BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod is urging Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to determine a location for the establishment of a new public cemetery in the northern side of Bacolod City.
The resolution authored by Councilor Jude Thaddeus Sayson said the City Government of Bacolod has ordered the closure of the Burgos Public Cemetery effective Dec. 1, 2020 upon the recommendation of the City Health Office and the General Services Office, mainly because of overcrowding.
There is therefore, a dire need for a new public cemetery that will provide the residents of Bacolod City, especially the indigents and underprivileged, a decent place to bury their loved ones in lieu of the Burgos Public Cemetery, it said.
Meanwhile, Sayson said the only public cemeteries left in Bacolod are in Handumanan and Granada, while the one in Sum-ag is a Catholic cemetery.
Sayson said the Granada Public Cemetery is already full and the adjacent property bought by the barangay will only accommodate the burial of Granada residents. The Handumanan Public Cemetery might be full within two years.
“So, if we cannot find a property for a new cemetery in the northern side of Bacolod, there might come a time when we will have no place to bury the dead. Therefore, we are requesting the mayor to look for other properties or areas for our cemetery,” he said.
The city has a property in Brgy. Vista Alegre but he does not know if it is suitable for a public cemetery. But this will all depend on the mayor. If he wants, they can purchase a property, if the city has available funds, Sayson added.
DENGUE TASK FORCE MOBILIZATION
The Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod also requested Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, through the City Health Office and the Department of Public Service, to mobilize the Barangay Dengue Task Force in all 61 barangays in Bacolod City.
The resolution authored by Councilor Claudio Jesus Raymundo Puentevella is also urging the task force to come up with their dengue action plan for the prevention and control of dengue cases in the city.
As per data gathered by the City Health Office, there are 345 dengue cases in the City of Bacolod, and this figure is 202.6 percent higher than that of last year, it said.
The barangays with the highest number of cases are Tangub, Mansilingan, Estefania, Taculing, Singcang, Sum-ag, Alijis, Villamonte, Mandalagan, Handumanan and Granada, the resolution said.
The barangay dengue task force should monitor and take the lead in making a barangay action plan for the prevention and control of dengue cases, while the Department of Public Service is directed to provide assistance to the clean-up drive of the barangays concerned, it added.*
