| The seminar commenced in Region 6 last July
20 in Iloilo City. The following day, July 21 in Bacolod City
and on to Region 4-A in Lipa City on July 28. The road show then
went up to Region 1 in Dagupan City on August 4 and completed
its the final stop in Baguio in the Cordillera Autonomous Region
on August 11.
The seminar aims to give DILG, NMIS and PNP field personnel in
the selected regions a good understanding and working knowledge
of RA 8485 to fully implement the said ruling and also to foster
a good working relationship with NGOs and the mentioned government
agencies.
In its continuing effort to support the government
in fully implementing RA 8485, Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc.
sponsored the publication of Administrative Order number 10 of
Republic Act 8485 otherwise known as the Animal Welfare Law.
Throughout the discussions with the Committee
on Animal Welfare till the final draft of Administrative Order
no. 10, AKF Inc lawyers Attys. Heidi Caguioa and Mona Vargas together
with External Affairs Officer Luis Buenaflor were present not
only to give inputs and information but actively participate as
well.
The final draft of Administrative Order no. 10
which was presented to the Secretary of Agriculture and signed
was ably crafted by AKF Inc. lawyers Attys. Caguioa and Vargas.
To fulfill a long time dream of having a safe haven for rescued
and homeless animals particular dogs, Animal Kingdom Foundation
Inc officially launched AKF Animal Rehabilitation and Rescue Center
last July, 2006 in Barangay Cubcub, Capas, Tarlac.
AKF envisioned the rescue center as a safe place where rescued
dogs can run free and live out their natural lives in contentment.
And so it is!
The affair was attended by the Mayor of Capas, Tarlac, Hon Rey
Catacutan, his wife Lenny, Dept of Interior and Local Government
Undersecretary for Peace and Order, Usec. Wensley Andanar, National
Meat Inspection Service National Director, Dr. Minda Manantan,
Director of Animal Welfare Division, Dr. Angel Mateo and Chairman
of Committee on Animal Welfare, Dr. Enrique Carlos.
A priest conducted a short but solemn ceremony and blessed the
whole center. Jovial faces of the guests are evident before and
after the event. Obviously, they were enjoying the experience.
Almost everyone was in unison saying that the center is the most
ambitious yet fulfilled animal-welfare project in the country.
Two buses were provided to the guest composed mostly by pertinent
partner agencies from government, private sector and media personalities.
Photojournalists and reporters from print and broadcasts had a
field day taking pictures of the happy dogs on the kennels.
Charles Wartenberg, AKF President, while calling for more support
from animal lovers during the press conference, indicated that
the dream has just begun. Truly, this happy kingdom will house
more rescued dogs in the future.
 In
Tagbilaran City, Bohol, PepsiCo and AKF, together with the Municipal
Tourism Council of Alburquerque, agreed to build an animal sanctuary
in the said municipality. The parties agreed that Pepsico will
fund the project while AKF Inc. will serve as the conduit and
technical supervisor and the Municipal Tourism Council Of Alburquerque
will be the implementing agency.
PepsiCo was represented by its Cebu General Manager Joseph Martin
Borromeo while AKF Inc. was represented by Senior Researcher Luis
Buenaflor while the Municipal Tourism Council Of Alburquerque
was represented by Mayor Efren Tungol. A tripartite Memorandum
of Agreement was formulated and signed.
 In
Manila, a partnership described as "the first of its kind",
was forged by AKF Inc., as the leading animal welfare NGO with
the Boy Scouts of the Philippines aimed to continue the efforts
of eliminating dog meat trade in the country.
The unified act was held in the historic compound
of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
AKF President Charles Wartenberg presented awards to Jejomar Binay,
Boy Scouts National President, Jose Rizal Panganiban, Boy Scouts
Secretary General and Nixon Canlapan Director of the Boy Scouts
Public Relations Office for their invaluable and unflinching support
in the advocacy of Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc.
Among the agreed collaborations are massive information
campaign aimed at total awareness of animal welfare throughout
the country. The program will consist of a series of seminars/symposiums
to all Boy Scout Troops in all schools nationwide. There will
be a series of audio-visual presentations, film showing to all
Boy Scout Troops in various schools. Likewise, AKF Inc. will be
a regular participant in Boy Scout Jamborees with booths and other
information campaign activities, while the successful partnership
with the Boy Scouts Magazine continues.
 As
a celebration of the "Anti-Rabies Month", the Manila
City Pound launched together with AKF Inc. a dog adoption program.
The program intended to give dogs, impounded
by the animal control unit of the Manila pound and dogs rescued
by AKF Inc. from illegal dog-traders, proper care and attention.
The Manila pound headed by Dr. Jose Diaz takes care of selecting
the healthiest dogs and provides them with needed medication/immunization
while AKF Inc. recommends possible adopting parties via a series
of tests and consultations.
A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between
AKF Inc. President Charles Wartenberg and Manila City Mayor Lito
Atienza.
Fostering a closer working relationship with
concerned government agencies, AKF Inc. President Charles Wartenberg
met with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Domingo
Panganiban.
The closed-door meeting was held at the national
office of the Department of Agriculture. Present also were AKF
Inc. OIC Suzanne Llanera and AKF Inc. External Affairs Officer
Luis Buenaflor.
Secretary Panganiban, as a result of the meeting, gave directives
to the Bureau of Animal Industry, Animal Welfare Division to take
care of issues concerning animal welfare and urge all concerned
agencies to fully implement the animal-welfare law, particularly
issues on the illegal dog meat trade.
 In
one of its sorties against the illegal dog traders in the north,
AKF Inc. together with its mother organization International Wildlife
Coalition Trust (IWCT) rescued a fledging 3 month old dog from
a slaughterhouse in Baguio City. Sweet, as he came to be called,
is just one among the thousands of dogs that ends up in one of
the many illegal slaughterhouses in Baguio each week. He was found
cowering in a corner of a very cramped cage along with several
other dogs without food and water. Earlier, 40 other dogs were
brutally slaughtered in front of him, their heads smashed with
a wooden club. Perhaps it was his soulful eyes or demeanor amidst
the carnage that caught the attention of IWCT Director Charles
Warternberg to rescue Sweet and bring him to London.
"It is likely that Sweet was more of a family
pet who was either stolen or sold to the dog-meat traders as he
was in fairly good physical condition when we rescued him",
Charles said.
From Baguio, Sweet was immediately taken to a pet hospital in
Makati where he was treated and recuperated for a month prior
to his flight to London.
At 12:35 p.m. August 2, 2002, Sweet arrived at
the Gatwick airport to begin his new life with Charles Wartenberg.
Sweet Celebration: (Pinoy Askal
Wins United Kingdom's Dog Of The Year 2004!)
Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc.'s dog, Sweet,
is the United Kingdom's Dog of the Year for 2004. The Dog of the
year is an annual contest sponsored by Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
where they search for the dog with the most unusual and memorable
experience.
Sweet bested over 8,000 other entries coming
from all over United Kingdom and romped away with a Silver trophy,
a gold medallion and a grand prize of 1,000 pounds. Prominent
members of the British press judged the contest.
Several months back, AKFI operatives led by Charles
Wartenberg, Suzanne Llanera, Luis Buenaflor Jr and Dr. Winston
Samaniego rescued a 3-month-old mongrel from dog butchers in Baguio.
Sweet, as he came to be known, was nursed back to health and brought
by Charles to London to become part of the Wartenberg family.
"We never thought Sweet would become a celebrity
abroad! All we want is for him to have a happy home." says
AKFI's senior researcher Luis Buenaflor Jr, "He seems so
helpless when I was holding him during the rescue. Now, he is
a Pinoy superstar in London!" Suzanne Llanera, AKFI's officer-
in- charge fondly remembers.
|
Kicking
off last July 20, 2006, Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc. together
with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG),
National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) and the Philippine National
Police (PNP) conducted series of information seminars on Republic
Act 8485 otherwise known as the Animal Welfare Law and Administrative
Order No. 10, Rules on the Transport of Dogs and Cats and Rules
on Engagement on Violators of this Law.
