At President Quirino's tomb, Boy Scouts stand guard

Call it graveyard duty. Instead of taking a break with their families on All Saints’ Day, scouts from the Makati chapter of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, enduring the heat of the afternoon sun, stood at attention at late President Elpidio Quirino’s tomb at the Manila South Cemetery. From 8 in the morning to late in the afternoon, the scouts stood guard six at a time in hourly shifts, while those not on guard (they numbered nearly 30 in all) roamed the jam-packed cemetery grounds to help with security. John Paulo Ang, a BSP-Makati troop leader, said his chapter has been doing the rounds and paying honor to Quirino for years. Ang, who started participating in the guard duty in 2000, said it is the scouts’ way of showing honor to the departed Philippine President. Quirino is the only one to receive this treatment, Ang said, because he is the only one buried in the Makati area. Froilan de Castro, another troop leader, affirmed Ang’s statement. “[Ang ginagawa namin ay] pagbibigay ng honor,” de Castro said. “[Isa siyang] pagkilala sa naging Presidente ng Pilipinas. De Castro said aside from Quirino, his local scout chapter also stands guard at the burial sites of departed officials. Ang and de Castro said that the scouts were already in the area to help with security on the eve of All Saints’ Day, Halloween. Quirino’s tomb is located at the heart of the sprawling, 25-hectare cemetery. In fact, the place is called Quirino circle. To people who visit the Manila South Cemetery every year, the place is a convenient meeting place. However, some years, that seems to be all it is—as well as a site for sporadic picture-taking—considering the dearth of flowers and candles compared to those at the graves of other government officials and departed personalities. Flowers offered to Quirino’s tomb this year are from the expected donors: President Benigno Aquino III, following the tradition of Presidents honoring their predecessors; Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, since the cemetery is within his city’s jurisdiction—located in Makati, the cemetery is an exclave of Manila; and from Quirino’s family. However, Manila South Cemetery administrator Henry Dy said people do leave flowers at Quirino’s tomb even before November 1. The President’s grave cannot really be called abandoned, he said. “Nalanta na lang kasi [‘yung mga bulaklak] kaya tinanggal na,” he said, adding that aside from the commemoration of Quirino’s death, flowers are also offered to him by various people on his birthday. Nearby, a man with three young children in tow said he was only there because the tomb was known enough to be a meeting place. Another, Judito Ramada, had his picture taken there by his companions as a souvenir of the experience. He said he was glad to finally have something to commemorate his visit even though, he said, he only read about Quirino as a young student. “Biro mo, 46 years old na ako, ngayon ko lang nakita ang puntod niya,” he said. The Manila South Cemetery was crowded as usual on All Saints’ Day, with different stalls offering wares ranging from food to clothing to utensils scattered throughout the area to cater to the needs of the people visiting their dearly departed. Dy said more than 300,000 people, as is the common average, are expected to visit the Manila South Cemetery throughout the whole day. — BM, GMA News