Undas is the season when we remember our departed families and loved ones.
But flowers and remembering are not only for humans. It is also for those that likewise brought joy to our lives when they were still here with us.
Like our beloved pets.
In Brgy. Fortune, Marikina City, there is a public cemetery dedicated to fur babies who have already crossed the rainbow bridge.
Named as Brgy. Fortune Pet Memorial Garden, the cemetery was founded by then Barangay Captain and now barangay councilor Rizalina Teope in 2020.
In an interview with the INQUIRER, Teope said she decided to push the creation of a public cemetery in their barangay when she was still the captain after she noticed the increasing number of dead animals-many of them are strays-that are simply thrown into crates, rivers, open spaces, and garbage dumps.
‘I said, why don’t we build a cemetery for pets, since we already have a large area for materials recovery facilities?’ she said in Filipino.
Teope said she is thankful that since its creation five years ago, the cemetery has become an avenue for fur parents to give their fur babies a proper burial.
Currently, there are already 7,000 fur babies buried in the cemetery, not only from residents in Marikina but also from other areas in Metro Manila.
‘In a day, it seems like we have about 5 to 7 funerals. That’s just in a day. So we see the need of fur parents for an affordable and decent final resting place for their beloved pets,’ she said.
For a departed fur baby to be buried at the pet cemetery, there would be a P300 fee for Marikina residents and a P500 fee for those outside the city.
The burial is with a tombstone where the name of the fur baby and the years they were born and died are engraved on it. The rental for the tombstone would be for a year.
Teope said they are also planning to have a columbarium at the pet cemetery so that fur parents would have an option if they want to cremate their departed fur loved ones.
Aside from this, their Pet Memorial Wall is ongoing for those who have been buried for a long time.
‘Prayers for the departed fur babies’
Before the burial, the fur parents can opt to make a simple ritual or prayer at the altar in the pet cemetery. The pet cemetery’s staff would inaugurate the simple prayer ceremony.
One of the caretakers who is tasked to lead the prayer for the departed fur babies is Ruby Frogo, 52.
Frogo told the INQUIRER that the role she is having now in the pet cemetery is special since she is a pet lover herself.
‘When I see the crying [of those who buried their pets], my tears really flow too, because I feel the pain they are feeling, because I am also a pet lover,’ she said.
During Undas, fur parents visit the pet cemetery to bring flowers and light candles on the remains of their fur babies – once again remembering how their wagging tails and paws meant so much to them.