Poe calls for swift action against animal abusers

Senator Grace Poe on Saturday urged authorities to intensify efforts in identifying and prosecuting individuals involved in animal abuse.

"The alarming cases of animal abuse and neglect in the country are of great concern, and urgent, firm action is needed to stop them," Poe said in a press statement on Saturday.

She emphasized that allowing such cruelty to go unpunished would only encourage further mistreatment.

"This must not be condoned. Dapat may masampolan na," she added.

Poe’s statement follows another case of animal cruelty in Murcia, Negros Occidental, where a dog named Bulldog was shot with an arrow in Barangay Caliban. 

There was also an incident in Barangay Blumentritt, where a dog named Tiktok suffered wounds from five dart arrows.

Poe urged law enforcement to relentlessly pursue the perpetrators and called on the public to share any information that could help identify them.

She also pushed for the passage of Senate Bill No. 2458, which seeks to strengthen animal welfare standards, enforce stricter regulations, and impose tougher penalties on violators. 

The bill also proposes the establishment of an Animal Welfare Bureau under the Department of Agriculture to oversee nationwide animal protection efforts.

The bill is now awaiting third reading approval.

"We must take animal abuse cases with the seriousness and urgency they deserve. Abusers must be prosecuted to make the law an effective deterrent," she noted. —Sherylin Untalan/ VAL, GMA Integrated News