TANAPAG Public Cemetery is running out of burial plots, Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. Chief Executive Officer Esther L. Muna informed Gov. Arnold I. Palacios in a letter last week.
She said CHCC’s Environmental Health Disease and Prevention or EHDP recently conducted an assessment of the public cemetery’s capacity and found that the last portion of land cleared of vegetation can now only accommodate 20 burial spots.
CHCC data showed that an average of 50 burials a year was accommodated from 2015 to 2022. Consequently, EHDP issues an average of five burial permits a month for new plot assignments.
Muna said the cemetery will no longer be able to accommodate requests for new burial plots by mid-2023 when the cemetery will have been filled to capacity.
She said the cemetery needs extensive land clearing and removal of debris on a significant amount of space that may be used for additional burial plots.
Clearing and maintaining the area will extend the use of the cemetery for an additional five to 10 years, Muna added.
Once Tanapag Public Cemetery meets its capacity, the next designated public cemetery is in Marpi, which is currently non-operational due to a variety of challenges, Muna said.
She said it is highly recommended that EHDP notify the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, the government agency tasked to oversee the Marpi Public Cemetery, about the limited burial plots in Tanapag, “for forward planning.”
“We seek your assistance in extending the use of [the Tanapag cemetery] for a few more years, to ensure proper burial plots are accessible to our bereaved families seeking the final resting place of their loved ones,” Muna told the governor.
The Tanapag Public Cemetery
