New cemetery site for Cebu City identified as virus deaths rise

CEBU CITY—Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has identified a new cemetery site for the city government as the number of deaths from the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to increase here.

Cimatu, who was appointed by President Duterte to oversee the government response to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Cebu province and city, chose a 2-hectare area spanning Sitios Patayng Yuta and Baksan in the mountain village of Sapangdaku as the site of the Cebu City Botanical Memorial Garden.

“We have to immediately identify burial sites that are outside protected areas and will pose no harm to the immediate community,” he said.Cimatu said finding a new burial ground was among the priorities as there was no more space in all 11 private and 15 public cemeteries in the city.

Records as of July 14 showed that 388 people had died of COVID-19 in Cebu City, a significant surge from the 27 deaths recorded as of June 1. The Department of Health (DOH) recorded 7,589 cases in the city as of Tuesday.

Watershed

The city government earlier identified a lot in Barangay Guba as site for the new cemetery, but the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Visayas struck down the plan because it was within a watershed area under the Central Cebu Protected Landscape.

The DENR also called out city officials after 389 mahogany trees in the village were cut without a permit.

Cimatu reminded local officials to comply with requirements.

The project needs an approved resolution from the city council for the construction of a cemetery, an application letter for an environmental compliance certificate, a cemetery development plan and tree-cutting permits.

Cimatu organized a technical working group composed of the Environmental Management Bureau, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, and the DOH to fast-track the processing of documentary requirements needed for the construction.

Urgent

Mayor Edgardo Labella told the council that he needed its approval of the new cemetery. “In order to expedite the process, I certified as urgent the resolution pending before the council,” he said.

Councilor David Tumulak, the proponent of an ordinance creating a city-owned cemetery, said: “The lack of available grave sites in the city may lead to the delay in the burial of a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 [patient], which may cause the further spread of the virus and add to the problems faced by the city.”

He said not all Cebuanos could afford cremation services, costing between P30,000 and P60,000. An ordinary burial, he said, costs between P10,000 and P20,000.