Like many other local government units, Negros Occidental
is faced with two problems: the lack of affordable burial
sites due to the growing population and the need to involve
the community in the fight against environmental degradation.
San Carlos City’s old gravesite was already heavily
congested and easily flooded. Likewise, constructing a new
graveyard within the poblacion was not a wise move due to
the prohibitive land costs and polluted surroundings.
To address these problems, the city government came
up with a novel solution – Punongkahoy sa Bawat Pumanaw.
This program will build a memorial park, which would serve
as a permanent graveyard as well as aid reforestation. The
LGU initially purchased a 5,000 sq. km. lot beside the old
cemetery and equipped it with burial niches, a ceremonial
court, a praying area, restrooms, a water system, and sufficient
lighting. Next, it installed a tree park 12 km. from the
poblacion. The park was marked for tree planting and the
City Agricultural Office initially planted around 1,500
trees. Site development now covers five of the 30-hectare
lot, and features footpaths and ample parking space.
To avail of the new facilities, beneficiaries first
have to present a death certificate from the City Health
Office. They are then allowed to bury their dead in the
niches for a fee of only P100 for indigents and P1,000 for
non-indigents. Next, they are required to plant a tree at
the Memorial Tree Park with seedlings provided by the City
Agriculturist. After five years, the family should exhume
the bones and transfer them to the foot of the tree they
originally planted in the park. This tree bears the nameplate
of the deceased.
In 1999, 393 families benefited from the Memorial
Tree Park program. Given the five-year cycle of interment
and transfer, the burial site has enough room for 3,000
more niches. Financially, the LGU realized a net income
of P159,785 from operations in 1999. This is a major improvement
compared to their total expenditure of P95,000 in 1997 for
the upkeep of the old cemetery. Furthermore, the program
has at the same time provided a mechanism for the reforestation
of the denuded mountainsides of Negros Occidental.
