At least 93,000 people visited the Manila North Cemetery on Saturday, a day before All Saints’ Day.
According to a “24 Oras” live report by Jonathan Andal, the Manila Police District (MPD) estimated the number of visitors at 93,000 as of 5 p.m., below the expected turnout of 500,000. However, the number could reach one million on November 1.
The latest estimate was higher than the 72,000 visitors recorded as of 3 p.m., according to an earlier report by Super Radyo dzBB’s Christian Maño.
Meanwhile, GMA News crew spotted a human skull inside a small, open tomb with no name.
The cemetery’s management suspected that this was done by people who put in a makeshift bridge into the cemetery over its high walls.
“Sinadya siguro, nawalan sila ng hanapbuhay, umaakyat sila sa hagdanan, dahil imposibleng mangyari na nakalawit eh, pwede nabuksan, natapakan, o nabasag pero iyan, nakalawit talaga, talagang sinadya yan,” said Manila North Cemetery Director Daniel Tan.
(It was probably done on purpose. They lost their livelihood, climbed the stairs. It is impossible for it to happen accidentally because the skull was left dangling. The tomb could have been opened, stepped on, or broken, but the skull was actually left hanging. It was definitely intentional.)
The cemetery management said it would return the skull to the tomb and seal it again, despite the absence of an identifying name.
Meanwhile, visitor Irene Otlang said she could no longer find the remains of her 13-year-old child, whose five-year internment period in one of the cemetery’s bone apartments had expired.
She said the remains had apparently been mixed with those of others because she had been unable to visit the cemetery for some time.
“Masakit, wala tayong magagawa. ‘Yun yung patakaran,” Otlang said.
(It hurts, but there is nothing we can do. Those are the rules.)
Otlang eventually lit a candle at the cemetery’s mass grave, hoping her son would know that she had visited him.
Remains may stay in an apartment tomb for only five years. If the remains have claimants, they may be transferred to the bone crypt. Those without claimants are transferred to the mass grave.
However, Marde Dizon said her grandmother’s remains had been kept in an apartment tomb for eight years.
“Nagre-renew naman kami every five years… P7,500 yung renewal,” Dizon said.
(We renew every five years… The renewal fee is P7,500.)
The P7,500 payment is supposedly valid for another five years. However, Tan said such an arrangement was not allowed.
Visitor Renelia Luna purchased a small burial plot for P40,000 to avoid having to worry about renewing the lease. She had her child and two grandchildren buried there.
“Doon, ‘pag wala kang pera, hindi mo mare-renew, matatanggal ang buto. Kaya napilitan akong bumili,” Luna said.
(If you don’t have money, you cannot renew the lease, and the remains will be removed. That’s why I was forced to buy a plot.)
Other visitors also complained about higher candle prices. Some vendors were selling three candles for P50, compared with P10 per piece last year.
The cemetery also confiscated several prohibited items from visitors at the entrance, including vapes, speakers, and lighters. One cat was also among the items confiscated.
Manila North Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the country, with up to 2 million people expected to visit for Undas.
Several roads around the cemetery have been closed, including portions of Blumentritt Street, Dimasalang Street, Maceda Street, and more.
The Manila North Cemetery offers several services to visitors, including a “Puntod Finder” to help locate tombstones, as well as free rides for senior citizens. —VAL/VBL, GMA News
