Higit limang taon na ang nakalipas nang itayo ni Malou Perez ang Pawssion Project, isang animal shelter sa bansa.
Makulay ang kuwento ni Malou kung paano niya napalaki ang kanyang passion project na ngayon ay may dalawang branches—Bacolod at Bulacan—at kabuuang 600 rescued animals.
Kabilang din sa kanyang voluntary celebrity supporters sina Megastar Sharon Cuneta, Carla Abellana, Karen Davila, Kim Atienza, Alexa Ilacad, Nadine Lustre, Jelai Andres, at marami pang iba.
Read: Single mom in Cavite turns home into animal shelter; has 200 rescued animals including a baboy-ramo
HOW MALOU STARTED PAWSSION
Si Malou ay Marketing graduate sa Univesity of La Salle–Bacolod City.
Isa siyang dog lover simula pagkabata.
“It has been in my yearbook that I wanted to put up a dog shelter,” kuwento niya sa PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal).
Pero may obstacle: asthmatic ang kanilang pamilya.
At ayon sa website ng National Institutes for Health, "Exposure to furry pets is a potential risk factor for allergic diseases, such as asthma, because they harbor animal-derived allergens, which are classified as a risk and aggravating factor for asthma..."
Paanong ang tulad niyang may asthma ay naging founder ng isang animal shelter for cats and dogs?
Ang panimulang kuwento ni Malou, “October of 2018 because of a Facebook post, I saw about 50 dogs on death row at the Bacolod pound. And they were not even for euthanasia, but they were for gunshot.”
Noong panahong iyon, may isang farm ang isang kaibigan na balak sana nilang i-develop for AirBnB, isang online marketplace para sa homestays and vacation houses.
Iminungkahi ng kaibigan na gawin muna nilang shelter ito para sa 50 dogs on death row.
“Without any second thoughts, I said yes. Without thinking about how big of a responsibility it is,” pag-amin ni Malou.
Nanlumo at naawa si Malou nang makita ang kalunos-lunos na kalagayan ng 50 dogs.
“That was really what motivated me. I wanted to inspire more people to know what's happening.
"And make everyone realize that regardless of our background, regardless if we have a background with rescuing dogs or not, there's something we can do.”
Ang dapat sana ay temporary arrangement ay gustong gawing permanent endeavor ni Malou, kaya naging constant prayer niya na kayanin sana ito ng kanyang health condition.
“I'm a Marketing graduate. I have no background with vet med. I've always loved dogs.
“When I started Pawssion, I prayed so hard to God. I said, ‘God, if this is what you want me to do, then please take away our asthma. Because I can't do this if we have asthma.’
“And no kidding, it was gone.”
So now, aside from her rescued animals, she also has 30 pet dogs.
CHALLENGES OF RUNNING AN ANIMAL SHELTER
Bilang Marketing graduate, nagtrabaho si Malou sa corporate world.
“I was in the banking industry for more than a year. I was with Human Resources. I was in the BPO industry for five, six years.”
Nagkaroon din daw siya ng marketing online job noon.
“I went into the insurance industry. I still am. So I still am a financial advisor.
“I have a business here with other friends and advocates here in BGC, and then other side hustles.”
Isinasabay ni Malou ang trabahong ito sa pagma-manage ng dalawang branches ng Pawssion.
“I'm single, I don't have kids, and then all of a sudden, I have 600 kids, and then like, you know like an organization to run…”
Noong simula ay nahirapan siyang pagsabayin ang mga trabaho at ang paghawak ng Pawssion.
“I wanted to give up. I was having self-pity.
"I would sleep on the floor in the wee hours of the morning because that's the only time I'm able to work because I do a lot of shelter work and errands during the day.”
Muli, humingi siya ng sign kung tamang landas ang tinatahak niya.
“So, I went to church one day, and I asked for a sign if that was really for me.
“And without, you know, no joking, in less than a minute, someone entered the church carrying a puppy. So, I said, ‘I guess this is my sign.’”
Aminado siyang may mga panahong nao-overwhelm pa rin siya sa trabaho, pero hindi niya itinatangging napakaraming pinto ang nagbukas para sa kanya dahil sa animal shelter.
Isa na rito ang pagiging isa sa chosen personalities ng Krispy Kreme para sa campaign nitong Spot Happy.
Sambit ni Malou, “I really wanted to get the word out. I wanted to inspire people. I guess this is my sign…
“I mean, like, what I tell everyone—if that's what's meant for you, and if you continue to pray for it, you put your heart into it, and all the works as well…”
CELEBRITIES WORKING TOGETHER WITH PAWSSION
Isa rin sa malaking blessing na dumating kay Malou at sa Pawssion ay ang pagdagsa ng suporta mula sa mga artistang animal lovers.
Hindi raw inasahan ni Malou ang suporta ni Jelai Andres na hindi lang bumisita kundi nag-adopt pa.
“We also have Carla Abellana. She went to the shelter already.
"We recently had a vlog with Karen Davila. She adopted one from us as well.
“Sharon Coneta, we actually got in touch during the pandemic and then recently, she celebrated her birthday this January, and her only wish was for people to donate to Pawssion instead of giving gifts to her.”
Pagpapatuloy niya, “Kuya Kim [Atienza] has adopted two senior dogs."
Nabanggit din ni Malou ang young actress na si Alexa Ilacad.
Loisa Andalio, Alexa Ilacad, and Charlie Dizon visit Pawssion Project
Nadine Lustre, also a dog lover, has also visited the animal shelter.
Meanwhile, Kim Atienza and wife Felicia Hung adopted two senior dogs from Pawssion Project.
HOW TO HELP RESCUED ANIMALS
Binanggit ni Malou ang mga paraan kung paano makatulong at mag-donate sa Pawssion.
Mayroon silang sponsorship program para sa mga hindi kayang mag-adopt.
“So, for people who cannot adopt, they can sponsor a rescue or two or as many as they can for PHP1,000 per month. That helps us with the basic needs of the rescues.”
Nagbebenta rin sila ng mga merchandise at nagpapasinaya ng mga funding projects.
Sadly, sinabi ni Malou na ang pagre-rescue ay hindi ang ultimate solution para malunasan ang problema sa mga abandoned pets dahil milyun-milyon ang bilang ng mga hayop na nangangailangan ng tulong.
At hindi pa ito kaya ng Pawssion.
“Rescuing is not the solution. It's just a band-aid solution,” ani Malou.
“The ultimate answer to these problems really are spay and neuter, advocating for responsible pet parenting, adoption, like breeding should be regulated, animal-welfare act properly implemented…”
“We have a website, it's pawsisonproject.org.ph. Almost everything they need to know about the org is there.
“We are also all over social media. We're on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok…”
Sa mga nais makipag-ugnayan sa kanila, hinihikayat niya ang mga ito na bumisita sa kanilang website at mga social media accounts.