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Filipinos fill grave sites on Undas 2023

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Filipinos arrive at Bagbag Public Cemetery in Quezon City to visit their departed loved ones as they mark All Saints" Day="" on="" November="" Maria="" ABS-CBN="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/11/01/20231031-undas-bagbag-cemetery-mt2.jpg"/><figcaption>Filipinos arrive at Bagbag Public Cemetery in Quezon City to visit their departed loved ones as they mark All Saints&#x27; Day on November 1, 2023. <em>Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA <strong>(3rd UPDATE)</strong> — Filipinos carrying flowers, candles and bags of food thronged cemeteries across the Catholic-majority Philippines on Wednesday to pay their respects to dead loved ones on All Saints&#x27; Day.</p><p>Hundreds of thousands of people fanned out across sprawling graveyards in the capital Manila to hold picnics on tombs or pray quietly in front of a relative or friend&#x27;s final resting place.</p><p>Among the visitors at Manila North Cemetery was Zenaida Cruz, 77, who walked slowly with her husband to the tomb of her parents and grandparents to offer candles and a prayer.</p><p>Cruz used to leave flowers at the gravesite, but inflation had pushed prices of even simple bouquets beyond her limited budget.</p><p>&quot;As long as I can walk, I will still visit, because this is a tradition,&quot; Cruz told AFP.</p><p>&quot;This tradition won&#x27;t fade, but of course, it won&#x27;t be as grand as before when there were many flowers and many candles.&quot;</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mRua5IjxZwQ?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>The annual ritual is an ancient Christian tradition honoring all saints and martyrs who died for the faith.</p><p>In the deeply religious Philippines, the day is a public holiday to enable people to travel hours to visit gravesites in far-flung parts of the country.</p><p>Manila police chief Col. Thomas Ibay said he expected around a million visitors to Manila North Cemetery, where poor families live alongside the dead in shanties and mausoleums.</p><p>Jenny Rose De Vera, 31, was joined by her friends, family and in-laws to offer her partner of 15 years pieces of prawn crackers from a fast-food chain and half a hotdog.</p><p>That had been his favorite food before he was killed in a road accident in September.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s important (to visit the dead) so they can still feel that they are still important to us and that we will never forget them,&quot; De Vera told AFP.</p><p>Meanwhile, a &quot;wall of remembrance&quot; with the names of some 15,000 dead allowed visitors to offer flowers and light candles for their departed loved ones at the Tugatog Cemetery in Malabon, while it is under rehabilitation. </p><p>The cemetery&#x27;s redevelopment started in 2021, and all the remains of those buried there were exhumed and temporarily relocated. </p><p>The city government said it still needed to complete 57 percent of the site’s renovation before it could be fully opened to the public.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2860546" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>The Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina reminded visitors that pets, liquor, and matches are not allowed inside the park. </p><p>A shitzu named Smoke was barred from entering the cemetery by personnel who confiscated prohibited items from other visitors, like matches, scissors and a bottle of beer. </p><p>Dog owner Raymund Cortez said Smoke was the pet of his grandfather who died last year.</p><p>“Lagi naman po siyang kasama &#x27;pag aalis, wala po kasing mapag-iiwanan,&quot; he said. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2860610" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>The Marikina police said around 6,000 people were inside the park as of 7 a.m. </p><p>Among the early visitors were Nenita Rebamuntan whose husband died last August.</p><p>“Konting nakaka-recover pa lang... Kada linggo andito kaming mag-anak,” the widow said.</p><p>Broadcasters Mike Enriquez and Mario Dumaual, and former Marikina City mayor Bayani Fernando, were recently laid to rest at the memorial park. </p><div><strong>RAINS DAMPEN UNDAS </strong></div><p>Rains later in the day dampened the commemoration of Undas for families who took an afternoon stroll at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.</p><p>Ramon Mison said the day was ideal for spending time at the park to bond with family instead of going with the crowds in visiting the cemetery. </p><p>“Ayaw namin makipagsabay sa traffic, ngayong November 1, maraming tao sa sementeryo. Mas pinili namin sa Circle para makapag-relax, makapag-bonding ng pamilya,” he said. </p><p>Intermittent rains also slowed the arrival of visitors at the Manila South Cemetery in Makati City, which has 700,000 registered tombs. </p><p>As of 2 pm, 150,000 people entered the facility, less than the 200,000 visitors at the same time last year.</p><p>Cemetery officer-in-charge Jonathan Garzo said the weather and the long weekend could have played a factor in the lower turnout.</p><p>“Napansin natin mas kaunti this year, but we expect ngayong hapon baka may humabol pa,” Garzo said.<br/> <br/>One of the early visitors this morning was senior citizen Elvira delos Reyes, who was accompanied by relatives.</p><p>She received assistance from local authorities manning the cemetery and ferried around in a wheelchair.</p><p>“Kahit ganito hangga&#x27;t kaya pa, bumibisita pa rin kami dito,” delos Reyes said. </p><p>Jansen Bautista’s family had a simple meal together and paid tribute to their departed relatives.</p><p>“Madalas po ngayon lang may time kasi busy, pero ‘pag may oras bumibisita. Salo-salo lang ng mga kapamilya po,” Bautista said.</p><p>In Cebu, some families started commemorating Undas by cleaning and painting the graves of their loved ones at the Carreta Public Cemetery, where around 15,000 people are buried. </p><p>Some elderly visitors at the cemetery fainted due to the humid weather.</p><p>The observation of Undas was peaceful so far, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos said at around 10 a.m. </p><div><strong>— With reports from Jeffrey Hernaez, Lyza Aquino, Victoria Tulad, and Adrian Ayalin, Willard Cheng, Raffy Santos, and Annie Perez, ABS-CBN News; Agence France-Presse </strong></div>

Thousands of Filipinos flocked to grave sites across the country to honor the dead on All Saints' Day. 