Mayor Francis Zamora, together with his son and Special Assistant to the Mayor, Rocco Zamora, along with the city councilors, led the ceremony.
Zamora said the facility has an approved total budget of P29,986,785.15. It will replace the old ground-level City Pound, which was highly vulnerable to flooding and no longer suited to the city’s growing requirements for animal welfare services.
He assured the public that the center’s design will consider possible flooding, citing a past typhoon that caused severe flooding along the street where the center will be built, which resulted in the death of several animals.
“We will make sure na hindi na ulit mangyayari 'yung nangyari dati kasi alam n'yo napakahirap din talaga [na] magkaroon tayo ng ganoong sitwasyon na 'yung mga inaalagaan natin ay namamatay. ‘Yun po ay mga bagay na hindi na dapat mangyari muli. We will make sure of that (We will make sure that what happened before will not happen again, because you know how difficult it is to face a situation where the animals we care for end up dying. Those are things that should never happen again),” Zamora said.
The new Makabagong San Juan Animal Care Center will feature:
Level 1:
• Dog park
• Parking area
• Lift
• Isolation room
• Cremation room
Level 2:
• Reception/records area
• Clinic/surgery room
• Washing and grooming area
• Infirmary
• Dog kennel with food preparation area
• Cat kennel
• Lockers and pantry
• Toilet
Level 3:
• Veterinary office
• Nursery room
• Storage room
• Cat enclosed playground
• Dog kennels with play area
The local government said that once completed, the center will strengthen the city’s capacity for responsible pet management, animal rescue, veterinary care, and humane sheltering that reflects the city’s commitment to progressive, compassionate, and climate-resilient urban governance.
“Napakahalaga po talaga na ang mga lingkod publiko ng ating lungsod ay nagtutulungan, sapagkat marami po tayong mga proyekto at programa na naisasakatuparan na tunay na napapakinabangan ng ating mga mamamayan (It is truly important for the public servants of our city to work together, because through our collective efforts, we are able to carry out many projects and programs that genuinely benefit our constituents),” the mayor said.