A security guard was dismissed and banned from any branch of a shopping mall chain over an animal cruelty case.
Online posts on Sunday, July 11 indicated that a security guard threw a puppy from an overpass.
This bridge connects the buildings of SM City North Edsa in Quezon City. It was a couple of feet high off the ground.
The puppy supposedly belonged to some children whom the guard earlier scolded.
A man who saw the puppy’s fall picked him up on the sidewalk where he landed.
These reports reached SM City North Edsa’s management.
In response, in a statement posted on its Facebook account, the mall announced that the security guard in question was dismissed.
The management further said that he is no longer allowed to serve in other branches of SM Supermalls.
“With extreme sadness, we sympathize with the group of youngsters regarding the incident that happened outside our mall today,” the management said.
“We have called the attention of the security agency to conduct an immediate and thorough investigation into the matter. The Security Guard has been dismissed and is no longer allowed to service any of our malls nationwide,” it added.
“As a pet-friendly establishment, we strongly condemn any acts that endanger or harm the lives of animals,” it further said.
The security guard was allegedly scolding some children and telling them to leave the overpass.
The children, however, refused to leave.
He then supposedly picked up the puppy and threw it over the bridge.
Witnesses took to social media to call for help to save the puppy. They also tagged the accounts of animal welfare organizations to get their attention.
This incident triggered outrage from dog lovers and other concerned Filipinos online. They also showed sympathy to the children taking care of him.
Statements from animal groups
Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF) identified the dog’s name as “Browny.”
In a statement on July 12, AKF said the puppy had died. The organization expressed sadness over his tragic fate.
“Rest easy now, Browny. We hope you only remember the kids who loved and cared for you more than the cruel human who hurt you. We’ll remember your name. Run free to the rainbow bridge, dear Browny,” it said.
The group also denounced the security guard. It stressed that the dog also has a life that he should have protected.
“The guard did not serve as a ‘GUARD’ this time. HE WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT LIVES, this puppy should have counted as one too,” AKF said.
“He is not a piece of trash you can just throw away. He is not a toy. He is a puppy who brought joy to his owners. He was adored by those kids. He was loved. And he gave them unconditional love in return,” it added.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), meanwhile, said that it will file a case against the security guard, citing the Animal Welfare Act.
“The guard’s behavior and the act of killing the puppy are certainly what the Animal Welfare Act seeks to punish. PAWS is committed to filing a case and holding accountable the person responsible for this horrific cruelty,” the organization said.
“PAWS condemns in the strongest possible terms this act of cruelty. We are demanding an immediate investigation of this incident and we have gotten in touch with witnesses so that we can file a case,” PAWS also added.
The Animal Welfare Act protects the rights of animals that are either for trade or pets.
Section 6 stated that it is considered unlawful for a person “to torture any animal, to neglect to provide adequate care, sustenance of shelter, or maltreat any animal or to subject any dog or horse to dogfights or horse fights, kill or cause or procure to be tortured or deprived of adequate care, sustenance or shelter, or maltreat or use the same in research or experiments not expressly authorized by the Committee on Animal Welfare.”
