Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Tuesday said the city government is preparing for the influx of two million visitors at the city’s four cemeteries for All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, Nov. 1 and 2.
Estrada said the four city-owned graveyards are the 54-hectare Manila North Cemetery in Sta. Cruz, the largest in Metro Manila; La Loma Catholic Cemetery; Manila Chinese Cemetery; and Manila South Cemetery, which is located in Makati City but still part of Manila’s territory.
The mayor said he ordered Manila Police District Director Chief Supt. Joel Coronel to lead the city’s security preparations during the holidays.
As directed by Estrada, Coronel said the MPD will deploy close to 2,000 policemen at the cemeteries during the observance of All Saints and All Souls beginning on October 27 until Nov. 2.
Foot and mobile patrols and checkpoints in strategic areas will also be put up, Coronel said.
The police chief said various City Hall offices such as the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, the Manila Health Department, Department of Public Order and Safety, and the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau will also assist the MPD.
Coronel also said reminded the public that bag inspections will be stringent at the cemetery entrances. Alcoholic drinks, gambling paraphernalia, loud speakers, and deadly weapons such as knives, and pets are prohibited. Cooking and sleeping overnight inside the cemeteries are also not allowed.
October 31 and November 1 have been declared special non-working holidays.
Meanwhile, Estrada said if one cannot find their loved ones’ tomb, try Manila’s “grave finder.”
Searching for your deceased loved one’s tomb at the Manila North and Manila South cemeteries this coming All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days has been made faster and easier with websites dedicated for it, one of the innovations introduced by Estrada.
He called on the public to plan their visits to these city-run cemeteries by first logging on to www.manilasouthcemetery.com.ph and manilanorthcemetery.com, where they can find use the grave finder.
“By clicking some buttons, you’ll easily find the location of your loved one’s tomb, complete with street names and plot numbers. This will save you precious time and effort,” Estrada said.
Every year, the mayor noted that one of the major hassles the city faces is when cemetery-goers have a hard time looking for the supposedly missing tombs of their deceased loved ones, adding to the confusion and disorder at the crowded cemeteries.
Introduced by Estrada in October last year, the grave finder could could accurately look for the location of the tomb of a resident’s loved ones.
Daniel Tan, director of the Manila North and South cemeteries, said the system effectively reduced the number of incidents and complaints concerning missing graves, and has helped cemetery administrators and security officials properly manage the flow of human traffic in and outside the public cemeteries.
“You’ll just type in the name of the deceased and it will point you to the exact location of the tomb,” Tan explained, adding that this addressed the perennial problem of cemetery-goers who have forgotten or lost the location of the tombs they are visiting every year.
The websites also have maps of both cemeteries, complete with street names and plot numbers of the graves, according to Tan.
“So before going to the cemetery, please check the location of the graves you’re visiting through our grave finder. We will also post security and traffic updates regularly for your guidance and convenience,” the cemetery director appealed to the public.