Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gastaya met with representatives of five major animal welfare organizations on Tuesday, December 2, to address the urgent crisis facing animals at the city pound.
Gasataya informed them that city is allocating P10 million for the construction of a humane animal shelter and that he has appointed Dr. Janine Sarthou as the new assistant city veterinarian.
Sarthou, who was selected after a two-month search, immediately committed to a hands-on approach, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said.
“I have a heart for animals since I have been working with spaying and other veterinary work for many years now,” Sarthou assured the attendees, pledging to spend her first week assessing the pound’s conditions firsthand.
The meeting attended by representatives from Pawssion Project, CARE, Furhaven Rescue Sanctuary, BACH, and BARK, signals a turning point for the city’s impounded animals, shifting the focus from mere containment to genuine “animal and human welfare”, the press release said.
Sam Daniel of Furhaven Rescue Sanctuary stressed the urgency of the situation: “We need to work fast since the dogs will die in a span of 3 weeks knowing and seeing their situation,” he said.
While the new animal shelter complex is expected to be completed in 8 to 10 months, the mayor and the welfare groups agreed on immediate “short-term” survival measures for the current pound.
These include disease control through the urgent separation of sick animals from healthy ones and massive sanitization efforts.
Power restoration was also addressed, with the LGU stepping in to cover the P800,000 outstanding electricity bill, previously covered by CARE.
City Administrator Mark Mayo committed to securing rice to ensure food security, as current supplies are sufficient only until December.
The animals will be relocated to a temporary shelter within the area while the new facility is built to decongest the pound, and informal settlements within the vicinity of the pound will be demolished due to health risks, the press release said.
Gasataya presented the engineering plans for the new Barangay 35 complex, which will feature its own clinic and a centralized adoption processing center.
The welfare groups urged the City Engineering Office, led by Engr. Loben Ceballos, to prioritize functionality over form.
“The aesthetics of the building are not that important,” the coalition advised.
“The budget should be spent on strong roofs, huge spaces for them to roam, and play after all it is for the dogs, not the humans.”
To curb the influx of strays, it was proposed that stricter policies be implemented, including a “Dog Registration Bill” proposed by the assistant veterinarian, which would impose a P500 penalty per household for unregistered pets.
The mayor also directed that all Job Order (JO) staff assigned to the new pound must be screened for their “heart for animals,” ensuring staff are motivated by care rather than just a paycheck.
“We must not encourage impounding to minimize the overwhelming amount of dogs,” the group agreed, advocating instead for massive responsible pet ownership campaigns.
The meeting concluded with a unified goal among Gasataya and the welfare advocates: to transform Bacolod into a city that not only protects its people but provides dignity and love to its neglected animals, the press release said.*