In 2007, the Philippine government passed the Anti-Rabies Act to address rabies in the country. However, rabies is still a major public health concern in many provinces. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of residents on rabies, the Anti Rabies Act, and responsible pet ownership (RPO) in Pampanga, Philippines. A cross-sectional survey was done from October 2017 to February 2018 in 92 randomly selected barangays in the province. Questionnaires were adapted from similar studies. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with KAP. Results showed that most people have good knowledge of the Anti-Rabies Act, RPO, and moderate knowledge of rabies. Their attitude toward rabies was appropriate, and on RPO, moderate. The RPO practices by most dog owners were good and moderate for most cat owners. Moreover, the subjects’ area of residence was a significant factor in their knowledge of RPO, and pet ownership status was a significant factor in their RPO attitude. In general, respondents showed satisfactory knowledge; however, there is a need to intensify information and education campaigns in rural areas.

Background Rabies remains a significant public health problem in the Philippines. An acutely fatal viral infection, it results in the death of 200–300 Filipinos annually affecting mostly children less than 15 years old. The disease is endemic in Magalang which ranks fifth in the number of dog rabies positive cases among the 19 municipalities of Pampanga. In spite of the enactment of the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 (RA 9482), the control of rabies in Magalang has been a major challenge for the municipality. Thus, this study investigated the awareness of pet owners in Magalang, Pampanga on the Anti-Rabies Act of 2007 (RA 9482). Methods This study was a cross-sectional study conducted from April–September 2017 among 380 pet owners from eight urban and rural barangays in Magalang, Pampanga. Data gathered were analyzed using STATA IC (Ver13.0); Bloom's cut-off points were used to categorize the level of knowledge of pet owners on the Anti-Rabies Act; data were further analyzed using Chi-square Test and relationship between variables was determined through logistic regression. Results Results revealed that pet owners in Magalang had poor knowledge of the Anti-Rabies Act (65.5%), and majority (71.3%) were unaware of its existence and of penalties imposed by the law to non-compliant pet owners. Moreover, results indicate that pet owners in urban places have higher odds of having above median knowledge on the law compared to those in rural places.