Over 60 banned items seized at Manila cemetery

‘DEADLY WEAPONS’  Over 60 banned items were seized at the North Cemetery in Manila Friday, All Saints’ Day, police say. Authorities warned that individuals bringing personal effects that could threaten the safety of others would be confiscated. Video by INQUIRER.net’s Ryan Leagogo

MANILA, Philippines—Police have confiscated more than 60 prohibited items from people going to the Manila North Cemetery to visit their dead.

Police Superintendent Ricado Layug, Manila North Cemetery Task Group commander, said that as of 10 a.m., 41 flammable materials, two bottles of liquor, three bladed objects and 16 assorted tools were seized.

This despite repeated warnings from authorities against bringing prohibited items to cemeteries even before the All Saints’ Day.

“No arrest has been made yet but we have seized banned items… like spatula, cleaning materials, saw, hammer, flammable materials, intoxicating liquor,” Layug said.

He said the confiscated items would be kept in a place outside the cemetery, and could be claimed by their owners before they leave the area.

“The owners are given claim stubs which they will present to get their confiscated belongings,” Layug said.

As of posting time, around 400,000 persons are currently inside the cemetery, Layug said, but noted that the number was expected to swell in the following hours.

He said people have started to arrive since Thursday night, but most people came to visit their dead around 6 a.m. Friday.

The security situation, he said, was generally peaceful.

A total of 236 police from the Manila Police District have been deployed at the Manila North Cemetery, one of the biggest cemeteries in the country.

The police command center is located at the right side just near the entrance of the public cemetery.

At the entrance, a security officer segregates people according to gender, females are directed to walk at the left side, while male at the right. Inside the cemetery, a divider was set up to separate people going in, and people going out.

Food carts could be seen inside the cemetery.

Personnel from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority were seen giving away flyers, which remind the public that littering, among others, is prohibited.

The flyer indicated the specific type of offenses and the corresponding penalties—which include paying fines and rendering community service.

However, as you walk towards the cemetery, even the MMDA’s flyers were seen on the ground, probably thrown away by some people who got them. With Tetch Torres, INQUIRER.net