ILOILO City – Cemeteries in this southern city will be fully open during the “Piesta Minatay” on Nov. 1 and No. 2.
Mayor Jerry Treñas said there is no more limit on who can visit cemeteries unlike in 2020 and 2021 at the height of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
In 2020, Malacañang ordered the closure of all public and private cemeteries and columbaries across the country from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4 to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
Last year in this city, only COVID-19-vaccinated people were allowed to visit their departed loved ones from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2. They were required to present identification and vaccination cards at cemetery entrances manned by policemen and personnel of the city government’s Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO).
People were also encouraged to make their visits short.
For this year, this early Treñas already ordered the personnel of the City Environment and Natural Resources Office to prepare the public cemeteries.
The Iloilo City Police Office, PSTMO, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, together with volunteer groups and the Philippine Red Cross, on the other hand, will prepare the plans for a safe observance of “Piesta Minatay”./PN
