Mayor Vico Sotto leads the launch of Pasig City’s anti-rabies move: Pet Identification Project through microchipping
“First and foremost, I would like to thank and give credit to our City Veterinarian Office, kina Doc Emma, lahat po ng mga vet natin, sa ating mga staff. Maraming, maraming salamat. Sila po talaga ang nag-initiate, nakaisip nito,” Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto acknowledged the initiative of his city’s veterinary services department in making the grand launch of the Pet iChip – a Pet Identification Project through microchip technology possible.
“Noong pinresent po nila ito, before pandemic pa namin unang napag-usapan ito. Sabi natin ito’y isa sa magandang serbisyong puwede natin ibigay hindi lang naman sa pet owners kasi lahat po tayo makikinabang dito. Kahit ‘yung mga walang pets ay makikinabang po sa proyektong ito.” He went to thank the different organizations involved.
In a progressive move, Pasig City intensifies its animal care program by implementing a permanent registration system for pets in the city. Through the leadership of Mayor Vico, the City Veterinary Services Department with the help of Plaridel Products & Services Inc., Pasig launched the Pet iChip – a Pet Identification Project through microchip technology to support its goal of eradicating rabies and the promotion of responsible pet ownership.
In recent years, both the national and local government units strive to control rabies through vaccination campaigns or the impounding of stray dogs. Although these efforts reduced the incidence of clinical rabies cases, the bites reported were not actually from rabid dogs, but from animals of uncertain vaccination history. This prompted Mayor Sotto to adopt a system that will properly identify and view a dog’s health history accurately at any given time, hence the initiation of the Pet Microchip Program.
Vaccination drives against rabies will continue. However, after the immunization, the implantation of the microchip in pets shall follow to provide the following information: breed and description, health and immunization history, and the contact details of the registered owner. This information will be uploaded with all confidentiality in the pet registration system of the City Government of Pasig.
Just about the size of a grain of rice, the microchip used in the program is a permanent & tamper-proof identification for pets. Gone are the days when pet owners would attach animal tags to their pets and lose them in the process. Pet iChip utilizes the RFID (radio frequency identification device) technology that reads the ID number through radio frequency, which is implanted by authorized veterinarians between the animal’s shoulder blades. With this, it can closely monitor and check the number of animals that have already been vaccinated with anti-rabies shots.
To ensure that this will be enforced at all levels of the city, deputized officers in all the
barangays of Pasig will be issued a microchip scanner and a mobile application. The scanners (or readers) are handheld equipment that read the microchip implanted in the pet, while the mobile app will serve as the information retrieval system that can acquire the identity, owner and vaccination history of the dog in real-time. All the deputized officer has to do is to scan the dog, type the number in the mobile app and the information will be retrieved.
Another beneficial feature of the microchip allows the reading of the pet’s body temperature.
The Pet iChip variant from the company Plaridel Products & Services, Inc. is incorporated
with the temperature sensing feature called BIO-THERMO. This can determine abnormal temperature readings without causing the animal any discomfort. This is important in the health monitoring of pets to promote further animal welfare through identification and Tracking.
This effort by the City of Pasig is also in accordance with law as mandated by Republic Act (RA) 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 (Republic Act 9482). Through the launch of this identification program through Pet iChip technology, Pasig moves a step closer to achieving its goal to create a healthier, livable, and sustainable ecopolis; making the city a safer place for both humans and pets.
The launch of the Pet iChip program was held last September 2, 2022, Friday at the Tiendesitas Ortigas Food Hall. For more information, visit www.plaridel.com.ph, and www.animal-id.net.ph.
