TO MEET the growing need for burial spaces, the Virgen de la Regla National Shrine is planning to build five-story apartment-style niches inside the Humay-Humay Catholic Cemetery in Barangay Gun-ob, Lapu-Lapu City, which is now nearing full capacity.
Parish priest and rector Fr. Rev. Benido Tumol, MSC, said the project aims to provide more interment areas for families who wish to keep their departed loved ones within the city.
Bones from old tombs have already been cleared to make way for the new structures. The project will proceed once the City Office of the Building Official grants the required permit.
“We are not only concerned about the number of niches, but we are also concerned about providing a dignified place for our departed,” Tumol said.
According to Tumol, five sections in the cemetery have been identified for development. The first phase will include around 4,000 large niches, 1,000 small ones and 5,000 bone chambers.
A second, smaller phase will follow after an ocular inspection conducted by priests and the project architect.
The plan, Tumol said, reflects the church’s effort to adapt to the city’s growing population while continuing its ministry of service and remembrance for the dead.
As of October 2025, the Humay-Humay Catholic Cemetery serves as the final resting place for more than 12,000 individuals. / DPC