Cagayan de Oro bans overnight stays in cemeteries for Undas

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — The city government has prohibited overnight stays in public and private cemeteries during the observance of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, limiting visiting hours to 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. to maintain order and public safety.

Maj. Emelita Simon, spokesperson for the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, said police personnel have been deployed to public and private cemeteries, while security guards at private memorial parks are screening visitors.

Police have also been stationed at the 19.8-hectare Bolonsiri Public Cemetery in Barangay Camaman-an, recently redeveloped into the City Memorial Park.

The city government has deployed vehicles to provide free rides to residents visiting the public cemetery.

Aside from the visiting-hour restrictions, authorities have imposed a liquor ban and prohibited bladed weapons and smoking inside cemeteries and memorial parks during Undas.

The City Memorial Park, the city's largest cemetery, holds an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 remains. Thousands of remains were recently exhumed and transferred to a centralized ossuary as part of redevelopment efforts.

Meanwhile, five private memorial parks, which collectively accommodate approximately 35,000 graves, are expected to draw large crowds during the annual observance.

Authorities are also preparing for congestion at older public cemeteries, including Bulua Public Cemetery, which contains more than 10,000 graves within three hectares, and Carmen Public Cemetery, which holds approximately 5,000 graves in a two-hectare area.

Police said security measures aim to ensure orderly cemetery visits as families gather to remember their departed loved ones.