In the early 2010s, a high school student in Nueva Ecija experienced a heartbreaking loss that would propel him into adulthood.
“I had a cat, her name is Lucky,” starts Gab Almera, the prominent veterinarian who is now at the forefront of mass animal spay and neuter programs in Luzon.
Lucky was still very very young when she got pregnant, and this put her life at risk.
“I didn't know anything about kapon that time. So she got pregnant, and since she got pregnant early, she couldn't handle the birth."
Doc Gab, as he is popularly known online, considers the death of his cat a pet parenting failure.
Even more heartbreaking is that he didn’t know vets existed—or, if he did, he didn’t think he had access to them.
“So my cat died,” he sighs.
“And unfortunately, that was the scenario pala in the different areas in the country.
"They don't know how to take care of their pets like in some cases of pregnancy and all that, and they don't know where to go and to access the information.”
This experience inspired him to pursue veterinary medicine and be a champion for animals.
Aside from focusing on earning good grades, he also joined organizations to immediately be of service to his community.
After graduating from Central Luzon State University in Nueva Ecija, Doc Gab shelved his mission for a bit to work in the Middle East.
He was the family’s breadwinner, so his priority was to support them first.
But the COVID-19 pandemic sent him back to the Philippines.
While waiting for the next opportunity to go back abroad, Doc Gab revived his passion by volunteering for Cats of Manila, an advocacy group that ran spay and neuter services during the lockdowns.
Spaying and neutering are types of surgeries that stop animals from reproducing.
Spaying is done to female animals, while neutering is done for the male.
According to PETA Asia, spay and neuter outreach programs play a crucial role in reducing the stray animal population in the Philippines.
It also prevents the development of deadly cancers.
Working with Cats of Manila inspired Doc Gab to start his own low-cost kapon drives.
“I guess I could say that it was destiny that it happened because I've been wanting to serve the community,” he recalls in his exclusive interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).
The VOLUNTEER WORK THAT LED TO HIS CALLING
Doc Gab started modestly.
He recruited a trusted friend from high school to help him with logistics.
“Just the two of us,” he says.
“To make a long story short, we were providing for a year of free kapon that was funded by a certain individual through Cats of Manila.
"But then, the resources became scarce, they ran out, and then so we had to stop for a while.”
The pause in funding gave him the opportunity to reflect.
During the year, they were able to do one low-cost kapon event per week, and treated about 100 animals per event.
The events led him to some realizations.
“I realized that there are many problems related to animal welfare, not because people didn’t care, but because veterinary services were inaccessible in many communities.
"Because of that, I had to do something to continue what we started.”
So he doubled down on his long-standing dedication to help animals in need.
“I developed the community, because a lot of people were already reliant. So I said, I think this is my calling now.
"That I don't have to go abroad and I have to stay here in the Philippines because there's no veterinarian or veterinary team that is actually dedicated solely for mass kapon in different communities,” Doc Gab explains.
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The Low-Cost Kapon programs
In less than five years, Doc Gab’s low-cost kapon enterprise—aptly-named Pet Partner Philippines—has become the largest mobile spay-and-neuter provider in the country.
Just check his Facebook page, which now has almnost 500,000 followers, to see the astounding number of low-cost kapon programs scheduled each month.
“I think what we started was a movement because we started doing them outside of Manila. Only a few were doing that.
"And from one to five events per month, now we are doing around hundreds in a month,” he proudly reveals.
The Low-Cost Kapon programs are conducted in different barangays in Metro Manila, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Bulacan, Pampanga, Quezon Province, Nueva Ecija and Bataan.
And from a team of two, Pet Partner Philippines now has around 100 team members.
Doc Gab’s friend now serves as the operations head.
For the actual locations, they closely coordinate with local government units to use covered courts or with malls to use their activity areas.
Pet owners only need to pay up to Php 900 for cats, or up to Php 2,200 for dogs. The fee includes the spay or neuter surgery, medicines, and consultation.
These procedures usually cost double—or even more—in private veterinary clinics.
Doc Gab believes this is one of the reasons his organization faces rejection.
“Minsan, may mga conflict kaming na-encounter kasi we are being seen as competitor of clinics. Na minsan, hinaharang kaming magkapon sa lugar because they feel like kalaban kami nung clinic,” he says.
At times, the friction comes directly from the government. While the local government units (LGU) may be supportive of giving low-cost services to their citizens, they also have the duty to protect the businesses in their area.
Doc Gab continues: “Kasi sanay sila before na every six months lang, every three months lang. So walang protocol.
"Pero ngayon kasi, we do it daily na so parang it’s a question of how are you going to control this?
"And a lot of clinics in the area are supportive of us, but there are some talaga na business-minded na they don't want us to do it kasi for them lumalaban kami sa kanilang client.”
The influencer-veterinarian then appealed to these clinics to be more reasonable.
“We only visit once or twice a month and we only provide kapon. You are a clinic who are in that place for 24/7 in one whole month. We are not competing with you.”
What Pet Partner Philippines provides is an option for animal caretakers who simply cannot afford regular veterinary services.
“The reason why people are going to our services because there’s no options for them. And if you remove us, do you think your clients will go to your clinic?
"No. Because they can't afford it at the first place. Mas marami lang neglected animals kasi you don't provide options,” explains Doc Gab.
FUTURE PLANS
All these challenges have inspired Doc Gab to think of the next step: He wants to be a lawyer for animals, so he can be more effective in challenging difficult regulations.
He also wants to strengthen the laws against irresponsible pet owners.
“Most of the root cause is irresponsible pet parenting. And if only we have a proper governing body or law that would ensure that people are responsible, then we will not actually exist.
"So that's actually what I wanted sana to happen na, maybe, I have to step up and go to law school,” muses Doc Gab.
To accomplish this, he is gradually stepping back by training new leaders for Pet Partner Philippines.
This is crucial, as the organization continues to expand.
Aside from the hundreds of mobile clinics a month, Doc Gab also runs two clinics—one in Commonwealth, Quezon City, and one in Gapan City, Nueva Ecija.
Another clinic in San Pablo, Laguna, is under construction.
True to his mission, the veterinarian offers installment payment plans for emergency cases, so that sick animals can get the help they need even if their owners do not have the funds.
“We accept first the client before we charge them with the prices, kasi we practice yung sinasabi talaga na it’s the animal care first before the fees.
"We always believe na God will provide,” he says.
He shares a recent problem when they struggled to continue with their mobile clinics because of the astronomical prices of fuel.
“This crisis that we encountered, talagang laking dagok sa amin kasi una, mahirap mag-run ng isang business relying on fuel.
"Imagine, may mga cases back then na nag-ubos ng fuel, na walang gas. So we had to strategically divert some of our services to the clinic na gusto support pa rin kasi our people are actually reliant on us.”
Thankfully, Doc Gab always finds a way out of these situations.
Someone is always there to help.
“God’s grace siguro. I always believe God would provide as long as you adhere to your advocacy and what you do.
"Never naman kaming nagkaroon ng instance na we will close or we will stop kasi every time, merong tumutulong. Every time, may dumadating na assistance sa amin,. Every time, nagbabago yung dynamic like, ngayon, medyo okay na yung fuel. So I could say na we are being guided.”
This belief extends to his personal life.
Doc Gab, after all, is still a breadwinner. While his online fame and enterprise success has not yet led to ostentatious wealth, the family-oriented personality is still able to give his relatives a comfortable life.
Doc Gab has three siblings, and he is supporting the youngest, who is now in a vet school.
Is he single?
Yes, and he has yet no plans to have his own family.
“I'm not yet married and I don't have kids,” reveals the attractive 30-year-old bachelor.
He really wants to focus on his passion.
His days are often packed with strategic planning, seminars, interviews, and partnerships with institutions that help expand his organization’s reach and impact.
“At the moment talaga, I’m focused on giving back. So my focus is more on how to strengthen the team, how to strengthen the partnerships, and how to make sure that this will be on the long run,” he says.
Ultimately, Doc Gab knows that what he’s going through is a monumental undertaking that’s not for the faint of heart.
To sustain this momentum, he makes conscious self-care a priority.
Beyond being a dedicated fitness enthusiast, he actively practices ikigai—the Japanese philosophy of discovering one's "reason for being"—to maintain mental clarity and peace.
At the end of the day, he triumphs simply because his heart is fully in the work.
“Nahanap ko yung ikigai ko na, I do what I love doing, I get paid for what I'm doing, I am good at it, and fourth I provide what the world needs.
"So parang yun na yung buhay ko…
"Because I love doing it, so I don't feel like working, actually.”