Hagonoy folk start cleaning up tombs of departed loved ones

HAGONOY, Bulacan, Philippines  – A week before All Saints’ Day, residents of this town have started cleaning the tombs of their loved ones that were submerged and covered in silt during the flooding caused by strong typhoons that hit the province.

Washing away dried silt is especially troublesome because there is no water supply in the cemetery.

“When there was still floodwater, it was easy, but now, there is no water supply so we have to fetch water,” said Ramon Aquino, 40, a utility worker at the Hagonoy Catholic Cemetery in Brgy. San Sebastian.

Aquino accepts cleaning jobs in the cemetery and charges between P200 to P500 for every tomb cleaned and repainted.                                                                                          

He said many tombs in the cemetery have been neglected because the families of the departed are no longer living in the province. Floodwaters in the Sta. Ana cemetery and Hagonoy Public Cemetery have also receded.                

Local residents have complained of a lack of drainage in public cemeteries here, which are all enclosed by concrete walls.

Floodwaters become trapped in the grounds for weeks, leaving pathways muddy, if not flooded.