Cebu City eyes new public cemetery

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City government is looking for lots in the mountain barangays that can be made into a new public cemetery as the death toll in the city for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has breached the 200-mark.

On July 7, 2020, Labella said they may have found a suitable lot in one of the city’s mountain barangay, but did not disclose other details as they are still checking its viability with environmental regulations and other requirements.

This is the city’s response to the complaints of barangay chiefs and family members of the deceased that the funeral parlors have been overwhelmed by the number of bodies they cater to.

Currently, Cebu City has 15 public cemeteries and 11 private cemeteries.

In the 5 p.m. July 6 update of the Department of Health in Central Visayas , the death toll due to COVID-19 stands at 250.

“We coordinated with the Archdiocese of Cebu, who are administering two of the largest cemeteries in the city for burial space, but we found out there is really a lack of space. The city is now developing a cemetery in the mountain barangay,” said the mayor.

Cebu City Councilor Tumulak revealed in the previous statement that even late Councilor Antonio Cuenco, who died of the COVID-19 on June 28, 2020, was cremated after two days due to the lack of servicing crematoriums.

Tumulak authored the resolution asking the city mayor to build a new cemetery to address the lack of burial space.

Labella assured that this cemetery will be for all city residents and not only for victims of the COVID-19.

Retired General Melquiades Feliciano, the deputy implementor of the IATF in Cebu, said that the Department of Interior and Local Government Unit (DILG) has also been resolving the issues on unclaimed cadavers for the last months.

He said that only one cadaver has remained to be unclaimed as of July 7, 2020. /bmjo