The three-day 1st Bacolod Pet Festival 2025 organized by the city government where visitors can play with exotic pets, adopt a cute puppy, or join fun activities kicked off at the Ayala Malls Capitol Central in Bacolod City on Friday, April 4.
The Bacolod digital pet identification system was also launched with the ceremonial turnover by Dr. John Michael Cabuguason, assistant city veterinarian, of the first ever city government issued pet tag with QR code to a dog named Sydney.
The QR code when scanned provides all the information about a pet, including vaccination records, and the address and contact number of the owner should the pet get lost.
Cabuguason said they were registering an initial 100 pets in the pilot program.
The theme of the three-day festival is “Building a safe and rabies-free community is our shared responsibility”.
Cabuguason said for years, the people of Bacolod have been longing for a sustainable change on how the government treats animals , especially dogs and cats.
The Bacolod City Veterinary office has been known only for its activities in mass rabies vaccination and stray dog control, but change has arrived, he said.
Bacolod is now on its way to becoming one of the most animal friendly cities in the country, Cabuguason said.
The Bacolod City government will build the biggest LGU-operated dog shelter in the country that will replace the infamous dog pound.
Funds have also been allocated for Libre Kapon, rabies vaccines for at least 80,000 dogs and cats, and the establishment of animal welfare desks in the barangays, he said.
He said the City Veterinary Office organized the 1st Bacolod Pet Festival where “one can visit booths and get freebies, play with the exotic pets or even bring home a lovely puppy in our adoption drive”.
Present at the opening of the pet festival were Bacolod councilors Kalaw Puentevella, Celia Flor, Jude Thaddeus Sayson and Jason Villarosa.
Puentevella, in his speech, said the pet festival is not just a celebration of “our love for animals but to reaffirm our commitment to a safer, healthier, and more compassionate community”.
“The Bacolod Pet Festival 2025 is a movement. It is a statement that we, as a city, believe in responsible pet ownership. It is a promise that we will work together to build a rabies-free Bacolod,” he said.
Rabies remains a threat, not just to pets but to families, he said, pointing out that it is a disease that takes lives, yet it is entirely preventable.
The fight against rabies is a shared responsibility of every pet owner, household, barangay, and institution, Puentevella said.
He said a responsible pet owner vaccinates and ensures that their pets do not become a danger to others.
Caring for animals is a duty, not just a hobby, he stressed.
Flor said a city ordinance she authored mandates the establishment of animal welfare desks in every barangay in Bacolod to respond to animal welfare concerns.
The ordinance will also provide a venue to enable people to report incidents of animal cruelty and neglect.
Sayson said the city government has allocated P10 million to develop the 2-hectare city animal shelter in Barangay Granada because that is how important pets are to the Benitez administration.
Villarosa congratulated the City Veterinary Office for the pet festival and its numerous initiatives to improve the care of the city’s animals.
They may push for the passage of an ordinance to make the pet festival an annual event in Bacolod, Villarosa said.*