Napoles mom’s tomb draws cemetery crowd

MANILA, Philippines - There’s a new attraction at the Heritage Park in Taguig City. Families of those buried there as well as the simply curious made a beeline for the huge mausoleum in Area 2 of the upscale cemetery, posing for photos in front of the granite and glass structure.

But unlike in past years when a party atmosphere prevailed, with lavish catering and hordes of guests, the mausoleum of Remedios Luy-Lim was quiet yesterday.

A criminal case barred businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains behind the pork barrel scam, from visiting her mother’s grave on All Saints’ Day.

Napoles is detained at Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna over an illegal detention case filed against her.

Her lawyers have asked the Makati regional trial court to rule on her petition for bail to allow her to visit the mausoleum. The court, however, did not come up with a decision before All Saints’ Day.

Napoles had reportedly organized lavish Halloween parties inside the mausoleum in the previous years. The parties began days before All Saints’ Day, and continued for several days. 

No such party took place last Thursday, although some people were seen entering the mausoleum.

The two-story mausoleum’s windows were covered with blinds yesterday, making it impossible to see what was going on inside.

“In the past, they held parties. Normally, we would see a huge tent,” a woman said.

Another woman said the Napoles family members are nice people, “they would even invite us to their parties.”

Napoles is believed to have hidden in the mausoleum to evade the warrant for her arrest. She surrendered to government officials led by presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda in the cemetery.

Mascots dressed as pirates with silver and grey paint paraded by the mausoleum and posed for photos with children for a fee.

On one side of the mausoleum is a huge silver cross. At the back are three stained glass windows depicting Catholic images – the Holy Family composed of the Infant Jesus, Mother Mary and St. Joseph, St. Rita, patroness of suffering wives and invoked in times of desperate cases, and St. Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan priest known as patron of missing objects.

But her Chinese heritage was also evident in the burning incense and two lighted Chinese candles with dragon design. Surrounding the mausoleum are Halloween decorations.