairman Councilor Erdolfo Balajadia said there is a need to reiterate the nationally implemented Rabies Act to fully protect residents from the deadly infection.

Although no rabies cases have been reported in the city since 2005, increasing cases of dog bites have been reported every year, city veterinarian Brigit Piok said.


Through the ordinance, introduced by Balajadia and Councilor Perlita Chan-Rondez, city and barangay rabies prevention and control committee will be formed to formulate policies and implement guidelines pertaining to rabies prevention and control measures.
Councilor Betty Lourdes Tabanda, meanwhile, said the measure would prevent dangers of dog bites increasing in the city through registration of the city’s canine population.

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She said registration of dogs is already being implemented in Barangays MRR–Queen of Peace and City Camp Proper. Through the ordinance, mandatory registration and immunization of dogs, responsible pet ownership, dog pounding and response to rabies cases will be heightened.

Stakeholders at the public hearing agreed for a P100 one-time registration fee for dogs, which already includes a dog tag to identify the owner, breed and other details of the dog.

Dog tags must be worn by registered dogs in public places and owners are also required to keep their dogs on a leash while being walked in public areas.

Dog meat consumers, meanwhile, aired their sentiments on a provision of the ordinance banning the slaughtering and consuming of dogs. However, lawyer Heidi Caguioa of the Animal Kingdom Foundation reiterated consumption and slaughtering of dog meat is not allowed especially for commercial purposes.

This, she said, had long been stated in the Animal Welfare Act. She added humane means of slaughtering dogs for rituals are also being stipulated in the implementing rules and regulations of the law.


Dogs, she claimed, may be slaughtered only for religious or indigenous rituals or practices upon the supervision of the village chief and the indigenous local priest who would conduct the ritual.

Ownership, ideally, but not mandatory have also been proposed in the ordinance to be limited to three dogs per household only except for registered dog breeders, Balajadia said.

Failure of pet owners to have their dogs immunized against rabies may be punished with a fine of P2,000.

Should a dog bite a person, the pet owners will be subjected to penalties such as payment of vaccine and other treatment expenses of the victim.

The dog owner may also be held liable if his pet had bitten a human and was not placed under observation. Dog meat traders will also be fined with P5,000 for trading dog meat, while owners who fail to place their dogs on a leash in public places will be fined P500 for every incident.

Other fines were also set for owners of impounded of dogs, inhumane slaughterers of dogs and quack doctors practicing “tandok” shall likewise be punished under existing anti-rabies law.
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