Jerzon Senador and the puppy on a laundry line: animal cruelty on Facebook?

Posted on June 13th, 2011. Written by Rico.

In yet another case of sharing too much information reminiscent of the Joseph Carlo Candare case, a certain Jerzon Senador posted pictures on his Facebook account—images that may put him in legal trouble.

One of Senador’s Facebook albums, titled “Bagung Ligo si ‘PUPPY’“, shows a white puppy attached to a laundry line. The small dog was suspended by a series of clips attached to some loose skin, and was described as being put out to dry after a bath. Below are all five pictures from the album, posted last Sunday June 12, 2011:

According to Senador’s Facebook profile, Jerzon…

• Works at the Ford Motor Company (update: According to local blogging superstar Jayvee, Jerzon did work for Ford, but as “a student on OJT“)
• Went to Looc National High School
• Hails from Calamba, Laguna

One of Jerzon’s Facebook contacts warned him that he could be jailed for animal cruelty. The now-infamous online personality wasn’t dissuaded however:

“Hahaha, hnd ako makukulong noh.. remember senador toh! aquh ng pa2pad ng Animal cruelty at kya kong bawiin yun! ahahahaha”

Negative reaction to his pictures have slowly built momentum. Aside from the comments left on the album—most of them expressing shock and disgust—a few online veterans have referred the Facebook album to the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), the same organization that brought Joseph Carlo Candare to court over the death of a one-month old kitten.

Since then Jerzon seems to have changed his tone. In an apology posted an hour before this article went to post, Jerzon wrote:

‎”To All Animal Lover and to all over the world” please read this:

Gusto ko humingi ng tawad sa nagawa kong kasalanan sa aking alagang aso.. Sana mapatawad nyo ako at pinapangako ko na hindi na mauulit…

Jerzon Senador

A Facebook page named “Report, Jerzon Senador the Animal Abuser” has been created (update: the page has been taken down). It now has 709 “likes” as of this writing, and contains many self-portraits Senador has shared through his Facebook profile. Written under the About section of the page: “Let it be a warning to all animal abusers. Too bad for Jerzon, he was too proud of his work now he got the fame that he always wanted”.

Republic Act No. 8485, also known as “The Animal Welfare Act of 1998″, makes it “unlawful for any person to torture any animal”. Anyone found guilty under the act would be subject to six months to two years imprisonment, or fine ranging fromm ₱1,000 to ₱5,000. When found guilty of animal cruelty, Candare was slapped with a ₱2,000 fine and sentenced to two months community service.

Would Jerzon Senador end up in court over his Facebook album? That remains to be seen. Unlike “Tengteng”, the kitten killed by Candare two years ago, the yet-unnamed puppy apparently remains alive and well after its trip to the laundry line.

Whatever the case, this isn’t the first time someone has gotten into trouble because of something they freely posted on their social networking profiles.