In his search for appropriate jumping board to launch continuing approach in the growth of the town of his birth, Mayor Edwin G. Reyes took the pain of scanning the pages of the legislative records on town zoning and the municipal development plans. He has in mind to build a more fitting resting place of our beloved departed.
Unable to find guide from the works of the past on the development of the municipal public cemetery, the hardworking town mayor summoned his indefatigable alter ego, now EEMO Manager Eric Pabinguit, himself a Cor Jesu Civil Engineering Alumnus and together drew a development perspective of the municipal public cemetery truly an ideal abode of the departed.
“ We will build them a resting place fit for our loved ones because we love them ’’ the town executive declared. It is said that he is not comfortable looking at the sad state of the public cemetery. Others are reported saying that the cemetery is in a condition of sepulchral disarray a little less of a dustbin of society’s refuse. On given the green signal , Pabinguit went to action. At this writing on the occasion of the celebration of the feast day of the beloved departed, there now materializes the envisioned heavenly resting place prior the von voyage ritual for the departed beloved in joining the homing tide to eternity.
Von Voyage, to refer to the cemetery, came about at the time of the workover on the resting place of the departed. Exposed to undue sunlight in personally supervising the project he wanted completed in time for the feast day of the dead, EEMO Manager Pabinguit could not hide his sunburnt complexion. When asked the reason
complexion. When asked the reason, his regular companion in the work supervision said it results from the close supervision in the construction of the Bansalan Von Voyage under the heat of the sun.
Von voyage is a borrowed expression similar to the hispanic vaya con dios or the English farewell meaning goodbye.
The parting good wishes gesture arises from a world view of reality as old as the Greek and Egyptian civilization. Modern Christian thought tells of man being as a being made up of body and soul. When man dies, his soul departs from his mortal form. The mortal remains is buried to decompose as expressed in the line, “ from ashes to ashes”, to be reunited in the hour of resurrection in the second coming.
After officiating the mass celebration for the repose of the dead transferred to the perpetual sepulchre beneath the big cross, Father Diomedes Templa expressed gratitude to Mayor Reyes and G.M Pabinguit saying that there is now more decent place on which to celebrate common prayer for the souls.
Himself confident of keeping his own timeline for the project, Pabinguit speaking as guest during a conference of Tagum City development officials, prided of the results of the training learned, courtesy of the Tagum planners themselves. He invited them to come to Bansalan to see for themselves the transformation of Bansalan especially the town public sacred burial.
Constructed on that portion of the cemetery which used to be utilized as garbage and corn plot of the resourceful and the less civic conscious, there now stands the reception hall where held the rites of passage. There too is the “candelaria”, as well as the symbol of the faith dominant in the community.
At the east side and south side walls are constructed the lodging of the dead. At the east side lodging rooms are the niches where first are rested the departed constructed in uniform design signifying that the occasion of the meeting with the Maker in this stage in the cycle of existence is indeed a great equalizing event as Rizal had said that he is going to a place where no one is a master and none is a slave. It fits to the term “just reward” used in reference to the event.
Underneath the Christian symbol is built the bonage where kept the bones of the long gone and long lost.
At the middle, south of the hall, there stand two rows of bonage one for the children and the other, the second destination after full term of five years of residence at the niches along the east side wall bonage.
The cemetery development program calls for eventual emergence of a totally renovated public cemetery evolving from out the still existing one just like the design of the new risen memorial plaza.
One step already on line is encouraging those concerned to move their lost loved ones to the new niche upon expiration of the term occupancy. This was addressed upon in the October meeting of the cemetery development committee under the chairmanship of Councilor Liza Abril.
Another consideration taken up during the October meeting related with the implementation of the cemetery development plan is the prohibition of burial at the old cemetery.
It is also stressed that in the projected road to run across the new design per the plan should be according to the plan specifications.
simultaneous with the construction of the new public market structure now nearing completion, and another EEMO big project in the public cemetery, there is the bagsakan.
If the public market building construction began February 3 last year is as of date already sixty per cent ( 60% ) completed,
the bagsakan which started construction July this year is about forty per cent ( 40% ) completed.
As of this date, the concrete posts of the structure already stand, the flooring cemented and the concrete walls are already built.
The project cost of ninety eight thousand pesos as appropriated out of the EEMO fund is different from the appropriation for the public market construction.
From out of the amount intended for the construction, a total of Ᵽ97,500.00 is for the construction materials, without labor cost since the construction is by administration. The materials consist of cement costing Ᵽ44,160.00, reinforcement pass costing Ᵽ22,000.00, post strap at Ᵽ2,500.00, sand Ᵽ2,400.00, lumber costing about Ᵽ22,000.00 and Ᵽ3,000.00 worth of nails.
The construction started following the resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan authored by Coun. Fe S. Lao authorizing portion of Azucena Street as temporary display area of vegetable products in time for the completion in the improvement of the Gulayan ng Bayan.
The resolution also authorized the temporary closure of the portion of the same street to vehicular traffic.
The resolution was passed due to the request of EEMO for the temporary stoppage of business operation of the vegetable vendors at the Gulayan ng Bayan pending the completion in the improvement of the facility. The temporary dropping area of products is also moved nearby.
(Source : The Bansalan Economic Enterprise, Nov. 2011 Issue)
