by Patricia Morales, Clarenz Manag, Vhal Manansala
It was in 2012 when
rumors first flew around town that a part of the agricultural land in Marungko,
a small barangay in Angat, Bulacan, will be converted into a private cemetery after
being purchased by the former PAGCOR Chairman of the Arroyo administration, Mr.
Efraim Genuino.
While the controversial name might ring a bell on people’s ears, there is a much bigger issue that is being enveloped by the piling blocks of the perimeter of the lushland-turned-necropolis-in-the-making, which might be the cause a huge threat to the lives on the other side of its walls.
The Story
The residents were
already having an idea that the initial plan of the developers will be resumed,
since the fencing was built according to the former structural plan. They have
also talked to the contractors and the workers and they learned that the
cemetery, in fact, will continue.
Worried about the effects
shall a cemetery ever take place, the neighborhood beside the property immediately
sought action and verified the reports.
“Pinulong
kami ng developer kasama ang barangay captain at saka ‘yong Sangguniang
Barangay at sinabi nga nila na ‘yong plano na magtatayo dyan ng memorial park,” Edna Fernandez, one of
the residents stated.
They started a signature
petition expressing their disapproval on the plan. Soon after that, no other news
was heard about the plan – even the perimeter fencing was left on hiatus – and
the land was left idle.
But just last year, they
were again surprised when the fence construction resumed, this time on the side
of their houses – with the concrete piled so high they could not even catch a
glimpse of the green pastures they have grown accustomed to.
Edna, along with the
other residents was then called last April for a public forum, which was
attended by their mayor, baranggay officials and developers.
“Parang
naging confirmation na lang ‘yong galing sa barangay na ‘yon nga daw,
itutuloy.”
It was then discussed in
the site development plan presentation by Oikodomeo Constructions Corporation,
an engineering and architectural firm based in Taguig, that the 5.16-hectare
lot will in fact be converted into a memorial garden resort composed of a
memorial garden, collumbariums, and crematorium among some of its facilities.
According to the
Oikomedo developers on their presentation in the last public forum, they
believe that the cemetery will not be a threat to the community, as it will
make sure that its sanitation and burial process will be as high-end and safe
as possible. They also assured the residents that they will not overcrowd the
memorial lots to prevent the surge of the decay discharge.
However, the residents
were still not convinced. Aside from the aforementioned problems, they are also
worried that the remaining agricultural lands will be bought by Genuino and
will eventually surround their community with memorial parks.
“Isa
pa ‘yon na naiisip namin. Maaaring in the future ay mabili na rin nila ‘yong
mga katabing agricultural lands, dahil ‘yong mga may-ari at magsasaka
mag-aalangan nang magtanim do’n dahil katabi ng sementeryo.
‘Pag
nangyari ‘yon, mapapalibutan na kami ng sementeryo, na ayaw naman naming
mangyari sa Marungko. Ayaw naming makilala dahil sa sementeryo.”
From Greens to Graveyard
A Dead(’s)
Land
Since the Genuino
property which was formerly an agricultural lot was stagnated for years, it can
already be classified as idle land; therefore building a business there would
not disobey any law.
But that is just the
tail of the elephant in the room.
Building a cemetery
beside a community has a huge probability of being a health threat, as the
discharge of the decomposing human remains may leak onto their water resources
and farming area. This is why the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB)
prohibits the construction of a burial place at least 100 meters from its wall
to the nearest residential area.
Upon checking, the
distance of the wall of the proposed cemetery is no more than three meters from
the houses.
It was also mentioned in
the HLURB regulation that it should not be allowed in environmentally-critical
areas such as an active agricultural land, and must be located far from the
water resources.
“…
‘Yong slope ng lupa ng memorial park is pababa sya. Dahil sa pababa ang slope
ng lupa sa kabahayan (at) sa mga palayan, iniisip namin na maaaring magkaro’n
‘to ng masamang epekto sa health o kalusugan ng mga residente. Kasi syempre ano
‘yan e… may involved dyan na human decay,” Fernandez explained.
On the other hand, the
Municipal Mayor of Angat, Leonardo De Leon, is particularly inclining to the
positive side, and is in favor of the said project. According to him, he approves of the
construction of the memorial park for he says it will bring a lot of
opportunities in their municipality.
“Kung
maitayo iyon ay maraming mabubuting bagay ang mangyayari, unang-una tulad ng
‘yong mga nanungkulan sa bayan na ito ay ilipat do’n… Magiging
income-generating rin ito dahil kakailanganing mag-hire ng mga manggagawa,” Mayor De Leon said.
But he added that
despite his personal approval, the release of its permit can only be signed if
the Barangay Captain of Marungko, Captain Amang Enriquez, also agrees with it.
We tried to get a
statement from Brgy. Captain Enriquez, but after several attempts, he was not
able to grant us an interview due to his busy schedule.
He was also convinced
that the proposed plan would not contravene any law. When asked about the HLURB
regulation that will be violated once the cemetery pushes through, De Leon
compared the older cemeteries in Angat to its situation and said that the
regulation was never really followed.
“Tignan
nyo nga ‘yong Himlayan, tsaka ‘yong Public Cemetery na katabi no’n. O, nasunod
ba?”
(Upon our research, it
was found that both of the cemeteries had been established before the houses
surrounding them today, hence it did not breach any HLURB protocol.)
Last
Resort
Fernandez
said she and her neighbors are hoping that the developers will stop pushing
through with their initial plan, and build a business that is more
livelihood-generating and more suitable in the area than a cemetery instead.
“Sana
iba na lang ang itayo nila, kagaya ng sports complex, o resort… Sa aking
palagay e mas maraming makikinabang kung gano’n na lang ang itatayo.”
In the meantime, while
the issue is still ongoing, the neighborhood can only do so much as to start
another signature petition to show the higher-ups that they, in fact, do not
agree with it. But if all else fails, they are ready to run the miles in order
to stop it.
“Pero sana, hindi na umabot sa gano’n. Sana.”
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