City readies for Undas 2024

Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong recently issued Executive Order No. 98, series of 2024 reconstituting the executive committee for ‘Oplan Kaluluwa’ 2024 in preparation for the peaceful and orderly observance of All Souls Day and All Saints Day.
Oplan kaluluwa is an annual activity of the city government and the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to address concerns on safety, security, and general crowd management during the observance of “undas” Filipino tradition.
The mayor serves as the chairperson of the committee while City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña is the action officer with the following members: BCPO PCol Francisco Bulwayan Jr; BCPO Traffic Enforcement Unit Chief PMaj Zacharias Dausen; City Treasurer Alex Cabarrubias; City Engineer Edgar Victorio Olpindo; Health Services Officer Celia Flor Brillantes and Emergency Medical Services Head Dr. Dandeo Halog; City Environment and parks management Officer Rhenan Diwas; and, General Services Officer Eugene Buyucan.
Included as members of the committee are the Punong Barangays and barangay representatives from Loakan Proper, Kias, Fort Del Pilar, Bakakeng Norte/Sur and Irisan who have territorial jurisdiction over public cemeteries and private columbaries in the city.
Also, members of the committee are the following divisions of the City Mayor’s Office: Permits and Licensing Office, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the Public Order and Safety Division, and the Public Information Office.
The committee had its first meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024 wherein members agreed to implement an early cleaning of tombs within public cemeteries for the whole month of October.
CADMO Assistant Department Head Vittorio Jericho Cawis said a donation drive for used sacks will be mounted by midweek of October to be used for the hauling of weeds from the public cemetery to be followed by flushing of thoroughfares to complete the cleaning needed.
The committee decided to adopt best practices in the past years on traffic and crowd control where a no parking rule was implemented along public thoroughfares near cemeteries during visiting days from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 to avoid congestion.
Vending and vendors are also prohibited inside public cemeteries during said period. A centralized flower and candle vending area is being finalized by the City Treasury Office for a specific selling period only.
Other safety measures being implemented during undas are the prohibition of liquor, firearms and pointed objects, flammable materials, gambling materials and loud speakers.
There are more than ten public and private cemeteries in Baguio that will require crowd and traffic management by the BCPO, POSD, the barangay and limited volunteers to ensure a safe and peaceful observance of undas. ** JM Samidan