'Stop Rabies' initiative seeks to achieve rabies-free Philippines

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MANILA, Philippines — Rabies poses a serious public health threat in the Philippines. It causes 300 to 400 deaths and some 4 million animal bite cases every year.

In the first two months of 2026 alone, 17 human rabies cases have already been reported, 13 of which have been linked to bites from unvaccinated stray animals. With so many stray dogs and cats roaming the streets and given the density of people living in communities, expect the numbers to continue to rise.

Pet lovers who pick up stray dogs and cats in an effort to save them run the risk of encountering hostile animals that take even a friendly approach as a threat that a bite is sure to neutralize. Then there are the fearful passersby whose abrupt movements may cause the strays to attack.  

“Rabies is a preventable disease, yet it continues to claim lives across the Philippines,” said Dr. Michael Banawa, Head of Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Philippines Inc.

In observance of the Rabies Awareness Month last March, Boehringer Ingelheim highlighted its global initiative, Stop Rabies, and made it advance towards a rabies-free Philippines through education, vaccination, responsible pet ownership, and local partnerships. The program has now expanded to include Puerto Galera in Mindoro, Marinduque, Laguna, and Bacolod in an effort to reduce rabies risk while protecting pets and empowering families.

Building rabies-free community in Puerto Galera

With over 30 years of experience in rabies prevention, the company and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) launched the Stop Rabies program to deliver community-driven solutions that protect people and animals through vaccination, education, and surveillance.

Since its introduction in Puerto Galera, the program has provided comprehensive prevention activities, from school-based education on responsible pet ownership and post-exposure treatment to free vaccination and neutering services for dogs and cats.

From 2022 to 2025, it has vaccinated thousands of animals, neutered hundreds each year, and educated schoolchildren, barangay officers, health workers, and dog catchers. In 2025 alone, the program vaccinated 4,837 animals, neutered 294, and educated 588 students across four schools, demonstrating its sustained impact in empowering communities and strengthening local capacity to maintain a rabies-free environment.

Prevention to more communities

Building on its initial success in Puerto Galera, Stop Rabies expanded to more communities, empowering local stakeholders and strengthening rabies prevention.

In Marinduque, the program supported the provincial government’s mass pet vaccination and spay/neuter activities, engaged with its local veterinary office, and provided rabies vaccine storage boxes to barangay health workers. The initiative has also driven prevention through information, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns in schools and communities.

In Los Baños, Laguna, it conducted mass vaccination and neutering with the University of the Philippines Los Baños Veterinary Teaching Hospital, reaching over 8,000 students across 11 schools in March 2026.

Similar initiatives in Calauan, Laguna, involved partnerships with veterinary and National Service Training Program students.

In Bacolod City, Stop Rabies turned over IEC video materials to the city government and Department of Health to integrate rabies awareness into public school systems. Together, these efforts promote responsible pet ownership and raise rabies awareness in at-risk communities.

Commitment to safer, healthier communities

Beyond Stop Rabies, the company actively supports local governments and organizations in their fight against rabies. In 2026, the company donated rabies vaccines to partners including the CCPI, the San Juan local government, Bounty Fresh Foundation, Filinvest, and Magic 89.9, and contributed to spay and neuter activities in Cavite and Pasig.

It continues to expand its initiatives, with plans to roll out Stop Rabies IEC campaigns at the start of next school year in Bacolod, Victorias, and Laguna.

The company also works closely with key stakeholders — including the Philippine Health Association of the Philippines, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Bureau of Animal Industry, University of the Philippines College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control — through the SD4G Stop Rabies Workshop to strengthen local capacity and advance sustainable rabies prevention across communities.

As part of its Sustainable Development for Generations (SD4G) framework, Stop Rabies embodies the company’s commitment to the global “Zero by 30” goal to eliminate dog-mediated human rabies deaths by 2030.

By educating children, vaccinating and neutering pets, and promoting responsible pet care, Stop Rabies is able to help build safer, healthier communities and achieve the goal of having a rabies-free Philippines.

RELATED: DOH warns against kissing pets, even if vaccinated, as human rabies cases rise