DILG to issue show cause order vs. Rodriguez mayor for refusing burial of Muslim COVID-19 dead

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will issue a show cause order against the mayor of Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal for allegedly refusing to allow the burial in their locality of two Muslim Filipinos who died of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a press statement, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said this was a "clear defiance of government guidelines on burial amid the public health emergency situation in the country.”

"Limitado ang Muslim cemeteries dito sa Metro Manila. Huwag na po sana nating dagdagan pa ang pighati ng mga namatayan na nagnanais lamang na maayos na mailagak sa huling hantungan ang kanilang namatay na mahal sa buhay,” Año said.

"I have already ordered our legal office to issue the show cause order to the Mayor of Montalban, Rizal,” he added.

He said the bereaved families of the patients had to bury their loved ones in a Muslim cemetery in Norzagaray, Bulacan. The first victim died on March 22 who was buried after almost two days while the second one died on March 30.

In the Islamic faith, the deceased are to be buried within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, according to the guidelines of the Department of Health regarding the disposal and shipment of COVID- 19 fatalities, the burial must be done within 12 hours, with cremation as the preferred method, but "to the most possible extent, be in accordance with the person's religion or customs.”

The DILG chief said he was dismayed with Mayor Dennis Hernandez's alleged disregard of Islamic traditions.

"Imagine the inconvenience of transporting their dead all the way from Metro Manila to Rizal and passing through checkpoints only to be turned away and then traveling to Bulacan just to be able to bury their departed family member,” he said.

The DILG continues to investigate the matter with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF). --KBK, GMA News