(UPDATE) DEVOUT Filipinos clutching candles and flowers poured into cemeteries across the country on Friday to pay tribute to loved ones on All Saints' Day.
Hundreds of thousands flocked to cemeteries in Metro Manila while others waded through floodwaters left by the deadly Tropical Storm Kristine to quietly pray and celebrate what has come to be known as Undas.
At Manila North Cemetery, 64-year-old Virginia Flores lit candles in front of her grandmother's "apartment," the local term for tombs packed tightly together and stacked meters high.
"This is my way of remembering her life and our shared memories when she was alive, so I visit her every year," Flores told AFP.
Erlinda Sese, 52, was joined by her sister and grandchildren to offer prayers for their deceased loved ones.
"Even if they are gone, today is a reminder that our love for them will never fade," Sese said as she gently laid a bouquet of white flowers on a tombstone.
BGen. Arnold Ibay, tasked with handling crowd control in the capital, said he expected almost a million visitors at Manila North Cemetery alone, where people had begun lining up before dawn to enter.
In Pampanga, people trudged through murky floodwaters to visit the submerged Masantol municipal cemetery.
The visitors were making the pilgrimage barely a week after Kristine unleashed landslides and flooding that killed at least 150 people and left more than a dozen missing.
"Visiting dead loved ones is very important to Filipinos. This has been our tradition and culture," said 34-year-old Mark Yamat.
"Even though the cemetery is submerged here, we will continue to visit." Maria Cayanan, 52, was supposed to light candles in front of her parents' tombstone in Pampanga, but the floodwaters prevented her from reaching their burial plots.
"We will just light the candles at home," Cayanan said.
The Department of Transportation (DoTr) stepped up efforts to ensure safe and orderly travel during Undas.
Part of the initiative is the dissemination of shipping information and schedules at seaports and aboard passenger vessels.
As outlined in the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Circular 2018-07, sea passengers affected by canceled or delayed voyages are entitled to certain rights, including the right to a refund and the option to revalidate their tickets.
The DoTr said the rights aim to guarantee that passengers are not left stranded without recourse or support, particularly during high-travel seasons.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), meanwhile, reported that from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. on All Saints' Day, there were 47,048 outbound passengers and 41,925 inbound passengers in ports nationwide.
In preparation for Undas, 4,087 frontline personnel were deployed in 15 PCG districts, where they inspected 547 vessels and 977 motorized bancas before allowing them to leave port.
In his All Saints' Day message, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed hope that Undas would remind Filipinos of the values of faith, resilience and hope.
"It is a time for reflection by which we recall the deceased faithful who led lives of honor, sacrifice and service," Marcos said.
In their own messages, Vice President Sara Duterte and House Speaker Martin Romualdez urged the Filipino faithful to pray for all the saints as well as their departed loved ones on Undas.
"Sa ating mga pagtitipon ay ipagdasal natin ang maluwalhating kapayapaan ng kaluluwa ng mga pumanaw kasabay ng ating pagpapasalamat sa kanilang pagmamahal, gabay, at mga aral na ipinamana nila sa atin (In our gatherings, we must pray for our departed souls' eternal peace together with our thanks for the love, guidance, and lessons that they imparted to us)," Duterte said.
Romualdez urged his countrymen to honor the legacy of saints and departed loved ones by fostering unity and compassion to build a stronger, more caring Philippines.
"As we come together on this sacred occasion of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, let us pause to honor the saints and the loved ones who have touched our lives, those whose spirit and memory continue to inspire us long after they have gone," he said.
He said every candle lit and prayer offered is a "tribute to lives that have left a lasting mark on our hearts,"
The Department of Health (DoH) placed all hospitals on "Code White Alert," the highest state of preparedness, to deal with any medical emergencies throughout the Undas weekend.
Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said the alert, which will last until November 2, ensures that "all hospitals are totally prepared to deal with any medical emergencies during the long weekend."
Domingo also advised people who plan to go to cemeteries but are not feeling well to stay home.
"Your dead loved ones will not take it against you if you prioritize your health," he said.
With the change in temperature and the onset of cold weather, Domingo warned that influenza-like illnesses are on the rise. Their symptoms include cough, runny nose, fever and allergies.
He also advised the public to make sure that the water they are drinking and food they are eating is not contaminated to prevent poisoning.
In observance of Undas, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) called on Filipinos to honor the legacy of soldiers who sacrificed their lives to preserve peace and freedom.
"Let us pause to remember the lives of those who have gone before us. May this observance bring peace and reflection to the families of our departed soldiers and honor to all the souls who served and protected our nation," the military said in a message on Thursday.
On Thursday night, the Philippine Army (PA), along with a team of Boy and Girl Scouts, honored departed heroes, former presidents, soldiers, former state leaders and national figures in a candle-lighting ceremony at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.
"The synchronized candle-lighting and flaglet-setting ceremony paid tribute to the 'well-lived' lives of soldiers, heroes, national artists and scientists, and former Philippine presidents of the country who are interred at the heroes' cemetery," PA spokesman Col. Louie Dema-ala said in a statement.
As of Oct. 21, there are 53,824 remains interred at the Libingan.
He also said the Grave Services Unit of the Army Support Command assisted and secured visitors who paid their respects to their departed loved ones ahead of All Saints' Day.
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