A total of 81 dogs and cats were spayed or neutered in Cavite City to help control animal population in the area.
This is aimed at preventing bite incidents in the city and eventually, in the whole province of Cavite.
The Department of Health (DOH) Calabarzon and the Cavite City Veterinary Office conducted free spaying (removal of cervix in female animals) and neutering (removal of balls in male animals) last April 4 in Barangay 20-A, Ronquillo, Caridad, Cavite City.
The program aims to stop the increase in the number of stray or abandoned dogs and cats.
Within seven hours, 52 dogs and 29 cats were spayed or neutered.
Araceli Sese, chairwoman of Barangay 29-A Village, said "We had a rabies case in October last year. Two teenagers were bitten by a stray dog along the Ronquillo street. We want to avoid more bite incidents in the future."
If the number of stray dogs will go down, bite incidents will also go down, she said.
Spaying and neutering are part of the provincial government’s program to eliminate rabies cases in the city.
"This is the first of a series of spay and castration operation in the entire province to bring down the population of dogs and cats, aside from the free anti-rabies vaccine, " said Dr. Gloria Digma, officer-in-charge of Cavite Provincial Veterinary Office.