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For sterner bite, anti-rabies workers get paralegal training

Written by anyajulia on 31 March 2009

WITH over 90% of the town anti-rabies workers enabled to implement the law, it may not be long before Bohol gets the 80% target accomplishment for its dog registration and vaccination program, sources from the Provincial veterinarian say.

An accomplishment less than 80% would not be tolerable, especially in a tourist province.

In Bohol’s 47 towns and a city, only five town’s anti-rabies workers remain to be trained in para-legal measures to try cases on the violation of the Anti-Rabies Ordinance.

With the trainings, town anti-rabies workers get sterner bite to “force a reduction of stray dog population and make owners decide to keep or eliminate,” anti-rabies council said.

Bohol officials were alarmed over reports that Bohol top-rated in Central Visayas’ human rabies cases, a record that consequently dragged the region in the country’s top five watch areas.

With a tourism industry booming, a threat of rabies is indeed one Bohol could not just shrug, Governor Erico Aumentado once said.

According to the Provincial Veterinarian, Bohol Rabies Prevention and Eradication Program authorities need yet to complete the para legal training for the Bantay Rabies sa Barangay in Tagbilaran City, San Isidro, Talibon, Anda and Duero before the council shifts gears.

By shifting gears, more drastic means would be implemented to arrest rabies threat.

Now on its second attempt to make Bohol rabies free after getting near rabies free rating in the 90’s, anti-rabies council banks on the people to transform the program into a sustainable kind, says veterinarian Dr. Stella Marie Lapiz.

In the late 90’s, the Capitol used government funds to counter the threat. Now egging to go sustainable, the council plans to use dog-owner’s responsibility, to co-share the rabies prevention program.

On the other hand, Bohol Sangguniang Panlalawigan through Vice Governor Julius Caesar Herrera has passed the enabling ordinance to institute the program in the municipalities. This too was complemented by a recent executive order issued by Governor Aumentado to engage the people into observing an annual anti-rabies month.

The ordinance puts up penal provisions for pet-owners who refuse to register, vaccinate and take care of bite victims caused by their dogs. It also established a mechanism for complaints so as to allow people to actively participate in the program, council members explained.

Wanting to go slow but sure on the program, the Rabies Prevention and Eradication Council has opted to put in massive information dissemination while enabling the local counterparts in the villages to make the program work.

After all these, we expect people to be more conscious of their responsibilities as dog owners, Council members agree. (rachiu/PIA)

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