Part of Lorega cemetery eyed to become housing

CEBU, Philippines - A portion of the Lorega–San Miguel Municipal Cemetery may soon face closure to give way to its pending conversion into a socialized housing site.

It is also no longer compliant with the provisions of the Sanitation Code where cemeteries are required to be 25 meters or 50 meters from the nearest residence to eliminate threat to public health.

Councilor Edgardo Labella proposed a resolution ordering the closure, which was passed by the council during yesterday’s regular session. But its implementation is still subject to the mayor’s approval.

Labella said that only the 9,000 square meter portion identified for the housing project will be closed. The Lorega–San Miguel Municipal Cemetery originally extends up to 20,000 square meters.

The cemetery is so-called because it was established before Cebu City’s charter.

Closing the area, Labella said, will prevent any more burials and will stop people from coming there to build structures. Further, it will guard the area from drug users who have made the cemetery their haven.

This portion of the cemetery has been occupied by informal settlers for years. Currently, there are about 500 families housed in 329 illegal structures built in the area.

Labella said that the condition of living of these families must be alleviated soon because they currently live in “subhuman conditions”.

“Babies sleep on the tombs while some put their stuff inside the empty tombs,” he said.

The proposal to declare this portion in Lorega-San Miguel as a socialized housing site goes way back to 2000 when the homeless and landless members of the United Cemetery Side Residence Association Inc. asked the help of the city so they can have a house and lot of their own.

In 2006, the Local Housing Board of Cebu City conducted a feasibility study for the conversion of the 9,000 square-meter portion and found it viable.

The initial plan is to build a three-story building initially designed to house 180 residential units. Those who are currently living in the area and members of the residence association will be given priority to avail of the program once it is materialized.

The city government through the local housing board, the Gawad Kalinga and the Action for Nurturing Children and Environment (ANCE) is rushing the project because they only have six months from last April’s release of the P10 million Priority Development Assistance Fund donated by former congressman Raul del Mar to use the money.

After six months and the budget is still not utilized, it will be reverted back to the national treasury.

Aside from Del Mar, ANCE also donated P2 million for the construction while the city government is willing to spend for the site development.

Where to put the residents while the construction has started is still being looked into. But the cadavers and remains affected shall be placed in a bone chamber if no relatives will claim them.

All the money is already available to start the construction but the implementing agencies have yet to finalize the general engineering plan, including the building plan and the plan for the site development to finally secure a building permit. — THE FREEMAN