Cemetery dwellers: We’re more afraid of having no food on our plates

‘Ghosts do not frighten us’

There are nights when they hear unusual sounds, cemetery dwellers at the Manila North Cemetery said, but these no longer frighten them or make them think of leaving. They are more scared of having no food on their plates, they said.

“Minsan tatayo balahibo mo pero mag-‘tabi-tabi po’ ka na lang (Sometimes, you will suddenly have goose bumps but you just acknowledge with respect the presence of these spirits),” said Mang Tata, a 52-year-old caretaker.

Aling Theresa added: “May nagpaparamdam. Umuungol iyong mga bagong libing (They make their presence felt. There is a howling sound for those who have just been buried howl),” Still, she said, they prefer to live in the place where their main source of income is. The the cold, hard tombs are their “mattresses.”

Aling Silpa who is 80 said: “Walang multo. Ang nagsasabing may multo, minumulto niya ang sarili niya (There are no ghosts. Those who say that ghosts exist are the ones who haunt themselves).”

Family business According to Aling Theresa, taking care of dead people’s resting places is a “family business” which was started by her grandparents.

“Ang lolo at lola ko dumating dito sa Maynila galing Apalit, Pampanga. Walang makitang trabaho, walang matirahan. Kaya pumunta rito. Dito na pinanganak, nakapag-asawa, at namatay ang nanay ko. Minana nilang magkakapatid ang mga ‘alaga’ ng lolo at lola ko. Tapos pinaghatian naming magpipinsan (My grandparents went to Manila from Apalit, Pampanga. They couldn’t find a job; they found no place to live. So they came here. My mother was born here; this is where she met my father, and this is where she died. She and her siblings inherited the tombs that my grandparents had taken care of. I and my cousins inherited them afterwards),” she said.

Aling Theresa started being a tomb caretaker in 1975. She met her husband, who was then a cemetery security guard, while he was making rounds near the area where she lives. They got married when she was 18. They had 11 children; nine of whom are still living.

Aling Theresa and her husband are not just caretakers. She also owns a small store beside a “nicho” and she is a “hilot” as well. Her husband, who learned from his mother, helps pregnant women living in cemetery in giving birth. He also circumcises boys.

She said being a caretaker alone is not enough, especially because their children are still studying. She has high hopes that education will take her family out of the cemetery someday. She said she has always had a dream of “breathing the air in a province” when she gets old.

Two of her children finished college and got married after graduation. She is also inspired by her second-year high school son who is in the Top 10 of his class. She said he promised to buy a house and lot for them one day. One of her daughters is now studying at the Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology after getting a scholarship.

Back from Saudi While Aling Theresa continues to dream, there are others in their small community who are contented with what the cemetery can offer.

Mang Tata, 52, started being a tomb caretaker in 1985. In 1997, he tried his luck in Saudi Arabia but he returned and in 2000, went back to the cemetery and never left again.“Kahit bigyan kami ng bahay, babalik at babalik kami rito dahil narito ang trabaho (Even if they give us shelter outside the cemetery, we will still go back here as this is where our source of income is),” he said.

Aling Ema, who came to stay at the cemetery in 1994, was able to study Commerce at the University of the East until she reached her third year in college. She tried to find a career for herself but failed. She is back at the cemetery. She now owns a store in the cemetery. She said the relatives of the ones inside the tombs are happy because she takes care of the place.

Aling Silpa, 80, who has lived in the cemetery for 52 years now said she is contented with her life.

She said if she is offered a house, she would still stay at the cemetery – unless she could take all the members of her family. She now has eight children; five of whom now have their own families.

Free Undas rides

Meanwhile, the office of Manila First District Rep. Benjamin “Atrong” Asilo announced that it is again offering free rides to his constituents in Tondo 1 who will be going to and from the Manila North Cemetery. Some 20,000 are expected to benefit from “Undas 2015” from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 1.

Congressman Asilo, chairman of the House Committee on People’s Participation and vice-mayoralty candidate of the Liberal Party in Manila with former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim as the official LP candidate for mayor, said the free rides have been his annual project since he was a baranay chairman, then councilor, and now that he is a congressman, in thanksgiving for their continued support.

Asilo said some 200 vehicles will be fielded for the project, with eight terminals at Tahanang Masa, Pritil, Herbosa, Mata, Tuason, Zaragoza, Perfecto, Smokey Mountain, and other places in Tondo.