Senator Christopher "Bong" Go extended assistance this week to the volunteers of an animal shelter in Davao City, lauding them for helping rescue and rehabilitate abused and abandoned animals.

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go emphasized the need to promote responsible pet ownership to reduce cases of animal abuse.

He sought help on behalf of local government units in reducing cases of rabies by controlling the proliferation of stray animals.

Although rabies is vaccine-preventable, it is virtually 100 percent fatal if not treated on time. According to the World Health Organization, up to 99 percent of rabies cases are caused by domesticated dogs.