Pampanga solon seeks justice for dog allegedly hurt by school dean

MABALACAT CITY — The congressman of Pampanga’s first district is seeking justice for a dog allegedly beaten by the college dean of a private school in Angeles City.

In a Facebook post on Monday night, Rep. Carmelo Lazatin Jr. cited a circulating social media post showing the dean of Systems Plus College Foundation (SPCF) allegedly beating a dog inside the school’s premises.

He said subsequent social media posts showed the dog bleeding from the head and allegedly being stuffed into an empty water drum in an apparent attempt to suffocate it.

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Lazatin called on the Angeles City government, headed by his half-brother, Mayor Carmelo Lazatin II, the Angeles City Police Office, and the SPCF administration to investigate the alleged case of animal cruelty and “ensure that the perpetrators are meted with the corresponding penalty for this violent act.”

The lawmaker said there is no room in a civilized society for senseless violence against a helpless animal.

“Regardless if the animal is a stray that accidentally wandered inside school premises, it is not a reason to enact violence on the poor animal. We are human beings; therefore, we have been granted logic and reason. As such, we should exercise utmost patience and humanity when dealing with an animal that lacks the same level of thinking capacity as a human being,” he said.

Lazatin added that if the educator committed such an act, it was disgraceful and disappointing.

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“In our desire to achieve higher education and learning, may we never lose sight of morality and compassion,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Animal Kingdom Foundation, a Tarlac-based nongovernmental organization, said in a Facebook post that the dean and a school janitress allegedly committed the act of animal cruelty

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The group said several students were deeply affected by what they had witnessed.

“It is heartbreaking that an incident like this allegedly happened in a place where compassion and respect for life should be taught and practiced,” it said.

The foundation appealed to witnesses to come forward and provide their testimonies.

“Your testimony could help establish the truth and bring justice for the dog. Do not let fear silence the truth. Do not let this dog’s suffering be forgotten,” it said.

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Neither Lazatin nor the Animal Kingdom Foundation said whether the dog had died. They also did not say when the incident happened.

A netizen who commented on the Animal Kingdom Foundation’s post claimed that the maltreated dog was no longer seen on the school’s premises.

A student of SPCF said she was crying and begging the male dean to stop bearing the skinny dog. She added that she and other students looked for the dog or its remains within the school’s premises but failed to locate it.

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On Monday, the SPCF posted a statement on its Facebook page saying that “an appropriate inquiry has been initiated to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident.”

The school said it had undertaken necessary measures while the matter was being addressed.

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“The institution upholds due process and will take appropriate action based on the findings of the inquiry and in accordance with applicable laws and institutional policies,” it said./coa