Tombs being built in Cabantan Cemetery in Cebu City. | Photo Courtesy of Councilor Jerry Guardo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo, City Council’s committee chairperson on infrastructure, said that there was still an apparent need for burial space in the city.
After they opened eight tombs at the Cabantan Cemetery this week, these were all filled in one day with four COVID-19 casualties and another four non-COVID deceased individuals.
This even if the city has seen a significant drop of cases in the past days, with the active cases dropping to 1,847 as per Emergency Operations Center (EOC) records.
However, deaths continue to be reported as the city records 34 deaths as of September 9, 2021, for the month.
Guardo said there were at least 72 tombs left unfinished in Cabantan Cemetery, and they expected these to be finished in the coming weeks, providing more space for the deceased.
“Mao na padayon lang gihapon ang construction sa unfinished tombs aron by next week naa napud tay laing eight kabuok nitso,” said the councilor.
(That is why we continue the construction of unfinished tombs so that by next week we will have eight more tombs.)
The Cabantan Cemetery is the first of the four major cemeteries under the Archdiocese of Cebu that the city government is building new tombs in.
The archdiocese already agreed to provide the city government 140 square meters in Cabantan, Carreta, Talamban, and Calamba cemeteries.
This was the city’s response to the rising deaths in the city brought by the COVID-19 surge last August 2021.
Guardo said they were hoping to start building in the other cemeteries as well especially that there were donations of construction materials from the private sector.
“Nakastanby gihapon to, trabahuon to nato siya soon,” said Guardo.
(Those are still on standby and we will on that soon.)
The councilor assured the public that more tombs will be constructed in the coming weeks, and the gap between the demand and supply for burial space will eventually be reduced.
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