DAVAO Oriental Solon Cheeno Miguel D. Almario has recently filed House Bill No. 9126, a measure that would impose a lifetime ban on animal ownership for anyone convicted of animal cruelty, and establish a National Animal Offender Registry to enforce it.
The bill amends Republic Act No. 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, by adding a perpetual ownership ban as an accessory penalty to existing imprisonment and fines, which ranges from Php 30,000 to Php 100,000.
“Convicted animal abusers can walk into any pet store or shelter the next day and start the cycle over again. That is a gap in the law, and it is the gap this bill closes,” Almario said. “Those who forfeit their right to care for animals through violence should never get that right back.”
The proposed National Animal Offender Registry would serve as the enforcement backbone; a verification database to prevent convicted offenders from acquiring new animals through pet shops, breeders, shelters, or private sales.
Almario said the bill envisions a collaborative model with established animal welfare organizations, including the Philippine Canine Club, Inc. and the Feline Council of the Philippines, Inc., to ensure compliance monitoring on the ground.
“We have laws against repeat offenders for crimes against people. It is time we extended that same logic to crimes against the voiceless,” Almario said. “By closing this door, we are telling every Filipino household, every shelter, every breeder: cruelty has consequences, and they are permanent.”
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