P10-M set for inaugural Animal Welfare Program in 2026 budget

A P10-million inaugural budget was allotted for the Animal Welfare Supervision and Accreditation Program in the 2026 national budget to professionalize animal welfare enforcement, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Saturday.

“Layunin ng programang ito ang mapalawak ang pagtingin at pag-alaga sa mga animal rescues o nasa shelters ng makatao at sa ligtas na paraan. Susuportahan nito ang mga legit at gumaganang animal welfare orgs,” Pangilinan said in a statement.

(The intention of this  program is to expand the care and welfare efforts of rescued and sheltered animals, while also supporting legitimate and functional welfare organizations on the ground.)

Pangilinan serves as a member of the Bicameral Conference Committee of the Committee on Finance, which discusses the country’s 2026 budget.

In 2012, the senator sponsored the amendment to the Animal Welfare Act of the Philippines, which raised penalties for animal cruelty and neglect.

He worked with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in improving the law, while his wife, celebrity Sharon Cuneta, is an animal welfare advocate who worked with Passion Project in raising funds for rescues.

“Binabalik tayo sa lupa ng mga karanasang ito tuwing may policy debate — binabalik sa araw-araw na responsibilidad at pagmamahal. Kasama ang tamang pangangasiwa at akreditasyon, naaalagaan natin ang mga hayop, nasusuportahan natin ang mga legit na rescuers, at nagiging mas patas at consistent ang pagpapatupad ng batas,” Pangilinan said.

(This experience grounds policy debates in everyday responsibility and compassion. With proper supervision and accreditation, we protect animals, support credible rescuers, and make enforcement fair and consistent.)

A recent animal cruelty case involved an American Bully dog named Axle, who died after a man hit the dog several times with a wooden stick in front of several people.

Despite the dog’s attempt to escape the suspect, the man chased it and brutally struck the hapless dog to death.

Police in Sadanga, Mountain Province, have successfully filed a complaint against the suspect for the violation of the Animal Welfare Act before the Provincial Prosecutor's Office after the case was not accepted twice due to insufficient evidence. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News