COMMUNITY EFFORT

On May 23, 2017, Ramallosa joined the fight in Marawi City and came back to camp a hero after they took back the city from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on October 23, as reported by Maxine Betteridge-moes in a 2017 article for Al Jazeera.

Though he accomplished his mission to protect his countrymen, Ramallosa wasn’t done helping animals in war-ravaged Mindanao. He contacted Bantay Animal Welfare (BAW), an animal welfare organization in Manila, to assist him with anti-rabies vaccination.

In a Facebook post, Rhodes Lao of BAW said, “Marami po sa ating mga sundalo doon ay animal lovers. Ang pangungulila nila sa pamilya nila ay napupunan ng loyalty at lambing ng mga aso sa paligid nila. (Many of our soliders there are animal lovers. Even though they miss their families, they feel better with dogs around them who show them loyalty and affection.)” He then asked BAW members to donate money for the vaccines.

BAW members donated and delivered about 100 antirabies vaccines to Butig.

Ramallosa was the first to accomplish something of the sort in the community. He advocated the safety of both humans and animals by teaching responsible pet ownership and fostering relationships among soldiers, civilians, and animals in Mindanao.

“Nakakatuwa at kahit papaano, sa simpleng pamamaraan ko ay na-lessen ang animal cruelty dito sa amin. Hindi pa naman tapos ang aming mission at ipagpapatuloy pa rin namin, (It makes me happy that in my own small way, I helped to lessen animal cruelty in our community. Our mission isn’t over and we intend to continue it.)” said Ramallosa.

As of June 4, 2018, their project “Isandaang Libong BAW - Isandaang Ligtas na Rabies” has launched in two more sites in Mindanao. Ramallosa led fellow soldiers in the project, with the support of their battalion commander.