13/10/2023
On this day four years ago, Animal Kingdom Foundation in Capas, Tarlac unveiled the monument of Aspin named Buboy at their Pet Cemetery. It was donated by Themebuilders Philippines, an Angeles City-based company. The said memorial is open to anyone who wants to visit. Although the visitation is free, the AKF welcomes treats and donations for their adopted dogs (and cats).
Buboy was a community dog of the Mabalacat City College (MCC). He was adopted as a puppy by former MCC instructor Eduard Ramos in January 2015. He went viral in 2019 when Carmelito Marcelo, also an MCC instructor, died on 18 May 2019 due to a heart attack. Buboy used to enter Marcelo's class. The two developed a bond because Marcelo regularly fed Buboy. A colleague took a photo of the dog waiting in front of Marcelo's classroom, unaware of what happened to the dog's friend. It was posted on Facebook and touched millions of Filipinos about the loyalty of the dog.
Unfortunately, Buboy died in a car accident along MacArthur Highway on 12 June 2019. The culprit remained at large. Ramos and the MCC Administration buried Buboy in the campus (where the present campus' gymnasium now stands). With the consent of Ramos, the AKF reinterred Buboy the following day in their pet cemetery in Capas.
A 10-page story of Buboy can be read in our book Dogs in Philippine History. Our book also dispelled the popular belief that Buboy was abandoned or a stray. He was not. He was well fed and groomed by his owner, Ramos until the accident. Ramos' office and, in fact, the guard post were his abode. Ramos refused offers to adopt Buboy for the fact that the dog had a home. The entire MCC was his home and the campus community was his family.
Buy Dogs in Philippine History here shopee.ph/dogsphi
