By Kate Javier
A Caloocan court has convicted a man for killing a dog and cooking it for his meal.
In her order dated June 14, Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 52 Judge Dorothy Grace Daguna-Inciong, found Roberto Olivar guilty of violating the amended Animal Welfare Act. He was ordered to pay a P5,000 fine.
On March 17, Emma Manalili, who rescues stray pets and owns 17 dogs and 12 cats, reported Olivar to police after she saw a Facebook video showing “animal cruelty.”
In the video, a man who was later identified as Olivar, was seen hitting the head of a dog before feeding his four other dogs. He then brought the animal into his house to cook.
“I cried upon seeing the video. As an animal lover, I cannot tolerate that act and that should never happen again,” Manalili said in an interview.
Manalili said that the uploader of the video was not interested to file a complaint so she was the one who pursued to charge Olivar.
Olivar admitted killing and eating the dog. He even asked forgiveness for what he did, Manalili added.
After nine days in detention, Olivar was asked to pay P20,000 bail, which was four times higher than the fine.
Meanwhile, according to the amended Animal Welfare Act, a convicted animal killer shall be imprisoned for one year and six months to two years and/or fined an amount not exceeding P100,000.
Manalili, however, said she was somehow disappointed on the decision, saying P5,000 is not enough for the dog’s life.
“He deserves to be in jail,” she said.
