Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto may not have pets at home, but he's pushing for an animal care program by implementing a permanent registration system for pets in the city.

"Wala po akong pets sa amin," admits Vico when asked about animals at home, during the launch of Pet iChip - a Pet Identification Project through microchip technology to support its goal of eradicating rabies and the promotion of responsible pet ownership. "Pero yung mga walang pets makikinabang din sa project na ito."

During a chat with the entertainment press at Tiendesitas in Pasig last Friday, Vico said that the implementation of the program was delayed for two years because of the pandemic. “Alam naman natin na nag-iba ang mga priority natin nuong pandemic. Pero ngayon puwede na natin ituloy ang programa.” With the help of Plaridel Products & Services Inc., the project was finally implemented by the City Veterinary Services Department.

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 Vico 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. But 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," the mayor said.

Councilor Angelu De Leon-Rivera said that she has a toy poodle named Toby that will benefit from the pet program.

"When I learned about its benefits, it gives the pet owners security. Gusto naman natin ma-achieve yung rabies-free city. Sana maging pioneer ang Pasig City sa program na ito. Sa lahat ng Pasiguenos, we encourage you to avail of this project. Hindi lamang po ito para sa aso but for all kinds of pets. Sana ma-avail ninyo ito para ma-achieve natin ang rabies-free city," said Angelu, a former actress, during the launch.

Just about the size of a grain of rice, the microchip used in the program is a permanent and 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," said city veterinarian Emma Sanchez, during the Q&A portion of the project. Also joining the forum were Dr. Jun Punzalan, managing director, Plaridel Products and Services Inc.; and Micah Punzalan.

With this, it can closely monitor and check the number of animals that have already been vaccinated with anti-rabies shots, Sanchez added.