Dog-killing case in Philippines sparks anger, Senate debate for tougher laws

Filipinos expressed their anger online as the hashtag #JusticeforKillua dominated social media platforms such as Facebook and X – the latter of which saw nearly 70,000 tweets, with major celebrities chiming in.

Killua, a three-year-old Golden Retriever, was found stuffed inside a sack in the town of Bato, Camarines Sur province on March 17 after a man, a neighbour of the owner and a village officer, admitted to killing the dog in a video taken by the owner.

“We weren’t even aware of [Killua’s incident] at first because PAWS deals with cruelty reports on a daily basis, to which we’d always ask [online users] to share their affidavits so we can help them file a case,” Anna Cabrera, PAWS executive director, told This Week in Asia.

“What horrified netizens was that the dog, when he was brought out of the sack, was clean and clearly looked like a pet,” Cabrera said.

“There is a long way to go for people to realise that all dogs and all animals deserve to be treated humanely and with kindness and respect,” she said.

PAWS has extended legal help to Arazas and filed criminal complaints against the suspect under the Animal Welfare Act – a law that PAWS lobbied for before it was passed in 1998. An offender under the Act faces a jail term of up to two years and/or a fine not exceeding 100,000 Philippine pesos (US$2,394).

Killua’s lifeless body was found in a known dog slaughter area.

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South Korea’s dog meat restaurants to be closed after parliament bans the industry

Dog meat trading is illegal in the Philippines and classified as “hot meat” as the unregulated practice is called. Eating the meat puts consumers at risk of contracting rabies and other diseases. However, an underground demand fuels a lucrative black-market trade.

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