"On the same row where Arlington Funeral Homes and Funeraria Nacional are located," says Jake Fleta, Jardin de Paradiso Properties, Inc. president. "It’s referred to as the memorial district. Others call it the death row."
The concept is nothing new. It’s been around since the Roman times as a place to give dignity to the remains of Roman soldiers who were cremated (otherwise called cremains). This is immortalized in the movie Gladiator, so Jake recalls, where Russell Crowe delivers these famous lines: "Do not be afraid for when you die, we will put you in the eliseum (a place like heaven)."
Now, this is certainly one place where you won’t be afraid to go any time of the day, even in the dead of night. Where you can, uh, bury all your morbid thoughts about cemeteries or underground church catacombs.
The Caelum (which means heaven) columbarium (from the word columba which means house of doves) is nestled amid well-thought-out and well-maintained landscaped greenery, hemmed in by aluminum trellis. It’s elevated four-and-a-half meters from street level to provide privacy and shut out noise pollution. It’s got well-lighted walkways and pathways that combine aesthetics and comfort. It’s where the art is, too, with sculptures by Manny Baldemor and Impy Pilapil as well as a glass-sculptured fountain enlivening the place.
Fact is, the Caelum columbarium was designed with the help of feng shui master Ting-Chen Wu. "According to him, the place has good feng shui," says Jake. "He said something about the heart of the dragon being there. So unlike dingy cemeteries submerged in water and mud."
It’s the only columbarium that offers a choice of ambience: church, garden or building settings. Each building is provided with inter-faith chapels for all religious denominations. There are three function rooms for private celebrations.
"You can take out your urn from the niche and bring it to any of the function rooms so your dearly departed can join you for whatever occasion you want to celebrate," Jake points out.
A place as much for the living as for the dead, there’s a coffee shop and a store selling religious items, cards, flowers, etc. And the good news is you don’t have to risk life and limb when you go there on All Saints’ Day – the Caelum’s got ample parking space that can accommodate as many as 100 cars inside and 100 more cars at the perimeter wall. It’s brownout-free, too, with its generator ever on standby.
At the Caelum Building, have the time of your life being mesmerized by its five-star lobby with non-porous granite flooring, wall-mounted light fixtures providing night light, patterns of foliage providing a distinctive frontage at pedestrian level, and pre-cast concrete metal bowls for accent plants.
As you enter, you’ll see a dome patterned after a bishop’s cap. It’s the Caelum Church, with its dome in stained glass that lets the sunlight in.
Giving life to the Caelum project is a highly spirited team headed by Roberto Aventajado as chairman of the board of directors with Joaquin Fleta Jr.; Josue Camba Jr., Celedonio Pile, Edilberto Perez, Alfredo Masigan, Eli Gardiner, and Ricardo Pascua as directors. The Caelum was conceptualized through the efforts of McCann-Erickson Philippines with architectural, landscape and interior design by RMJM Philippines, Inc., and project and construction management by AP Canlas and Associates.
"It’s the vision and the continuation of the spiritual mission of Roberto Aventajado," Jake flashes a beatific smile. "He was inspired by the Powerhouse of Prayer project of the poor Sisters of St. Clare in Marinduque. On Sept. 10, 1998, hours before he died, Bishop Rafael Lim wrote a letter to Roberto Aventajado. It was a dying man’s wish for our chairman to take care of the Sisters of St. Clare. Which is why he set up a scholarship fund for aspiring priests and retirement/health benefits for retiring priests."
Thus, the Caelum team got to work, made the rounds of cemeteries, church catacombs and memorial parks, and compiled comparative data to transform a dream into reality – or to put it pat, a 4,265-square-meter state-of-the-art home for happy souls.
"With this project, you’re saving hectares upon hectares of land you would have used to memorialize your dearly departed," Jake notes. "We saw this as a fitting project because we don’t have much land anymore. This is a caring business. We care not just for the dead but also for the living."
To enumerate the columbarium advantage vis-a-vis ground burial, or inhumation vs. cremation: No digging or associated problems, environment-friendly as it prevents pollution due to saturated burial grounds, no poisoning due to body fluids leaching into underground water tables, affordable and hygienic. And finally, it provides a final resting place that emphasizes serenity, respect and peace of mind.
"On Ash Wednesday, we’re reminded, ‘From dust thou art and to dust thou shall return,’" Jake repeats. "In other words, we have to return to nature. They say it’s a choice between fire and worm. While inhumation takes us years to return to nature, cremation takes only a few hours. Cremation also does away with so many steps – no more embalming, casket, grave digger, long funeral procession, etc."
Jake further asserts, "As you get into it and learn more about this new alternative to memorialization, you realize that it’s better because you celebrate life. Our urns have a special lock and you can take your urn out with you anytime for a celebration, bring it inside the church for Mass, or even bring it home."
The uniquely designed Caelum niche measures 12 by 12 by 24 and can accommodate four urns and one box of bone remains. It’s corrosion-free, durable, easy to clean and maintain, and waterproof with removable non-porous granite cover. Made of powder coated aluminum, it is secured with cast aluminum special screw.
Around the world, there’s a growing acceptance of cremation. The statistics show that it’s 95 percent in Japan, 78 percent in England, 70 percent in India, 65 percent in Australia/New Zealnd, 63 percent in Europe, 60 percent in China, and 50 percent in US and Canada. It’s in its embryonic stage in the Philippines. But since 1985, pre-need companies like Pacific Plan and Prudential Life have sold over 100,000 cremation plans. All over Metro Manila, there are about 19 crematoriums.
To answer an oft-asked question, yes, it’s recognized by the Catholic Church, dating as far back as the Canon Law in 1963. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has come up with liturgical guidelines, like: The cremated remains should be buried in a grave, mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering the ashes in the sea or from the air is not in keeping with the Church’s norm regarding the proper disposal of the remains of the dead. Likewise, the urn should not be kept permanently at home or the family altar because we should give more dignity to the dead.
"Your final journey begins here," says Jake. "It’s a sanctuary, a repository that we offer."
It’s affordable, too. Says Jake, "The average price of a niche is P60,000 but this can hold four urns. So if you divide it into four, it’s only P15,000 each. One good thing is that ours is like a pre-need memorial plan, too. You only pay 25 percent of the price as downpayment and the balance is payable in five years. And this appreciates over the years."
He adds, "If you buy and something happens to you, credit life insurance is included. If you die or get disabled, your balance is fully paid already. It’s a future investment, too, as it can be transferred or sold. A portion (12 percent) of the amount you pay will be set aside for maintenance care."
The company has been getting a deluge of reservations. There was one woman who wanted to transfer her parents’ remains from their family mausoleum to the columbarium. She said the mausoleum was getting so expensive to maintain she wanted to sell it and sort of move house.
For the Caelum launch, which will be graced by Bishop Socrates Villegas and Quezon City Mayor Sonny Belmonte, Jardin de Paradiso Properties, Inc. is offering a 20 percent pre-selling discount to the first 500 buyers. The Caelum now has space for 21,000 niches.
You can say it’s the cutting edge in death care industry. It’s the first columbarium with a website. "So if you’re living in the US and you want to pay your respects to your beloved dead, you can e-mail and you’ll be brought directly to the niche of the dead," Jake reveals. "You can have Mass said, send a Mass card, send flowers, buy candles through the website. The biography of the dead person is there, too."
Indeed, this is one dwelling place for the dead that’s so full of life.