Benjie, one of the dogs who died on Saturday in a compound in Barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City due to alleged poisoning. | Contributed photo
MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – Helen Cabrera Durado was devastated when her fur baby, whom she named Benjie, died on Saturday, December 2.
Durado, a resident of Aliño Compound in Barangay Cabancalan, Mandaue City, said that Benjie, who was looking very weak, came to her as she was standing outside of their house at about 9 p.m. on Saturday, “as if asking for help.”
She tried to comfort her pet for seven years, but he later on died after he suffered from seizure.
“Nihilak gyud ko kay pinangga gyud nako akoang iro,” Durado said.
Durado suspect that Benjie, whom she treated like a son, was poisoned.
Benjie was among the seven dogs and five cats that died in their compound on Saturday.
Foreign national summoned
Pet owners, including Durado, have filed a complaint at the Cabancalan barangay hall against one of their neighbors, a foreign national whom they suspect was behind the killing of their pets.
They plan to later on file a formal charge against the foreign national, using footage of a CCTV that they secured as basis for their claims.
Cabancalan Barangay Captain Francis Karlo Remedio said on Tuesday, Dec. 5, that he already issued a summon to ask the foreign national to appear at their barangay hall on December 13 to answer the accusations against him.
“Atoa na’ng gisummon, paminawon sa nato ang side sa foreigner. Follow ta sa due process. Sa tinuod lang dili gyud na maayo iyaha’ng gibuhat,” Remedio.
CDN Digital tried to visit the home of the foreign national on Tuesday to get his side, but he was unavailable.
Animal cruelty
Another pet owner, who asked not to be named, said she wanted to seek justice for deaths of her three dogs.
The fur mom said she first lost her fur baby, Trixie, last year due to poisoning. On Saturday, she lost two more of her fur babies, Inky and White Fang.
“It is not fair. It is animal cruelty. We have a law against that. It is just right that justice has to be achieved now. Mga iro lang siguro na sa iyang panan-aw but for us they have [a] purpose sa amoang kinabuhi. They bring joy and protection. What’s sad pa gyud kay he is a foreigner. He is not supposed to be here,” the pet owner said.
The grieving fur mom added that she wanted the foreigner to be kicked out of their compound.
Durado and the other pet owners admit that dogs, and even cats, could get noisy at times, especially when they see strangers in their compound. But this was not a reason to kill them.
Remedio is urging his constituents, including those who do not like having pets, to learn to respect the rights of animals and their owners.
Moreover, he asked pet owners to keep their pets at home, if possible, to ensure their safety.
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