ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Metro Manila devider Valenzuela City says 'Kobe' case not animal cruelty after investigation

Valenzuela City says 'Kobe' case not animal cruelty after investigation

Published Dec 14, 2025 08:29 pm
Kobe, the dog whose tongue chopped off in Barangay Balangkas, Valenzuela City (Photo courtesy of "Rodlee," dog's owner)
Kobe, the dog whose tongue chopped off in Barangay Balangkas, Valenzuela City (Photo courtesy of "Rodlee," dog's owner)

The Valenzuela City government has clarified that the incident involving a dog named Kobe in Barangay Balangkas does not constitute animal cruelty, following a thorough investigation by a joint task force.

Kobe had its tongue completely cut off on Tuesday, Dec. 9. 

Mayor Weslie “Wes” Gatchalian said the dog fight lasted for 19 seconds. 

“Five to six po na aso ang nag go-group. Nakita natin na mayroon talagang altercation, may isang aso na kumagat ho sa isang aso. Ang kagat po ay diretso po sa tongue mismo ("Five to six dogs were in a group. We saw that there was an altercation, one dog bit another dog. The bite was directly to the tongue),” he said in a press conference on Saturday, Dec. 13. 

Reports of an alleged animal cruelty case circulated online, causing fear in the community and drawing strong reactions from various animal welfare advocates. 

In response, the city government immediately formed a joint task force, dubbed “Task Force Kobe,” to conduct a comprehensive probe into the incident.

Based on the review of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and statements from eyewitnesses, authorities determined that the incident was the result of a dog-to-dog fight and was not caused by human intervention.

To support Kobe and the dog’s owner, the city government committed to providing medical assistance to the injured dog until his full recovery.

“Mula sa Pamahalaang Lungsod ng Valenzuela, nagpapasalamat kami sa kooperasyon ng dog owner, witness, animal welfare advocates, at concerned citizens upang mapabilis ang pagkalutas sa kaso ni Kobe (From the Valenzuela City Government, we thank the cooperation of the dog owner, witness, animal welfare advocates, and concerned citizens to expedite the resolution of Kobe's case),” the city government said.

The local government also reminded the public to remain vigilant and discerning when consuming and sharing information online, and urged pet owners to continue complying with the Responsible Pet Ownership Ordinance No. 131, Series of 2014, to help ensure the safety and welfare of animals and the community.

Read more: https://mb.com.ph/2025/12/12/wala-nang-chance-ibalik-ang-dila-dogs-tongue-cut-off-in-valenzuela

Related Tags

METRO NEWS
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.