'Dog soup' served to government employees? Benguet restaurant hit with fresh complaint

La Trinidad, Benguet – A restaurant in Puguis, La Trinidad, Benguet that is already facing complaints over the alleged serving of dog meat has been accused once again—this time by four government employees—prompting authorities to collect new meat samples for DNA testing.

According to police reports cited by local media outlets, animal welfare advocate Atty. Amadeo B. Degay reported the incident to the La Trinidad Municipal Police Station (LTMPS) on July 6 after four government employees claimed they encountered a similar incident while dining at the restaurant the previous day.

Degay was the first to file multiple complaints against the establishment in June after alleging that he personally obtained meat from the restaurant that later tested positive for dog DNA.

Server allegedly offered "dog soup"

According to a police certification, the four government employees went to the restaurant at around 12:30 p.m. on July 5 to have lunch.

The report stated that they were initially served five bowls of soup. The server allegedly told them that two bowls contained beef soup while the remaining three were "dog soup."

The group later ordered three servings of beef and two servings of pulutan. When the dishes were served, they allegedly noticed that the pulutan resembled dog meat.

The diners reportedly consumed only the beef dishes and informed the restaurant management that they wanted the questioned meat subjected to laboratory examination.

However, the restaurant staff allegedly refused to allow them to take the meat out of the establishment. The group then sought assistance from Degay and the La Trinidad Municipal Police Station.

Following discussions, the restaurant eventually allowed the meat samples to be collected.

Police officers documented the collection of the evidence. The meat was placed in a transparent plastic bag, sealed inside another evidence bag, and marked with the date, place of collection, and Degay's signature before being submitted for DNA analysis.

The laboratory examination will determine whether the meat contains dog DNA.

Restaurant already facing earlier complaints

The latest allegation involves the same restaurant that is already facing complaints filed by Degay before the Benguet Provincial Prosecutor's Office.

According to local media reports, Degay received information that the establishment was allegedly serving dog meat, prompting him to conduct his own verification.

In a video reportedly recorded during his visit, one of the restaurant employees allegedly identified a menu item as dog meat.

As previously reported by Guru Press Cordillera, Degay filed complaints on June 3 after a laboratory examination conducted by the National Meat Inspection Service-Cordillera reportedly detected dog DNA in a meat sample he obtained from the same establishment.

The complaints include alleged violations of the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines, the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, the Consumer Act of the Philippines, and the Food Safety Act of 2013.

Another complaint possible

Degay said another complaint may be filed if the DNA examination of the newly collected meat sample also confirms the presence of dog DNA.

Under Philippine law, the filing of a complaint does not constitute proof of guilt. The respondents will have the opportunity to answer the allegations before the proper authorities.

As of this writing, the restaurant has not issued a statement regarding the latest allegation.