PEOPLE here in the Philippines are often assumed to have the reputation for being rather careless with pets, particularly cats and dogs; it is commonplace to let them roam freely, and as a result, there is a large feral population of both. This is more common in rural areas and in poorer sections of the cities, and while there are a vast number of Filipinos who are doting pet owners, just like people anywhere else, the large number of strays one might see is a bit unnerving to outsiders.
However, in urban areas there are dozens if not hundreds of small volunteer organizations who look after stray cat populations in different neighborhoods – commercial developments, college campuses, other schools, hospitals, residential complexes. This is not done so much with dogs, because dogs are a bit more problematic, but “community cat” populations are cherished. Thus, in any neighborhood, there is likely to be a group of people looking after the local cat population, providing food, basic medical care such as spaying/neutering and vaccinations, and more intensive medical attention if needed and resources allow. By and large, these volunteer groups fund their activities out of their own pockets.
Some of these cat populations are almost famous. The cats of the Ayala Triangle, a park in the heart of Makati, are well-known, and they know it. So too are the cats of BGC (Bonifacio Global City). In the less-tony neighborhood I recently moved from, Greenfield, there is a similar population of healthy, content, and honestly a little arrogant cats. The college campus where my son and daughter attend classes (Jose Rizal University) also has a squad of four or five living mascots, primarily cared for by the housekeeping and maintenance staff, and spoiled rotten by hundreds of doting students.
And then we come to the Ateneo de Manila University, or more specifically, the Ateneo de Manila Law School, which has a small campus in one corner of Rockwell Center, a high-end mixed-use development on the site of an old power plant on the western edge of Makati. The cats around Rockwell, and particular around the law school block, where they seem to congregate, are cared for by a group called “Cats of Rockwell.” They have a Facebook page, you can look them up.
Here’s the thing about Ateneo: It is one of the most expensive (maybe the most expensive) private universities in the Philippines, and while it does occasionally produce intelligent and talented people worth knowing, it has been my experience that 9 out of every 10 people who come from Ateneo are raging cockhammers. Spoiled, rude, and entitled rich kids who don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground, but have enough money that it doesn’t slow them down much. If you meet someone here who pulls the “Do you know who I am” or “Do you know what fraternity I belong to” card, it is a near-certainty that person is from Ateneo, and a 100-percent certainty if that person is a law student or graduate.
Anyway, in an urgent Facebook post earlier this week, the Cats of Rockwell group announced that they – and of course, their four-legged charges – were being evicted from the Ateneo law school premises. Reportedly, the original deadline for this was on June 4, but it was later extended to June 18, although earlier today the group reported they were being harassed by Ateneo’s security staff to get away from the premises ASAP. This seemed strange to me; if such a thing occurred at any other school, such as JRU where my children attend, or the University of the Philippines, or any of the colleges in the heart of Manila near our offices at The Manila Times, it would instantly provoke a student uprising, probably a violent one. But as I said, most people at Ateneo tend to be of a different, and slightly more sociopathic bent.
The lame excuse the Ateneo law school administration gave for this is that they had an agreement for caring for the strays with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS; a good organization, and it’s unfortunate that they’ve gotten mixed up with a bunch of shitheads), and wanted to “centralize” those efforts. The real story, according to various youngsters in the know, is that there was a recent incident involving one of their rich snot students and one of the cats. The story varies depending on the source, so I cannot vouch for what actually happened; some say the student ran over a cat with his car, or motorcycle, or bicycle; others say the student involved was drunk, and just physically abused one of the cats. Regardless, the school – because again, this is the university of choice for utter dickheads – decided the cats and not the abusive student was the problem, and ordered them out.
And so that is how I am getting a cat. We love animals, and moved to a new, spacious apartment about 2 weeks ago that we selected in part because it met our non-negotiable condition that it is pet-friendly. This guy will soon (Tuesday) be part of the family; the security guards at Ateneo call him “Tanggol,” but because Ateneo and everyone associated with it are incandescent wankers, his new name will be “Travis,” or officially, John Travis Kowalski. He will have a safe and loving home where he will be spoiled beyond belief, and, because of the delightfully weird way the property management works here, will be officially registered as a resident with his own digital photo ID. I’m sure there will be a period of adjustment for cat and people alike, but we’ll get through it.
At last report, the Cats of Rockwell group still had a few cats that need to find good homes, so if you are equipped for that, consider sending them a message on Facebook. Likewise, there are many honorable and compassionate volunteer groups around Metro Manila trying to find good homes for their charges; please consider reaching out to any of them.
And as for the people at Ateneo de Manila Law School, you all need to sit down and take stock of yourselves. Or fuck all the way off, that works too. If you cannot be compassionate toward animals, you’re going to absolutely suck at dealing with people.
