26/08/2026
PAWS CONDEMNS THE BURNING OF TWO LIVE KITTENS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) strongly condemns the horrifying act of three individuals who set two live kittens on fire and filmed the act for social media content.
According to the Cabuyao City Police, the suspects have already been identified and are set to face the appropriate complaints in connection with the incident. The kittens have also been rescued and turned over to an animal welfare organization.
This was not a prank. It was not entertainment. It was a deliberate and brutal act of cruelty against helpless animals, and it is against the law.
PAWS is deeply alarmed when animal suffering is treated as a source of entertainment, online attention, or engagement. When cruelty becomes โcontent,โ it points to a deeper need to teach compassion, empathy, and respect for life from an early age.
Animal cruelty should never be rewarded with views, shares, likes, or comments. We urge the public NOT to share, repost, download, or further circulate the video. Even angry engagement can give cruel content more reach. Instead, report the post directly to the social media platform and allow the proper authorities to pursue the case.
PAWS is also looking into amendments to the Animal Welfare Act that would impose stronger penalties on those who deliberately inflict, encourage, or facilitate animal cruelty for online content, engagement, or profit. The law must keep pace with new forms of cruelty enabled by social media, where violent acts can be deliberately staged to generate attention and views.
But punishment alone will not solve the problem. Through the proposed ALAGA Bill, PAWS seeks for the integration of humane education into the curriculum across all levels of education, with particular emphasis on the formative years when children develop values of empathy, responsibility, and respect for other living beings.
We cannot build a compassionate society if children grow up believing that an animalโs suffering is something to laugh at, film, or post for attention. Cruelty is not content. Animal suffering is not entertainment. No number of views is worth the life or suffering of an animal.
PAWS calls on the authorities to pursue this case to the fullest extent of the law and on the public to ensure that acts of cruelty are reported, and not rewarded with engagement. We must teach compassion before cruelty becomes content.