RESIDENTS of barangay Mohon, Talisay City don’t consider Alfredo Alindao a criminal for throwing sulfuric acid at two dogs who died two days later last week.
“Dugay ra ming na-trauma anang mga iroa. Among mga anak, dili na mosugot sugoon kay mahadlok na sa mga iro. Hasta kami nga mga dagko na, mahadlok pud mi (We have long been traumatized by these dogs. Our kids can’t go out because they are afraid of the dogs. Even we grownups are afraid),” 48-year-old Marilou Restauro said.
Alfredo Alindao faces a complaint filed by resident Marcial Lumayag for violating Republic Act (RA) 8485 or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 which prohibits the torture and maltreatment of animals.
Restauro said the dogs that Alindao threw acid on don’t have owners and freely roam the area.
She said they are considered “common dogs” because some residents feed them.
Alindao’s mother, 61-year-old Rosalina Alindao, recounted that her son and his wife passed by an area riding hteri bicycles when they were chased by the dogs and sustained injuries while trying to get away from them.
She said the couple approached the residents who feed the dogs to ask who the owners are. She said nobody claimed ownership of the dogs.
“So the next day Alfred brought some acid to throw it to them should they chase him again,” Rosalina said.
Her son was not around when Cebu Daily News visited their home yesterday.
Mohon barangay captain Dario Villaver said they will investigate the incident.
“The owners should keep their dogs leashed and within their homes. It is their sole responsibility to look after them,” he said in Cebuano.
Restauro said the dogs, which usually go out at night, chase after people who pass by the area where she and others stay in the adjacent sitio Day-as.
While there were no cases of dog bites or rabies case, they are still afraid of the dogs.
“Mahal baya gyud kaayo nga mga anti-rabies nga injection. Maghuwat pa mi nga mapaakan? Kung mapaakan mi, kinsa man among paninglan? (Anti-rabies shots are very expensive. Should we wait for it to happen? If we’re bitten, who do we blame?),” an angry Restauro said.
But Lumayag, who was among those who fed the dogs, said the canines are “tamed” and don’t bite.
He said some kids may have provoked the dogs causing them to chase the children away.
“If the dogs were a problem, the residents should have reported it to the barangay. They didn’t have to torture the dogs,” Lumayag said. He said what Alfred did was very wrong.
“Dili ensakto to iyang gibuhat. Mas okay pa siguro nga gipatay niya ditso. Luoy man kaayo nga nag-antos pag pila ka adlaw ang mga iro (What he did was wrong. It would have been better if he killed the dogs right away. The dogs had to endure days of pain),” Lumayag said.
He said he was satisfied with Alindao’s promise that “he won’t do it again.”
Lumayag said he asked the Cebu South Dog Club not to file a case because it may affect their relationship with the rest of the residents in the sitio.
However, CSDC is intent in pushing for criminal charges against Alindao.
“On our part we will now leash the dogs,” Lumayag said.
He said he and some residents aren’t considering to send the dogs to the pound.
He said the dogs are a “deterrent” to thieves and criminals in the area.
Some of the residents also tried asking the city dog pound to round up the dogs but the area is already filled up, Lumayag said.
Under Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, local government units (LGU) are mandated to enforce dog impounding activities and field control to eliminate stray dogs.
LGUs should also ensure that dogs are leashed or confined within the premises of the owner’s house or owner’s fenced surroundings.
Talisay City faced complaints from animal welfare groups for their “cruel” euthanasia procedure on stray dogs.
The Talisay Veterinary Office decided to stop killing stray dogs through “tambutso (tailpipe) gassing” in November last year.
The CSDC filed the complaint against tailpipe gassing and signified its intention to continue the charges against Alindao. Correspondent Jose Santino Bunachita