LOOK: Coleen Garcia’s Reaction to Oro’s Animal Cruety Issue

After the news spread out that Metro Manila Film Festival 2016 entry “Oro” which received a number of awards including Best Ensemble Cast and Best Actress (Irma Adlawan) had killed a dog on set for the film, a number of reactions have emerged from both the agencies involved and the public. For one, PETA wants the screening stopped, while the MMFF committee has revoked the FPJ Memorial Award amid issues of animal cruelty.

Celebrities like Coleen Garcia have spoken up about the issue, being a dog owner and lover herself. See her post below.

#BambiTheTeenager has been my guardian angel since I was 9 yrs old. For 15 yrs, she’s been with me through my struggles and my happiest & most important milestones (this photo was taken when I got engaged!), and she still never fails to comfort me when I need it most. If you know me personally, you’d know this—she’s been the most consistent thing in my life, and even when I had nothing & no one, I had her. I can never put her love & loyalty into words, and I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to her. This is how much this DOG means to me. Anyone who truly loves their pets knows the joy they bring. ❤ This is why it’s so painful to hear about the controversy surrounding the MMFF film, “Oro”. Can you imagine the fear in your furbaby’s eyes & the pain in his cries if he were to be stuffed into a sack, beaten to death, skinned & gutted—and filmed for everyone to see? ???? People condemn & protest against the Yulin Festival, and they get angered by people who upload videos of themselves harming animals. How is this any different? Because it was done for “art”? Because it happens in real life anyway? I know it’s based on reality & it does happen in the Philippines, but is that enough to justify the fact that an innocent life was brutally ended for this purpose? It’s unbearable enough that this even happens at all, and people already decry the act. Why join in when we know better ???? Those who work in this field know that there are countless ways in which that scene could have been executed effectively without harming a single soul. In pursuit of authenticity, you lost your humanity. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard great reviews about “Oro” & I don’t doubt the superb quality of the film in its entirety, as well as the competence of its actors, and the message it conveys.. But I do hope that this never happens again. This isn’t something that we should ever encourage. Or even allow. We were made to be better than this. ???? (Sorry for the long post. I’m not the type to speak up, but if things go unsaid this time around, people might just let it slip & think that this is okay. It is NOT okay. Lend a voice to those who can’t speak for themselves. ????)

A photo posted by Coleen Garcia ???? (@coleengarcia) on Jan 3, 2017 at 5:31pm PST

What do you think of the issue?