Here is a perfectly ghoulish story just in time for Halloween. The corpses of 26 dogs and 3 cats were found unceremoniously dumped along a road in Bulacan. The twist is that all of these corpses were originally given to a pet crematorium for proper disposal.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2026/10/31/2567116/pet-crematorium-shut-down-after-26-dogs-3-cats-found-dumped-bulacan |
The Bacoor City government has shut down Ahjay Paws Aftercare Pet Crematorium following the discovery of the remains of 26 dogs and three cats in plastic bags dumped along a roadside in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan.
Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla said in a Facebook Reel on Saturday, October 31, that he had ordered the crematorium's closure following complaints from pet owners.
The mayor said he had also instructed the Philippine National Police to investigate the establishment's owner and pursue appropriate charges.
"Now that it has been closed, we have instructed our police to investigate so that the owner can be charged," Revilla said in the video.
The mayor said police investigators had been directed to visit the site in Bulacan where the remains of the pets were reportedly brought.
He also appealed to the complainants to help identify their pets to strengthen the case against the crematorium.
"I am asking for the help of our complainants. They must identify their dogs so that our investigation can be strengthened," Remulla said.
"We need complainants. We need evidence to present," he added.
Revilla earlier said that the crematorium's owner failed to present sufficient documents or evidence showing that pets entrusted to the establishment had been cremated.
In a Facebook post, Revilla said the city government met with owner Jonathan Legaspi and more than 30 pet owners seeking answers over the incident.
The initial investigation found that Ahjay Paws Aftercare had a valid business permit to offer cremation services in Bacoor.
The establishment also had two cremation machines, one in Bacoor and another reportedly in Caloocan City.
Legaspi acknowledged that some pets had been brought to Caloocan for cremation but could not provide sufficient documents or evidence that the procedure had been carried out, according to Revilla.
The owner also could not confirm whether the animals shown in a viral social media post were among those entrusted to the crematorium.
No CCTV footage or sufficient documentation was presented to prove that the cremations had taken place. Legaspi also could not assure pet owners that the ashes returned to them actually came from their respective pets.
The city government has since inspected the establishment and is verifying its business permits through the Business Permit and Licensing Department.
The City Legal Office also assisted in discussions and mediation with the affected pet owners, while the Philippine National Police and Barangay Kaingin-Digman helped them document their complaints.
Some pet owners have opted to seek financial compensation and damages, while others plan to file complaints with the assistance of the police.
That last sentence is very important. A grave crime has been committed and yet some of the victims would rather receive money than seek justice by holding the crematorium accountable. Maybe they don't know that financial compensation and prison time for the owner are not mutually exclusive. This issue of taking blood money over seeking justice is prevalent in Filipino society. A driver can recklessly kill with abandon and get off if he only pays enough blood money to the aggrieved party.
The story continues.
The Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) on Saturday called on pet owners who were allegedly deceived by the crematorium to come forward and pursue legal action.
In a statement, PAWS said the images of the dumped dog and cat remains were shocking but noted that the incident may not directly violate the Animal Welfare Act if the animals were already dead when they were turned over to the crematorium.
Instead, the group said the alleged misrepresentation of the cremation service could constitute estafa under Article 315(2)(a) of the Revised Penal Code.
“This is a grave betrayal of trust, punishable under Article 315(2)(a) of the Revised Penal Code,” PAWS said.
“This is not merely a failure to deliver a service but constitutes Estafa by means of deceit,” the group added.
PAWS said affected pet owners paid for a service that was supposed to give their pets a dignified farewell, but their remains were reportedly dumped in a vacant lot.
Based on comments from affected pet owners, the crematorium allegedly claimed that their pets had been cremated despite knowing that this was not true, thereby inducing them to pay for the service, the group said.
PAWS urged affected pet owners to keep their receipts, cremation certificates, communications, photographs and other evidence, and seek legal assistance in filing complaints.
The group also called on the local government to thoroughly investigate the incident, check whether the crematorium had the required permits and determine whether the disposal of the remains violated sanitation, environmental and local regulations.
"The emotional harm suffered by these pet parents must not be dismissed. They entrusted the remains of beloved family members for a dignified farewell, only to be deprived of that farewell at a particularly vulnerable moment of grief," PAWS said.
The group also urged affected pet owners to unite in seeking accountability, saying each complaint supported by evidence could help establish the extent of the alleged wrongdoing and prevent other grieving families from experiencing the same.
“The trust of a grieving family is not something to be exploited,” PAWS said.
Of course seeking justice will be a lengthy process while settling for a few pesos will be easy. But if justice is not sought it only gives criminals a sense of impunity. They can get away with anything as long as they have enough money to pay.
A story on Manila Bulletin has this added detail:
What shocked investigators further was that many of the dead animals were placed in individual bags bearing names and weights, indicating they once belonged to families who may have believed their pets would be treated with dignity after death.
Among the names found on the bags were dogs Sakura, Sweet, Brandon, Dara, Dos, Ivy, Jedy, Crunch, Akira, and Jennifer, as well as cats Ira, Lucky, and Chelsea.
https://mb.com.ph/2026/10/31/dumped-like-trash-29-dogs-and-cats-found-dead-in-bulacan-lot
These animals were bagged and tagged and yet for some reason tossed out, not just like trash, but like litter! They didn't even get the decency of being hidden in a trash bin. Instead they were dumped in a vacant lot. It's another terrible case of animal abuse and estafa. But that's nothing new in the Philippines. If only the victims will file actual cases and not settle for money.
