First Philippine animal law conference pushes stronger protection

QUEZON CITY — The country’s first Philippine Animal Law Conference brought lawmakers, government officials, lawyers, veterinarians, law enforcement officers, regulators, advocates, and young leaders together to press for stronger laws and greater accountability in protecting animals.

Organized by the Animal Kingdom Foundation, or AKF, the Sept. 4 conference examined whether the Philippines’ existing legal framework is keeping pace with emerging animal welfare challenges and how protections already written into law can be enforced more effectively.

The gathering also drew representatives from local and national governments, reflecting the range of institutions involved when animal welfare cases move from complaints to investigation, veterinary assessment, prosecution, regulation, or rescue.

For AKF President and Program Director Heidi Marquez-Caguioa, the conference marked a shift from viewing animal protection principally as an advocacy issue toward treating it as a matter of public administration and legal responsibility.

“Animal welfare is no longer simply a matter of compassion. It is a matter of law, governance, accountability, and public responsibility,” Caguioa said.

The conference presented perspectives from the legislative, media, government, youth, legal, veterinary, and animal welfare sectors, highlighting the need for cooperation beyond the work of animal advocates alone.

Rep. Brian Poe focused on legislation and the gaps that continue to hinder enforcement of protections against animal cruelty.

Poe said lawmakers need to ensure that animal welfare statutes can respond to emerging forms of cruelty while giving authorities the tools necessary to act.

“May batas na tayo, ang hamon, ipatupad ito at tiyakin may manananagot. Let’s build a system that actually responds even when no camera is present and provides care long after public attention has moved on.”

Veteran journalist and broadcaster Korina Sanchez placed animal welfare within the broader public conversation, pointing to the ability of media and public engagement to influence attitudes toward animals.

“It is time we extended (that) Bayanihan to our animals. Media has given us a megaphone. We’re here! Make use of us.”

The National Youth Commission brought the perspective of young Filipinos to the conference, framing them not simply as future advocates but as present-day stakeholders in building a culture of responsibility toward animals.

National Youth Commission Executive Director Carl Quitoriano said, “building a better society begins with how we treat those who cannot help, defend and speak for themselves. And that is our animals.”

The conference extended the discussion beyond companion animals such as household pets.

Panels examined farm animals and food production, aquatic animals, wildlife, animals in captivity, conservation, disaster response, indigenous practices, and the enforcement of animal welfare laws.

The broad agenda reflected how animal protection intersects with agriculture, food systems, environmental policy, disaster management, public safety, and local governance.

Philippine law already provides a national framework through Republic Act No. 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, which was amended by Republic Act No. 10631 in 2013. Lawphil

The amended law states that its purpose is to protect and promote the welfare of terrestrial, aquatic, and marine animals and defines animal welfare in terms of both physical and psychological well-being. Lawphil

The law prohibits acts including animal torture, maltreatment, failure to provide adequate care, and abandonment under specified circumstances, showing that the legal framework extends beyond deliberate physical cruelty. Lawphil

Despite those statutory protections, a recurring issue at the conference was the gap between having laws on the books and making those protections work in practice.

Cruelty, neglect, and illegal activities involving animals can require coordination among police and other law enforcement agencies, veterinarians, prosecutors, local governments, regulators, and animal welfare organizations.

For Caguioa, closing that implementation gap requires legal reform to be accompanied by institutional responsibility.

“Compassion must be translated into law, law must be translated into action, and action must lead to accountability,” she said.

The conference also emphasized the role of local governments, which are frequently the first public institutions confronted with stray animal management, reports of cruelty, disaster-related animal emergencies, and rescue needs.

That frontline role means the effectiveness of national animal welfare policy can depend heavily on local capacity, enforcement practices, coordination, and access to veterinary and legal expertise.

Rather than treating animal welfare as a stand-alone advocacy campaign, organizers sought to establish animal law as an emerging field of legal and public policy discussion in the Philippines.

AKF said it wants the discussion to continue beyond the first conference by strengthening collaboration among the institutions and people responsible for making, interpreting, enforcing, and improving animal protection laws.

At the center of the gathering was a basic question with consequences for both public policy and animal welfare: What does it mean for the law to protect animals if that protection cannot be effectively enforced?

The Philippine Animal Law Conference sought to begin answering that question by bringing together the sectors capable of turning statutory protections into action.

“The question is not simply what the law says. We must also ask what the law can do and what we, collectively, are prepared to do to make it work for animals,” Caguioa said.