by Bing A Dawang

JUST before World Animal Day, which coincides with the feast of St. Francis d'Assisi, the patron saint of animals, a local (USA) newspaper defended the dog meat trade in the Philippines, in particular in Baguio City and the Cordilleras, by claiming that dog eating is a part of the Igorot indigenous culture. As a full-blooded Igorot, I take offence.

The newspaper quoted Isikias Isican, said to be curator of the St. Louis University museum, as saying that there is a clear cultural basis for butchering dogs because they were "butchered by Igorot tribes before going to war, or to cure certain afflictions."

Isican generalized that dog-eating is a part of Igorot tradition by recalling that in 1904 a few Igorot men and women were displayed at the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition ("world's fair") in St Louis, Missouri. Described as heathen Pagans, they butchered a dog as part of the show.

In the same article Hanzen Binay, formerly defence counsel for several dog meat traders and now a Benguet prosecutor, questioned the wisdom of the Philippine Animal Welfare Act. Stating that the law was supported by British animal advocates, Binay asked rhetorically why Britain does not respect the Igorot culture.

As an Igorot, I vehemently do not accept dog eating as my culture. I was not raised to eat dogs. Dog meat is not a part of my diet, nor has it ever been. I find it insulting that Igorots are branded as dog-eaters, not only in the Philippines but abroad. It is a shame, and because Igorots are Filipinos, dog-eating is a Philippine national shame.

It is true that in ancient times some Igorot tribes butchered their dogs before going to war. It was the belief of the then Pagan Igorot that the spirits of the sacrificed dogs would guard them in battle. In times of tragedy, the family dog might also have been sacrificed to appease the spirits, and to assign the soul of the dog to guard the spirits of the living family members.

Dog sacrifice always connoted bad luck, tragedy, or death. When a family butchered a dog, which had to be the family dog, not just any dog bought from nowhere, the family was not feasting but was either mourning, in extreme pain, or involved in some other activity connected with death.

Dogs were not butchered as drunkards' fare, nor as a daily or regular part of the Igorot diet. Igorot families much preferred to avoid the circumstances which might lead them to sacrifice their dog. Dog sacrifice for religious purposes is allowed under the Philippine Animal Welfare Act. But the act also requires that dog sacrifices must be recorded and reported. Five years after the law was passed, the Bureau of Animal Industry has yet to receive any such reports from the Igorot elders.

Igorot culture has greatly changed since 1904. Headhunting, for example, was also part of the Igorot culture and way of life 100 years ago. We now recognise and reject that practice as murder (would Isikias Isican expect this 'tradition' also to be 'respected'?). This is adaptation. This is cultural evolution. We discard bad customs and traditions, and adopt good ones from other cultures and as an Igorot, a Filipino, a law-abiding citizen, and a lover of dogs, if I see anyone butchering and selling dogs for meat, I will not hesitate to bring criminal charges.

Incidentally, anyone who believes that the Philippine Animal Welfare Act was passed chiefly through the lobbying of British citizens, or Americans, or members of any nationality other than Filipino is misinformed. Foreigners helped, but most of the work was done by Filippinos, represented by Philippine groups, including the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, reorganized in 1986 by Nita Hontiveros-Lichauco, and the Philippine SPCA, formed on December 13, 1904 (the year of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition), now headed by Edgardo Aldaba.

We have in common, besides our cause, one hero: the dog Dagul, an askal, whose kind are commonly captured and butchered. Dagul, however, was adopted by Wilmar Castillo and family. Dagul rewarded their compassion in May 2003 when he alerted Wilmar Castillo to an avalanche of mud just in time to save the young man's life.

Honoured with the Lewyt Award for Compassionate and Heroic Animals, as described in the September 2003 edition of ANIMAL PEOPLE, Dagul and Wilmar Castillo demonstrated the relationship that we believe should exist among humans and dogs. Kindness toward dogs and other creatures is fundamental to my culture.

Bing A Dawang is editor of The Junction regional newspaper and is a founding officer of Linis Gobyerno Inc, Baguio City, Philippines.