From Basketball Courts to Surgery Centers: How Ampon Alaga Is Changing Lives in the Philippines
A covered basketball court in the Philippines was transformed at dawn into a bustling veterinary clinic. By day’s end, 674 cats and dogs had received free spay/neuter services (kapon), vaccines, and medical care—many experiencing a veterinarian’s gentle touch for the first time in their lives. This was just one day in a busy year for Ampon Alaga, PETA Asia’s animal rescue, spay/neuter, veterinary assistance, and adoption program that’s been changing the landscape of animal welfare in the Philippines, one community at a time.
What’s Inside
- How Ampon Alaga Helps Animals
- Heartwarming Success Stories
- Meet the Team Behind Ampon Alaga
- Join the Mission—Ways to Help
How Ampon Alaga Helps Animals
Ampon Alaga is PETA Asia’s comprehensive animal welfare program in the Philippines, providing rescue services, free spay/neuter clinics, veterinary assistance for indigent guardians, and responsible adoption to transform the lives of thousands of animals each year. In 2025 alone, the program sterilized 9,250 cats and dogs across 21 field clinics, found permanent homes for 106 rescued animals, and responded to disasters affecting over 500 families—all while operating with a small team and relying almost entirely on donations and volunteers.
🐾 Free Spay/Neuter and Medical Services
Ampon Alaga, with the help of local officials, transform community basketball courts across Metro Manila and Rizal into temporary surgery centers, serving indigent families with free sterilization, rabies vaccines, and treatment for conditions like mange and respiratory infections. Alongside veterinary partner Biyaya Animal Care, the team members had their most impactful year in 2025, when they reached a milestone of spaying/neutering 9,250 cats and dogs during field clinics! Beyond these clinics, the program also sterilized 245 cats and dogs through door-to-door transport, bringing veterinary care directly to low-income guardians.
With your support, the team is looking forward to surpassing this record. Help Ampon Alaga spay/neuter over 10,000 dogs and cats this year. Outside the Philippines? Send a gift here.
🏡 Lifesaving Rescue and Adoption
Ampon Alaga rescues cats and dogs from abandonment, injury, and illness, providing veterinary care and a second chance. Through tireless work, 14 adoption events, and a thorough and rigorous screening process, the Ampon Alaga team found loving homes for 106 animals in 2025!
Every rescued animal receives complete medical treatment, behavioral assessment, a spay/neuter surgery, and ongoing support to ensure that they flourish in their new homes. Scroll down to read heartwarming success stories of animals who went from the streets to warm homes. Be a part of the story—give a rescued cat or dog a second chance at life.
🏥 Critical Medical Assistance for Indigent Communities
When poverty stands between a beloved companion animal and critical treatment, Ampon Alaga bridges the gap. Its veterinary assistance program provides financial aid for medical emergencies, surgeries, and treatments that compassionate guardians cannot afford.
Animals have received treatment for transmissible venereal tumor (TVT) in dogs, chemotherapy, treatment for blood parasites like Ehrlichia, tumor removal services, and medication for mange, infections, and injuries affecting both cats and dogs. Every assisted animal is also spayed or neutered once recovered, breaking the cycle of overpopulation.
🐦 Wildlife Rescue and Disaster Relief
Ampon Alaga’s commitment extends to all animals in need. When an individual was reported illegally keeping threatened Luzon bleeding-heart birds, the team coordinated with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to seize the birds for rehabilitation and eventual release back into the wild.
The Philippines’ frequent natural disasters also bring the team into action. When possible, Ampon Alaga responds with food, medical supplies, and on-site veterinary care for companion animals affected by typhoons, floods, and fires.
In 2025, the team provided critical relief after multiple emergencies: After Typhoon Uwan flooded Navotas chest-deep, the program distributed food to nearly 300 affected families and treated animals for injuries, mange, and infections. When severe flooding submerged an estimated 80% of Metro Manila’s cities, Ampon Alaga distributed over 300 kilograms of food to more than 200 animal guardians in evacuation centers and communities. After a devastating fire displaced 169 families in Pasay City, the team provided food and medication for animals at evacuation centers.
🕊️ Compassionate Euthanasia
Ampon Alaga provides a painless, dignified end for animals suffering from irreversible pain with no quality of life remaining. It’s also the only program in Metro Manila that responds to calls about potentially rabid dogs, ensuring that these animals are spared further suffering or mistreatment.
Heartwarming Success Stories
From Nanay Corazon’s 14 dogs to Cheddar’s recovery—meet some of the animals and guardians whose lives have been changed by Ampon Alaga’s work.
A Grandma’s Commitment: Nanay Corazon and Her Dogs
When the team met Nanay Corazon Pingol at a field clinic in Tondo, she had traveled with four female dogs—Ryza, Choichoi, Annie, and Abby—despite her age and limited resources.
Because she lives far from the venue and doesn’t have a cellphone, a volunteer and a staffer accompanied Nanay and her dogs back to her home—and they were shocked by what they saw. They discovered that Nanay has a total of 14 dogs, all of whom were suffering from mange. The staffer returned to check on the dogs we had spayed at the clinic, treat all of them for mange, and take a count of who was left to be sterilized. Along with the help of another animal welfare group, all of Nanay Corazon’s animals have now been sterilized and have recovered from mange.
Gusion: Surviving Violence and Finding Hope
Gusion arrived at Ampon Alaga’s Pasay Municipal Cemetery field clinic with his eye bulging out of his head. His guardian explained that an unknown drunk person had struck the 7-year-old dog with a stick.
The veterinarian performed a delicate dual surgery—neutering Gusion while simultaneously removing his severely injured eye. Time was critical. The team rushed to a local pharmacy to gather additional medications he would need for recovery.
Today, Gusion has made a full recovery. He’s healthy, happy, and playful. He may have only one eye now, but he sees a world full of second chances.
Cheddar: Small Kitten, Slim Odds, Big Miracle
The Ampon Alaga team spotted this tiny kitten with a severely infected leg wound. A portion of his leg was degloved—the skin had been torn away from the underlying tissue—and he was suffering from an upper respiratory infection. They scooped him up immediately and rushed him to our veterinarian. While the wound looked horrific, with consistent treatment and antibiotics, Cheddar’s leg healed well.
After weeks spent recovering in the Ampon Alaga office, Cheddar was adopted by someone who lives in the same city where he was found. A tiny kitten who had an even smaller chance of surviving now has a warm home, a full belly, and a house full of love.
Corn: From Carinderia Visitor to Cancer Survivor
Corn wandered to a small carinderia (eatery) in Pasay, looking for scraps. The kind couple who owned the eatery started feeding her, and the gentle dog became a familiar face. Over time, they noticed something wrong—Corn had developed a painful tumor on her vagina.
The couple brought her to Ampon Alaga’s final field clinic of 2025, where the veterinary team immediately spayed her and began treatment for TVT, a sexually transmitted cancer common in unsterilized dog populations. After recovering from surgery, Corn received five rounds of chemotherapy.
Today, Corn is cancer-free! A stray dog who once survived on scraps now has guardians who fought for her health—and won. Help others like Corn. Donate today.
Meet the Team Behind Ampon Alaga
Behind every rescue, every field clinic, and every adoption is a small but tireless team working around the clock—often starting at 3 a.m. and finishing past midnight. Meet the people who have changed lives and made Ampon Alaga’s impact possible.
Kat
Superpower: Cupid’s arrow—strikes the perfect adoption match
Runs all social media, coordinates volunteers, conducts the initial screening for adopters and foster parents, guides adopters through the application process, and documents the team’s work through photos and videos
Ross
Superpower: teleportation—always on the move to the next rescue
Manages the 24/7 cruelty and rescue hotline, coordinates all rescues including wildlife, handles the second screening for adoption applications, and liaises with local governments on clinic locations
Dansel
Superpower: force field of patience—a steady organized force on the most chaotic days
Runs check-in tables and assists seniors and people with disabilities at field clinics, manages weekend care for adoptable cats, distributes flyers ahead of clinics, and routinely runs adoption booths
Kuya Ramon
Superpower: pathfinder—always knows the fastest, safest route for precious cargo
As the team’s dedicated driver, keeps all operations moving, transporting animals to clinics, adoption events, and rescues across the city
Ryan
Superpower: superhuman organization—tracks 600+ animals without breaking a sweat
Handles clinic flyering, guardian registration, pre-surgery coordination—including calling guardians, tagging animals, and liaising with vets—post-clinic data entry, and follow-up calls to check on animals one week after surgery
Mark
Superpower: animal telepathy—helps rescued dogs feel safe and ready to trust again
Assesses and trains all newly rescued dogs, prepares dogs for volunteer walks and foster care, bathes and grooms dogs, manages surgery waivers and vet clearances, assists at adoption events, and oversees the registration team of eight to ten volunteers at every field clinic
Ash
Superpower: the ability to be in five places at once
Oversees all operations—from coordinating volunteers and managing the spay/neuter hotline to caring for office cats at 3 a.m. before clinic days, monitoring the health of adoptable cats, isolating new arrivals, coordinating partnerships, and handling virtually anything else that needs to be done (adoption booths, dog walks, data entry—you name it!)
Join the Mission—Ways to Help
Ampon Alaga has transformed the lives of thousands of animals across the Philippines, but the work is far from over. Underserved communities across Metro Manila and beyond are waiting for field clinics to reach them. Rescued cats and dogs wait patiently for their second chance. The need is overwhelming, but together, we can help more animals than ever before. Here are ways you can help:
🏡 Foster
Welcome a rescued animal into your home temporarily while they wait for their forever family. Fostering gives animals a safe, loving environment to decompress, heal, and learn to trust again—making them more confident and adoptable. Ampon Alaga provides veterinary support while you provide the love and stability they need during this crucial transition.
💓 Adopt
Give a rescued cat or dog their forever home. Every animal in Ampon Alaga’s care has overcome hardship—abandonment, illness, injury, or neglect—and is ready for a fresh start. The team conducts thorough screenings to ensure a perfect match between animals and families, setting everyone up for a lifetime of love and companionship.
🎁 Donate
Ampon Alaga relies almost entirely on donations to fund field clinics, rescue operations, veterinary care, and disaster relief. Your financial contribution directly saves lives—whether it’s funding a spay/neuter surgery, providing chemotherapy for a dog with cancer, or supplying food during emergencies. Every peso makes a tangible difference for animals who have nowhere else to turn. Donate here. If you’re in the Philippines, you can use these donation channels.
🙌 Volunteer
Join the team at field clinics, adoption events, or dog walking sessions. Ampon Alaga needs 90 to 100 vet and non-vet volunteers at every field clinic to make these massive operations run smoothly—from registration and recovery monitoring to comforting nervous guardians. Whether you can give a few hours or commit to regular volunteering, your hands-on help is essential to reaching more animals.
Ready to Change Lives?
Anyone interested in fostering, adopting, donating, or volunteering can contact PETA’s Ampon Alaga through their social media pages on Facebook, or Instagram.
