Iloilo orders barangay shelters to fight strays, rabies

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Iloilo City Council on Wednesday, July 1, ordered all 180 barangays to establish their own temporary animal shelters, where rescued and impounded animals can be safely housed before being transferred or claimed.

The council unanimously approved the resolution, authored by Councilor Johnny Young, to address growing concerns over stray, abandoned, and rescued animals within local communities.

Young said the facilities would provide a secure space for animals awaitfing medical assessment, verification of ownership, or transfer to appropriate city facilities.

He said barangays serve as the frontliners of local governance and are the first responders to incidents involving stray dogs, animal bites, and reports of cruelty or neglect.

Young stressed that the lack of dedicated holding areas at the barangay level often results in rescued or stray animals being left on the streets.

“The absence of a temporary barangay-level holding area often results in stray or rescued animals being left on the streets, exposed to hunger, accidents, cruelty, disease, and possible rabies transmission, thereby affecting both animal welfare and public health,” he emphasized.

The measure builds on the city’s 2024 animal welfare ordinance, which designated the City Veterinary Office as the lead agency for animal welfare and tasked it with overseeing the Iloilo City Pound and Animal Shelter in Barangay Calahunan, Mandurriao, as the central facility for impounding, record-keeping, and adoption of stray animals.The ordinance also created a Task Force for Animal Welfare Enforcement to apprehend violators and conduct compliance inspections, and made the veterinary office the lead implementer of the city’s rabies prevention program. Daily Guardian

Rabies remains a persistent public health concern in the region. The Iloilo provincial government has reported an average of 200 residents bitten by animals daily, mostly by dogs, with 35,522 bite cases recorded from January to June 2025 alone, underscoring the stakes behind the council’s push for better animal management at the community level. Daily Guardian

While the resolution clarifies that these facilities need not be large or expensive, it sets strict minimum standards to ensure the humane treatment of animals.

According to the measure, every barangay-level shelter should provide a safe and ventilated environment protected from heat, rain, and flooding.

The facility should also include basic necessities, such as clean drinking water, proper feeding areas, and sanitation facilities.

Shelters must also follow segregation protocols, featuring separate cages or areas for sick, injured, or aggressive animals.

The measure also requires administrative oversight, such as maintaining a logbook for all impounded or rescued animals and following humane handling procedures.

To ensure the success of the initiative, the Iloilo City Veterinary Office, in coordination with the Association of Barangay Captains and animal welfare groups, is requested to provide technical assistance, orientation, and guidelines to local officials.

The resolution also provides a roadmap for sustainability, suggesting that barangays incorporate the construction and maintenance of these shelters into their barangay development plans and annual investment programs.