Powering ‘malasakit’

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March 19, 2026 | 12:00am

Every March, we observe Rabies Awareness Month- a time to remind the public of the importance of vaccinating our pets. Data presented by Dr. DJ Darwin Bandoy of the UP Los Baños College of Veterinary Medicine shows that rabies takes the lives of 300 to 400 Filipinos annually, while about four million animal bite cases are reported each year.

These figures tell us that awareness and vaccination efforts need to be further pushed. Rabies remains as a major public health challenge and we cannot afford complacency. As I look deeper as both a pet owner and an animal welfare advocate, I believe there is a larger conversation we need to confront — one that extends beyond the reminders to vaccinate our pets.

Today, social media has made animal welfare advocacy more visible than ever. Stories of cruelty spark outrage, rescue cases go viral, and with 94 percent of Filipino households now owning pets, public attention shows no signs of slowing down. Awareness is rising. Voices are becoming louder. People have started to care.

But when we move beyond the online noise and look at what is happening on the ground, a different picture emerges.  Therein lies a deeper, systemic problem: a persistent lack of genuine consideration for animal welfare within our communities. In many places, neglect is still normal and responsible ownership is still optional. Education is still limited and while policies exist, enforcement needs to be strengthened.

Rabies is preventable but it requires a collective commitment. We cannot simply vaccinate our way out of a culture that treats animals as disposable. To truly protect public health, we must first protect the animals themselves.

Real compassion — malasakit as we call it — means more than rabies vaccines. Until we address these root issues through sustained education, responsible pet ownership, stronger and properly enforced policies and a cultural shift in how we value animals, rabies will remain a threat and countless animals will continue to suffer.

If we want safer communities and healthier families, we must start by protecting animals. Rabies may be the headline but the deeper story is whether we can build a culture of care.

This can be done by supporting spay and neuter programs, encouraging animal adoption and making sure laws against cruelty are enforced.

By treating homeless cats and dogs with dignity through Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) programs, we aren’t just being “nice.” We are creating a stable, healthy and rabies-free buffer in our streets. The implementation of humane population management is a meaningful step toward preventing rabies while addressing the challenge of stray animal homelessness in a sustainable way. When we stop the cycle of unwanted litters, we stop the cycle of disease.

Thankfully, more and more people and groups are embracing animal welfare as part of their personal or corporate advocacies. Just recently, over 150 animal welfare advocates gathered for Meralco’s “Malasakit Fur All” event to champion compassionate care for animals or as we fondly refer to as “CATropas” and “kaBARKadas.” The event was headlined by animal welfare advocates Rep. Brian Poe, Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and De La Salle University professor Laureen Velasco.

During the event, Sen. Pangilinan and Rep. Poe both emphasized the need for stronger animal welfare advocacy and policies. In his video message to fellow advocates, Sen. Pangilinan committed to continuously championing animal welfare and pushing for policies that ensure better protection and compassionate care for animals. He also expressed support to amending the law, specifically in terms of increasing penalties on animal cruelty.

Rep. Poe emphasized that protecting animals is a shared responsibility and pledged that he will continue championing animal welfare in Congress; while Velasco, who is the founder of DLSU Pusa, shared the story of the advocacy group and its unwavering dedication to rescuing stray cats that aims to build a kinder and stronger community for them.

I stand with them and every advocate as I call on an urgent, rising demand for accountability. We are tired and angry of seeing viral videos of animal cruelty met with nothing but a “slap on the wrist” fine or worse, public indifference. I stand with the advocates pushing for the Revised Animal Welfare Act because we need higher penalties for abuse. Cruelty to animals should never be tolerated.

I challenge everyone to look beyond the vaccination. Yes, get your pets their shots, as that is the bare minimum of responsible ownership. But also ask yourself how you treat the dog on your street? Do you intervene or speak out when you witness cruelty?

We often say that a nation’s greatness is measured by how it treats its weakest members. In the Philippines, our animals have been the weakest for far too long.

But through initiatives like CATropa, the growing support for humane programs like TNVR, and the push for stronger laws, I am hopeful. We are moving, finally, toward a future where malasakit extends to every living being, whether two or four legs. Kindness always wins.