Filipinos urged to keep cemeteries clean before and after All Saints’ Day

MANILA, Philippines—As millions of Filipinos prepare for a long weekend to observe All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje urged them to reduce and collect their trash.

“This coming four-day weekend is one opportunity that majority of us will definitely take advantage of to be with our loved ones whether living, departed or both. However we choose to celebrate the long weekend, let us be mindful of the impact of our activities on our environment,” Paje said.

Noting that the country generates 30,000 tons of trash on a regular day, with 8,000 tons produced in Metro Manila alone, Paje appealed to the public to “also think of the living when we commemorate our dead.”

The environment chief also reminded cemetery administrators and local government officials to provide waste bins to encourage the public to dispose of and segregate their garbage properly.