Philippines: Government agencies back bill seeking burial grounds for Muslims

Several government agencies on Monday October 10th backed a bill that seeks to set up burial grounds for Muslims in public cemeteries.

Many Muslim Filipinos go through a complicated and costly process in sending the remains of their departed loved ones to Mindanao due to the shortage of public cemeteries that accommodate them, said Sen. Robin Padilla.

He noted that Islam prohibits cremation and autopsy, and requires the burial to take place as quickly as possible, according to news outlets.

Under Padilla’s Senate Bill 1273, public cemeteries will determine the size of burial grounds for Muslims, indigenous peoples, and other denominations. If the portion is insufficient, the local government may acquire land.

“To clarify, this proposal does not seek to build a special public cemetery exclusively for Muslims and IPs,” said Padilla, who heads the Senate Committee on Cultural Communities and Muslim Affairs.

“Our desire here is to ensure that we can allocate space for the burial of our Muslim and IP brothers and sisters who have been laid to rest according to their traditions and beliefs,” he added.

The interior department is “in full support of this bill,” said Assistant Secretary Donnie del Castillo Puno.

The environment department’s legal affairs service had “no objection” to the measure, said its head Atty. Norlito Eneran.

In Manila, the local government inaugurated in 2021 its first Muslim Cemetery and Cultural Hall. It is located inside the Manila South Cemetery.

According to the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), there are around 12 million Muslims in the Philippines, where Islam is the second biggest religion after Roman Catholicism.