Mindanaotoday.com | Grave-seekers get online help in Oro
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – For the first time in three years, those wanting to visit their departed loved ones buried years ago at the biggest public cemetery in Cagayan de Oro needed an online registry system to locate the remains, a City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) official said Monday, October 31.
Engr. Armen Cuenca, CLENRO head, said they have set up a public assistance center at the Cagayan de Oro Cemetery and Memorial Park, formerly known as Bolonsiri Public Cemetery, at Camaman-an village to guide visiting relatives.
Cuenca said PAC personnel had assisted starting Monday those who wish to spend time with their dead family members earlier than the November 1 and 2 All Saints Day and All Souls Day, respectively.
“We have a Cemetery Registry System in place,” said the CLENRO chief who assured the public they have encoded in a data-base the identities of the 19,147 remains that were excavated from burial caves and whose bones were subsequently kept in ossuary vaults.
These, aside from those who opted the skeletons – with official documents – to be reburied somewhere else.
One may search for burial location of a relative online through the CLENRO CRS simply by encoding the name of the dead, after which an 11-digit alphanumeric Reference Number and a Control Number would appear, as well as the Date of Death.
He said that since 2019, when the redevelopment of the Bolonsiri Public Cemetery began and bone niches were introduced in two phases, 3,642 bodies had been buried and all of these as well as that of the 19,147 buried in the past 40 years are available in the CRS.
Cuenca said 27 cremains in storage urns have already been kept at the columbary vaults since the completion and opening of the COCMP Crematorium and Columbarium last June 28 this year.
Earlier, the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) of the city announced special traffic schemes for the City Cemetery as well as in 10 other public and seven private cemeteries after a “No Entry” to all vehicles would take effect from 8 a.m. until 10 pm of November 1 and 2, unless authorized for specific and special purposes.
This after Mayor Rolando A. Uy issued Executive Order No. 099 on October 19, 2022 which, aside from “No Entry” directive, also enforces the observance of the minimum public health standards (masking, distancing, and hand-washing) in all cemeteries, and the prohibition on bladed weapons, musical instruments, liquor, and even use of backpacks.
But Uy offered free rides to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, pregnant persons, including children who wish to visit the cemeteries to reminisce memories of their dearly departed.
The city mayor also released Memoranda Nos. 1490 and 1491 on October 25, this year, which called for the reactivation and recomposition of the Incident Management Team (IMT) of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) effective October 28 until November 2.
“The IMT is tasked to help in organizing and directing all assigned resources –including resources of national government agencies operating in the city level – for effective, efficient, and safe implementation of Kalag-Kalag 2022,” a portion of Memo No, 1490 states.
Headed by CDRRMO head Nick Jabagat, the IMT is primarily composed of CDRRMO personnel with representatives from the City Health Office, Office of the Building Official, City Economic and Enterprise Department, City Information Office, and the RTA.
Both the Police Regional Office 10 with its Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (COCPO) and Philippine Army 4th Infantry Division-backed Task Force Oro have earlier reaffirmed support – in coordination with the CDRRMC-IMT – in ensuring a secure and safe observances of All Souls and All Saints days. (MT)
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