City's disaster body checks major graveyards

AS preparation for All Saints and All Souls Days next month, the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) inspected some major cemeteries in the city yesterday.

CCDRRMO Operations Chief Harold Alcontin said they want to prepare the cemeteries as early as possible since people are expected to converge there for at least two days.

Entrances and exits of the cemeteries, Alcontin said, should be free from obstruction to allow easy access by emergency vehicles.

“This is part of our emergency preparedness and response plan for the Oplan Kalag-kalag 2017. This is a proactive measure. We checked for hazards to clear these and to see what are the other needs for a safe kalag-kalag,” he told reporters.

Alcontin said that personnel from Department of Public Services and City Health Office joined the inspection yesterday to check if the cemeteries are well-lighted and clean.

Sanitary inspectors will check the food that will be sold near the cemeteries to make sure that it is safe.

Alcontin discouraged the public from putting water in plastic containers for their flowers because it could become a breeding ground for dengue-carrying mosquito.

Those who will visit their loved ones’ graves should also not bring balloons, which can be fire hazards in a crowd.

In Calamba Public Cemetery alone, the team found some plastic containers with water.

“This is a warning to the public, if they will visit and bring flowers, they should pour the water because we found some here with larvae already,” Alcontin said.

The group also inspected Pardo Public Catholic Cemetery and Carreta Cemetery, which is one of the biggest grave sites in the city.

A team from CCDRRMO has started trimming trees within cemeteries. (RVC)