City mulls rate hike for Wireless cemetery

THE City Government of Davao is mulling a 500-percent increase on charges and rates at the city-owned wireless cemetery in Madapo Hills.

From P2,000 rental fee on grave lots for 10 years at the adults section, the city plans to increase it to P12,000 for a period of six years. At the children section, the P1,000 rental fee for 10 years will be increased to 5,000.

The City Council deferred for next week's session the approval of the ordinance amending the specific provision of the city's Revenue Code setting the rates at the city-owned cemetery.

The proposed ordinance intends to specifically amend Chapter 5, Article 7 of the Revenue Code of Davao City on charges and rates at the wireless cemetery.

The following are the old rates for compartmentalized niches rentable for 10 years under the old Revenue Code: ground level - 8,000; second level - 7,200; third level - 6,400; fourth level - 5,600.

Should the proposed amendments get the council's nod, the following will be the new rates for compartmentalized niches that are rentable for only six years: ground level - P6,400; second level - P8,000; third level - P7,200; fourth level - P5,600.

"After the expiration of the six years lease period, the bone remains of the dead person shall be exhumed and transferred to an ossuary that will have an imposition fee of P200 as annual fee renewal fee payable every January of each year," a portion of the amended version of the code read.

The new version of the code, which lay down the fees on wireless cemetery, also provides that should the family of the buried person fails to renew the ossuary fee, they will be given a one year grace period. Otherwise, their relative's remains will be transferred to a common grave.

To recall, Davao City Government has allotted at least P23 million for the rehabilitation of the 110-year-old cemetery.

Since the cemetery opened its doors in 1901 until its rehabilitation in 2008, there are at least 7,900 bodies buried at the cemetery.

In April of 2010, the City Government closed the cemetery to pave the way to the massive exhumation, rehabilitation, and repairs.

In the exhumation process, the remains were stored in black plastic bags, sealed, labeled and deposited in identified mausoleum as temporary depository or holding area. (Jereco O. Paloma)