Over 800,000 Visitors Troop to Manila North Cemetery as Undas Crowds Endure Scorching Heat
The crowd at the Manila North Cemetery has already passed the 800,000 mark on Sunday, November 1, 2026, as Filipinos flocked to the graves of their departed loved ones on All Saints’ Day.
As of 2 p.m., foot traffic at the country’s largest cemetery stood at 155,400, bringing the running crowd estimate to 811,200 since the gates opened, according to a report by INQUIRER.net. At noon, the count had reached 540,000, GMA News reported.
Manila North Cemetery Director Daniel Tan said they expect the number to go beyond one million before the day ends. He noted that only around 150,000 visitors came on Saturday, October 31, possibly because Monday, November 2, is also a holiday.
“Ngayon aabot po ng milyon ito, more than one million. Tingin ko mas marami ngayon kasi kahapon konti lang e,” Tan said. (Today, it will reach a million, more than one million. I think there will be more people today because only a few came yesterday.)
On November 1 last year, the cemetery recorded 1.7 million visitors. Tan described this year’s observance as “generally peaceful” so far, with no untoward incident reported. Due to the heavy influx, the management also stopped the free rides offered inside the cemetery because the roads were no longer passable.
Visitors also had to deal with the hot weather. Many stayed under trees, carried umbrellas, or covered their heads with towels as PAGASA said the heat index in Manila reached 36 to 38 degrees Celsius by noon, a level that calls for “extreme caution,” based on a separate INQUIRER.net report.
Meanwhile, the Manila South Cemetery logged 52,350 visitors as of 11 a.m. and is expected to receive around 100,000 for the day.
The Manila North Cemetery is open until 8 p.m. on Sunday, while the Manila South Cemetery is open until 9 p.m. The public is reminded to bring water, take breaks in shaded areas, and leave prohibited items at home.
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