The plan to convert the Cebu Chinese Cemetery into a heritage park will result in the eviction of 42 families currently living in the cemetery.
A city official said these families will be temporarily moved to an area behind the cemetery while the work is ongoing. These families are also seen to become possible beneficiaries of future housing programs by the city government, moving them out of the area entirely.
Of course they should not be allowed to move back into the cemetery. They should never have been allowed to live there in the first place.
Cemeteries are places for the dead and not for the living, except for those who work there and those who are there to visit their dearly departed.
As with any place that sees human habitation, problems will quickly follow any settlement, especially if it happens to be an informal one. Issues like squalor, garbage, lack of proper sanitary facilities, perhaps even crime, may rise over time.
Some families also move in into spaces meant for the dead, and make it their own. And while the dead can no longer feel being cramped or overcrowded they should still be offered the dignity they deserve, the dignity any one of us would want our mortal remains treated with.
We understand that some of those families make a living out of the services they can offer the cemetery as well as those visiting their dead, and moving them out will mean an end to their livelihood. We also understand that this isn’t just happening in the Chinese Cemetery but also in other cemeteries in the city, especially the public ones.
Perhaps some arrangement can be made for some of these people to continue their livelihood without having to make a living space of the cemetery. Let’s face it, any cemetery will always have a need for people who sell flowers, say prayers, make headstones, and other such services associated with the mourning and remembering of our dearly departed.
However, what should not be allowed is for the living to take up the space meant for the dead.