15,000 visit memorial park in Bohol on All Saints’ Day

Some residents have spent the night at the Victoria Memorial Park in Tagbilaran City, Bohol on Thursday, Nov. 1. Leo Udtohan/Inquirer Visayas

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol – At least 15,000 people visited the Victoria Memorial Park on Thursday night, All Saints’ Day.

Most of them spent the night at the park, according to Aurelio “Ondoy Kalag” Gahit, the park’s caretaker.

After they offered flowers, candles, and flowers, some family members had dinner.

Some teenagers wore Halloween costumes such as “Valac,” a horror character. They roamed around the cemetery for fun.

Instead of being scared, some people came to have pictures taken with the horror character.

But the crowd was not bigger compared to last year.

“Some came early to visit their loved ones,” said Gahit.

The Victoria Memorial Park, which opened in 1972, has around 3,000 graves.

Gahit said police visibility helped deter the occurrence of crimes in the area.