The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has deployed traffic personnel to assist local government enforcers in ensuring the smooth flow of traffic in the vicinity of major cemeteries in the National Capital Region.
“We deployed additional manpower, in joint coordination with the local government units and the police, to assist in the cemeteries and to man the traffic within its vicinity,” said MMDA chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr.
On Tuesday, MMDA officials led by Abalos inspected cemeteries in Metro Manila three days before its closure for this year’s observance of Undas.
The authorities visited the North Cemetery in Manila, and Garden of Life Park in Mandaluyong to check their compliance to the Inter-agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) guidelines on the closure of cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
“All of the cemeteries in the NCR are well-prepared and the influx of people has spread out as they visit their departed loved ones this early,” Abalos said during the inspection.
The authorities have installed Police Assistance Desks and deployed roving teams around cemeteries to ensure that the 30 percent limited capacity is being observed.
Abalos expressed his gratitude to the Metro Manila mayors for their initiatives to help keep the cemeteries within their jurisdiction compliant to the guidelines of the IATF.
“We encourage the public to schedule their visits to their departed loved ones before the closure to avoid crowding and ensure the health and safety of everyone,” Abalos said.
“While it is important to abide by the guidelines set by the IATF and to observe minimum health protocols, it is likewise significant to practice self-discipline to ensure that we will have an Undas that is safe from the COVID-19 virus,” he added.
The MMDA, through Resolution No. 21-22 series of 2021, has asked the local government units to enact ordinances or adopt resolutions closing cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria from the public starting October 29 up to November 2.