Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, co-sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1273, welcomed its passage on the third and final reading on Monday, December 16, highlighting its role in promoting cultural and religious diversity across the Philippines.

The proposed “Equal Access to Public Cemeteries Act” ensures dedicated burial grounds in public cemeteries for Muslim Filipinos, indigenous peoples, and other religious denominations while respecting their customs and traditions. The measure requires local government units (LGUs) to allocate appropriate spaces within public cemeteries and, if necessary, acquire additional land to meet the needs of these communities.

Go, a member of the Committee on Cultural Communities, emphasized that the bill reflects the state’s commitment to inclusivity and equal rights.

“Ang panukalang ito ay mahalaga upang mabigyan natin ng dignidad at paggalang ang bawat Pilipino, anuman ang kanilang paniniwala o kultura. Hindi pwedeng balewalain ang mga tradisyon na matagal nang pinapahalagahan ng ating mga kapatid na Muslim at mga katutubo,” he said.

Go noted that the bill addresses a longstanding gap in public cemetery access for marginalized cultural and religious groups.

If enacted into law, the bill would not only guarantee burial spaces but also establish Public Cemetery Boards at the provincial and city levels to manage the allocation, partitioning, and supervision of burial grounds. These boards would include representatives from the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and other civil society groups.

Under the proposed measure, LGUs would be tasked with allocating land within existing cemeteries or acquiring new areas if necessary to meet the needs of Muslim Filipinos, indigenous peoples, and other religious groups. Funding would come from LGUs’ shares of national taxes, supplemented by national government support.