Sad Kitten News

I received the news about the Joseph Candare case in my e-mail today. Sad :(

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UP TRIBUNAL DECISION: STOMPING A KITTEN TO DEATH IN UP IS
NOT “MISCONDUCT”

To the great disappointment and shock of animal welfare
advocates, the UP Student Disciplinary Tribunal in its
two-page decision dated November 5, 2009 dismissed the case
filed against Joseph Carlo Candare, a BS Physics major
of the UP College of Science for allegedly deliberately
stomping a kitten to death last April 13, 2009.

Candare earned the ire of many animal lovers, and
consequently, many animal rights groups for bragging about
the incident on his personal log on the world wide web (web
log or “blog”).

Excerpts from the infamous blog are as follows:
“I pulled it on its tail and threw it. Then like some pro
wrestler I jumped on it and my feet landed on it's torso.
Slam! Felt good!”

“This isn't the first time I've killed a cat but this
time it's different. It didn't occur to me back then that
the cat had a leash. So I think somebody owns it. Well it's
very well loved in NIP from what I heard and I just ended
it's life. So there you go I'm sorry. And I wont be striking
another one for maybe about a month.”

Questions about Candare’s state of mind cropped up when
blog-readers came across these statements from the 19-year
old student:
“It feels good when your (sic) beating it(a cat) up but you
suddenly feel something strange when it turns off
permanently. That's how I feel right now. And maybe for the
next days. Dang, am I a cat serial killer?”

“It is alarming when a prestigious university declares that there is
“no misconduct” in killing a helpless kitten in plain
view of fellow students right within the school premises,”
said Nancy Cu-unjieng, President of Compassion and
Responsibility for Animals or CARA, the animal welfare
organization that filed the instant complaint before the UP
Tribunal.

Anna Cabrera, Program Director of The Philippine Animal
Welfare Society (PAWS), agreed that the dismissal was “a
dangerous precedent for a university to make”.

In a statement to the press, PAWS said: “The violence and
deliberateness of the act which should have evoked outrage
from school officials and a call for immediate disciplinary
action was instead met with a shrug of the shoulders and a
pronouncement that ‘killing animals – though it is a
national crime – is, as ‘not even classified as an
actionable misconduct under the university’s Rules.’”

“What message is the Tribunal sending out? Basically, it
is implied that students can openly hurt animals and not
face any consequences for their actions. We think that it is
deplorable and shameful for an institution not to strongly
condemn acts of animal cruelty,” commented Cabrera.

The three-member UP Tribunal composed of Ma. Crisanta
Flores, Ma. Theresa Payongayong and Chairman Jonathan P.
Sale stated in its Resolution that: While “it is
true that Section 1 of the (Rules and Regulations on Student
Conduct and Discipline) RRSCD states that, as the basis of
discipline, ‘ a student shall at all times observe the
laws of the land..’ and that part of the law of the land
is Republic Act No. 8485 (the Animal Welfare Act), Section 6
of which makes it unlawful for anyone to torture or maltreat
animals; and that Mr. Candare did to the kitten clearly
constitutes maltreatment , if not outright torture... not
all violations of laws are actionable misconducts.”

“Candare’s actions – deplorable though they may seem
to some, if not most, people, do not constitute any
misconduct actionable under University rules.”

“Consequently, it is thus respectfully recommended that
the Tribunal DISMISS the instant complaint”

Violation of the Animal Welfare Act is considered a
criminal act punishable with six months up to two
years imprisonment or a fine ranging from P1000 to P5000.

While recorded prosecutions under this special law have
been few since its approval in 1998, PAWS, who spearheaded
the lobbying of the said law, is slowly making headway by
helping an increasing number of ordinary citizens file cases
against animal offenders in Court.

PAWS filed a criminal case against Candare before the QC
Hall of Justice where the case is for resolution at the QC
Prosecutor’s Office.