IN an act of brainless and heartless barbarism, a man and two minors doused kittens with alcohol, set their fur on fire, laughed at the spectacle, and recorded it for online content in Cabuyao, Laguna.
As public outrage grew over the incident, the Bataan Animal Welfare Society (BAWS) took custody of and provided emergency veterinary care to the surviving animals, and worked directly with the police to initiate a formal case buildup to press criminal charges. The group rejected the suspects’ defense that they were drunk, saying “this will not end with a mere apology.”
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) condemned the act, as well. “This was not a prank. It was not entertainment. It was a deliberate and brutal act of cruelty against helpless animals, and it is against the law,” it said.
It added that when animal suffering is treated as a source of entertainment, online attention, or engagement, and when cruelty becomes “content,” this points to a deeper need to teach compassion, empathy and respect for life from an early age.
“Animal cruelty should never be rewarded with views, shares, likes, or comments. We urge the public NOT to share, repost, download, or further circulate the video. Even angry engagement can give cruel content more reach. Instead, report the post directly to the social media platform and allow the proper authorities to pursue the case,” the group said.
PAWS and other animal-welfare advocates are also looking into amendments to the law that would impose stronger penalties on those who deliberately inflict, encourage, or facilitate animal cruelty for online content, engagement, or profit.
But punishment alone will not solve the problem. Through the proposed Animal Life Advocacy & Guardianship Act (Alaga), PAWS seeks to integrate humane education into the curriculum across all levels of education, with particular emphasis on the formative years when children develop values of empathy, responsibility and respect for other living beings.
“We cannot build a compassionate society if children grow up believing that an animal’s suffering is something to laugh at, film, or post for attention,” PAWS said. “Cruelty is not content. Animal suffering is not entertainment. No number of views is worth the life or suffering of an animal.”
The trend of committing animal abuse for online “content” relies on digital visibility and engagement. Stopping it requires coordinated actions across digital behavior, legal enforcement and platform accountability.
Individuals can take immediate action.
Do not engage or reshare content like this. Avoid commenting, liking or sharing the video, even out of anger. Algorithmic systems treat all engagement (positive or negative) as interest, boosting the content’s reach and giving perpetrators the visibility they seek.
Report such content directly to platforms like Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, or X.
Take screenshots; save post links; and note account handles, then report the abuse directly to local authorities or official animal-welfare law enforcement — without posting about it publicly.
The authorities, too, must act.
Law enforcement agencies must consistently track down perpetrators and impose maximum penalties under Republic Act 8485, or the Animal Welfare Act of 1998, to create a real deterrent. They also need to treat animal abuse created for online distribution as an aggravated offense, similar to cybercrime penalties, cutting off the incentive of online fame or profit.
Social media platforms are accountable and must take action.
Platforms must implement strict measures similar to those used for severe explicit content to automatically block media involving live animal harm before it spreads.
Platforms should also issue permanent, hardware-level bans on persons who upload cruelty videos to stop them from creating new accounts.
Finally, there’s work to be done, too, at the school and community level.
Integrating animal welfare and compassion training into school curricula will help stop desensitization to violence early on. Community awareness at the village and municipal level will make it easier for neighbors to identify and report abusers to local police.
Many of these steps are incorporated in the Alaga bill, which represents a major overhaul to update and strengthen the country’s existing law on animal welfare. The measure, still pending in Congress, provides stricter penalties for abuse and neglect; creates a national commission on animal welfare; institutionalizes humane education by integrating animal welfare and responsible pet ownership principles in school curricula to instill early empathy and prevent abuse; mandates local government units to establish humane stray management; and addresses digital and online cruelty by targeting modern forms of abuse, including livestreamed cruelty for content and illegal pet trading over social media.
Given the mindless cruelty on display in the Cabuyao incident, it is high time to pass the Alaga bill, not merely as a gesture of kindness to our animals but as a declaration that we, as a civilized society, actively protect our most vulnerable and defenseless.
