September 13, 2018

Dear Mr. Dela Cruz,

Thank you for meeting with us last August 30, 2018 and for raising your concern
regarding the incident that transpired on July 15, 2018. In this letter, we shall be providing
you with our legal opinion and analysis pertaining to the issue raised, in order for you to
make a qualified decision on this matter.
To confirm, allow us to restate the facts.
On July 15, 2018, you were bitten by your neighbor’s dog and you asked the latter to
shoulder the cost of hospitalization, to which the latter agreed. On August 14, 2018 you
found out that the dog was never given vaccination against rabies, despite the incident that
happened on July 15, 2018. Furthermore, you also mentioned that you asked your
neighbour to have his dog vaccinated. However, he did not agree to your proposition.
Concerned with the possibility of his dog causing injury to other person(s) in your
community, you came to us seeking for possible actions regarding such matter.
Based on the foregoing facts, here are the possible actions we find appropriate to
such case:
Yes, there is a law penalizing owners of dogs who fail to have their dogs vaccinated
with anti-rabies. This is known as Republic Act 9482 – Anti-rabies Act of 2007 (“the
Act”).
With regard to the first query raised, yes, there is way to compel your neighbor to
have his dog vaccinated. Paragraph a, Section 5 of the Act provides that “all pet owners
shall be required to have their dog(s) regularly vaccinated against rabies and maintain a
registration card which shall contain all vaccinations conducted on their dog, for accurate
record purposes.” Furthermore, Paragraph 1, Section 11 of the Act provides that “pet
owners who fail or refuse to have their dog(s) registered and immunized against rabies shall
be punished by a fine of two thousand pesos (Php 2,000.00).” With these legal bases, it was
proper on your part to propose the vaccination of your neighbor’s dog, otherwise your
neighbor may be penalized under the said Act, should you report such incident to the
appropriate authority.
Finally, with regard to the second query, yes, there is a way to have your neighbor’s
dog removed from your neighborhood. Paragraph 1, Section 9 of the Act provides that
“unregistered, stray, or unvaccinated dog(s) shall be impounded and kept in the Local
Government Unit’s (“LGU”) designated dog pound.” In the event that your neighbor should
insist not to have his dog vaccinated, you may report such to the LGU and have his dog
impounded for the safety of your neighborhood.
Should you pursue with the legal actions mentioned above, please do not hesitate to
contact us and we can further discuss issues regarding this matter. We hope we were able
to address your queries and we hope you find everything in order.
Thank you very much for entrusting your legal concerns to our firm. We look
forward to do business with you in the near future.

Respectfully yours,

Atty. Rolaine Mary E. Basilio, CPA, CTT

Partner – BP Legis & Associates

Atty. Justine Karl S. Pablico, CPA

Partner – BP Legis & Associates

Contact No.: 09213456789 ● Telefax: 321-4568 ● E-mail: legal@bplegis.com