Cleaning, lighting up tombs: Relatives mark ‘Kalag-kalag’ traditions

CEBU, Philippines - Days before All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, a few people have started to drop by at Cebu City cemeteries to restore the burial sites of their loved ones.

At the San Nicholas Parish Church Cemetery in Barangay Calamba, The FREEMAN chanced upon 57-year-old Ernie Salomon repainting the external gravestone of his father.

Salomon recalled that when his father was still alive, both of them had the time to visit and clean the graves of their family’s departed loved ones.

But now, the retired banker does the preparations by himself. He said this has been the family’s tradition, a sort of “offering” to the dead.

Another visitor yesterday was Bonifacio Amaba. He hired some people from the cemetery to paint the outside portion of their family mausoleum.

He said he paid around P50 to P100. He said hiring some people makes the work faster.

Repainting work is only one of the interim sidelines that young adults engage during this season to make a living. It also helps that it is the semester vacation for some students.

Apart from beautifying the burial chambers, barangay workers with the help of other entities also conducted the clean-up drive yesterday morning in coordination of the City Hall’s Department of Public Services.

The Calamba barangay workers were assisted by the city police and workers from 10 neighboring barangays assigned to the cemetery, said Jude Glova, one of the personnel of the Cemetery Intelligence Authority.

Glova said they have started installing the power lines and lighting system; and putting up the information center and police assistance desk.

In Carreta Cemetery, the lay group from the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral reactivated their yearly operations presently tagged as “Pasuga 2015.”

Operations Head Domingo Lopez said they also had the electrical system set up for their “pasuga” project, offering P250 per 10-watt bulb to those families who wish to have the gravestones lighted.

The group also prepared makeshift quarters for assistance center and first aid in case of emergencies.

The cleaning operations at the cemetery’s vicinity, he added, are scheduled for yesterday until today. Illegal settlers were also instructed to move out from the cemetery.  (FREEMAN)