153 pet owners file complaints vs. Bacoor crematorium over dumped animal remains

MANILA — A total of 153 pet owners have formally filed complaints with the Bacoor City Police Station in connection with the alleged improper disposal of their deceased pets and possible consumer fraud involving a pet crematorium, police said Tuesday.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Alexie Desamito, Bacoor City police chief, said authorities expect the number of complainants to increase as more pet owners come forward following the discovery of animal remains in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.

The San Jose del Monte City Police confirmed that the remains recovered from a vacant lot in Barangay Minuyan Proper on Friday consisted of 22 dogs and three cats. Initial investigation showed that the animals had been brought from Bacoor.

The pet aftercare service was subsequently identified by the Bacoor City government as Ahjay Paws Aftercare.

Desamito said investigators are gathering sworn statements and evidence from complainants to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged disposal of the animals and support the filing of criminal charges against those who may be held liable.

“Sa ngayon, 153 na so far iyong dumulog sa ating tanggapan sa City Police Station to formally file their complaint. So, sinisikap natin, nasa proseso kami ngayon na kinakalap natin lahat ng available evidences and their statements to support the filing of criminal case against those iyong mga tinuturo po na salarin,” Desamito said.

For many of the complainants, however, the discovery of the animal remains has reopened the grief of losing their companions, with some demanding accountability rather than simply seeking refund.

“Iyong concern nila talagang mabigat sa loob nila iyong nangyari kasi naloko sila and bumalik iyong alaala noong pagluluksa nila doon sa mga namatay nilang pets. Of course, nagkaroon ng transaksyon, tumanggap ng pera iyong kausap nila na business establishment, kapalit no’n ay ike-cremate iyong alaga nila,” Desamito said.

“But then malalaman nila and ma-di-discover na nanduo’n pala iyong katawan pa at itinapon lang kung saan. So, gusto nila dito po ay katarungan. Hindi lang iyong simpleng reimbursement kasi hindi na daw po pera ang pinag-uusapan dito,” she added.

Bacoor Mayor Strike Revilla earlier announced that Ahjay Paws Aftercare had been shut down on Saturday night following a closure order issued by the city’s Business Permits and Licensing Department.

Revilla also said he had directed the police to investigate the incident and pursue possible charges against the establishment’s owner.

On November 2, the mayor said the owner was no longer cooperating with the investigation and had reportedly indicated that he would wait for a case to be filed against him.

Authorities are also looking into the possible involvement of other individuals or partner service providers in the alleged disposal of the animals, although investigators have yet to verify these leads.

“May mga hearsay na ganyan na narinig po tayo. Pero as far as verification ko sa investigators natin, hindi ko pa ma-establish na talaga ‘yan sir. Pero tinitingnan po namin iyon,” Desamito said.

As part of efforts to strengthen the case, Bacoor police are coordinating with their legal officer and the Philippine National Police Forensic Group to determine the appropriate criminal charges and assess the available evidence.

Desamito said some complainants have submitted ashes allegedly provided to them by the crematorium for forensic examination.

The findings could also help investigators substantiate allegations of estafa, particularly claims that customers paid for cremation services but received ashes that may not have come from their deceased animals.

“Isa ‘yan sa supporting documents. Kasi doon sa criminal case na isasampa natin na estafa, isang element ‘yan. They have to prove na talagang naloko sila,” she said.

“Kung ano po iyong lalabas sa resulta ng forensic expert natin na malalaman siguro kung anong klase ng ash ba iyon, ‘yong binigay sa kanila. Kung ash ba talaga ‘yan ng pet nila or baka ordinary lang ‘yan na uling,” she added.

Desamito said the examination could provide supporting evidence for the complainants’ allegations, although she did not give a definite timeline for the release of the results.

She said complainants had begun submitting ashes on November 2.