Cebu City, Philippines – Under the noontime sun, Ma’am Jane prepares for her next class, carrying only her phone and a few teaching materials as she climbs the ladder to meet her students for her second shift of the day.
As the sole teacher within the crumbling walls of what was once the majestic Ludo Memorial Park, she’s had to adapt. One such adjustment involves meeting her students on the other side of the park, where tall weeds, discarded concrete, and algae have overtaken the Cebu Chinese Cemetery.
Despite these conditions, she ensures the children still learn—no matter how little each day.
Stagnant rainwater accumulates inside the Cebu Chinese Cemetery, a lingering effect of the recent heavy downpours. | Photo from Jessa Ngojo
In these changing times, even graveyards have become homes for the living. For some daycare students in Metro Cebu, a Chinese cemetery serves as a haven for learning, marking the start of their educational journey.
Within the decaying walls of Ludo Memorial Park and the Cebu Chinese Cemetery lies the ANCE Daycare Center, where children aged 2 to 5 take their first steps toward education.
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Despite its unusual setting, this small community has thrived. Many former students are now in senior high school, and some have even started their own families. However, the legacy of this daycare is now in jeopardy as the community faces a challenge that may be impossible to overcome.
Inside the crumbling walls of the Cebu Chinese Cemetery, nestled within the Ong King Family Mausoleum, the Action for Nurturing Children and Environment (ANCE) Daycare Center thrives.
Pioneering teacher
For nearly 13 years, 39-year-old Mary Jane Uy, known to her students as Ma’am Jane, has been the sole daycare teacher at the center. Throughout this time, she has taught children within the walls of the Ong King family mausoleum, which the family graciously offered for the daycare’s use.
“Kani nga mausoleum, gi authorize ko ni Sir Ong King–Ong King man ang tag iya ani, dayun kuan, thirteen years na baya mi diri”
(This mausoleum, I was authorized by Sir Ong King–Ong King owns this, then we’ve been here for 13 years.)
Mary Jane Uy, known by her students in ANCE Daycare students as Ma’am Jane | Photo by Kurt Romariz
Action for Nurturing Children and Environment (ANCE), a national organization, established the daycare center within the Cebu Chinese Cemetery in April 2012 to educate the children living there. Since then, various supporters have emerged, with Mission Munich, a German non-governmental organization (NGO), providing essential financial backing to keep the school operational.
“We are [also] supported by the mission Munich, Goldenried Stiftung, Munich, Germany,” Maam Jane added when asked who has funded this initiative.
Additionally, Ma’am Jane also expressed that ANCE operates four campuses across Cebu, but the daycare center housed in the Ong King mausoleum in Barangay Carreta is the only one with an actual classroom and complete school supplies. The school operates under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in coordination with the Barangay Carreta council.
The ANCE Daycare Center inside the century-old Cebu Chinese Cemetery. | Photo from Jessa Ngojo
“Upat mi ka school, naa pud ko didto sa Carreta Cemetery sa sulod sa semeteryo Romano, morning ako klase 7: 30 to 9. Ig human didto, mulakaw ko padung na diri then hangtud hapon diri (Chinese Cemetery).”
(We have four schools, I also go to the Carreta Cemetery inside the Roman Catholic cemetery. My classes there are from 7:30 to 9 a.m. After there, I come here until the afternoon.)
Since then, Ma’am Jane has been the only teacher instructing the children. With no other teachers to assist her, she built strong relationships with the parents to ensure the children’s education could continue smoothly.
A daycare center’s challenges
Since the school began, Ma’am Jane and the parents have faced numerous challenges, from rising flood levels that blocked the path to the classroom during rainy seasons to various other obstacles. Yet, they weathered each one together.
However, a new challenge emerged in July 2024 when the Cebu City government initiated renovation efforts to transform the neglected cemetery and memorial park into a Heritage Park.
In a 2022 article by the Cebu City Public Information Office, then-Mayor Michael Rama announced plans to revitalize several old cemeteries in Metro Cebu, focusing particularly on the Cebu Chinese Cemetery.
During a press conference that November, Mayor Rama revealed that the Asociacion Benevola de Cebu Inc. (ABCI) had pledged financial support for the redevelopment of the Cebu Chinese Cemetery, along with minor renovations to Doña Pepang Cemetery, situated between Barangays Tejero and Carreta.
Continuation of financial assistance to the 2nd and 3rd batch of displaced families affected by the redevelopment of Cebu Chinese Cemetery in Barangay Carreta, provided by Asociacion Benevola de Cebu Inc. (ABCI), taken on July 19, 2024. | Photo source: Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) Facebook
By July 2024, the plans were set in motion. Current Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia visited the cemetery to personally oversee the distribution of financial reports and assistance to residents living on the grounds, as documented by the Cebu City Public Information Office. Azer Obiña, the caretaker of the Cebu Chinese Cemetery, reported that only 17 households remained within the cemetery’s walls three months after the financial aid was disbursed.
“Mao na ang desi syete (17). Unya karon amo sila gibutang didto, gikural sa namo sila.” Obiña added during a short interview with CDN Digital.
(Those are the 17. And now we put them there and put a fence.)
Over the years, illegal settlers have lived within its vacant lots, navigating its rugged paths. The 17 remaining homeowners chose to stay inside the cemetery, holding out for a proper relocation site as allocated by the Asociacion Benevola de Cebu Inc. (ABCI) through the Cebu City Government.
Here is a screenshot of Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia distributing financial aid to residents of the Cebu Chinese Cemetery and Ludo Memorial Park in Barangay Carreta on July 19, 2024, as shared on the official Facebook page of the Cebu City News and Information Center.
However, Ma’am Jane shared that the daycare center was not included in the relocation promises or financial assistance tied to the redevelopment efforts. While the 17 homeowners have been assured new sites, the school remains in limbo, with no clear funding or plans to secure its future.
‘Mao na ang amo gi hope and pray nga matagaan mi sa Benevola Foundation og gamay nga luna lang ba parehas sa ilahang 17 families, i 18 families nalang gud,”
(That’s why we are hoping and praying that the Benevola Foundation will also give us a small portion just like the 17 families, maybe they can make it 18 families.)
Challenges of relocating and parents’ opinions
Renovations at the Cebu Chinese Cemetery are underway, with hired masons and construction workers laying new cement on the century-old walls. Amid these changes, parents of daycare students are exploring their options in case the daycare is ultimately forced to close its doors.
Marlyn Villegas, the grandmother of a student at the ANCE Daycare Center, lives with her family just outside the gates that separate the Chinese Cemetery from Ludo Memorial Park. Whenever she has extra time between work, she ensures her grandchild is dropped off at the center and picked up after school.
Marlyn Villegas, 44, a concerned grandparent of a child studying in ANCE Daycare Center | Photo by Kurt Romariz
Marlyn and her family have lived on the outskirts of the cemetery for 12 years. Before settling there, they resided in the gutter of a mall along A. Soriano Avenue in Cebu City. Throughout the years, Marlyn has worked various jobs, including as a garbage collector, to support her children, grandchildren, and elderly mother.
When asked about her grandchild’s educational growth since enrolling in ANCE, Marlyn said she has noticed significant improvements in her grandkid’s learning.
“Nalipay jud ko kay maynalang naa siyay nakat-unan ba, nabansay iyang huna-huna,” Marlyn shared with CDN Digital.
(I am really happy because at least the kids learned something, their minds improve.)
During the interview, Marlyn also expressed that she is aware of the daycare center’s shaky situation and said that she would opt to transfer her grandchild if the daycare center stops operation. She also shared that if they were the next to be given the relocation notice, she would respectfully not accept it.
“Di sad ko musugot mu relocate maam, kay kung mag relocate sad maam, ako, kasuway man jud kos akong mama, i relocate ka, adto sad kag lagyo, bukid sad maam, unsa man akong panginabuhi-an maam? Mulugsong lang gihapon mi diri?”
(I won’t accept the relocation because if we are relocated, they’ll put us in far-away places, in the mountains. How do we make a living? Will we still come back here?)
Merry Christ, who chose not to show her face in our interview, lives near Marlyn and is the mother of a student at ANCE. She has also heard the whispers about the daycare center’s uncertain future, stating that as long as the school remains open, she will endure the challenges for the sake of her son’s education.
“Karon maam ako lang agwantuhon kay kung mutuyok mi layo naman gud kaayo unya baha pajud didto maglisod jud mi sa akong anak.”
(Now, I will endure because if we go to the other side, it will be far and the place floods. My kids will have a difficult time.)
Looking ahead
According to Ma’am Jane, every first Thursday of the month, she and the other ANCE members meet to discuss the current situation inside the cemetery and the future of the children.
During these meetings, Ma’am Jane raised their uncertain status, particularly to their deputy director, emphasizing that the 17 homeowners within the cemetery, who are guaranteed a relocation site, are also members of the organization. In contrast, the daycare center has not received the same assurance, leaving Ma’am Jane, the students, and the parents uncertain about their future.
During the interview, she noted the lack of action on this matter, pointing out the difference in circumstances between the homeowners’ situation and that of the daycare. This prompted her and some of the parents to write a letter to the Asociacion Benevola de Cebu Inc. (ABCI).
“Wala… mag wait lang… kung unsa jud ang situation ba. Basta as of now, humanon ni namo diri nga year mao na ang among gihatag nga letter sa (ABCI) na humanon namo this school year, kay lain sad kaayo kung maputol,” expressed Maam Jane.
(All we need to do is wait. If what the situation will be. But as of now, we will finish the school year here and that’s what was in the letter we gave ABCI that we will finish this school year because it would be awful to cut the school year short.)
Colorful learning materials and numbers hang inside the daycare center, brightening the once-gloomy mausoleum. | Photo by Kurt Romariz
Holding on to hope
Throughout her years as a teacher at the ANCE Daycare Center, Ma’am Jane has taught over 900 students. Many of her early students are now in senior high school, and some have even started families of their own.
However, the uncertainty surrounding the center’s future has taken a toll. Student numbers have dwindled as access pathways have been blocked due to ongoing renovations.
“Karon lang gyud ning gamay [referring to the number of students]. In every year, naka cater ko og 100 students ato, so taga level naay 35, 30, including na sa pikas [Carreta],” Ma’am Jane shared.
(It’s just now that it’s lesser. In every year, I am able to cater to 100 students and so every level there are 35, 30, including in the other school.)
The Cebu Chinese Cemetery spans about 3 hectares and houses the tombs of prominent Chinese-Filipino families like the Unchuans and the Sy/Gaisano family. It also contains the remains of Manuel Gotianuy, father of Atty. Augusto Go, owner of the University of Cebu.
But within these historic walls lies another legacy—one shaped by Ma’am Jane, the children, and the parents who have made this place a cornerstone of their community.
As the cemetery undergoes transformation into a Heritage Park, the future of the ANCE Daycare Center remains uncertain.
While the 17 homeowners may have secured spots for relocation, the school’s fate is still unclear. Ma’am Jane, the parents, and the children hold on to hope, but frustration mounts as they await decisions that will affect the children’s education.
For now, they carry on, driven by resilience and commitment, making the most of each day despite the looming uncertainty.