THE City Government of Cagayan de Oro is set to allocate a one-hectare area to accommodate Muslim Kagayanons buried at the City Public Cemetery in Bolonsiri, Camaman-an.
In a forum with the city's Muslim community last week, Engineer Armen Cuenca, head of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (Clenro), disclosed the plan to allot an area for the Muslims as part of the cemetery's redevelopment plan.
Cuenca ensured that the City Memorial Park Board will respect all religious beliefs and burial practices as they start the rehabilitation of the public cemetery.
Sol Masqueda, cemetery redevelopment focal person, said most of the departed Muslims are buried in the phase 2 area of the cemetery.
The phase 1 and 2 portions of the cemetery will be the first stages of the redevelopment.
Currently, the City Memorial Park Board is still waiting for the final design of the cemetery, which will be designed by engineering students of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP).
"We assure you that all of the suggestions will be considered and part of the design.”
The redevelopment came after a study found that one of the contaminants of groundwater sources is seepage from the remains buried at the cemetery.
The new cemetery design is said to conform to national and environmental standards.
The cemetery, with an estimated 44,000 people buried since it was established in 1982, is occupying 10 of the 19-hectare area.
Mosqueda said they have divided the cemetery development into five phases, with the first and second phases eyed to start this month.