ZAMBOANGA CITY – The City Social Welfare and Development Office held a mass burial for 37 unclaimed cadavers in a public cemetery here on Tuesday, Aug. 19.
MASS burial in Zamboanga City. (Photo via Liza Jocson)
The bodies of 33 men, two women, and two of unknown gender were interred at the Talabaan Cemetery following religious rites.
They include 32 prisoners from the San Ramon Penal Farm and five from Barangays Sangali and Simariki.
The local government allocated P3,500 per cadaver, covering the costs for embalming, storage, and wooden coffins.
CSWD Officer Socorro Rojas said that some of the bodies were unidentified and unclaimed since the latter part of 2024.
She underscored the government's desire to continue its commitment to providing respectful burials for unclaimed persons.