Work on Manila’s Muslim cemetery starts

Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna yesterday broke ground at the site of the planned cemetery for the city’s Muslim community at the Manila South Cemetery.

This signals the start of the construction of the P49.3 million burial ground that will cover about 2,400 square meters, as well as the setting up of a Cultural Hall.

The cemetery will be used exclusively for the interment of bodies and bones of Manila’s Muslim residents.

The site will be under the control and supervision of the Manila Health Department (MHD), headed by Dr. Arnold Pangan.

The mayor has assured that all the traditions that attend every Muslim burial will be taken into consideration at the cemetery.

Domagoso emphasized the important contributions of Muslims to the history and culture of the nation’s capital, saying “Despite their cultural contribution, we seemed to have forgotten them and did not give them the attention they deserve.”

“Muslims brought greatness to us even before the Spaniards reached our shores. We were then the land of rajahs, because rajahs ruled then the Kingdom of Manila, specifically the Rajah Sulayman dynasty,” he explained.

“Why is it important to discuss the role of Rajah Sulayman in the history of Manila? It is to show that there is a need to give due recognition to the Muslims in the development of our city, as it was they who founded and made great the Kingdom of Maynila before the Spanish conquest,” he said.

“Our Muslim brothers and sisters have been suffering in the land of the rajahs, because they do not have a place to rest their departed in accordance to their beliefs and tradition,” he added.

Based on Muslim traditions, departed loved ones must be buried within 24 hours from the time of death.

However, based on accounts, “Our Muslim brothers and sisters have to bring their departed to Bulacan, Taguig or Mindanao to bury them, because we do not have a cemetery for them in Manila,” Domagoso said.

“In recognition of the beliefs and tradition of our Muslim brothers and sisters, we are going to build the Manila Muslim Cemetery, so that they will not travel far to bury their departed loved ones,” he added.

“By building this cemetery, we can ensure that the appropriate requirements of burying their loved ones that conform to their beliefs and tradition can be complied with,” he added.