Opposing Brgy Bel-Air: No to Oppressive Ordinance

When it comes to community animal work, I have repeatedly shared that this is community service for me. I have said it before and I need to emphasize again, how can I call myself an animal communicator if I do not help the animals closest to me? I seek no need for awards nor the highest numbers in animals helped, rescued, or adopted out. I believe when there are more people doing community service like me? The bigger the win for animals.

This morning, against all my introvertedness, I begged off work and showed up to my barangay's public hearing to completely oppose the entirety of their draft ordinance on prohibiting feeding of strays. In the years of our daily work in the community, it has been my personal experience that trying to coordinate with the same people currently in leadership, to get TNVR projects running has been slow and fruitless (from borrowing humane cat traps, asking for budget support for TNVR, and organizing a TNVR project for colonies outside their gated village.) For transparency, I own, operated, and coordinated all efforts done by the first Cats of Salcedo page, active pre-2020. I continued my community service on this page. Working together with my tita and a handful of good and honest friends to this day, I have been involved in grassroots animal welfare efforts for more than a decade. When I claim we feed our community cats twice a day, rain or shine, every day without fail? This is always true, for this decade and the next to come.

This post is for equal parts documentation and call for help. Commitment is important. While I do not shy away from leadership roles, I prefer to share the workload and any recognition. I am grateful for the support received this day but I don't have stamina. In the next time the barangay calls for a meeting to discuss animal welfare, please attend. The barangay is actually big and there are many animals, not just dogs and cats. We have great birds, lost pets of all kinds, and local snakes who also help control the rodent population. I will see you there.

And just to cover all my bases, I am NOT asking for any financial support in this endeavor with the barangay.