The National Bureau of Investigation has begun looking into a pet crematorium based in Bacoor City, Cavite, after 25 animal remains were found in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, and pet owners who had paid for cremation services came forward with complaints, Philstar.com reported.
NBI Director Melvin Matibag instructed several bureau units, with the Environmental Crimes Division taking the lead, to establish whether owners of the animals were deceived. Regional offices in Calabarzon and Central Luzon will assist the inquiry into Ahjay Paws Aftercare Pet Crematorium.
According to Philstar.com, Matibag said the bureau would consider estafa charges under Article 315(2)(a) of the Revised Penal Code if the evidence indicates the establishment accepted money for work it did not carry out.
Why it matters
Pet cremation rests on a simple promise: that an owner handing over an animal's body will receive the ashes back and can trust that the service was performed as paid for. The case in Bulacan tests that promise publicly, and it reaches beyond a single client list. Pet owners across the country who have used similar services have no easy way to verify what happened after they said goodbye, which is why the allegations have drawn attention from lawmakers, animal welfare groups and local officials at once.
Matibag framed the matter as a question of trust rather than a routine regulatory lapse. He said it was unacceptable that owners' confidence and money had been answered with deception, and that animals allegedly discarded in place of cremation amounted to a betrayal of the public's trust, Philstar.com reported.
What investigators will examine
The bureau's review is set to cover the facility's business permits, its equipment, closed-circuit television recordings and the records it kept on how animal remains were handled. Those materials would allow investigators to compare what clients were told with what the establishment actually did.
Matibag asked affected pet owners to bring receipts, cremation certificates and any related correspondence to NBI headquarters so the bureau can build its case. Such documents would help establish payments made and the services promised in return.
The discovery in San Jose del Monte has also prompted action elsewhere. The Philippine Animal Welfare Society called on the government to widen the inquiry, saying the reported dumping of companion animals' remains had raised serious doubts about the reliability of pet cremation services nationwide. The group asked the relevant agencies to look not only at the establishment named in the incident but at other pet crematoria operating across the country, according to Philstar.com.
Coverage of the case has extended beyond the initial report. Inquirer.net reported that senators are seeking tougher measures and have set a probe of their own into the dumping of dead pets in Bulacan, while Rappler published an explainer on what is known about the case so far. The Manila Bulletin ran a commentary arguing that animals deserve dignity even in death, and the Daily Tribune reported that Bacoor Mayor Revilla urged action in the case amid stricter regulations.
A widening circle of scrutiny
The overlapping inquiries mean the Bacoor facility now faces examination on several fronts: a criminal investigation by the NBI, legislative attention in the Senate and pressure from local government. Each has a different focus, but all turn on the same underlying question of whether services paid for were delivered.
For pet owners, the practical advice from the bureau is to keep paperwork. Receipts and cremation certificates that might once have seemed routine now serve as evidence, and the NBI has asked clients to submit them along with any messages exchanged with the establishment.
The case also puts a spotlight on how pet aftercare businesses are regulated in the Philippines. PAWS's call for a nationwide review suggests the group sees the Bulacan discovery as a possible symptom rather than an isolated failure, and its request places other operators on notice that their practices may soon be examined as well.
Philstar.com reported that the NBI's Environmental Crimes Division will lead the investigation, supported by the bureau's regional offices in Calabarzon, where Bacoor is located, and Central Luzon, where the remains were found. The arrangement reflects the case's geography: the facility and the alleged dumping site sit in different regions.
What the investigation ultimately establishes will depend on records and on what pet owners can document. Matibag's appeal for receipts and certificates indicates the bureau intends to build its case on the accounts of clients as much as on the facility's own files.
Watch for the NBI's findings on the crematorium's permits and records, and for whether the Senate probe and the call for a nationwide review of pet cremation services produce new rules for the industry.
