Student leaders from DLSU PUSA talk about advocating for the community cats on campus and fostering a peaceful co-existence between people and animals.
Related: Org Spotlight: On Kythe-Ateneo’s Meaningful, Hope-Giving Service
Many college students have that one emotional support animal they see around campus. The levels of closeness we have with our resident campus cats or dogs vary, but for many of us, we’ve met our fair share of strays that have made our universities a home just as we have. We remember some of their names, what they look like, where they hang out, and who they love (often, the guards and caretakers at their posts). Ever wonder why some of them look groomed, well-fed, and well-taken care of?
In the case of De La Salle University, one organization has stepped up to not only take care of the campus cats, but also advocate for the animals that roam and live around the Taft campus. DLSU PUSA, or Professors for the Upliftment for Society’s Animals, was founded by professors in 2015, including philosophy professor Dr. Laureen Velasco, to care for the campus cats of DLSU.
The org has since grown into a multi-sectoral organization with volunteers from various parts of the DLSU community united by their compassion for animals. Any member of the DLSU community, from students, alumni, faculty, and staff, from the Manila campus can become a member. From fundraising initiatives to neutering programs, graduation rites for the cat that started it all to adoption services, PUSA ensures the campus cats thrive as members of the community of the university. They were even featured as an organization in ABS-CBN’s 2024 Christmas Station ID!
Members and volunteers of the organization participate in monitoring, documenting, feeding, finding homes for, and caring for the several cats around DLSU. More than just being an animal lover, it takes a noble, empathetic person to allocate some of their time to service—but not in the way many people think when it comes to student orgs. Cats, and pets for that matter, deserve just as much love and care as the students privileged enough to study in the same university.
Hear straight from Jardine Peare Sy, President of PUSA; Julianne Chuah, VP for External Affairs; and Julia Adriano, Executive Secretary and Nook Chores Trainer (the Nook is the area where some cats are housed) all about the organization that takes care of the sweet little animals all around the university campus.
A C(H)AT WITH DLSU PUSA
Briefly tell us about DLSU PUSA–org history, what you do on a regular basis, anything you’d like to share!
It started with a cat named Archer. Archer the cat was DLSU PUSA’s mascot and a mainstay on campus for several years before his “graduation”. He was one of the few cats to survive after his family was rounded up during the construction of DLSU Manila’s North Gate. It’s stray cats like Archer that motivated five professors to begin taking care of the campus cats.
Our mission is to protect and care for the campus animals of DLSU through humane methods of animal population management, and our vision is to strive toward a Lasallian community where humans and animals can coexist peacefully. We mainly care for campus cats, but eventually, other animal species enter the campus, and we do what we can to learn how to coexist with them. We had to care for a rat, a cockroach, and a bird before.
If you’ve seen our cats, you might have seen that they have their ear tip cut of—this has a good reason! What Miss Laureen first does when stray cats enter the campus premises is to bring them to MAHC (Makati Animal Health Clinic) for neutering and vaccinations.
Neutering ensures that we prevent unwanted litter, and vaccinations ensure the health and safety of cats and humans. We rely on donations and fundraisers to pay for these procedures and other necessary treatments. However, this does not mean that any person can just leave a cat for us to care for! We strictly have a rule on NO DUMPING, which grants you a major offense if you break it.
What are DLSU PUSA’s main advocacies and how are these advocacies upheld and realized?
PUSA’s main advocacy is to widen the circle of compassion, in line with Laudato Si’ and the Lasallian mission of stewarding God’s creations. On top of caring for the campus cats, we’re all about inclusive animal welfare. We have helped provide resources for Tatay Carlos’ dogs, stood up against a donor’s wish to cage endangered birds on campus, and even cared for the turtles in the Amphitheatre. Overall, we are continuously working towards a campus where humans and animals can coexist and a future where Filipinos are more compassionate towards animals’ rights.
What are your biggest or most highlighted projects and initiatives throughout the school year?
DLSU PUSA advocates for humane population control, which is a multifaceted process of ensuring the cats are regularly vaccinated, dewormed, spayed/neutered (kapon), and adopted out to responsible pet owners through a thorough screening process. This program happens year-round, and DLSU PUSA is always open for donations for the corresponding medical costs.
DLSU PUSA has also been creating various merchandise to be sold during campus bazaars and, recently, even in out-of-campus art bazaars. This way, not only can DLSU PUSA be more independent by gaining income through selling merch, but also spread the word of the organization throughout people. When people think of the merchandise they bought from one of our bazaars, they would feel a sense of happiness as most of the profit from merchandise is always given back to the cats on campus.
What prompted you to join PUSA specifically and join a leadership position?
JARDZ: I joined DLSU PUSA as a frosh (freshman) back in 2019, but only when the pandemic began in 2020 did I really become a full-fledged member. Instead of staying in my hometown of Cebu, I moved back to Manila to become one of the pandemic feeders—a skeletal team led by Ms. Laureen. It was then that I became immersed in the organizational processes and was given the opportunity to serve the organization as Comms Head, IMC Head, Externals Head, and now President.
JULI: I never intended to be in a leadership position when I first joined, but as I have always believed “if there’s a will, there’s a way.” With that, although the idea of making merchandise for the organization was not my idea, I tried my best to make it a reality as I greatly wanted to help the organization in my own way. This was because due to my schedule, I wasn’t able to help with chores such as feeding or [cleaning the] Nook. Now, I am so thankful to be trusted with the Externals Head position in the organization even if my actions may not have been the organizational norm that was praised at the time.
What’s the current state of animal welfare in your community, and generally, in larger areas like Metro Manila and the Philippines? How do you think these challenges in animal welfare can be dealt with?
JARDZ: I honestly think the state of animal welfare still has a long way to go in the Philippines. As a communication major I think it is very important to notice the language used when speaking about animals as well as how this reflects on the level of respect accorded to them. A key example is how Filipinos often say “hayop lang ‘yan” to dismiss the importance of animal lives, especially in response to animals being physically abused or hit by vehicles. For as long as statements like these are normalized, Philippine laws on animal welfare will never truly have teeth.
JULI: In contrast with what Ate Jardz has said, I do believe that certain language such as using “pusakal/pusang kalye” and “askal/asong kalye” has subsided over the years; as people now prefer to address the native cats and dogs in our areas as “puspin/pusang pinoy” and “aspin/asong pinoy.” This shows the slow acceptance of people that these cats and dogs mean more than “lang yan’s.” Furthermore, in my area, I have noticed TNR (trap-neuter-return) becoming more practiced as people are educating themselves more.
Some people may be driven to join more sector-based organizations and alliances, but how do you think joining orgs like DLSU PUSA help people grow and learn? What have you learned from being in this org?
JARDZ: I think that DLSU PUSA, while not a small organization per se, is a good starting point for secondary and tertiary-level students to see the advocacy in action. Students are able to witness how a university environment like DLSU allows the organization to thrive, and may even be able to introspect on what conditions enable this, such as the university’s organizational values being inclusive of animal life. I myself have been able to learn what works and what doesn’t, and I am personally blessed to have circles of friends who have started their own local advocacies in response to how I have shared my experiences with the organization.
What can you say to people who may be interested in joining PUSA but are not confident in their ability to deal with cats or animals in general?
JARDZ: If you told 2019 me that I would later learn how to (1) scruff a cat, (2) cut cats’ nails, (3) clean their ears, (4) administer subcutaneous hydration, (5) syringe-feed, (6) tell if they’re sick and what they’re sick with, and (7) tell dozens of cats apart even from behind or afar, she would NOT believe you. And these are just a few of the skills I have picked up from volunteering for DLSU PUSA, after starting from zero with little knowledge about cats and their behaviors, as well as never having owned one before. One thing’s for sure: you can and will learn!
Interview edited for length and clarity. Photos courtesy of DLSU PUSA. If you want to give a cat under PUSA’s care a forever home, you may contact the organization through Facebook Messenger. They also have donation channels through which you can donate for the cats’ care.
Continue Reading: Org Spotlight: On Innabuyog-Gabriela Youth UP Baguio’s Pursuit Of Women’s Rights and Collective Liberation
