Above: The crypt of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño.

Catholics all over the world commemorate the day of the saints on November 1 and all those who have faithfully departed from this world on November 2. Filipinos in particular mark the celebration as early as October 31 when bus terminals, airports, and ports become busy with traffic from those eager to go to their hometowns. Some keep themselves busy cleaning their respective plots in the cemeteries while others stay at home to prepare food for visiting relatives.

In the morning of the first day of November, my heritage buddies Estan Cabigas and Joseph Cabrera decided to visit some cemeteries in Cebu City to shoot some photos. The original plan though was to just visit the historical Osmeña Cemetery in M.J. Cuenco Avenue but we decided later on to include Carreta Cemetery and the Cebu Chinese Cemetery since the two are just located nearby. We also included in our itinerary the crypt of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño.

The three of us met at the plaza of the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral. The cathedral itself has a mausoleum that contains the mortal remains of Bishop Juan Gorordo, the first Filipino and Cebuano Bishop of Cebu, and Archbishop Julio Cardinal Rosales, the first Cardinal-Archbishop of Cebu. Unfortunately though, the mausoleum was padlocked. My suggestion for the rector is to build a decent mausoleum for the cathedral and to open it to the public for them to pay their respects to some of the great leaders of the See of Cebu.

Anyway, we went to the crypt of the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño which is located just beside the sacristy. Access is through a door outside the church. The crypt is normally close on ordinary days but it is open on November 1 and 2. Though not as big in scale as the crypt of San Agustin in Intramuros, it nonetheless still contains the mortal remains of some personalities like Leandro Moran, OSA, the last Spanish rector of the Basilica and Guadalupe “Mimi” Trosdal, the anthropologist who restored the Sto. Niño de Cebu to its original fair color from black after World War II.

Below: A marble tombstone at the crypt of the Basilica.

From the basilica we walked all the way to Patria de Cebu right across the Cebu Cathedral to catch a jeepney that would stop at the vicinity of the Osmeña Cemetery. Unfortunately, upon reaching the intersection of T. Padilla and M.J. Cuenco, the route was diverted and we were forced to disembark and just walk all the way to our destination. I did not mind walking since it was just very near and since it was still early in the morning.

I’ve been to the Osmeña Cemetery already before with Jobers Bersales of USC and Carlos Apuhin of BPI. During my last visit, we went around and inside the stately Osmeña mausoleum but my second visit this time took me to the back portion of the cemetery were I saw an abandoned row of apartment-type niches that obviously date back to the Spanish colonial era. I do not know when they were exactly built but it surely is from the 19th century. I remember Jobers who remarked that Carreta Cemetery may have encompassed a much larger area to include what is now the Osmeña Cemetery.

Below: The stately Osmeña Mausoleum.

Below: The older part of the cemetery, abandoned niches that date back to the Spanish colonial era.

To be exact, the cemetery is not actually officially called Osmeña Cemetery. I do not know what its legal name really is but it has been called as such through the years because of the stately Osmeña Mausoleum that occupies a very large lawn right at the middle of it. As a matter of fact, it would seem like the cemetery is owned by the Roman Catholic Church since Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said that he plans to rehabilitate the entire cemetery and convert it into a “heritage park.” The good cardinal quipped that he might even want to be buried there someday.

Carreta Cemetery, our next destination, was just a few meters away. It is by far one of the largest cemeteries in Cebu and one of the oldest (if not the oldest) too. Managed by the Roman Catholic Church, there is nothing left of it that would suggest its age but what makes it interesting are the various fenced plots within it such as the Asociacion Benefica Española de Cebu, which contains the mortal remains of some Filipino-Spanish families in Cebu, and the war veterans plot which contains the mortal remains of American soldiers and war veterans. An obelisk stands at the middle of the war veterans plot to commemorate the heroism of those who died in World War II.

Below: Tomb of an American soldier and an obelisk commemorating the heroism of those who died during World War II.

From Carreta we took our lunch at Jollibee after which we went to the Mabolo Cemetery where we saw nothing interesting. We decided to cool off at SM City and then went to the Cebu Chinese Cemetery, our last stop. The Cebu Chinese Cemetery is the largest and oldest Chinese cemetery in Cebu. Some Filipino-Chinese who helped shape and define the economy of Cebu are buried there. The Cebu Chinese Cemetery figures prominently in Chong Hua Hospital’s commemorative book since it was near there where the first hospital for the Chinese immigrants was built.

Below: Some tombstones at the Cebu Chinese Cemetery.

Below: Fancy looking mausoleums at the chinese cemetery.

One interesting thing about the cemetery is the arrangement of the mausoleums. A Filipino-Chinese friend told me that the mausoleum occupying the very middle of the cemetery belonged to the richest and most powerful Filipino-Chinese right before he died. I was expecting a Gaisano or Lu Do to be buried there but it belonged to someone else. True enough, this guy was really the richest and most powerful during his time although a number of Filipino-Chinese families rose to the economic ladder a few generations after.

Below: The tomb of Modesta Singson Gaisano, matriarch of the Gaisano clan, and a towering monument dedicated to Lu Do, founder of the Lu Do & Lu Ym Corporation.