Today, Nov. 1, is All Saints’ Day.

This is a day to remember all the saints and martyrs—the known and the unknown.

According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, saints are persons in heaven (officially canonized or not), who lived heroically virtuous lives, offered their life for others, or were martyred for the faith, and who are worthy of imitation.

Based on the Holy Bible, every believer who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and who trusts God alone is a saint in the eyes of God.

According to 1 Corinthians 1:2: “To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.”  And in 1 Peter 1:15–16 it states: “But as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

In the Philippines, All Saints’ Day is the start of the tradition of remembering our departed loved ones and cherish the legacies they left behind, which extends to All Souls Day on Nov. 2. 

And being a holiday, this day also serves as a reunion for families and friends—where sumptuous food and drinks are served in abundance while reminiscing what our dear departed loved ones have contributed in building a well-knitted family and contributing their own fair share in nation building. 

But lost in this gathering of families to celebrate the legacies of our departed loved ones is our responsibility to keep the environment sound. Amid the celebration, there is this tendency to leave our trash in cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria.

In fact, year in and year out, garbage collectors have been gathering tons of trash in and around these final resting places of our dear departed loved ones after the celebration of Undas.

Last year, from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority collected seven truckloads or 24.2 tons of garbage from areas surrounding cemeteries, memorial parks, and columbaria.

In Manila, the city government collected 686 cubic meters of garbage from the Manila North Cemetery and the Manila South Cemetery, representing a 43.82-percent increase compared to 477 cubic meters in 2019. In terms of the number of truckloads of garbage, it also increased from 34 in 2019 to 78 in 2022.

With this huge volume of trash collected every year, let us bear in mind that we have a responsibility—both social and legal—to preserve the environment.

It is our moral obligation to keep our surroundings clean for our benefit and that of our community. Besides, Republic Act No. 9003 (Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000) prohibits littering, throwing, and dumping of waste or garbage in public places.

So, even as we enjoy celebrating the legacies left behind by our departed loved ones, let’s keep in mind our responsibilities to keep a sound environment. Let’s keep our trash to the barest minimum and dispose of it responsibly.