Davao City council approves one-time fee for Muslim graves at Tagakpan cemetery

The Davao City Council has approved on final reading an ordinance setting a one-time fee of P7,000 to P15,000 for grave lots at the Muslim Cemetery within Tagakpan Public Cemetery, according to Mindanao Times. The measure was passed on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Authored by Councilor Ragde Niño Ibuyan, the ordinance replaces a scheme under the city's 2017 Revenue Code that imposed a six-year lease, annual renewal fees, and exhumation of remains once the lease ran out. The ordinance says these rules are inconsistent with Islamic doctrine, which Ibuyan said forbids exhuming, moving, or disturbing human remains and requires permanent burial.

Under the new measure, Type A small lots, measuring 4 to 5 feet by 2 to 2.5 feet, will cost P7,000 each. Type B large lots, measuring 7 by 3 feet, will cost P15,000 each. Ibuyan confirmed that the cemetery has 70 small lots and 264 large lots, set aside mainly for deceased Muslims.

Paying the fee grants a right of interment through a contract, but the lot itself remains owned by the city government. No annual renewal, lease renewal, or exhumation-related fees will be charged. Burials of deceased indigents will be exempt from the fee upon certification by the City Social Welfare and Development Office.

The ordinance also prohibits exhuming, transferring, or disturbing remains, except when required by law, ordered by a competent court or authority, or requested in writing by the family of the deceased in line with religious requirements.

According to the ordinance, the fees are intended to help the city recover its P7,332,722.95 investment in the cemetery's prayer building, pathways, and entrance gate, as well as operation and maintenance costs.

The one-time payment scheme was backed by Muslim leaders and groups consulted by the city, including the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos XI, the Davao City Muslim Affairs Office, the Madrasah Comprehensive Development and Promotion Unit, and the Darul Ifta Wadda'wah Association Region XI, Inc.

The CEE will draw up guidelines on applying for, qualifying for, allocating, paying for, and recording grave lots, including a registry of interments and paid lots. It will do so in consultation with the Davao City Cemetery Management Board, the Muslim Affairs Office, and recognized Muslim religious authorities.