Gov. Arthur Yap said he would recommend to the mayors in Bohol to adopt the national policies governing the commemoration of All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day, instead of adopting a local policy, according to a report by the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) released on Oct. 21, 2021.
The governor bared this during the online meeting of the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force (BIATF) Strategic Communications cluster (StratCom) on Monday Oct. 18, 2021.
The national policy, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Eduardo Año, is to close all cemeteries in the country from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, 2021.
The closure is being done to minimize the risk of Coronavirus disease (Covid) transmission during “undas.” [or kalag-kalag] Año said on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021.
Adlaw sa mga Santos or kalag-kalag, is a tradition among majority of Filipinos where they visit their departed kin to offer them flowers and prayers for their eternal repose.
While the tradition is rooted in the Catholic faith, many have shifted the said tradition into an opportunity for socialization, reunion and clan gatherings being done in memorial parks or cemeteries, the PIA report says.
The report adds the governor fears that a surge may happen if the government would allow gatherings in cemeteries.
Currently, Bohol is seeing a decline in the number of active Covid cases and hospital utilization cases.
In a briefing with President Rodrigo Duterte aired on early Wednesday morning, Año said the IATF has passed a resolution that issued guidelines for the celebration of this year’s holiday amid the pandemic.
With this, the public may visit cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria before the closure dates or before Oct. 29 and after Nov. 2, 2021.
The national IATF, in its guidelines, said that visitors must still be limited to ten persons per group, and the venue must only allow 30% or 50% of venue capacity depending on the policy of the local government unit (LGU).
The PIA report bares that the authorities would still be fielding monitors and personnel to assure that the guidelines are followed and that the visitors follow the minimum public health standards to prevent virus transmission.
The Philippine National Police, local government units, down to the barangay officers, are all expected to make sure the policy is implemented, Año added.