Bogo earthquake survivors fix damaged graves before Undas

Despite the challenges they face in repairing their damaged homes and lives in the aftermath of the powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake that recently struck Northern Cebu on September 30, the residents of Bogo City did not forget to care for the final resting places of their loved ones as All Saints’ Day or Undas approaches. 

In her 24 Oras Weekend report on Sunday, Fe Marie Dumaboc of GMA Regional TV said the Corazon Cemetery in Bogo City, its largest, was not spared since the city was near the epicenter of the earthquake as many graves, tombs and crypts bore significant damage.

Many families who came to clean their departed loved one’s plots, many of which collapsed or cracked due to the tremors.  

The Balante Family received money to repair their house but instead decided to use it to fix the tomb of their departed padre de familia or head of the family who passed away this year.

CJ Bentulan, the caretaker said he has informed the families of the damage the cemetery sustained but many have not yet visited.  

Several remains from damaged graves have been transferred to a “payag-payag” or a temporary space for safekeeping.

Bentulan said the arrangement was free but families have to find a way to fix their plots since the payag-payag is an area meant for those who cannot afford to have their dead stored in the bone chamber.

It is also at the cemetery that many of those who died during the recent earthquake are buried, including 11 members of a family and their neighbors from Barangay Binabag whose homes were buried underneath boulders and soil.

Meanwhile, in places such as Calasioao, Pangasinan and Laoag City in Ilocos, families have begun to visit to clean the graves of their family members. One family was dismayed after discovering that earth has been piled over the grave of one of their deceased members. There were some mausoleums that have been covered in wild plants and strewn with trash.

In Rizal, it is estimated that 400,000 visitors would visit the 80 cemeteries and memorial parks in the province. 

Rainy weather in Koronadal, South Cotabato has resulted in only a few to visit cemeteries. Some gravesites are covered in mud, rocks or garbage, making it difficult for people to find their loved ones. —RF, GMA Integrated News