Adopt! Don’t Shop: Jodi Sta. Maria Makes Heartfelt Plea for Cats and Dogs in New PETA Video and Ad Blitz

Metro Manila — Actress Jodi Sta. Maria, who stars in the upcoming television drama Lavender Fields, is sharing the spotlight with a kitten named Taho and a dog named Marimar in a new video and series of sky-high digital messages from PETA Asia that remind everyone to spay and neuter their companion animals and to always adopt, never shop. The heartwarming visual appeals—which appear along EDSA and in downtown Manila—were shot by photographer Wesley Villarica, with hair by stylist Lei Talaue, makeup by Lala Flores and wardrobe styled by Mervin Lazaro. Strongmedia Inc. donated the billboard space in support of the campaign.

Credit: PETA

“Adopting my cat, Naia, has brought so much joy and love into my life,” says Sta. Maria. “I’m happy to partner with my friends at PETA to encourage everyone to adopt their companion animals from shelters, never buy them from pet stores or breeders, and always spay or neuter so that fewer kittens and puppies are born into homelessness.”

Around 12 million dogs and cats are homeless in the Philippines. Many are born in the streets, while others have been abandoned by their human guardians. Dogs and cats who are forced to live outdoors may be hit by cars, infected with diseases, or hurt by cruel people—and leaving them to reproduce makes the homeless-animal crisis worse.

PETA’s Ampon Alaga program holds free spay and neuter clinics in indigent communities, promotes the adoption of native dogs and cats, rescues animals in need, and finds them loving homes. Anyone interested in supporting the program can check out the group’s social media pages on Facebook or Instagram.

PETA’s ads will appear along EDSA Ortigas, EDSA Cubao northbound, EDSA GMA northbound, the Katipunan Whiteplains intersection, Manila Freedom LED, and C5 Libis. A broadcast-quality version of Jodi’s video is available here.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETAAsia.com.

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