Pet Cat, Cigarettes & Cleaning Materials Seized at Manila North Cemetery Entrance as Undas Crowd Builds
A pet cat, packs of cigarettes, and cleaning materials were among the items confiscated at the entrance of the Manila North Cemetery on Saturday morning, October 31, as visitors started to arrive ahead of All Saints’ Day.
Photos shared by GMA News reporter Jonathan Andal showed the cat inside a mesh pet carrier, two packs of cigarettes, and brooms tagged with claim numbers on a table at the cemetery entrance. Based on the crowd estimate of the Manila police, around 8,900 people had already visited the cemetery as of 10 a.m.
Police Maj. Philipp Ines, chief of the Manila Police District public information office, said no illegal items such as firearms or bladed weapons had been seized so far, Remate Online reported.
“As of now, we have not confiscated anything like that. It only proves that our information dissemination has become effective. We confiscated items that are not illegal per se. For example – perfumes, cleaning items,” Ines said.
According to Ines, visitors who surrender prohibited items are given a claim stub so they can get their belongings back before leaving the cemetery. Around 300 police officers were deployed to secure the area.
Pets such as cats and dogs, firearms, sharp objects, alcoholic drinks, flammable products, guitars, and sound systems are not allowed inside the cemetery. Cemetery director Daniel Tan earlier told ABS-CBN News that cleaning materials are also being held at the gate because painting, cleaning, and repair work inside the cemetery are prohibited during the Undas period.
“Binibigyan namin sila ng stub na pwede nilang makuha ulit,” Tan said. (We give them stubs so they can claim them later.)
Tan said the number of visitors could reach 500,000 on Saturday and possibly one million by Sunday, November 1, GMA News reported, citing Super Radyo dzBB. Last year, about 1.7 million people visited the cemetery on November 1.
The cemetery is open from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. until November 2, All Souls’ Day. Free shuttle rides and wheelchairs are available for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Cemetery officials have repeatedly reminded visitors not to bring prohibited items, while police continue to monitor the area as the Undas crowd is expected to peak.
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