Unknown to many, the pandemic has made it difficult for shelters offering assistance to animals.
In line with its 917 celebrations, Globe is encouraging its members to extend their support for Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) as they strive to continue operations in protecting and promoting the humane treatment of all animals.
By accepting donations, PAWS can keep its operations going. Globe customers can donate their Globe Rewards points to support animal welfare initiatives as each point is equivalent to Php 1. To do so, open the new GlobeOne app, click on the “Rewards” button and go to the “Donate” section where PAWS is listed among partner-beneficiaries.
“It is important that we acknowledge that COVID has effects across all areas, and we need to find ways to help advocacies that may not be a priority at this time but are still equally relevant. Globe activates its ecosystem and provides channels to its customers to contribute to advocacies and respond to various needs,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications.
Since 2020, Globe and TM customers have donated a total of Php 4.5M, where Php 3.7M was mainly used in disaster response initiatives, which included rescuing animals and helping local communities affected by natural disasters.
According to PAWS, millions of stray dogs and cats roam the streets. Every year, thousands are either euthanized in city or municipal pounds, die of disease, or are hit by vehicles.
PAWS believes that prevention is better than cure and that the problem of pet homelessness is best addressed at the root: by providing affordable spay-neuter programs for pet owners. This is why the PAWS Shelter, which already houses over 300 dogs and cats rescued from cruelty, is also a low-cost spay-neuter and veterinary clinic.
“The costs of running a shelter and a fully-operational spay-neuter clinic are massive and the donations through Globe Rewards addressed the donation shortfall experienced by PAWS during this challenging time,” said Anna Cabrera, PAWS Executive Director.
“We are extremely glad our supporters can easily send in their contributions through Globe Rewards. It would have been a different story for PAWS in this pandemic – we would have had to cut down on our life-saving services for poor pet owners and their animals if it were not for the funding provided Globe and TM customers,” she added.
During the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila, PAWS put up its own “Community PAWntry” in front of the PAWS Animal Shelter and supplied community pantries with pet food supplies to help pet owners in need and the strays foraging for food in then-empty streets. Over 4.68 tons of food were distributed to help the furry victims of the pandemic.
Despite the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic, PAWS continues its other programs such as disaster-relief and preparedness for animals and the prosecution of animal offenders in order to put an end to animal abuse.
The PAWS Humane Education Team – through webinars and outreach programs – also continues to disseminate information about responsible pet ownership, Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) for community cats and the importance of having one’s dog or cat fixed as early as the age of six (6) months.
The organization also lobbies for policy-change to improve the living conditions of all animals – including farm animals and wildlife – as it sits as an Institutional Member of the Committee on Animal Welfare by virtue of The Animal Welfare Act. Recently, PAWS has lobbied for a bill protecting marine mammals such as dolphins and whales. This bill has already been filed at the Senate.
Globe strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 9 for Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure. Globe is committed to upholding the United Nations Global Compact principles and contributing to 10 UN SDGs.