CAMARINES Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte on Tuesday said he wants the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to keep on pursuing alternative, relatively inexpensive, modes of treatment for unwell people in need of therapy, in line with the Marcos administration’s commitment to further expand both the number of beneficiaries and services in its public healthcare program.

Villafuerte, National Unity Party (NUP) president, made this call as he cited the DSWD for formally launching last weekend a novel initiative “Angel Pets,” in partnership with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), on providing animal-assisted therapy to children and women who are being cared for and under rehabilitation in the Department’s various Centers and Residential Care Facilities (CRCFs).

“This is a laudable partnership between the DSWD and PAWS on an innovative program to harness dogs in providing therapy through close interactions with women and children, especially those dealing with trauma, as a way to improve their emotional and psychological welfare,” said Villafuerte.

“We expect such lovely interactions between unwell people and therapy pets to yield positive results, given that dogs, like cats, are known to sense the mental and physical state of persons, and can be stress-busters in helping reduce anxiety, depression and loneliness among those they are in close regular interactions with,” said Villafuerte, who authored House Bill (HB) No. 6059 that seeks to amend and improve Republic Act (RA) No. 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 and RA 10631, which amended RA 8485.

“I am hoping that the DSWD will not stop here and will instead keep on pursuing other intervention programs designed to improve the physical and mental conditions especially of Filipinos who are unwell, in keeping with the President’s recent reiteration of his priority commitment to expand the delivery of healthcare services to our people,” Villafuerte said.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, on his Facebook account, bared that in the pilot event of “Angel Pets” last Nov. 16, a PAWS team of volunteer or emotional support dogs called “Dr. Dogs” visited young girls at the Marillac Hills National Training School for Girls (NSTG) in Mandaluyong City.

Gatchalian said in a Facebook post that, “This program will bring the Doctor Dogs of PAWS into our residential care facilities as another mode of emotional therapy for our clients who are victim-survivors of abuse, exploitation, and neglect.”

Helen Suzara, director of the DSWD’s Social Technology Bureau (STB), was quoted in a report as saying that the “meet and greet” session between the pets and the Marillac residents last weekend served as a warm-up activity and a preview for the program’s upcoming sessions to “build connections through activities we co-arranged with PAWS.”

The PAWS’ partnership with the DSWD on “Angel Pets” was drawn up during this volunteer-led non-profit organization (NPO)’s anniversary celebration last October.

The NSTG at Marilac Hills provides residential care and rehabilitation for minor girls aged 7 to 17 who are survivors of sexual abuse or human trafficking or are children in conflict with the law, and where they are given temporary shelter and protective custody while going through rehabilitation.

In separate events in September, the President stressed that public healthcare was his No. 1 priority, saying his government will be relentless in pursuing a globally competitive healthcare system especially for underprivileged Filipinos.

Mr. Marcos said his commitment on providing prompt healthcare action was “built upon our thrust to improve people’s access to healthcare, especially in vulnerable communities and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.”

PAWS is a Quezon City-based NPO advocating the humane treatment of all animals.

In the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on “Angel Pets” that was signed last October by Gatchalian and PAWS executive director Anna Cabrera, the NPO is tapping therapy dogs in intervention programs for DSWD clients, particularly young girls at its NTSG in Alabang, Muntinlupa City and women at its Sanctuary Center in Welfareville, Mandaluyong City.

The Sanctuary Center, meanwhile, is a DSWD-NCR facility that serves as a refuge place for abandoned, neglected and unattached adult women 18 to 59 years of age and who have improved psycho-social disability.

These two facilities are the “Angel Pets” pilot areas among the 12 CRCFs of the DSWD-National Capital Region (NCR) office that extend care, protection and rehabilitation to different disadvantaged sectors.

In HB 6059, Villafuerte aims to put more weight on the “Animal Welfare Act,” as amended, by, among others, slapping harsher penalties on errant individuals, establishing a Bureau to be attached to the Department of Agriculture (DA) to safeguard the rights of animals, and deputizing animal welfare enforcement officers with the powers to seize and rescue maltreated or illegally traded animals and arrest violators.

Villafuerte has called on both the House and Senate to consider upgrading RA 8485 and RA 10631 during the remaining session weeks of the 19th Congress.

Otherwise known as “The Revised Animal Welfare Act,” HB 6509 seeks to create an Animal Welfare Bureau (AWB) as a DA-attached agency that shall have regional, provincial and municipal offices to carry out the provisions of this Act.

As a line bureau, this proposed AWB shall:

· Establish an emergency animal response and rescue system to appropriately respond in cases of calamities such as but not limited to floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters;

Promulgate guidelines for humane slaughter of animals, in consultation with the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), local government units (LGUs) and other concerned government agencies;

Implement a system for inspection of animal facilities to ensure compliance with animal welfare standards and regulations;

Monitor compliance of LGUs with animal welfare programs, standards, rules and regulations; and

Ensure proper coordination with non-government organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (POs) and the academe for the strict enforcement of the Act’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR).

As proposed by Villafuerte’s bill, the DA Secretary shall deputize animal welfare enforcement officers from NGOs, POs, citizens’ groups, community organizations and other volunteers who have undergone necessary training for this purpose.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other law enforcement agencies shall, under the bill, designate animal welfare enforcement officers who shall assist in the implementation of this Act.

Villafuerte’s bill makes it unlawful to torture, abuse, exploit any animal, to neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat any animals, cause or procure to be tortured, or deprive such animals of adequate care sustenance or shelter, or maltreat or use the same in research or experiments not expressly authorized by the proposed AWB.

Also, the bill prohibits subjecting animals to fights such as but not limited to dog fighting, carabao or bull fighting or horse fighting and the like, not authorized or regulated by law.

The bill requires LGUs, in coordination with the AWB municipal, provincial or regional offices, to implement a mandatory spaying and/or neutering of stray dogs, cats and other animals identified by the Bureau.

HB 6509 slaps a penalty of imprisonment of 6 months and a minimum fine of P30,000 on any person who subjects any animal to cruelty, torture, maltreatment or any of the prohibited acts under the bill.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ryan Ponce Pacpaco