Interment services in public cemeteries and columbarium in Quezon City will take a break from October 30 to November 2, 2025, in preparation for the Undas 2025, the Quezon City (QC) Civil Registry said on Tuesday.
The three public cemeteries in the city are the Bagbag Cemetery, Novaliches Public Cemetery, and Baesa Columbarium.
‘We will suspend interment on October 30 and normal operations will resume on November 3 in e public cemeteries, in Quezon City, in Bagbag, Baesa, and Novaliches,’ QC Civil Registry head Salvador Cariño said in Filipino in a forum organized by QC journalists.
Cariño also said that the Baesa Columbarium and Bagbag Cemetery will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from October 31 to November 2.
Cariño shared that as of September 2025, there are 104,400 interred bodies in Bagbag Cemetery; 23,053 in Novaliches Cemetery and 216 in Baesa Columbarium.
He noted that from October 27, 2024, to November 3, 2024, a total of 265,000 visitors flocked to Bagbag Cemetery and 59,802 in Novaliches Public Cemetery.
Baesa Columbarium was only opened to the public six months ago. Cariño said that they are expecting around 400,000 visitors this year.
Regarding visitors who have a hard time locating the tombs of their deceased loved ones, Cariño said: ‘We have a designated operations officer who can address their concerns,’
Cariño warned that bringing prohibited items into the cemetery, such as sharp and bladed weapons, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and vapes, and even gambling materials, will not be allowed.
He also encouraged adult visitors to not bring their children to the cemeteries as a precautionary measure amid the flu season.
He added that he will recommend the wearing face masks in the cemetery.
‘Undas’ security
Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief of District Operations PCol. Vicente Bumalay said that the QCPD will deploy 1,646 police officers, along with force multipliers, in cemeteries, columbaria, and transport terminals to ensure safety and security for Undas 2025.
Bumalay also said that police personnel from stations one to 16 will monitor situations in the different neighborhoods to avoid incidents of theft.
He added that police assistance desks will also be established inside cemeteries to assist visitors.
‘We heightened QCPD’s alert to avoid any untoward incidents,’ Bumalay said. /gsg