Aside from launching her YouTube channel last month, Jodi Sta. Maria celebrated another exciting addition to her life this year after being launched as the new celebrity ambassador of Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), the oldest animal welfare organization in the country. The well-loved actress attended the “Puso Para sa Puspin” campaign launch held last March 24 in Ayala Vertis North.

“I feel so happy, grateful, and humbled by this. To be able to be the voice for these beautiful creatures. I’m just so elated na maging part ng PAWS and ng campaign nila na 'Puso Para sa Puspin' because for the longest time, pusakal ang tawag natin sa kanila. Pero sila ay pusang Pinoy, kumbaga worthy din sila at deserving din sila ng love and care nating mga human beings. So we’re really advocating for compassion and kindness for these beautiful creatures,” she told PUSH ABS-CBN. 

Jodi relayed that it all started when she first reached out to PAWS to offer help and support for the rescued animals. She shared, “Ang ginawa ko, nag-private message ako sa social media account nila and I asked them kung paano ba ako makaka-help in my own little way. Until one day, it happened. So nakapunta ako ng PAWS and I was able to meet the people behind the organization na talaga naman pinasalamatan ko din dahil din sa puso sa paglaban nila at sa pagiging boses nila sa mga animals.”

Apart from rescuing and rehabilitating animals and providing low-cost spay and neuter services at the shelter, PAWS is also committed to providing free legal assistance for animal abuse cases. 

When she’s not busy working on camera, Jodi said that rescuing animals is nothing to new to her since she’s been doing it since 2014 and hoped that her partnership with PAWS can help improve the treatment of native cats. During the event, Jodi highlighted the importance of spaying and neutering cats in the community.

“Most of them kasi na nakukuha sa streets are either abused or they were abandoned. So PAWS actually rescues these animals and of course I know that there are a lot of people who do the same din. Yung pinaka importante is yung pagpapakapon. We really believe na yung pagpapakapon ang solusyon sa problema natin sa cat homelessness and cat overpopulation,” she added. 

READ: Jodi Sta. Maria on her 3 fur babies: ‘So blessed to have them in my life’

At home, Jodi said that she and her son Thirdy consider their rescues as not just pets, but forever members of their family. “It’s funny because I’m not only a fur mom to Naia na cat na na-rescue ko sa airport, but meron din akong mga aspin na ni-rescue. Sabi ko nga, si Thirdy is now a kuya. So we call him kuya Thirdy and then there’s kuya Naia, ate Lily, and then si baby Z. Yun na yung family (laughs),” she said. 

READ: Jodi Sta. Maria celebrates her rescued cat Naia on National Kitten Day

In her latest Instagram post, the Untold star shared her favorite photos from the event, one of which had her posing with their new campaign billboard at a pet-friendly mall in Quezon City as well as the new campaign merchandise that will help raise funds for the rescues at the PAWS animal shelter. 

She wrote, “Every cat deserves love no matter their breed. Today we proudly launched the Puso Para Sa Puspin campaign — [because] our furry friends deserve compassion and kindness from us. May you open your hearts and homes to them. We also advocate spaying and neutering of puspins to address overpopulation and animal homelessness in the country. Kapon ang solusyon 👍🏻 @pawsphilippines”