CITY EYES CONSTRUCTION PF PUBLIC CREMATORIUM, COLUMBARIUM

April 22, 2023 Metro BLISTT

The city government targets to construct a public crematorium and columbarium within the cemetery compound to expand the capacity of the already overcrowded public burial ground. This is part of the plan to redevelop the public cemetery and transform its presently congested and disorderly state into a modern, aesthetically designed and structured final resting place. The plan was prepared by the City Environment and Parks Management Office in response to Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s call for the rehabilitation of the city cemetery.

In the project proposal submitted by CEPMO Department Head Atty. Rhenan Diwas as prepared by Public Services Officer III Arturo Killip, the necessity of providing crematory and columbarium services was stressed noting that these have now been an accepted alternative to the common way
of disposal and treatment of the human remains. “As more dead people are buried in the cemetery,
orderliness, aesthetics and public comfort were given less importance.

Despite the setback, the City Government must accommodate requests for burial spaces and for this reason, the cemetery today is disorderly, unorganized and without regard for planning.  It is only in 2012 was there a tenancy period of 5 years. Thus this proposal aims to control the allocation, arrangement and tomb construction that should put orderliness in the already congested city cemetery,” the proposal read.

Apart from the crematorium and columbarium proposals, other recommendations made for the redevelopment were the installation of apartment/ condominium type niches, reclaiming of the areas occupied by informal settlers and developing a new cemetery site. Implementation will be subject to procedures spelled out in the project proposal foremost the creation of a Technical Working Group to formulate the redevelopment concepts and plans, enactment of an ordinance, formulation of the master plan, selection of a development concept before the final implementation.

The city cemetery which started operations in 1932 has an approximate land area of 9.16 hectares with only 58 percent available as burial site. A study said the carrying capacity of the cemetery is about 10,000 burial lots to make it safe, comfortable and aesthetically appreciative. However, the 2011 survey showed there were already 19,725 burials done. Despite this status, burials continue to be done out of necessity subject to remedial measures adopted by the department.

PIO/APR