In a March 2016 Bicol Today report, the alleged perpetrators were described as "enjoying freedom as employees of the Sagip Kalikasan Task Force" (SKTF).

Alvin Yapan, the film's writer and director stated that significant parts of the event were fictionalized as a move of sensitivity to the case of the families of the victims.

Yapan described the experience of the victims' relatives working with the film as seemingly therapeutic adding that they "kept silent about the entire thing and now people are actually interested in the material so this is their chance to speak.

"[9] Camille Anne Arcilla, writing for BusinessWorld said, "Heavy as it may seem for Christmas entertainment, but it leaves a mark to the audience, not just as a moviegoer, but also as a member of a society.

[6] Yapan stated that neither he or a member of the film's cast were involved in the killing of the dog and that the production team only documented a "culture of violence" in a remote portion of the country.

[14] Following a closed-door meeting with the MMFF Executive Committee, the filmmakers and PAWS decided to censor or edit out the scene in question, as well as include an advisory warning viewers of graphic content, which they described as a "compromise".

PAWS expressed disappointment in the decision, saying that the move "does not change the fact that a dog was killed" for the film describing the events in the scene as "a crime committed".

The group also criticized the MMFF committee for not pulling out the film entirely alleging that they hide under a "technicality" in such that the production team of Oro was not directly involved in the killing of the dog.

[14] Yapan has expressed disappointment and noted that public attention regarding the film would be more directed to the dog slaughter scene rather than the case of the Gata 4 Massacre.

They said that "without making any judgment on the artistic merit of the film or cinematic depiction", the controversy regarding the alleged killing of a dog in the making of Oro "effectively casts a doubt on the movie's ability to exemplify the human and cultural values espoused by the late Fernando Poe, Jr."[13] On 24 January 2017, veteran actress Nora Aunor denounced the filmmakers by calling them "liars" for denying that a dog was killed during the shooting of the film.

Both Aunor and Yapan attended the hearing of the Senate committee on public information and mass media over different issues concerning the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).