The Philippine Animal Welfare Society said a public apology by a parish priest over the use of a live dove during a Salubong ceremony “misses the point,” stressing that the incident may constitute a violation of animal welfare laws.

PAWS Executive Director Anna Cabrera responded to the apology issued by Father Mariano Bartolome Jr. following the use of a live dove as a prop during a Salubong ceremony at the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Malabon last Easter Sunday.

The organization said the incident involved “extreme suffering” and urged the Church to comply with Republic Act No. 8485, as amended by Republic Act No. 10631.

“It is the purpose of this Act to protect and promote the welfare of all animals in the Philippines by supervising and regulating the establishment and operations of all facilities utilized for breeding, maintaining, keeping, treating or training of all animals either as objects of trade or as household pets. For purposes of this Act, pet animal shall include birds,” the law states.

Cabrera said that beyond moral responsibility, legal accountability should guide actions involving animals.

“If we cannot be guided by the basic precept that animals are capable of suffering, and therefore we have a moral duty to prevent suffering whenever we can, we can perhaps be convinced that there is the law that can make violators accountable,” she said.

In a separate statement, the Animal Kingdom Foundation also raised concerns over the incident.

“While the intention of the tradition is meaningful, this method may have caused discomfort to the animal. We hope future celebrations can reflect not only faith, but also compassion for all, even to the most voiceless of God’s creations,” the group said.

Cabrera warned that legal action may be pursued if similar incidents occur and urged the public to remain vigilant and submit affidavits in cases involving the mistreatment of animals.