Online Filipinos called the attention of an animal organization after a concerned citizen posted a video of a dog seen standing on top of a pickup truck bed cover.
Facebook user Justin Restauro on July 21 shared of witnessing a leashed canine standing on top of the vehicle’s bed cover while it was moving.
He said the incident happened in the town of Compostela in Davao del Oro.
“Your dog looks like it’s about to fall. Next time, lower your car’s cover so that your dog can be placed properly,” Restauro wrote, as translated into English.
“The dog is holding on because it might fall, it looks like it will slide. You are such a heartless person, you have no compassion,” his translated caption reads.
“Pa-check, Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS),” Restauro added, tagging the Facebook account of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society.
The post has earned 7,700 sad and angry reactions, 6,100 shares, and 1,700 comments.
In the comments section, someone asked Restauro if they had approached the driver of the pickup truck.
“We kept calling, miss, but she didn’t listen. We already turned ahead toward Ate Kring’s place, so we couldn’t reach her anymore. Actually, she was already quite far, I was just zooming in when I took the video,” he wrote, as translated into English.
The video also made its way to TikTok, where another concerned Filipino called the PAWS’ attention.
“Philippine Animal Welfare [Society]. Do something, please, paki-sampolan ‘tong tao na ‘to,” a TikTok user said.
@_shaberu PHILIPPINE ANIMAL WELFARE ASSOCIATION. DO SOMETHING PLEASE PAKI SAMPOLAN ‘TONG TAO NA TO. CTTO: (FB) JUSTIN RESTAURO #animalsoftiktok #dogsoftiktok #pawsph #raffytulfoinaction #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – Shaberu
The video also reached viral status on the video-sharing platform, where it caught the attention of actress and dog lover Heart Evangelista.
“Hayop sila,” she commented.
It also made the rounds on the X (formerly Twitter) platform.
Some Filipinos raised the possibility of a half-open truck bed cover and speculated that the animal might have made its way out from the trunk, hence its standing form.
PAWS has not yet released any statement about the incident.
Meanwhile, the Animal Welfare Act prohibits persons “to torture any animal” and “to neglect to provide adequate care.”
The law also prohibits people to “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.”
An individual who is found to subject an animal to cruelty, maltreatment, or neglect shall be imprisoned and/or penalized.
This Tuesday, PAWS called out a local government unit after several of its impounded animals were abandoned in its cages during the onslaught of the southwest monsoon “habagat” enhanced by Super Typhoon Carina.
Several animals died by drowning in floodwaters.
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