• THERESA MAE DULMAN
The Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 1, Bacolod City, has convicted a man for violating the Animal Welfare Act of 1998 after he fatally shot a Siberian Husky named “Skittles” in an incident that grabbed the attention of the animal welfare community.
The ruling found Dominador Bangero Jr. guilty beyond reasonable doubt of cruelty to animals under Section 6 of Republic Act 8485, as amended by RA 10631.
The court sentenced Bangero to suffer the penalty of imprisonment for an indeterminate term of one year, nine months, and one day, as minimum, to two years as maximum.
The case stemmed from a February 2023 incident inside a subdivision in Barangay Singcang-Airport, Bacolod City, where Bangero shot Skittles, who was rushed to a veterinary clinic but died from the gunshot wound hours later.
The ruling was celebrated by the Community Animal Rescue Efforts (CARE) Inc., who pursued the case for two years.
“Let this be a powerful reminder that animal cruelty is a crime- not an act to be taken lightly,” the group said, reminding the public that cruelty to animals is a serious crime that will be punished under the law.*
