CITY OF MALOLOS—Security unit members and employees of the Provincial Government of Bulacan (PGB) bid farewell to “Putol,” one of their best companion “Bulacan Capitol dogs” in the 24/7 duties and their regular morning greeter for twelve years.
Putol’s ashes are kept in an urn and is up for viewing at Bulacan Cultural Center, beside the Provincial History, Arts, Culture and Tourism Office (PHACTO) at the Capitol grounds in this city.
Putol, a white bulky huge aspin, with a short tail that’s why he was branded with such a name, who leads a squad of five stray aspin known as Capitol Dogs was cremated on Saturday at Aeternal Paws Pet Cremation and Afterlife Services in this city.
Early on Friday morning, he was found lifeless in the Calumpit-bound jeepney stop area along the sidewalk of the Capitol in the MacArthur highway.
According to Billy Joe Marciano, from the Bulacan provincial history, arts, culture and tourism office (PHACTO), Putol could have died of old age. With his squad members making their few minutes morning stroll and patrol outside and within the perimeter of the Capitol, Putol suddenly collapsed in the sidewalk area and wasn’t able to cross the MacArthur highway.
Putol and his squad members have sought voluntary shelter in the Capitol since 2013. Putol was just then only about 3 year old, when he was found by Marciano on August 2, 2016.
PGB Civil Security Unit (CSU) personnel under Rizalino Andaya and Marciano were to feed the squad at around 9:00 in the morning when Putol didn’t show up for his breakfast. To their surprise, he was placed in a sack and was brought in the garbage hauling area within the Capitol grounds in Malolos until he was hauled off from piles of plastic bags of wastes and was buried at the waste disposal facility of the PGB in the old Hiyas ng Bulacan Agriculture Center (HACC) in Tabang, Guiguinto.
Dismayed and saddened in the death ordeal of Putol, CSU personnel and Mariano wanted to give him a decent burial. Through the help of General Services Office (GSO) head Caren Espiritu and Provincial Engineering Office (PEO) ranking personnel, Engr. Lito Hipolito, Putol’s body was exhumed and was buried at the PEO Motor pool area, opposite HACC.
Few hours later, however, Nika Quiros, an employee assigned in PHACTO, received a call from Angelo Sanchez, manager of Aeternal Paws Pet Afterlife Services for a free pet funeral service for Putol. GSO and PEO again exhumed his body and was brought there for cremation.
“For us, Putol is not just an ordinary dog. He became the companion of our security guards. He came after intruders too and became a source of strength for our CSU teams. For us, he is our constant stress reliever together with his squad members as daily morning greeters as we come to office,” Marciano told NEWSCORE on Saturday.
Andaya said Putol and his squad members did not undergo formal dog training for building and personnel security, but their presence in the lobby of the Capitol 24/7 intimidated intruders. However, while the CSU’s are the masters of Putol and his squad, all the dogs were friendly to the employees and guests, particularly to indigents who regularly come to the Capitol to ask for help.
CSU members, employees, even guests and indigents also bring food to the squad.
Marciano first found Putol staying in the garden area at the bottom of the flag pole in Marcelo and Gregorio del Pilar Park in front of the Capitol. He then started to regularly come to the entrance and lobby of the Capitol to ask for food from the duty guards. Since then, he preferred to permanently stay there and become an informal troop member of the Civil Security Unit of the PGB.
