File photo: Tatay Victor Diaz, selling bottled water with one of his pets, Maritess near Cebu City Hall. | Photo by Minerva Gerodias
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – Starting next month, the Cebu City government will issue citation tickets to irresponsible pet owners.
Dr. Alice Utlang, head of the City Veterinary Office (CVO), said that every citation ticket issued would mean fines ranging from P500 to P2, 000.
Utlang said that ownership of pets that are not vaccinated will be fined P2, 000.
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Other offenses that will included bringing of unleashed pets outside of their homes and the failure to clean their pets poop will be fined P500 each.
Irresponsible pet owners
“Nag-training na ta sa matag barangay ug citation ticket officers aron isyuhan ug citation tickets,” Utlang said.
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Utlang said that the imposition of fines on irresponsible pet owners is based on an existing ordinance and the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007.
“I-regulate gyud nato ang pagpamuhi ug iro. Like for example, kun dunay magbuhi ug iro, kinahanglan nga magkuha una siya ug permit,” she added.
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Stray animals
Meanwhile, Utlang has expressed her support to the concern of Senator Cynthia Villar on the need to regulate the population of pets, especially dogs, due to the increase in the number of stray animals which is a health hazard.
She said that the presence of stray animals increases the risk of animal bites.
In addition, Utlang said there was a need to pass a legislation that will require pet owners in Cebu City to secure a permit from City Hall before they should be allowed to own pets.
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She said that pet ownership was a huge responsibility as this will require time, money and attention. Pets also need to be placed in a conducive place at home.
Moreover, Utlang said that spaying and ligation of pets should be intensified to control the rapid increase in their population.
Quoting a study that the Humane Society International made in 2016, Utlang said that Cebu’s dog population has already reached 170,000. Only two percent of these dogs were stray while the rest had owners.
“Daghan pa [sa mga iro] ang naay tag-iya pero kay lagi irresponsable man. Ang uban galisod pa gani ug pakaon sa ilang kaugalingon, magbuhi pa gyud ug iro,” she added.