2 Survivors: 38 BGC Cats Missing

Is this an act of animal cruelty punishable under the Philippine law?

Cats do not fall under the category of pests. Pests include termites, flies, and other harmful ones such as cockroaches and snake. For PestBusters to take out the cats from what they considered as their home, cats which had a good life - though they had orders from Shangri-La hotel - is an act of massive animal cruelty which is punishable under Philippine law.  Who is responsible and will answer for this incident? Pest control took out 38 cats from the Bonifacio Global City park. It happened at night time on Feb. 16, 2018, which was Chinese New Year.



These 38 cats were cared for and protected by the community such as the Facebook group known as Cats of BGC. They had vaccinations and the newly born kittens had feeding bowls and more provided by them. The outcry for the cats to be returned and for the pest control which is PestBusters to answer for what they did is viral on the net. These cats, who are integral to the park as these are considered as pets, had a good life and are part of the eco-system to prevent rats. From the information gathered online, the one who ordered these cats to be rounded up is Shangri-La Hotel BGC.



In the Filipino tradition, where the property lines are the rule for complaints, like when a dog trespasses to eat a chicken of the neighbor, the neighbor has the right if they had caught the dog on their premises. These cats were not at the hotel premises according to Facebook information.

2 surviving cats according to these Facebook posts.

As the outcry has become the pain for the BGC community and pet lovers here and internationally as these cats were loved as pets. It is our native cats that are being subjected to being removed when these are not pests but pets. If the hotel management does have problems because of the cats, they should have secure their premises as that kind of problem will always exist, as cats do prowl. 

It is but correct for us not to ignore this incident. It is unfair for these protected cats or our native cats to get such treatment. If it is animal cruelty and those who did so, must answer to the law of the land, as an apology after the fact is useless when they knowingly did what they did to helpless cats.

It is the time that us Filipinos stand up for our rights and protect our animals. It is not good for big business just to do what they want, without caring about the law, and swoop down to remove what is not on their property.

This incident has gone viral with the Facebook post of Marcelle John Marcelino. This is the link. https://web.facebook.com/marcellejohn.marcelino/posts/10216653759442825

Video Credits: Kitten - Erika Yamaguchi-Garcia : Cat survivor spotted - Lucas Samonte
Photo Credits: Cats of BGC Facebook group