MANILA – Weeks before their first concert together at the Araneta Coliseum, singers Charice and Aiza Seguerra joined local celebrities in expressing their support for the release of an elderly elephant in the Manila Zoo.
Seguerra and Charice, who are set to hold a concert billed as “Power of Two” on September 28, are featured in ads released by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia on Friday.
Similar to Kapamilya stars like Kim Chiu and Xian Lim, the two singers were photographed holding “prison-like” cards showing their names, followed by the statement “wants Mali freed.”
Mali is a solitary elephant at the Manila Zoo said to be suffering from a potentially fatal foot problem and profound loneliness.
“I just can’t imagine how it feels for Mali to be alone and not getting [the] attention that Mali deserves,” Charice said in a video provided by PETA Asia. “And not only that, she’s not getting some serious and important care that she actually really needs.”
Seguerra, for her part, said: “Mali has been sentenced to a life of loneliness, misery and neglect. When people all around the world are calling for Mali to be freed, in light of the suffering she has endured at the hands of the Manila Zoo, the proposal to bring in more elphants to the zoo is outrageous. They would have to endure the same cramped, concrete conditions, lack of exercise and improper veterinary care as Mali has for the past 36 years.”
PETA Asia claims that Mali’s veterinary care “has been essentially ignored for more than 36 years, causing her to endure constant pain.”
Mali is set to stay in a park in Subic once the renovation of the Manila Zoo starts. Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has repeatedly rejected PETA Asia’s call, saying that Mali will soon be accompanied by two elephants from the government of Sri Lanka.
Other local celebrities who have joined PETA Asia’s campaign for the release of Mali include Gerald Anderson, Maja Salvador, Sam Milby, Shaina Magdayao, Enrique Gil, Piolo Pascual,Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes.
