Experts push for municipal veterinary offices bill to curb rabies cases

The Provincial, City & Municipal Veterinarians League of the Philippines (PCMVLP) said on Thursday that a bill mandating veterinary offices in each municipality can help curb the rabies cases nationwide.

“The problem in the LGU (local government unit) code, veterinarian positions are mandatory only for provincial and city, and optional for the municipalities,” PCMVLP President Flomella A. Caguicla told BusinessWorld in an interview.

“In the Rabies Act, it says that first-class municipalities must create veterinary positions or offices, but most LGUs, or most first-class municipalities, haven’t created them yet,” she added.

The Department of Health (DoH) reported that rabies cases in the country decreased by 32% last year, while animal bite cases increased to four million.

“The LGUs are already doing a lot for rabies control and animal welfare protection; imagine if there are also no veterinarians in municipalities,” Ms. Caguicla said.

Data from the PCMVLP showed that only 3%, or 48 out of 1,493 municipalities nationwide, have a municipal veterinary office.

However, provinces and cities have 79 and 131 veterinary offices, respectively.

“They are citing lack of funds, but I think, if the local chief executive prioritizes the creation, they can do it because there are municipalities that have already created it,” Ms. Caguicla said.

In Quezon Province, only six out of 41 LGUs have veterinarians.

“Actually in Quezon, we have an additional municipal veterinary office in Mauban, while others are creating veterinary positions… but it is still not enough,” she said.

“We want to have a bill for all municipalities so that if you are second-class to fifth-class, you will still have a municipal veterinarian because animals are really a part of human life,” she added.

With the low population of veterinarians in public office, some municipalities also rely on municipal agriculturists to address the needs of pet owners and livestock raisers.

“Sometimes the municipalities will cut costs by tasking the municipal agriculturists to do the job of veterinarians,” Ms. Caguicla said. “They are good because they can do that, but they are not mandated to do that.”

“For the protection of all animals, including wildlife and companion animals, we need a veterinarian in each municipality,” she added.

In October 2025, Abra Representative Joseph Sto. Niño B. Bernos and Solid North Party-list Representative Menchie Beronilla Bernos have filed House Bill No. 5059, known as the Animal Medical Center bill.

The proposed bill aims to establish veterinary clinics in all LGUs nationwide, providing veterinary consultations, vaccinations, diagnosis, treatment, and minor surgical procedures for pets and livestock animals. — Almira Louise S. Martinez