H.B. 16-141 will regulate the size and location of future burial plots to make better use of available public lands.
“If the bill is signed into law, it will only affect future burial plots,” Camacho said, adding that the measure will not “touch” the burial plots that are already in existence, out of respect to the families of the deceased.
According to the bill, the mayor’s office of each island will serve as the main authority in the maintenance and management of public cemeteries by keeping records — burial plot locations, names of deceased, date of burial, etc. — and charging a fee not exceeding $250.
“The fee may be waived for indigent families as well as unclaimed bodies,” Camacho stated.
The mayors will coordinate with the Department of Public Health in the issuance of burial permits to safeguard the people’s health, according to the bill.
It added that the mayor’s office will be responsible for coordinating burial activities.
Camacho said the only statute pertaining to public cemeteries is for the administration of the Marpi public cemetery established by Public Law 11-117 which was enacted because the Wireless Hill and Tanapag cemeteries have already been filled to capacity.
