DILG to issue show cause order vs mayor to refused to allow Muslim COVID-19 burial

April 2, 2020

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday said they will issue a show cause order against Montalban, Rizal Mayor Dennis Hernandez after he allegedly refused to allow the burial of two COVID-19 Muslim patients.

In a statement, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said it is “a clear defiance of government guidelines on burial amid the public health emergency situation in the country.”

Año said the mayor reportedly refused the signing of applications for burial permits and the families of the deceased had to bring the bodies to the Muslim cemetery in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

The first victim died on March 22 and was buried only after almost two days while the second died on March 30.

“There are only limited Muslim cemeteries in Metro Manila. Let’s not add to their grievances, they just want to properly laid to rest their loved ones,” Año said.

“We are displeased with the disregard of the town mayor of Islamic traditions and I have already ordered our legal office to issue the show cause order to the mayor of Montalban, Rizal… Imagine the inconvenience of transporting their dead all the way from Metro Manila to Rizal and passing through checkpoints only to be turned away and then traveling to Bulacan just to be able to bury their departed family member,” he said.

The DILG is investigating the two incidents in coordination with its attached agency, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), which received the reports from the victims’ families.

According to Undersecretary and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya, the fear of Hernandez to allow the burial of COVID-19 victims is understandable.

“But it should be compassion and cooperation in this middle of crisis… Local government should not be a hindrance in burying the victims to prevent the further spread of the virus,” Malaya said.

“The DILG is urging all local government units (LGUs) to follow the IATF-MEID guidelines on how to handle and bury bodies infected with COVID- 19. Burial should occur within 12 hours from death if the body will not be cremated, and that religious rituals and customs must be respected,” he added.

Based on the Islamic faith, the deceased are to be buried within 24 hours.

Guidelines issued by the Department of Health on February 3 on the disposal and shipment of COVID- 19 victims stipulate that burial must be done within 12 hours, with cremation as the preferred method, but “to the most possible extent, be in accordance with the person’s religion or customs.”

The World Health Organization (WHO)’s interim guidance on March 24 on the infection prevention and control for the safe management of a dead body in the context of COVID- 19 also provided that the dignity of the dead, their cultural and religious traditions, and their families should be respected and protected throughout.

Since the enhanced community quarantine was implemented, there have been 11 Muslim Filipino deaths. Three were recorded in Metro Manila, one Cagayan de Oro City, one in Iligan City, four in Marawi City, and one in Davao.

The DILG is also asking the management of local cemeteries to inform the NCMF of their available spaces. Ella Dionisio/DMS