Seventy stray dogs intended to be killed and sold as meat were recovered by police authorities.

At 9 p.m. Sunday, the Quezon City Police Department (QCPD) anti-carnapping unit and non-government organizations (NGO) halted an Asian utility vehicle (AUV) along EDSA-Timog avenue containing 70 stray dogs.

The dogs are staying temporarily at the Philippine Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA), where concerned citizens can adopt and take care of them.

"Some people abroad think that all Filipinos are this brutal to animals," said Edgardo Aldaba of PSPCA.

According to QCPD, the dogs came from the CALABARZON provinces in southern Luzon and are set to be transported to Baguio city to be sold as delicacies. They added that syndicates purchase batches of dog meat which range from P100,000 to P200,000.

Enrique Pallasque was arrested by police authorities for trading dog meat. According to Mel Alipio of the Network for Animals, Pallasaque has already been arrested several times for the same offense.

According to the Republic Act 9482 or the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007, a person found guilty of trading dogs for meat shall be fined not less than P5,000 per dog and will be subjected to imprisonment for one to four years.--With a report from Doland Castro, ABS-CBN News