The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had the honor of receiving “Cotton” and “Twister”, two therapy dogs, as they visited Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Thursday (December 11) at the DSWD Central Office.
The therapy dogs are part of the Department’s “Angel Pets” Program, an initiative of Secretary Gatchalian, which integrates animal-assisted therapy into the recovery and healing process of those who have experienced abuse, neglect, or psychosocial disabilities in selected DSWD centers and facilities.
Launched in 2024, the Angel Pets is implemented by the Department in partnership with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).
Cotton and Twister were accompanied by PAWS Executive Director Atty. Anna Cabrera, who presented the program’s evaluation report, showing a 99.04 percent positive outcome in promoting emotional healing among the beneficiaries.
Secretary Gatchalian lauded the therapy dogs and commended the PAWS for its sustained and effective partnership with the Department in implementing the animal-assisted therapy program known as “Angel Pets.”
Also present during the visit was Undersecretary Edu Punay of the DSWD Innovations and Program Development Group (IPDG) which oversees the implementation of the program under its Social Technology Bureau (STB).
During the visit, PAWS sought the assistance of Secretary Gatchalian and reported the cruelty inflicted on Kobe, an Asong Pinoy (AsPin), whose tongue was mutilated by an unidentified individual along Aratiles Street, Barangay Balangkas, Valenzuela City, in the early morning of December 9.
The PAWS executive director reported that the dog owner found Kobe lying on the pavement, bleeding and severely weakened due to massive blood loss caused by the cutting of his tongue. PAWS immediately transported the dog to the nearest veterinary clinic for urgent medical care.
“Alam niyo, ang pananakit sa ating mga alaga, sa ating mga aso at pusa illegal ‘yan. Hindi ko kayang sikmurain na may mga nananakit sa ating mga alaga. This is not how our values are. Tayo [sa Department] natin, we value every single life,” the DSWD chief said.
Secretary Gatchalian took action and announced on Friday (December 12), through his official Facebook account, his personal commitment for a Php100,000 reward to any information that would lead to the identification of the suspect responsible for the attack on Kobe.
“Noong nakita ko ‘yung picture (ni Kobe), karumal-dumal. Bilang maliit na reward sa impormasyon na makatutulong para masugpo itong kaso na ‘to, personally ico-commit ko ang Php100,000. This is a personal appeal dahil ako hindi ko kayang sikmurain na may ganitong ginagawang aktibidad na karumal-dumal laban sa ating mga alaga sa Valenzuela City,” the DSWD chief pointed out.
Secretary Gatchalian strongly condemned all forms of animal cruelty and committed to continue advocating for animal rights to help prevent similar incidents in the future. (KB)
