16/05/2026
It is with deep disappointment and distress that we share the dismissal of the animal cruelty complaint filed in relation to the Caloocan dog stabbing case last January.
The Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the complaint during preliminary investigation on the ground that the CCTV footage allegedly did not clearly capture the exact moment the stab wound was inflicted, and therefore found no sufficient prima facie evidence with rea*onable certainty of conviction.
According to the resolution, weight was given to the respondent’s defense that he merely attempted to drive the dog away after it took meat from the stall.
However, what deeply disturbs us is that the CCTV footage and stills clearly showed the respondent holding a knife and deliberately approaching the stray dog immediately before the dog ran away.
The dog was alive and appeared unharmed before the encounter.
Moments after the respondent approached the dog while armed with a knife, the dog fled.
The dog was later found bleeding from a stab wound and eventually died.
While the resolution emphasized that the actual pe*******on of the blade was not visibly captured frame-by-frame on CCTV, we cannot ignore the surrounding circumstances and sequence of events plainly visible in the footage.
If footage of a man armed with a knife approaching a defenseless stray dog moments before the dog fled injured and later died can still be considered insufficient to proceed further, then it raises serious concerns about the realities and limitations of animal welfare enforcement in our country.
In most cruelty cases, there will never be a perfect camera angle capturing every second of violence with absolute clarity.
Our disappointment does not come from disrespect toward the legal process, but from grief and the painful reality that even cases involving CCTV footage, witness accounts, public concern, and the presence of a deadly weapon may still fail to move forward.
At this point, we humbly ask for help and guidance from lawyers, animal welfare advocates, organizations, or anyone knowledgeable in criminal and animal welfare law who may be willing to assist us in pursuing a Motion for Reconsideration and strengthening the case further.
We may be emotionally exhausted, but we are not yet ready to give up on seeking justice for this voiceless animal.
