| The seminar commenced in Region 6 last
July 20 in Iloilo City. The following day, July 21 in Bacolod
City and on to Region 4-A in Lipa City on July 28. The road
show then went up to Region 1 in Dagupan City on August
4 and completed its the final stop in Baguio in the Cordillera
Autonomous Region on August 11.
The seminar aims to give DILG, NMIS and PNP field personnel
in the selected regions a good understanding and working
knowledge of RA 8485 to fully implement the said ruling
and also to foster a good working relationship with NGOs
and the mentioned government agencies.
In its continuing effort to support the
government in fully implementing RA 8485, Animal Kingdom
Foundation Inc. sponsored the publication of Administrative
Order number 10 of Republic Act 8485 otherwise known as
the Animal Welfare Law.
Throughout the discussions with the Committee
on Animal Welfare till the final draft of Administrative
Order no. 10, AKF Inc lawyers Attys. Heidi Caguioa and Mona
Vargas together with External Affairs Officer Luis Buenaflor
were present not only to give inputs and information but
actively participate as well.
The final draft of Administrative Order
no. 10 which was presented to the Secretary of Agriculture
and signed was ably crafted by AKF Inc. lawyers Attys. Caguioa
and Vargas.
To fulfill a long time dream of having a safe haven for
rescued and homeless animals particular dogs, Animal Kingdom
Foundation Inc officially launched AKF Animal Rehabilitation
and Rescue Center last July, 2006 in Barangay Cubcub, Capas,
Tarlac.
AKF envisioned the rescue center as a safe place where rescued
dogs can run free and live out their natural lives in contentment.
And so it is!
The affair was attended by the Mayor of Capas, Tarlac, Hon
Rey Catacutan, his wife Lenny, Dept of Interior and Local
Government Undersecretary for Peace and Order, Usec. Wensley
Andanar, National Meat Inspection Service National Director,
Dr. Minda Manantan, Director of Animal Welfare Division,
Dr. Angel Mateo and Chairman of Committee on Animal Welfare,
Dr. Enrique Carlos.
A priest conducted a short but solemn ceremony and blessed
the whole center. Jovial faces of the guests are evident
before and after the event. Obviously, they were enjoying
the experience. Almost everyone was in unison saying that
the center is the most ambitious yet fulfilled animal-welfare
project in the country.
Two buses were provided to the guest composed mostly by
pertinent partner agencies from government, private sector
and media personalities. Photojournalists and reporters
from print and broadcasts had a field day taking pictures
of the happy dogs on the kennels.
Charles Wartenberg, AKF President, while calling for more
support from animal lovers during the press conference,
indicated that the dream has just begun. Truly, this happy
kingdom will house more rescued dogs in the future.
 In
Tagbilaran City, Bohol, PepsiCo and AKF, together with the
Municipal Tourism Council of Alburquerque, agreed to build
an animal sanctuary in the said municipality. The parties
agreed that Pepsico will fund the project while AKF Inc.
will serve as the conduit and technical supervisor and the
Municipal Tourism Council Of Alburquerque will be the implementing
agency.
PepsiCo was represented by its Cebu General Manager Joseph
Martin Borromeo while AKF Inc. was represented by Senior
Researcher Luis Buenaflor while the Municipal Tourism Council
Of Alburquerque was represented by Mayor Efren Tungol. A
tripartite Memorandum of Agreement was formulated and signed.
 In
Manila, a partnership described as "the first of its
kind", was forged by AKF Inc., as the leading animal
welfare NGO with the Boy Scouts of the Philippines aimed
to continue the efforts of eliminating dog meat trade in
the country.
The unified act was held in the historic
compound of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.
AKF President Charles Wartenberg presented awards to Jejomar
Binay, Boy Scouts National President, Jose Rizal Panganiban,
Boy Scouts Secretary General and Nixon Canlapan Director
of the Boy Scouts Public Relations Office for their invaluable
and unflinching support in the advocacy of Animal Kingdom
Foundation Inc.
Among the agreed collaborations are massive
information campaign aimed at total awareness of animal
welfare throughout the country. The program will consist
of a series of seminars/symposiums to all Boy Scout Troops
in all schools nationwide. There will be a series of audio-visual
presentations, film showing to all Boy Scout Troops in various
schools. Likewise, AKF Inc. will be a regular participant
in Boy Scout Jamborees with booths and other information
campaign activities, while the successful partnership with
the Boy Scouts Magazine continues.
 As
a celebration of the "Anti-Rabies Month", the
Manila City Pound launched together with AKF Inc. a dog
adoption program.
The program intended to give dogs, impounded
by the animal control unit of the Manila pound and dogs
rescued by AKF Inc. from illegal dog-traders, proper care
and attention.
The Manila pound headed by Dr. Jose Diaz takes care of selecting
the healthiest dogs and provides them with needed medication/immunization
while AKF Inc. recommends possible adopting parties via
a series of tests and consultations.
A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between
AKF Inc. President Charles Wartenberg and Manila City Mayor
Lito Atienza.
Fostering a closer working relationship
with concerned government agencies, AKF Inc. President Charles
Wartenberg met with the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture
Domingo Panganiban.
The closed-door meeting was held at the
national office of the Department of Agriculture. Present
also were AKF Inc. OIC Suzanne Llanera and AKF Inc. External
Affairs Officer Luis Buenaflor.
Secretary Panganiban, as a result of the meeting, gave directives
to the Bureau of Animal Industry, Animal Welfare Division
to take care of issues concerning animal welfare and urge
all concerned agencies to fully implement the animal-welfare
law, particularly issues on the illegal dog meat trade.
 In
one of its sorties against the illegal dog traders in the
north, AKF Inc. together with its mother organization International
Wildlife Coalition Trust (IWCT) rescued a fledging 3 month
old dog from a slaughterhouse in Baguio City. Sweet, as
he came to be called, is just one among the thousands of
dogs that ends up in one of the many illegal slaughterhouses
in Baguio each week. He was found cowering in a corner of
a very cramped cage along with several other dogs without
food and water. Earlier, 40 other dogs were brutally slaughtered
in front of him, their heads smashed with a wooden club.
Perhaps it was his soulful eyes or demeanor amidst the carnage
that caught the attention of IWCT Director Charles Warternberg
to rescue Sweet and bring him to London.
"It is likely that Sweet was more
of a family pet who was either stolen or sold to the dog-meat
traders as he was in fairly good physical condition when
we rescued him", Charles said.
From Baguio, Sweet was immediately taken to a pet hospital
in Makati where he was treated and recuperated for a month
prior to his flight to London.
At 12:35 p.m. August 2, 2002, Sweet arrived
at the Gatwick airport to begin his new life with Charles
Wartenberg.
Sweet Celebration: (Pinoy
Askal Wins United Kingdom's Dog Of The Year 2004!)
Animal Kingdom Foundation Inc.'s dog, Sweet,
is the United Kingdom's Dog of the Year for 2004. The Dog
of the year is an annual contest sponsored by Daily Mail
Weekend Magazine where they search for the dog with the
most unusual and memorable experience.
Sweet bested over 8,000 other entries coming
from all over United Kingdom and romped away with a Silver
trophy, a gold medallion and a grand prize of 1,000 pounds.
Prominent members of the British press judged the contest.
Several months back, AKFI operatives led
by Charles Wartenberg, Suzanne Llanera, Luis Buenaflor Jr
and Dr. Winston Samaniego rescued a 3-month-old mongrel
from dog butchers in Baguio. Sweet, as he came to be known,
was nursed back to health and brought by Charles to London
to become part of the Wartenberg family.
"We never thought Sweet would become
a celebrity abroad! All we want is for him to have a happy
home." says AKFI's senior researcher Luis Buenaflor
Jr, "He seems so helpless when I was holding him during
the rescue. Now, he is a Pinoy superstar in London!"
Suzanne Llanera, AKFI's officer- in- charge fondly remembers.
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