House bill seeks mandatory dog stations in shopping malls

A bill has been filed at the House of Representatives requiring shopping malls in urbanized cities to have at least one dog station where mallgoers can leave their pets while they roam the mall.

According to House Bill 7108 filed by Parañaque 1st District Representative Edwin Olivarez, statistics from 2009 shows that in the Philippines, there is one pet dog for every 8 people.

Because the number of Filipino pet owners increases every year, Olivarez said that almost nine million households in the country now own at least one dog.

"Considering the foregoing, it is just proper to start launching and supporting campaigns that aim to protect the welfare of our pets, more particularly the canines," Olivarez said.

"Considering that going to the malls is one of the most common activities of Filipinos, it is but proper to mandate the management of these shopping malls to provide a facility that would temporarily look after and protect the welfare of domesticated dogs when the pet owners need to go for a little shopping," he added.

The proposed legislation allows the management of shopping malls to charge fees from dog owners who will avail of the services of the dog station.

The mall's management will also be in charge of hiring qualified personnel to man the dog station and oversee the welfare of the canine pets.

The bill is pending before the House Committee on Trade and Industry. —KBK, GMA Integrated News