Non-governmental organization Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) warned that the proposed Revised Animal Welfare Act could do more harm than good for the country’s animals.
“Despite being presented as a step forward, the bill in its current form significantly weakens legal protections for animals and undermines many hard-won gains as well as risks rolling back years of progress in animal welfare in the Philippines,” PAWS said on Instagram.
The organization said that concerns raised regarding the bill have not yet been addressed. “While we acknowledge the good intentions behind this legislative effort and recognize the lawmakers who have taken the initiative to revise the law, this bill, at its current state, is not what the animals need or deserve.”
One of PAWS’ concerns is the bill’s “dangerous redefinition of animals,” pointing out that animals under the legislation would only be defined as “domesticated vertebrate and invertebrate species under the control of man,” excluding wild animals and domesticated non-mammalian species. “Under this proposed law, acts of cruelty against wildlife [like] dolphins, whalesharks, eagles, and tarsiers, or even pets like birds and reptiles, may no longer be punishable.” They added that the proposed definition is a step backward as the existing Animal Welfare Act already protects all animals.
PAWS also pointed out a loophole in dog meat prohibition, which they worried would be limited to the bill’s mentioned “commercial dog meat trade.” “This creates a dangerous loophole that allows individuals to claim that killing dogs for personal consumption is ‘non-commercial’ and thus not prohibited,” the organization said.
The bill would also provide a “legal pathway” for animal fighting, according to PAWS. “The proposed bill redefines the prohibition on animal fighting by inserting the phrase ‘not authorized or regulated by law,’” they said. “This creates the alarming possibility that animal fighting could be made legal or allowed through local ordinances, as long as it is ‘regulated.’”
Other concerns raised by PAWS are weaker penalties for animal cruelty and the removal of automatic maximum penalties for convicted public officers and employees. “We cannot be making the law more lax towards those who have the responsibility to protect animals.”
PAWS called on lawmakers to revisit the bill and revise it through “wide consultation with more concerned animal welfare experts, veterinarians, advocacy groups, and the broader public.”
The Senate unanimously voted to approve the Revised Animal Welfare Act on its third reading on Monday, June 2. According to Senator Grace Poe’s explanatory note, the bill seeks to repeal the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 to “fortify the law’s animal welfare provisions” and create an Animal Welfare Bureau to implement and enforce the law. The bill also aims to include mandatory animal welfare education for grade school and high school students. Poe urged the House of Representatives to pass a counterpart bill to complete the legislative process.
On Wednesday, June 4, the House Committee on Agriculture held a hearing, where PAWS presented their concerns to Congress. According to PAWS, committee chair Quezon Province First District Representative Mark Enverga said that the bill cannot be rushed.
