Visitors at Manila North Cemetery received free flowers after cemetery officials distributed those confiscated from vendors caught selling inside the burial grounds in violation of cemetery rules.
Manila North Cemetery Director Daniel C. Tan said distributing the confiscated flowers has long been the cemetery’s policy to prevent suspicions that officials might return the seized items to vendors for resale, as selling inside the cemetery is prohibited during the Undas period.
He explained that some vendors continue to find ways to sell their products inside the cemetery despite repeated warnings, particularly when their stalls or merchandise obstruct walkways.
“Kapag matitigas po ang ulo, nakaharang po sa gitna. Pinagsasabihan po namin sila, gumagawa po talaga [sila] ng paraan. May nakuha po kaming isang balde, kapag nakuha ko, pinamimigay ko,” Tan said.
“Ngayon, para naman sa kanila dahil hanapbuhay nila ‘yan. ‘Yung iba pong natitira nila, pinakikiusapan namin sila, labas niyo na lang ‘yan,” he added.
Instead of keeping the confiscated flowers or returning them to the vendors, officials opted to distribute them to cemetery visitors.
Meanwhile, Tan said no alcoholic beverages were confiscated during this year’s Undas, unlike in previous years when prohibited alcohol was seized and destroyed.
He also assured the public that nearly all prohibited items confiscated during enforcement operations had been returned to their owners as they exited the cemetery on All Saints’ Day.
