At the end of Manila's bustling streets, there is a place that is often overlooked by tourists, and that is the oldest cemetery in the Philippine capital, the North Manila Cemetery. At first glance, it is indistinguishable from other cemeteries: neatly arranged tombstones, ancient family tombs and the resting place of countless ordinary people. The coffin was covered with cardboard, where the residents slept peacefully; Simple shacks were erected between the tombstones, and families lived day after day. Known as the "Living Dead Quarter", thousands of people call the cemetery home, busily shuttling the border between life and death. But why do they live here? What does the future hold for them?
History and current status of the cemetery in North Manila
The North Manila Cemetery, located in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, has been one of the largest and oldest cemeteries in the city since its establishment in 1904. Covering an area of about 54 hectares, the cemetery is the resting place of many Filipino political and literary figures, as well as about 1 million ordinary citizens.
Despite being a place to commemorate the deceased, there is a special group of residents whose daily lives are closely linked to the resting place of the deceased. The North Manila Cemetery is home to a large number of residents, with about 6,000 to 10,000 people finding their homes in this historic cemetery. These people lived in a distinctive way, building all sorts of shacks between tombstones, on coffins or next to luxurious mausoleums, using the materials they could find. Since these shacks save on rent, they undoubtedly provide some financial relief for many people living at the bottom of society.
The dwellings are mostly cramped shacks, which are usually made of bamboo, tin sheet and plastic, and the walls and roofs are often leaky. Some families have barely built a simple kitchen, but most residents can only solve basic problems in the open air. They would cook on a fire next to their hut, with an iron pot on the stove and simple dishes stewed in the pot, surrounded by the smell of fire. Oily fumes tend to be released directly into the air, as simple kitchens do not have fume extraction equipment. Kitchens are usually made of waste materials in a corner, and pots and pans are stacked haphazardly, making it look extremely rudimentary.
Most of the residents have unimaginable bathing facilities, and they can only bathe in the open air. The cemetery's water source is limited, the installation of water pipes is simple and crude, and many times the water pressure is insufficient, and residents need to wait in line. When it was their turn, they rushed to catch water in plastic buckets and washed their bodies in a hurry, sometimes without even guaranteeing privacy. Some families simply put up a curtain outside the house to block the view in order to make it easier to bathe, and then wash up next to the small shack.
Daily life in the cemetery community
Despite the hardships of life, the residents did not stop at the simple needs of life, and over time they began to build up better facilities. Some residents have strengthened their shacks with stronger materials, while others have extended their smaller houses to accommodate and store for their families. Even more surprisingly, small shops and snack bars have gradually developed here. Seeing the increasing number of relatives and visitors coming to pay their respects, residents set up simple stalls selling drinks, cigarettes and snacks. These small stalls are simple but well-stocked, with some tropical fruits, fried noodles, barbecue and other foods, attracting customers.
Over time, the infrastructure within the cemetery has also been improved. Although most of the facilities were built by the residents themselves and are very rudimentary, they are basically able to meet the needs of daily life. For example, some residents have installed simple wires in their sheds, and although the electricity is often interrupted, basic lighting and fans are still available most of the time. Some families even have second-hand televisions and refrigerators, which are already very luxurious in the conditions of the cemetery.
Water supply is a more common problem, with residents relying on a handful of public water sources in the cemetery due to the lack of a unified plumbing system. At peak water use, residents have to wait in line, sometimes for hours to get enough water to meet their families' needs. In this case, the preciousness of water is self-evident, and everyone tries to conserve water as much as possible, and a bucket of water is often used for multiple things, such as washing vegetables, washing clothes, and then used to flush the toilet or water small vegetable patches.
Through their own efforts, the residents have gradually created a large community in this special environment. Over time, more and more shacks were crammed into the gaps in the cemetery, and the population gradually increased, turning the cemetery into a small society of living, working, and socializing. Although the living conditions here are very difficult compared to the rest of the city, the inhabitants have managed to maintain basic order inside the cemetery with their own wisdom and hard work.
Cemetery work with rest
Adults living in northern Manila cemeteries often have a strong connection to death in their work. Many residents make a living doing odd jobs at the cemetery, with daily tasks including maintaining the cemetery, clearing weeds, repairing broken headstones, or assisting families with funeral matters. Cemetery residents have become accustomed to death due to their perennial experience with death, and there are few clear boundaries between their lives and the space of the deceased.
Someone bent down to clean the mossy tombstones, others trimmed the bushes that had obscured the epitaphs. Others are responsible for guarding the family graves, especially during holidays or funerals, and they will stay near the cemetery to ensure that it is not damaged or stolen. Some residents specialize in helping families tidy up their tombstones, wipe off dust, and carefully wipe the words on the tombstones with a cloth to make them shine again in the sun.
Those who work in connection with funerals often assist in the preparation of funerals. Typically, they are responsible for carrying coffins, digging graves, or arranging flowers and offerings on site. At funerals, residents often wait on the sidelines, and when all the rituals are over, they quickly begin to clean up the grounds, packing up the belongings and discarded materials.
The working and living spaces of these residents are virtually unbounded. Sometimes, after a tiring day, residents lay a layer of cardboard directly on the coffin and lay down to rest. The silence and silence of the cemetery seem to blend in with their lives, and the scene of working in the cemetery during the day and resting in it at night may be a shock to outsiders, but it has long been commonplace for the residents living in the cemetery.
Photographs often show a resident sitting next to a coffin with a cigarette in his hand and looking into the distance as he smokes after a busy day's work. There were human bones piled up next to the coffin, and no one seemed to pay much attention to it. For those who have lived in the cemetery for a long time, the existence of white bones is no longer a source of fright, but a part of the background of life.
Residents sometimes cook directly between the tombstones, with simple stoves and pots on the floor, and continue to chat with their neighbors as if this were the most natural everyday scene. The pot is steaming and the aroma spreads through the air, creating a wonderful contrast to the solemn atmosphere of the cemetery.
In some of the more "luxurious" mausoleums, the inhabitants even rest or live directly inside them. These spacious mausoleums provide shelter from the elements, especially during the rainy season, when many residents move their simple beds into them and try to avoid sleeping outside in the open air. The stone benches, benches, and sometimes even coffin lids inside the mausoleum may have been their resting place. People take advantage of these existing conditions and try to make life a little more comfortable.
During the funeral, the pace of life of the residents also changes. During the days of the funeral, the cemetery becomes bustling with many outsiders coming to pay respects to their loved ones. Residents will seize the opportunity to earn extra income by selling items such as drinks, snacks and incense sticks at stalls inside the cemetery.
In this "land of the dead", the boundaries between life and work are blurred, and people adapt and use everything around them to continue their daily lives.
Social and government challenges
The government has indeed tried several times to move these residents away from the cemetery, especially as the city grows and expands, with Manila becoming more and more urbanized and land resources in the city center becoming more and more strained. Realizing that the existence of the cemetery not only hindered urban planning, but also that the living conditions of the cemetery's residents could not be maintained for a long time, the officials proposed a relocation plan. However, the relocation plan has met with significant resistance, especially from the rejection and confusion of the residents themselves.
As one 68-year-old resident said, he has lived here for 51 years, and his family's life revolves around this cemetery. Although the government wants them to move elsewhere, and he himself sometimes wants to leave, the problem is that he has no idea where else he can go. For many people, the cemetery is the only place they are familiar with, although it is a very humble living environment.
Many residents rely on cemetery-related work to make ends meet, providing services such as cleaning the cemetery, caring for tombstones, or assisting with funeral arrangements for families who come to pay their respects. These jobs, while insignificant, provide them with a basic source of income. If forced to leave the cemetery, it is difficult for poor people to find stable work elsewhere in the city, making relocation even more impractical.
For the younger generation, the cemetery has become the backdrop for their upbringing. Some of the children were born and raised in the cemetery and never experienced what it was like to live elsewhere. The special nature of the cemetery community makes these children have relatively limited contact with the outside world, and many families are unable to let their children receive a normal education due to financial pressures. Although there are NGOs and some charities that try to provide educational assistance, these resources are often not enough to cover all children.
In addition, the health of cemetery residents has always been one of the priorities of social concern. Residents are at high risk of disease due to a lack of sanitation and clean water. Especially during the rainy season, the accumulation of sewage and garbage worsens the public health situation and greatly increases the risk of disease transmission. Although the government and some charities provide medical assistance and medical check-up services at specific times, these short-term assistance are far from sufficient to address long-term health risks.
In this context, the plight of the residents is even more complicated. On the one hand, relocation can indeed improve their living environment and provide better living conditions; But on the other hand, relocation also means that they have to abandon their existing way of life and enter a completely unfamiliar environment. For residents who do not have a stable income and lack education, it can be difficult to adapt to the new environment.
Therefore, all sectors of society need to pay more attention to the future of cemetery residents. NGOs, government departments and charities need to work together to develop more concrete aid programmes. These measures, if implemented, may gradually improve the living conditions of the cemetery residents.
Reference: Philippine cemetery slums, "blurred lines" between life and death