The Community Animal Rescue Efforts (CARE) Inc. reported that a dog was allegedly beaten to death by a security guard at the Carlos Hilado Memorial State University – Fortune town campus in Bacolod City on Monday, May 8.
A concerned student from the university said that the dog attempted to go inside the campus at around 8:15 a.m. Monday and the security guard on duty tried to stop the dog by kicking him out, CARE reported in a post on its Facebook page.
“The dog got scared and confused, he started to defend himself until the guard got this piece of wood and hit the dog on the head a couple of times. The dog was already laying there helpless, unable to move but this did not stop the guard from continuing to beat him up,” CARE added.
“The students shouted at the guard to stop but this didn’t bother him at all and he continued until the innocent dog died,“ it said.
CARE said it is calling the attention of CHMSU officials.
“This brutal act is unacceptable and is punishable by law. Under RA 8485 “SEC. 6. It shall be unlawful for any person to torture any animal, to neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance of shelter, or maltreat any animal. This is clearly animal cruelty,” it said.
“The top management is now aware of this incident and a thorough investigation is underway. We assure the public that CHMSU, true to its core values is deeply committed to animal welfare and does not tolerate any acts of brutality and abuse towards animals such as stray dogs and cats,” Rhoderick K. Samonte, CHMSU Director for Internationalization and External Relations, said Monday night.
“We will get to the bottom of this, hear all sides, and get the right facts before we make the next appropriate action,” he added.
He appealed to all concerned to refrain from casting any judgment and generalization especially towards their security personnel, in the meantime.
“While we need to protect animal welfare on the one hand, we also need to show kindness to our fellow human beings, therefore let us be careful with our words. Once we have all the facts and heard all sides, we will do what is right and lawful,” he added.
“Rest assured that there are lessons to learn from this incident and that this will not happen again in any of our campuses,” Samonte said.
CARE and InSPYred members met CHMSU director Dr. Rino Del Castillo together with the school security supervisor and the guard who was involved in the incident Monday.
“According to the guard the dog lived and walked away that morning contrary to the witness statement. Unfortunately they don’t have CCTV in the said area,” CARE said.
“The guard explained that it was self-defense”, CARE added.
However, a witness said otherwise, CARE said.*