MANILA continues its free cremation for COVID-related deaths.

This as the city government noted the number of bodies which needs to be cremated has reached 22 to 26 per day.

“I don’t like giving that kind of service,” stressed Manila Mayor Isko Moreno as he said that the Manila North Cemetery (MNC) headed by Roselle ‘Yayay’ Castaneda has been offering the free cremation services since the height of the pandemic last year.

Through a memo issued last year, Manila Barangay Bureau chief Romy Bagay informed all barangays in the city that Moreno had ordered the provision of free cremation services for those whose loved ones died of the coronavirus disease 2019.

In the said memo, Bagay said the said free services would be on a first-come, first-served basis for COVID-related deaths.

Moreno added the free cremation comes at a time when rules state that the remains of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases must be cremated or buried within 12 hours after death.

He thus noted that cremation usually costs anywhere between P18,000 and P40,000 and that the high prices only add to the burden of those who have already lost their loved ones.

Moreno directed the affected families to coordinate with the office of Castaneda for the schedule and completion of requirements.

It was learned from Castaneda that apart from the submission of necessary application, the MNC also requires the family member or relative to bring his or her own identification card and that of the deceased, an urn and the temporary death certificate duly signed by the doctor concerned.

Once these are complied with, the family member may get a schedule from the MNC.

Castaneda said that each cremation takes about two hours plus 30 minutes cooling time and that they start as earlyas 5 a.m. and end as late as 1 a.m. just to be able to accommodate as many requests as possible.

Castaneda stressed that opening the cadaver bag at any point is prohibited and that once the body arrives, it will have to be immediately cremated.

Meanwhile, Moreno paid a late evening visit to the site of the yet to be built Manila COVID-19 Hospital at the Luneta Park.

The mayor was accompanied by City Engineer Armand Andres who said that his men are working round-the-clock to meet the 60-day targeted date of completion as set by the mayor himself.

Moreno personally thanked the workers and chatted with some of them.