0 VISITING MEMORIAL GARDEN IN CAVITE

November is reserved for our departed loved ones; sadly only one single day is given to them the entire month and throughout the year. I have been living in Metropolis for a decade and visited several places but never the cemetery. Apparently, most of my family who passed away is buried in province so there’s no reason for us to visit this garden of remembrance. We rather put up candles outside house-doors where I believe most Filipinos do during the season of commemoration.

Finally, I got the chance to visit a burial ground. And for the record, it happened this year – no wonder 2012 is mine. A lot of things happened and all of them were firsts – Baguio, Boracay, “Cemetery” and Hong Kong. Sounds weird but it is all damn true. Anyway visiting Melda Memorial, Imus Cemetery at Tahimik St. Imus,Cavite is totally different from what I grown up. Well I presume all the city cemetery goes like this. I was expecting people walking back and forth but one thing I quickly noticed is a fiesta caravan. It feels like every corner of the street has this “boodle-fight”. Food stalls fell in line side to side both ends. I don’t know if I was still in cemetery or somewhere else.

Because I don’t know who am I visiting to, I was looking for the “common burial” (I dunno how you call it but in Visayan term, it was “kumon” for the deceased whom you can’t find and on another place). I believe all cemeteries have this so called place. 

Evening arrived, and the stomachs are empty, we promised the stretch to taste them all. We tasted each and every stall. Talking about dirty street foods is our flavour rather than fast-food chains where can also be found in the place. Common foods like peanuts, barbecue, ice-cream in a cone, intestines, shawarma, hotdogs, chicken skin, palamig, etc.

Hunger relieved and the stomach complaints. To plunge the food down from various foods intake we opt to walk around where there’s another cemetery on the end side. The Angelus Memorial Garden is a posh version of Melda Memorial. The memorial garden is known for Tropang Revilla and I’m not sure if they owned the place. Unexpectedly, entering this posh side is also the arrival of Senators Revilla (Sr. and Jr.) to pay tribute to their departed family and relatives. Fanatics hurriedly asked picture and luckily the younger one chose to give time for them. To my surprise my company also asked Mr. Showbiz Senator to take one for them. And as myself holding the camera, I have nothing to do but to press the button.

So I learned to give time for just a single day for our lost ones. They only take one day of our busy time in a year. 

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy.