Cemetiquette

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Cemeteries all over the country are being cleaned and prepared for the coming All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day weekend. Roads along many public and private cemeteries are scheduled to be closed and police forces will be on heightened alert. Family members will soon be joining the mad rush to their respective places of origin while flowers, candles, and floral arrangements sell like hotcakes as the country prepares for one of the its biggest traditions.

As preparations for the weekend ensue, members of the environmental advocate Ecowaste Coalition made it a point to remind the public of “Cemetiquette” or cemetery etiquette, that if observed properly, could lead to waste-free cemeteries at the end of the holidays.

According to Ecowaste: “Cemetiquette aims to promote environmental responsibility and commonsensical good manners in the cemeteries while drawing attention to bad practices that show disrespect for the dead [and] for the living”.

Among the Cemetiquette rules are: choosing lead-free candles to reduce pollution and offering fresh flowers instead of plastic ones as well as avoiding plastic wrap to reduce trash. Bringing your own water containers to avoid littering our cemeteries with discarded plastic bottles is also encouraged. Conscientious and waste-free meal preparation using reusable containers and utensils also reduce food waste and spoilage and the trash generated by throw-away Styrofoam, paper, and plastic containers.

Most of the Cemetiquette rules center around littering. Cigaret butts, candy wrappers, packaging materials, fruit peels should be disposed of properly. The more responsible cemetery-goers should consider bringing their own trash bags and bringing home their trash for proper sorting and disposal.

Another basic rule that is often ignored in the packed cemeteries is for us to relieve ourselves properly and at the proper place. Do not do it outdoors and keep the urinal or toilet bowl clean as a courtesy to the next user.

We visit the graves of our loved ones to pray for their souls and to show our love and respect. Let us be responsible enough to help out by clean up after ourselves and not desecrate their memories with  cemeteries filled with trash and stinking of urine after the weekend is over.*