Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong has doubled down on his order for the intensified implementation of Republic Act 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, and warned violators that they will be charged with the full extent of the law. He said the city government absolutely does not condone but rather condemns in the strongest possible terms any acts of cruelty done to animals.
He recently received a text message from a resident of Irisan barangay where two alleged incidents of dog butchering occurred where the first canine involved was spared due to the timely intervention of a concerned individual. Unfortunately, the second dog, a husky that was reported missing, was not so lucky, as it was allegedly “butchered and consumed” by several construction workers of a nearby resort in the area, according to witnesses and the owners themselves, the text message revealed. The dog’s owners reported the incident at Police Station 9 and filed a blotter in case they decide to press charges against the perpetrators.
The mayor earlier received reports that several local eateries are allegedly serving dog meat dishes to their customers. He asked City Veterinary and Agriculture Officer Dr. Silardo Bested about the matter and disclosed the Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF), a non-profit animal welfare non-government organization, is appealing to the city government to help stop the illegal trade.
Bested informed the mayor there is “definitely no slaughtering of dogs happening in the city” and claimed that the source of dog meat is from the lowlands. He stressed there is no open selling of dog meat in the public market or even in restaurants.
He added “buy-bust” operations should be conducted on suspected establishments selling dog meat. He said a restaurant along Marcos Highway was caught recently by personnel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and AKF for allegedly selling dog meat dishes to its customers.
RA 8485, as amended by RA 10631, promotes and safeguards the welfare and wellbeing of animals and provides penalties for the violation of its provisions.
Meanwhile, the mayor signed city council Resolution 290, s. 2022 commending Adonis V. Togana for his “timeless efforts of volunteerism in teaching mathematics to students during the pandemic through online and limited face-to-face.”
Togana is a mathematics teacher at Joaquin Smith National High School and has been in the teaching field for 32 years in public and private schools.
Togana wrote the book “Let’s Play Math” that made use of games and strategies for competitive learning endeavors as media for teaching mathematics.These games include polynomial races, geometric bingos, and educational mathematics cards.
“In sharing these among students from Baguio and other places, it was proven that learning mathematics can really be fun with the right innovations and strategies. For the love of teaching mathematics and despite physical and medical challenges, Togana continues to teach near and far and share to students and mentors alike these strategies of learning of mathematics with fun,” the measure stated.
It stressed his dedication, efforts and contributions as a teacher and civic volunteer brings great honor and pride to the City of Baguio and serves as an inspiration to his colleagues and associates.
May our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ continue to bless and keep us all safe.
