UP animal welfare group opposes alleged plan to impound campus dogs and cats

FOCA UP urges University of the Philippines Diliman to halt rumored plans in removing and impounding campus dogs and cats

Friends of Campus Animals (FOCA) UP has issued a statement opposing the alleged plan to remove and impound community dogs and cats from the University of the Philippines Diliman campus, arguing that such a move would undermine years of humane animal welfare efforts.

The statement comes hours after animal welfare advocate Gabriel Yap appealed to UP Executive Vice President Dr. Caesar A. Saloma to halt the alleged capture and impounding of campus animals, claiming he had received information that the operation could begin as early as Friday. As of posting, the university has yet to publicly confirm or deny the allegation.

In its statement, FOCA said it was “seriously concerned” over the alleged order to remove all community dogs and cats from the campus, stressing that impounding should not be the primary response to stray animal management.

Instead, the group urged UP to continue its existing Capture-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (CNVR) program, which it said has already been implemented by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs (OVCCA).

According to FOCA, UP Diliman, the Quezon City Veterinary Department, the Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF), and several animal welfare organizations have collectively spent millions of pesos since 2019 to neuter, vaccinate, and microchip more than 1,500 campus dogs and cats.

The group argued that removing community animals does not solve overpopulation, saying it merely creates a vacuum that attracts new, unneutered animals into the area.

“Campus animals are part of the UP Diliman community,” the organization said. “For many residents, students, and employees, the community animals are friends and family. They should be treated with respect, managed humanely, and not disposed of indiscriminately.”

FOCA also emphasized that any intervention involving campus animals should be evidence-based, humane, coordinated with the OVCCA, aligned with UP policies and the Animal Welfare Act, and undertaken in consultation with campus stakeholders.

Rather than impounding, the organization called for strengthened CNVR operations, campus-wide microchipping and monitoring, vaccination and health checks, coordination with accredited animal welfare volunteers, responsible feeding guidelines, and expanded public education on responsible pet ownership and animal abandonment prevention.

The group reiterated that it supports measures to keep students, employees, and residents safe, but maintained that safety should not come at the expense of humane treatment of the animals that have long been part of the UP Diliman community.

UP officials have yet to release an official statement regarding the allegations.

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