Celebrating All Souls’ and All Saints’ Days gives enterprising individuals a chance to earn extra money.
In Carreta Cemetery, children go around offering to repaint tombstones.
John Ropel Ybañez, 12, has been busy there since Saturday, earn P50 for each “lapida” he repaints.
The first year student of Gothong National High School took advantage of the holiday to help his family earn a living.
“On busy days, I earn as much as P450. But on lean days, I only earn P100,” said John, the son of a carpenter.
Roland Reyes, 51, offers his services to repaint engrave tombstones, not as a sideine but a main source of income for the past 20 years.
He charges P150 for his services.
Since he lives across the cemeterey, he gets there as early as 7 a.m. and stays till evening.
Many families chose to clean and beautify the graves of their loved ones on their own.
Rodmil Chavez, 15, with his friends painted the graves of his aunt and uncle at the Carreta cemetery.
“Nibisita mi diri para mamintal sa lapida. (We are here to paint the gravestones),” he told Cebu Daily News.
Rey Cerezo, 52, earns his keep as a gravedigger in the Queen City Memorial Garden, his job for the past 20 years.
He said he was one of those who dug the grave of Marijoy Chiong, whose remains were transferred to a cemetery in Talisay City last Oct. 14.
Marijoy and her sister Jacqueline were kidnapped and raped on July 16, 1997 in one of Cebu’s most sensational crime cases that ended in the conviction of seven young men, including Paco Larrañaga.
Cerezo said he earns P2,500 for every grave he digs. His wife sells softdrinks to add to the family income.
Flower vendors also cash in on the annual family visits to the graves of loved ones.
Elisa Obsitias, 28, a flower vendor in Carreta Cemetery for 18 years, said she earns P50 to 100 a day but during All Souls’ and All Saints’ Days, she earns up to P2,000 a day.
She said she will use the money to pay her debts and to buy new clothes for Christmas.
“Ang kalag-kalag mura ug pamasko para namo. Magpundok mi diri. Mangari among ig-agaw. (Souls’ Day is like Christmas for us. We gather here with relatives),” Obsitias told Cebu Daily News. /Rhea Ruth V. Rosell, Correspondent