Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Encyclopedia
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is a non-government institution situated in the Philippines
. Its advocacies focus on the different issues concerning animal
rights and welfare. PAWS is currently active, spreading its advocacies to the people by engaging in different rallies
, bringing up massive campaigns to different companies and institutions, giving stray animals a new home, and organizing different activities like formal dinners for fund-raising. All of PAWS activities are for the welfare of both farm, and domestic animals.
educator who was, at that time, residing in the Philippines
. The organization’s first members were handpicked by Jay and Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco, the current president of PAWS, was one of them.
Hontiveros-Lichauco recalled that PAWS, as a new organization then, would make stuffed toys and other items which she and the other members would sell to gain funds. They also had a clinic
where they provided services for injured animals and two bicycle
patrols that they used to save stray animals from the streets.
However, PAWS became dormant when Jay went back to England
. It was in 1986, when Hontiveros-Lichauco reorganized PAWS with a new team of professional volunteers which were primarily veterinarians and educators.
It was in 1996 when the present batch of PAWS’s members joined. The new volunteers, which were mostly the youth, came out with more aggressive ideas in promoting the advocacies of the organization. These ideas are still enacted by PAWS at present.
Act 8485 or the Philippine Animal Welfare
Act. However, the government
was still not ready for it by that time.
PAWS and its volunteers never gave up on their goal and came up with a revised Animal Welfare Bill which they diligently pursued in the Senate of the Philippines
, and the Congress of the Philippines
. On February 11, 1998, the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 (also known as the Republic Act 8485) was signed into the law by the then president
, Fidel V. Ramos
.
on April 2006. The province sought to take advantage of a loophole in the Animal Welfare
Act of 1998, which allows the consumption of Dog meat as a cultural and ritual practice, but not for commercial purposes. PAWS found out that Benguet’s Dog Meat sprung not from “cultural practice” but that of just commercial purposes. After a massive world-wide letter campaign and with helps from other local animal welfare groups, the Benguet
local government gave in.
On May 2006, PAWS met with the national Meat Inspection Services, a division of the Philippine Department of Agriculture. Some of the main goals of the meeting were to close the loophole in the Animal Welfare
Act of 1998, prevent circumventions in the law, and establish clear methods of enforcing the law. PAWS has also helped the local government of Quezon city
in the creation a dog pound which could help reduce the dog meat trade in the city.
in Quezon City
. It aims to find new homes for the dogs and the cats through its adoption program patterned after some western animal shelters. With PARC’s visibility, PAWS aims to enhance the Filipino’s awareness of animal welfare.
PARC became a favorite destination for field trips, where students are taught to love and care for animals, as well as nature
. At present, it has already received thousands of students from various schools within Metro Manila
and other provinces.
In 2006, the shelter responded to over 1,300 calls from beleaguered pet owners asking for simple pet health care
advice and reports of animal cruelty. By the time PARC opened in 2002, over 500 rescued and rehabilitated animals have been re-homed.
to serve as a temporary shelter for abandoned and rescued cats. Abandoned dogs, on the other hand, were sent to a Lichauco farm in Pangasinan
.
PARC’s construction formally started in September 2000, with funding from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and assistance from Don Manolo Lopez of MERALCO
. It had an informal operation in 2002, though it was still unfinished then.
is an animal-assisted therapy
program founded by Jill Robinson, MBE of Animals Asia Foundation
, based in Hong Kong
, Dr. Dog is a program run by Animals Asia.
PAWS is the coordinator and the implementing arm of Dr. Dog in the Philippines
. In 1997, "Pakko", a german shepherd, was named as PAWS' first Dr. Dog. PAWS, with Pakko and a dalmatian
named "freckles", visited facilities like “Tahanang Walang Hagdanan” (House Without Stairs) – a home for disabled children and adults and the HOPE school for Special Children.
The "See Beauty Beyond Breed" is a campaign dedicated to all the native cats and dogs, and their rescuers from cruelty. The campaign tries to encourage people to consider adopting native dogs and cats from PARC.
The campaign also aims also to uplift the image of native dogs
, popularize the term "Aspins" for "Asong Pinoy" (litt. Pinoy
dog) instead of "Askal" or "Asong Kalye" (litt. street dog).
The Filipino
celebrities, Heart Evangelista
and Jericho Rosales
, served as spokespeople of PAWS for this campaign.
dinner entitled “Dine with PAWS.” It was attended by more than 300 guests and over 120 dogs. It successfully raised P225,000.00 for PARC.
Notable appearances of Celebrities in the Dinner were: KC Concepcion
and Tim Yap with a Pomeranian shih tzu
; Vina Morales
with a mini pom; Regine Tolentino, husband Lander Perez, with daughters Reigne and Reigen with 2 shih tzu
.
Other VIP guests included Chit Juan, CEO of the Philippine coffee chain Figaro, who was with COO Reena Francisco and their pet Chihuahua
; Dr. Vic Atienza , Assistant Director of the Bureau of Animal Industry, with Dr. Angel Mateo, OIC of the Animal Welfare Division of BAI
.
It also offers free talks and lectures for grade school, high school
and university
students.
Since 2005, PAWS has been tied up with Center for Social Concerns and Action (COSCA) - the community service arm of De La Salle University
- for advocacy and direct service projects promoting animal welfare
.
1) A protest against the testing of lethal injection
for human Death Row
inmates to animals in 2001.
2) A protest against an elephant show in Araneta Center
in 2003.
3) A Protest against dogfights in Antipolo
City Hall last April 2007.
4) An Information rally vs. dolphin shows at SM Mall of Asia
on December 2006 and a Protest rally vs. a dolphin show at MetroWalk on December 2007.
PAWS protested to SM Mall of Asia
and Movers & Shakers
, the organizers of the dolphin shows in the said mall since organizing such activity only causes cruelty and abuse to dolphins. Both SM Mall of Asia
and Movers & Shakers
promised not to hold the show again.
After a year, SM kept its promise to PAWS but Movers & Shakers did not. As a result, on December 9, 2007, PAWS held a peaceful picket at the MetroWalk in Ortigas where the dolphin shows were held to distribute flyers about the abuse of dolphins in front of the show’s entrance.
5) A protest rally vs. Japan
ese Whale
(Dolphin) slaughter at the Japanese Embassy on September 2006
On September 2006, PAWS joined the world-wide rally against whale slaughtering and went in front of the Philippine Japanese Embassy during the Japan Dolphin Day. More than 20,000 whales were said to be deliberately slaughtered by Japan
because they allegedly eat too much fish. These fishes were the ones that the Japanese fishermen were after.
PAWS, together with the Earth Island Institute, also filed charges to the operator of the Ocean Adventure Water Park in Subic Bay
violating the Philippine Animal Welfare Act. However, the Philippine Court of Appeals
ruled out that the operators could not be held liable.
organizations.
On the local front, it works with Earth Island Institute Phils (EII-Phils) on marine
mammal
welfare issues, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)- Asia Pacific on protests against wild animals being used for entertainment and the dog tethering issue. PAWS also sits in the Committee on Animal Welfare (CAW) under the DA-BAI where it coordinates with 13 other agencies tasked to come up with Implementing Rules and Regulations on the Animal Welfare Act (RA 8485). Among the members of CAW are government agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR}, NMIS and professional groups such as Veterinary Practitioners' Association of the Philippines, among others.
On the international front, PAWS is the only local animal welfare group associated with all these four international animal welfare organizations: Animals Asia Foundation
(1998), RSPCA of UK (1998), Humane Society International
(1998) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals
(2005).
It is important to note that while PAWS occasionally gets grants from international organizations on specific education and campaign projects, it is a local, Filipino
volunteer-based organization.
PAWS Board members are all Filipinos who are able to raise barely enough funds for the operation of its shelter mainly by organizing local pet events and selling merchandise that its volunteers make.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Its advocacies focus on the different issues concerning animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
rights and welfare. PAWS is currently active, spreading its advocacies to the people by engaging in different rallies
Demonstration (people)
A demonstration or street protest is action by a mass group or collection of groups of people in favor of a political or other cause; it normally consists of walking in a mass march formation and either beginning with or meeting at a designated endpoint, or rally, to hear speakers.Actions such as...
, bringing up massive campaigns to different companies and institutions, giving stray animals a new home, and organizing different activities like formal dinners for fund-raising. All of PAWS activities are for the welfare of both farm, and domestic animals.
History
PAWS was founded in 1954 by Muriel Jay, a BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
educator who was, at that time, residing in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The organization’s first members were handpicked by Jay and Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco, the current president of PAWS, was one of them.
Hontiveros-Lichauco recalled that PAWS, as a new organization then, would make stuffed toys and other items which she and the other members would sell to gain funds. They also had a clinic
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
where they provided services for injured animals and two bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
patrols that they used to save stray animals from the streets.
However, PAWS became dormant when Jay went back to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was in 1986, when Hontiveros-Lichauco reorganized PAWS with a new team of professional volunteers which were primarily veterinarians and educators.
It was in 1996 when the present batch of PAWS’s members joined. The new volunteers, which were mostly the youth, came out with more aggressive ideas in promoting the advocacies of the organization. These ideas are still enacted by PAWS at present.
Programs and Advocacies
PAWS is against the abuse of animals in any form. For years, the organization defended animals and reminded the people of animal rights by organizing different programs. Here are some of the organization’s successful and on-going projects and programs:Republic Act 8485
Since its reorganization in 1986, PAWS has been actively lobbying for the RepublicRepublic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
Act 8485 or the Philippine Animal Welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
Act. However, the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
was still not ready for it by that time.
PAWS and its volunteers never gave up on their goal and came up with a revised Animal Welfare Bill which they diligently pursued in the Senate of the Philippines
Senate of the Philippines
The Senate of the Philippines is the upper chamber of the bicameral legislature of the Philippines, the Congress of the Philippines...
, and the Congress of the Philippines
Congress of the Philippines
The Congress of the Philippines is the national legislature of the Republic of the Philippines. It is a bicameral body consisting of the Senate , and the House of Representatives although commonly in the Philippines the term congress refers to the latter.The Senate is composed of 24 senators half...
. On February 11, 1998, the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 (also known as the Republic Act 8485) was signed into the law by the then president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
, Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel V. Ramos
Fidel "Eddie" Valdez Ramos , popularly known as FVR, was the 12th President of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. During his six years in office, Ramos was widely credited and admired by many for revitalizing and renewing international confidence in the Philippine economy.Prior to his election as...
.
Dog Meat Trade
PAWS was responsible for a huge legal victory in the Northern Province of BenguetBenguet
Benguet is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is La Trinidad and borders, clockwise from the south, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya....
on April 2006. The province sought to take advantage of a loophole in the Animal Welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
Act of 1998, which allows the consumption of Dog meat as a cultural and ritual practice, but not for commercial purposes. PAWS found out that Benguet’s Dog Meat sprung not from “cultural practice” but that of just commercial purposes. After a massive world-wide letter campaign and with helps from other local animal welfare groups, the Benguet
Benguet
Benguet is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is La Trinidad and borders, clockwise from the south, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Nueva Vizcaya....
local government gave in.
On May 2006, PAWS met with the national Meat Inspection Services, a division of the Philippine Department of Agriculture. Some of the main goals of the meeting were to close the loophole in the Animal Welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
Act of 1998, prevent circumventions in the law, and establish clear methods of enforcing the law. PAWS has also helped the local government of Quezon city
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
in the creation a dog pound which could help reduce the dog meat trade in the city.
PAWS Animal Rehabilitation Center (PARC)
PAWS Animal Rehabilitation Center (PARC) is a temporary shelter for abandoned and stray dogs and cats and is found at the back of Ateneo de Manila UniversityAteneo de Manila University
The Ateneo de Manila University is a private teaching and research university run by the Society of Jesus in the Philippines. It began in 1859 when the City of Manila handed control of the Escuela Municipal de Manila in Intramuros, Manila, to the Jesuits...
in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
. It aims to find new homes for the dogs and the cats through its adoption program patterned after some western animal shelters. With PARC’s visibility, PAWS aims to enhance the Filipino’s awareness of animal welfare.
PARC became a favorite destination for field trips, where students are taught to love and care for animals, as well as nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
. At present, it has already received thousands of students from various schools within Metro Manila
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila , the National Capital Region , or simply Metro Manila, is the metropolitan region encompassing the City of Manila and its surrounding areas in the Philippines...
and other provinces.
In 2006, the shelter responded to over 1,300 calls from beleaguered pet owners asking for simple pet health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
advice and reports of animal cruelty. By the time PARC opened in 2002, over 500 rescued and rehabilitated animals have been re-homed.
Project’s history
A similar project to PARC was established by Hontiveros-Lichauco and her volunteers after PAWS's re-organization. A cattery was put up at the back of the Lichauco’s residence in New ManilaManila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
to serve as a temporary shelter for abandoned and rescued cats. Abandoned dogs, on the other hand, were sent to a Lichauco farm in Pangasinan
Pangasinan
Pangasinan is a province of the Republic of the Philippines. The provincial capital is Lingayen. Pangasinan is located on the west central and peripheral area of the island of Luzon along the Lingayen Gulf, with the total land area being 5,368.82 square kilometers . According to the latest census,...
.
PARC’s construction formally started in September 2000, with funding from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and assistance from Don Manolo Lopez of MERALCO
Meralco
The Manila Electric Company , also known as MERALCO or Meralco, is the Philippines' largest distributor of electrical power.The word MERALCO, is an acronym for Manila Electric Railroad And Light COmpany, which was the company's original name from 1903 to 1919.MERALCO is the Metro Manila's only...
. It had an informal operation in 2002, though it was still unfinished then.
Spaying and Neutering
PARC’s clinic offers a low-cost neutering of dogs and cats to solve the problem of pet overpopulation. PARC believes that as these animals continue to breed, possibilities of them dying and being hurt and abused, would just increase.Dr. Dog Program
Dr. DogDr. Dog
Dr. Dog is a psychedelic rock band from West Grove, Pennsylvania. Its lineup currently consists of Toby Leaman , Scott McMicken , Frank McElroy , Zach Miller , and Eric Slick . Lead vocal duties are shared between Leaman and McMicken, with all members contributing harmonies...
is an animal-assisted therapy
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
program founded by Jill Robinson, MBE of Animals Asia Foundation
Animals Asia Foundation
Animals Asia Foundation is a Hong Kong-based charity that seeks to end cruelty to animals in Asia.The AAF was founded in 1998 by Jill Robinson, who felt compelled to create the organisation after learning of the plight of the Asiatic Black Bear known as the “Moon Bear” because of the yellow...
, based in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Dr. Dog is a program run by Animals Asia.
PAWS is the coordinator and the implementing arm of Dr. Dog in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In 1997, "Pakko", a german shepherd, was named as PAWS' first Dr. Dog. PAWS, with Pakko and a dalmatian
Dalmatian (dog)
The Dalmatian is a breed of dog whose roots are often said to trace back to Dalmatia, a region of Croatia where the first illustrations of the dog have been found. The Dalmatian is noted for its unique black- or brown-spotted coat and was mainly used as a carriage dog in its early days...
named "freckles", visited facilities like “Tahanang Walang Hagdanan” (House Without Stairs) – a home for disabled children and adults and the HOPE school for Special Children.
See Beauty Beyond Breed
The campaign also aims also to uplift the image of native dogs
Askal
An askal is a mixed-breed dog in the Philippines. The name is a Tagalog-derived portmanteau of asong kalye . A pet you can leave in the streets, Askals are very resilient compared to their pure-breed counterparts. In Cebuano, mongrel dogs are called irong Bisaya, which literally means a native dog...
, popularize the term "Aspins" for "Asong Pinoy" (litt. Pinoy
Pinoy
Pinoy is an informal demonym referring to the Filipino people in the Philippines and overseas Filipinos around the world. Filipinos usually refer to themselves as Pinoy or sometimes the feminine Pinay...
dog) instead of "Askal" or "Asong Kalye" (litt. street dog).
The Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
celebrities, Heart Evangelista
Heart Evangelista
Love Marie Payawal Ongpauco , better known by her screen name Heart Evangelista, is a Chinese-Filipino actress, TV show host, singer, VJ, and an endorser.-Biography:...
and Jericho Rosales
Jericho Rosales
Jericho Vibar Rosales, is a Filipino cinema and television actor, singer, and songwriter....
, served as spokespeople of PAWS for this campaign.
Dining for Dogs
With hopes of increasing funds for PARC, PAWS organized their first annual charityCharity (practice)
The practice of charity means the voluntary giving of help to those in need who are not related to the giver.- Etymology :The word "charity" entered the English language through the Old French word "charité" which was derived from the Latin "caritas".Originally in Latin the word caritas meant...
dinner entitled “Dine with PAWS.” It was attended by more than 300 guests and over 120 dogs. It successfully raised P225,000.00 for PARC.
Notable appearances of Celebrities in the Dinner were: KC Concepcion
KC Concepcion
KC Concepcion is a Filipina actress and singer and who is currently a National Ambassador Against Hunger of the UN's World Food Programme.- Personal life :...
and Tim Yap with a Pomeranian shih tzu
Shih Tzu
The Shih Tzu is a breed of dog weighing with long silky hair. The breed originated in China and is among the earliest breeds. Shih Tzu were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1969...
; Vina Morales
Vina Morales
Vina Morales is a Filipina singer, actress and model.-Career:...
with a mini pom; Regine Tolentino, husband Lander Perez, with daughters Reigne and Reigen with 2 shih tzu
Shih Tzu
The Shih Tzu is a breed of dog weighing with long silky hair. The breed originated in China and is among the earliest breeds. Shih Tzu were officially recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1969...
.
Other VIP guests included Chit Juan, CEO of the Philippine coffee chain Figaro, who was with COO Reena Francisco and their pet Chihuahua
Chihuahua (dog)
The ' is the smallest breed of dog and is so named for the state of Chihuahua in Mexico. Chihuahuas come in a wide variety of sizes, head shapes, colors and coat lengths.-History:...
; Dr. Vic Atienza , Assistant Director of the Bureau of Animal Industry, with Dr. Angel Mateo, OIC of the Animal Welfare Division of BAI
BAI
-BAI:*BA-I armoured car, Soviet early armoured car, predecessor of BA-6*BAI , Banking Administration Institute **BAI , BAI EDI format for cash management balance reporting...
.
Humane Education
PAWS visits schools and the strength of its Humane Education program lies in its Preschool modules - teaching very young kids kindness and responsible pet ownership through puppet shows, action songs and meet-the-Professor Dog sessions.It also offers free talks and lectures for grade school, high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
students.
Since 2005, PAWS has been tied up with Center for Social Concerns and Action (COSCA) - the community service arm of De La Salle University
De La Salle University
De La Salle University is a private Lasallian university in Malate, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1911 by De La Salle Brothers as the De La Salle College in Paco, Manila with Blimond Pierre serving as its first director...
- for advocacy and direct service projects promoting animal welfare
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
.
Recent protests
PAWS has been recently active in rallies to stop animal abuse. Here were some of their recent protests:1) A protest against the testing of lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
for human Death Row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
inmates to animals in 2001.
2) A protest against an elephant show in Araneta Center
Araneta Center
The Araneta Center is a 35-hectare commercial area in Quezon City, Philippines. Araneta Center Inc. , controlled by the Araneta family, is the owner, developer and manager of Araneta Center, which brings in an estimated 1 million visitors daily...
in 2003.
3) A Protest against dogfights in Antipolo
Antipolo
Antipolo is a city in the Philippines located in the province of Rizal; about 25 kilometers east of Manila. It is the largest city in the Calabarzon Region in terms of population...
City Hall last April 2007.
4) An Information rally vs. dolphin shows at SM Mall of Asia
SM Mall of Asia
SM Mall of Asia is a shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and owner in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the 2nd largest mall in the Philippines after SM City North EDSA, 3rd largest shopping mall in Asia and the 4th largest shopping mall in the world...
on December 2006 and a Protest rally vs. a dolphin show at MetroWalk on December 2007.
PAWS protested to SM Mall of Asia
SM Mall of Asia
SM Mall of Asia is a shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and owner in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the 2nd largest mall in the Philippines after SM City North EDSA, 3rd largest shopping mall in Asia and the 4th largest shopping mall in the world...
and Movers & Shakers
Movers & Shakers
Movers & Shakers is a 1985 comedy movie distributed by MGM. It stars Walter Matthau and was directed by William Asher.The story follows the head of production at a Hollywood studio who wants to make a movie to fulfill a promise made to a dying friend....
, the organizers of the dolphin shows in the said mall since organizing such activity only causes cruelty and abuse to dolphins. Both SM Mall of Asia
SM Mall of Asia
SM Mall of Asia is a shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the largest mall developer and owner in the Philippines. SM Mall of Asia is the 2nd largest mall in the Philippines after SM City North EDSA, 3rd largest shopping mall in Asia and the 4th largest shopping mall in the world...
and Movers & Shakers
Movers & Shakers
Movers & Shakers is a 1985 comedy movie distributed by MGM. It stars Walter Matthau and was directed by William Asher.The story follows the head of production at a Hollywood studio who wants to make a movie to fulfill a promise made to a dying friend....
promised not to hold the show again.
After a year, SM kept its promise to PAWS but Movers & Shakers did not. As a result, on December 9, 2007, PAWS held a peaceful picket at the MetroWalk in Ortigas where the dolphin shows were held to distribute flyers about the abuse of dolphins in front of the show’s entrance.
5) A protest rally vs. Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese Whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
(Dolphin) slaughter at the Japanese Embassy on September 2006
On September 2006, PAWS joined the world-wide rally against whale slaughtering and went in front of the Philippine Japanese Embassy during the Japan Dolphin Day. More than 20,000 whales were said to be deliberately slaughtered by Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
because they allegedly eat too much fish. These fishes were the ones that the Japanese fishermen were after.
PAWS, together with the Earth Island Institute, also filed charges to the operator of the Ocean Adventure Water Park in Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
violating the Philippine Animal Welfare Act. However, the Philippine Court of Appeals
Philippine Court of Appeals
The Court of Appeals of the Philippines is the Philippines' second highest judicial court, just after the Supreme Court. The court consists of 68 Associate Justices and 1 Presiding Justice...
ruled out that the operators could not be held liable.
Affiliations
PAWS works closely with local as well as international animal welfareAnimal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
organizations.
On the local front, it works with Earth Island Institute Phils (EII-Phils) on marine
Marine (ocean)
Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...
mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
welfare issues, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)- Asia Pacific on protests against wild animals being used for entertainment and the dog tethering issue. PAWS also sits in the Committee on Animal Welfare (CAW) under the DA-BAI where it coordinates with 13 other agencies tasked to come up with Implementing Rules and Regulations on the Animal Welfare Act (RA 8485). Among the members of CAW are government agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR}, NMIS and professional groups such as Veterinary Practitioners' Association of the Philippines, among others.
On the international front, PAWS is the only local animal welfare group associated with all these four international animal welfare organizations: Animals Asia Foundation
Animals Asia Foundation
Animals Asia Foundation is a Hong Kong-based charity that seeks to end cruelty to animals in Asia.The AAF was founded in 1998 by Jill Robinson, who felt compelled to create the organisation after learning of the plight of the Asiatic Black Bear known as the “Moon Bear” because of the yellow...
(1998), RSPCA of UK (1998), Humane Society International
Humane Society International
The Humane Society International is the international division of The Humane Society of the United States. Founded in 1991, HSI has expanded The HSUS's activities into Central and South America, Africa, and Asia...
(1998) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals
World Society for the Protection of Animals
The World Society for the Protection of Animals is an international non-profit animal welfare organization and also a federation of such organisations and active in over 150 countries with more than 1000 member societies.- Organization :...
(2005).
It is important to note that while PAWS occasionally gets grants from international organizations on specific education and campaign projects, it is a local, Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
volunteer-based organization.
PAWS Board members are all Filipinos who are able to raise barely enough funds for the operation of its shelter mainly by organizing local pet events and selling merchandise that its volunteers make.