Not only does Jonalyn Viray spend her free time rescuing stray cats and dogs—she also opens her purse freely for their rehabilitation.
A known animal rights advocate, Jona, as the Kapamilya singer is called, has been rescuing strays since 2009.
She told PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in an interview on January 31, 2022, it was her preoccupation when she was not performing on stage or doing shows on television.
But at one time in 2021, Jona, also tagged as "Fearless Diva, missed a performance on the ABS-CBN show ASAP because she lost track of the time while looking for a suitable and safe location for her rescued animals.
Read also: Jona recounts milestone since moving to ABS-CBN: "First time ko nagkaroon ng platinum album!"
The 32-year-old Sing Galing Jukeboss explained in an interview with Bandera that her piority was to focus on building an animal shelter for the neglected or abused animals.
Currently, Jona provides shelter to more than 70 pets, revealing that her budget for their feeding and maintainance can run up to PHP70,000 every month.
And that's excluding costly visits to veterinary clinic during emergencies.
She said in the interview that her fur babies have been one of her main motivators to keep working hard.
Jona said, "Ginawan ko po talaga ng paraan, nagkasya naman po sila sa bahay ko. At may kanya-kanya silang lugar doon.
"Sumabay din kasi yun that time na kailangan na kailangan na namin maghanap ng permanent place for our animal rescues kasi lahat sila nasa bahay ko lang.
"Imagine having 30 something dogs at 40 something cats inside your house 'tapos nag-pandemic pa so 24/7 talagang kasama mo sila lahat.
"Siyempre inaalagaan mo silang lahat, di ba."
Jona's parting shot was a plea to be kind to animals.
She said, "Ang fulfillment ko po na nakukuha ko rito ay yung siguro po, napa-practice ko yung simpatya at empathy natin.
"Hindi lang sa mga tao kundi pati sa ibang creatures kasi, kumbaga, sila yung kino-consider natin na voiceless na creatures, di ba?
"So, sino pa ang tutulong sa kanila kundi tayong mga tao na marunong mag-isip at may puso for those kind of creatures."
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