MANILA, Philippines — Survivors of abuse and human trafficking in government-run shelters may soon find comfort in therapy animals through the Angel Pets program, a partnership between the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Wednesday expressed optimism that the initiative will help institutionalize animal-assisted therapy in the Philippines, particularly for individuals undergoing rehabilitation in residential care facilities.

“Animal-assisted therapy is a unique concept in the Philippines. It’s been done before pero hindi institutionalized and sustaining. With this being a unique concept, susukatin natin yung mga positibong epekto, never pa yan nasusukat and we hope that with this, we will elevate public trust towards this initiative,” Gatchalian said during the media relaunch of Angel Pets at the Sanctuary Center in Mandaluyong City.

Animal-assisted therapy in rehabilitation

Launched in October 2024 during PAWS’ anniversary, Angel Pets aims to incorporate animal-assisted therapy into the rehabilitation process of survivors of sexual abuse, human trafficking, and violence housed in DSWD-run shelters.

Therapy animals have been shown to help alleviate anxiety, reduce trauma symptoms, and provide emotional stability, which are critical in the recovery of individuals who have experienced abuse.

The program has three components:

• ALAGA (Adaptive Life Assistance Given by Animals) – The deployment of PAWS’ Dr. Dogs to DSWD residential care facilities.
• ARAL (Advocacy, Research, and Learning) – Research and awareness campaigns on animal-assisted therapy in rehabilitation.
• LUNAS SURI (Healing Assessment) – The development of tools to monitor therapy outcomes among survivors.

Gatchalian noted that while animal-assisted therapy has been effective in other countries, its impact in the Philippine rehabilitation setting has yet to be formally assessed.

“Pero itong using pets for therapeutic effects, nasubukan na ito sa ibang bansa kumbaga itong pilot natin pormalidad na lang pero syempre kailangan nating dumaan sa tamang proseso,” he said.

Pilot run in DSWD shelters

The pilot implementation of Angel Pets began on November 9 at Marillac Hills – National Training School for Girls, a shelter providing care for girls aged 7 to 17 who are survivors of abuse, trafficking, or in conflict with the law.

On December 9, therapy sessions were also conducted at the Sanctuary Center, which houses women with psycho-social disabilities who have been abandoned or neglected.

Following its initial six-month test run, Gatchalian said plans are underway to expand the program to other DSWD-run shelters and rehabilitation centers.

“Kauna-unahang collaboration ito ng DSWD sa PAWS kasi parehas kami na were in the line of giving love and care. Kami love and care sa aming nga kliyente. Sila may mga kliyente rin. Pinagsanib na pwersa ang DSWD at PAWS to show that kindness has a place in this world,” he said.

PAWS Executive Director Cabrera welcomed the initiative, saying it would help promote therapy animals as a form of emotional and psychological support for survivors of trauma.

“We are very thankful to Secretary Gatchalian because this partnership opens up vast opportunities for us to promote our Dr. Dogs program, and contribute to the healing of people who need it the most,” Cabrera said.