Senator Grace Poe asked concerned authorities to hold the viral "cat killer" accountable for violation of the Animal Welfare Law who kicked a cat dead in Makati City.

"We deplore the killing of a community cat at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City by a Chinese man," she said in a statement.

According to a post by CARA Welfare Philippines, the man was caught on CCTV footage kicking "a frail and defenseless community cat" at Ayala Triangle Gardens, which resulted in the cat’s death.

"The cat was simply resting, unaware of the cruelty about to happen," it added.

They are asking for help to identify the man and his whereabouts in order to proceed with the filing of a case against him for the "blatant violation" of Republic Act (RA) 8485, also known as the Animal Welfare Act of 1998.

Poe, who has been pushing for the revised Animal Welfare bill, said that no animal should be subject to cruel and unwarranted abuse. 

"Nagpapahinga lang ang pusa, at dahil community cat nga ito, ibig sabihin ay alaga ito ng mga tao sa lugar. Safe haven dapat ng mga alagang pusa at aso ang komunidad na iyon (The cat is just resting, and since it's a community cat, it means that people in the area take care of it. That community should be a safe haven for pets like cats and dogs)," she added.

She stated that a stronger and more responsive Animal Welfare Law in place would have immediately caught the perpetrator and made him answerable to his crime.

She said the revised Animal Welfare bill is currently up for third reading approval. This proposes measures to empower the local government units, particularly the barangays, to address cases of cruelty and neglect of animals.  

It also seeks heftier fines to make abusers think twice about their acts.

"We are confident that our colleagues and fellow animal welfare advocates in Congress will see through the passage of this bill," she said.