A fashion magazine was praised for spotlighting an aspin (Asong Pinoy) on its cover.
Vogue Philippines earned attention after featuring a brown dog on its inaugural “Dogue” cover, a play on the fashion magazine’s name and the word “dog.”
The fashion magazine introduced the dog as Banca, a Philippine forest dog, or “asong gubat,” whom photographer Shaira Luna rescued after finding her in Laguna with a chain embedded in her neck.
According to the magazine, Banca is now on her “road to recovery” while living with Shaira as part of her 10-dog household.
The magazine cover drew praise from Pinoys on Facebook.
“Thank you, Vogue, for featuring our own dog on your cover… our very own Aspin (Asong Pinoy),” a Facebook user wrote.
“Vogue Philippines really is something else. Lahat pinag-iisipan, ‘di ‘yung makabalandra lang ng sikat, cover na,” another commented.
“Thank you for featuring the beautiful aspin,” a different Pinoy wrote.
“Yey for highlighting our aspins that deserve so much love as much as any other breeds,” another commented.
It also reached Reddit, where a post featuring the cover was captioned, “Vogue Philippines features an Asong Gubat in its stunning September/October issue.”
The Reddit post has garnered 4,900 upvotes and 60 comments.
Vogue Philippines features an Asong Gubat in its stunning September/October issue
by
u/ladytagumpay in
Philippines
“Ang ganda! And yes! More appreciation [for] our native dogs!” another Redditor commented.
“Eto na ata favorite cover ko na nakita ko sa mag [magazine] na ‘to,” another Reddit user wrote.
Aspin, short for “Asong Pinoy,” refers to native mixed-breed dogs in the Philippines.
Banca, meanwhile, is an asong gubat, the Filipino term for “witch dog,” distinguished by its lean build, upright ears and brindle coat. They are known as skilled hunters and loyal companions.
“Dogue” is Vogue’s annual feature highlighting public figures and their dogs, accompanied by a digital cover. The American edition launched the first iteration in 2024, which has since become a regular feature.
This year, Vogue Philippines joined the initiative with original “Dogue” stories spotlighting dogs and their Filipino companions.
