Davao City Council OKs burial fees for Muslim cemetery
DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Council has approved, on final reading, an ordinance imposing a one-time payment of P7,000 to P15,000 for grave lots at the Muslim Cemetery of Tagakpan Public Cemetery.
The measure, authored by Councilor Ragde Niño Ibuyan Jr., was passed on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and seeks to replace provisions of the city’s 2017 Revenue Code that require periodic payments and eventual exhumation of remains, which are inconsistent with Islamic burial practices.
Under the proposed rates, a Type A lot measuring four to five feet by two to 2.5 feet will cost P7,000, while a larger Type B lot measuring seven by three feet will cost P15,000.
Ibuyan said the cemetery has 70 smaller lots and 264 larger lots, primarily intended for deceased Muslims.
The existing payment arrangement requires a six-year lease, annual renewals, and the removal of the remains upon lease expiration.
However, the ordinance recognizes that Islamic teachings prohibit the exhumation, transfer, or disturbance of human remains and require permanent burial.
Under the new system, payment will grant individuals the right to bury their deceased relatives through a contract of interment. Ownership of the land, however, will remain with the city government.
The measure also removes annual and lease renewal charges, as well as fees related to exhumation. Families of deceased indigents will be exempted from payment upon certification from the City Social Welfare and Development Office.
It likewise prohibits the removal, transfer, or disturbance of buried remains, except when required by law, ordered by a court or authorized government body, or requested in writing by the deceased’s family in accordance with religious requirements.
According to the ordinance, the fees will help the city recover its P7.33-million investment in the cemetery, which covers the construction of a prayer building, pathways, and entrance gate, as well as operating and maintenance expenses.
The one-time payment arrangement was developed with the support of Muslim leaders and organizations consulted by the city, including the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos 11, the Davao City Muslim Affairs Office, the Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotion Unit, and the Darul Ifta Wadda’wah Association Region 11 Inc.
The City Economic Enterprise (CEE) will formulate the implementing guidelines covering applications, eligibility, lot allocation, payments, and recordkeeping.
Ibuyan said it will also maintain a registry of burial sites and paid lots in coordination with the Davao City Cemetery Management Board, Muslim Affairs Office, and recognized Muslim religious authorities. (By Ivy Tejano)
