MANILA, Philippines — After three years of rehabilitation, the Tugatog Public Cemetery in Malabon City was reopened to the public yesterday, allowing people to visit their deceased loved ones ahead of the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day next month.
Mayor Jeannie Sandoval led the reopening and blessing of the cemetery yesterday morning, starting with a holy mass offered for the souls of the deceased people buried at the graveyard.
Before the inauguration, the local government initiated the free cremation of the bones of the remains that were exhumed due to the redevelopment of the cemetery.
Sandoval assured the public that the city government always took care of their deceased loved ones before the cemetery was closed for rehabilitation in 2021.
“We know that Malabueños have been waiting for a long time to visit and pray for their deceased loved ones in this cemetery,” she said in a statement.
Even if only parts of the cemetery are reopened for Undas, the mayor assured her constituents of the burial grounds’ cleanliness and safety.
The city health department and sanitation division said the families of 500 deceased residents buried in the cemetery availed themselves of the free cremation package, which include the urn, flowers, candles and transportation of the remains to the crematorium and other cemetery fees.
Sandoval said the deceased remains exhumed during the initial phase of the cemetery’s initial phase of redevelopment are safe.
The local government constructed a two-story building in the cemetery, which has 600 apartment tombs and niches, adding more burial space.