The Catholic Church’s advocacy arm once again called on Filipinos to go green this “Undas”, saying that cemetery waste is an issue that should not be buried.
Fr. Antonio Labiao of Caritas Philippines urged the public to keep cemeteries “trash-free” and preserve their sacredness.
“We appeal to our fellow Filipinos to make this year’s observance of Undas different from the pre-pandemic celebrations, which were marred by tons of garbage left by cemetery visitors and vendors,” Labiao said over Radio Veritas.
According to him, keeping cemeteries clean is part of the people’s responsibility to care for Mother Nature.
“It’s our shared responsibility to ensure that our environment, which includes us all, is protected against practices that pollute and degrade it,” he said.
Filipinos are expected to flock to cemeteries and columbaria to visit their departed loved ones on All Saints Day and All Souls Day.
This will mark the first time that cemeteries will be allowed to open during Undas since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.