ANY call to rehabilitate and improve the state of the two overcrowded Roman Catholic Cemeteries and the adjacent Independent Church cemetery in Dagupan City should be directed at the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese and local Independent Church, not the city government.

This was the clarification made by Dagupan Councilor Jose N. Tamayo in the light of complaints aired by families and relatives of deceased kin buried in the two cemeteries on their poor and wasted state.

Tamayo said being privately-owned, it is illegal for the city government to use public funds to improve the pathways and correct the flooding inside the cemeteries.

Families of buried kin raised the question why the city government isn’t doing anything to improve the conditions in the three cemeteries.

This situation, in fact, gave rise to the existence of condominium -type of tombs which is difficult to be reached by ordinary mourners.

Tamayo said the city is more than willing to help improve the walkways of these cemeteries, including those in the interior parts, but sadly it is constrained by regulations prohibiting the use of public funds in properties that it does not own.

He added the city government can only improve all the access to the cemeteries but not the facilities inside the cemeteries citing the improvement of Careenan Street leading to the Roman Catholic and Independent cemeteries.

The Careenan Street is a flood-prone street and is currently being elevated above the normal flood level based on a program of work designed by the office of the city engineer on order of Mayor Belen Fernandez. (Leonardo Micua)

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