BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance declaring a government property measuring more or less 129,414 square meters located in barangay Irisan as the new city public cemetery and providing guidelines for its use, operation and maintenance, including the collection of fees and charges and imposition of penalties for violations and for other purposes.
The ordinance authored by Councilor Edgar M. Avila stated that the aforesaid government property will be declared as the site of the new public cemetery of the city.
The ordinance mandated the local government through the City Engineer and the City Planning and Development Officer to subdivide the 12.9-hecctare lot, including the road opening to and from the proposed new public cemetery.
Under the proposed ordinance, the local government shall construct and maintain a mortuary and chapel for public use inside the public cemetery.
The ordinance tasked the City Treasurer or his authorized representatives to keep all records with reference to the application, acquisition and use of the public cemetery lots.
The cemetery lots shall be divided into 3 areas; apartment-type located at the borders, serving as perimeter fence of the new public cemetery and shall consist of 5 levels or decks; individual lot wherein the individual lot shall not exceed but not less than 2.25 meters by 1.25 meters and family estate wherein each lot shall have a measurement that shall not exceed but not less than 5 meters by 3 meters for 5 pantheons.
The ordinance stipulated that the space or property lines between lots with a measurement of not less than, but not more than 4 meters, shall exist at all times to avoid encroachments.
The ordinance fixed the fees and charges to be collected by the local government wherein apartment-type lot will be charged a fee of P3,000 per unit which will be paid to the City Treasury Office, excluding burial fees as provided for under existing revenue measures, and renewal with a fee of P500 as provided for in the measure; individual lots will be charged a fee of P5,000 per unit, excluding burial fees and 5-year thereafter, the lot contract will be renewed with a fee of P1,000 and family estate will be charged P20,000 for spot cash and P25,000 for instalment.
The ordinance underscored that all transactions made outside the City Treasury Office or transactions with unauthorized persons will be declared unlawful and that it shall be a policy of the local government to implement specifications and designs; tomb or pantheons shall be built with prescribed measurements.
The local government will be mandated to accredit qualified masons and carpenters who are bonafide residents of the city who will be allowed to construct pantheons and other structures stipulated in the proposed measure strictly complying with all the prescribed specifications and designs as provided for and that failure on the part of the accredited carpenters and masons to comply with the specifications and designs will result to the suspension or revocation of their accreditation.
By Dexter A. See
Banner Photo by: JOSEPH B. MANZANO
