Living With the Dead
Would you live in a graveyard? Pasay City's alternative to slums
In the Philippines cemeteries are home to both the living and the dead, providing thousands of families with a viable alternative to the country's overcrowded slums.
"At first I was afraid, but as time went by I got used to it", says Celia Garcia, a resident of Manila's Pasay City cemetery who earns her family money by cleaning graves. Despite the misgivings of local authorities, the communities in these cemeteries have flourished, creating a practical culture where mausoleums double as homes and the dead are honoured rather than feared. As one gravedigger remarks, "you should be afraid of the living, not the dead".
Produced by Dateline, SBS Australia.
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