EDITORIAL - Peaceful observance

All roads will continue to lead today to cemeteries for the observance of All Souls’ Day. Today’s event is the conclusion of the two-day activities of Roman Catholics paying respect to the saints and the souls of their departed.

But as cemeteries host tens of thousands of visitors today, we can only expect chaos if there is a breach in police security preparations. Well-planned security preparations are vital in an activity that involves enormous convergence of masses from all walks of life.

Good thing there were no major untoward incidents tainting yesterday’s activities. The police really played their role as to maintaining peace and order in all cemeteries across Metro Cebu.

Yesterday, the majority heeded the call of the police for them to be extra-conscious in their activities in cemeteries. They did not bring liquor with them or other things that would only create trouble while all were in the thick of paying respect to the dead.

But still, there are some who did not take the police’s warning into their heads. At the Carreta Cemetery, police confiscated scores of bladed weapons from several people.

While those bladed weapons are only intended as tools to clean the tombs of the dead loved ones, the police did not allow them inside the cemetery for security reasons. The authorities are not taking things for granted because a bolo that is secretly brought inside can always be a fatal threat to the lives of cemetery-goers.

Well, the observance is actually associated with bringing food, flowers and candles as a sign of respect for the dead. A good follower of the Catholic Church or other religious groups cannot be expected to bring harmful tool inside the cemetery that has nothing to do with the observance. They clean the tombs of their departed a few days in advance so that the observance itself is followed purely for the purpose of giving value to the souls of their dead loved ones.

If all the people would just take an extra effort to heed the police warning, there’s no reason why today’s activities are not as smooth as yesterday’s. It is just a matter of taking the observance earnestly in order for it to be peaceful. 

Yes with their massive task given the scarcity of personnel, police authorities cannot be expected to maintain order in all cemeteries today. But if the people know how to cooperate, there’s no reason why peaceful observance cannot have its day.