Living in a cemetery in the Philippines

A series of photos by photographer Aaron ‘Bertie’ Gekoski depicting people’s miserable life due to the Covid-19 epidemic in public cemeteries in Pasay (Philippines).

From the three-bedroom apartment with city views, Gekoski easily sees Pasay’s public cemetery. He didn’t realize how miserable life right next to him was until he embarked on a photo project in collaboration with the NGO Lady Freethinker. In the photo, a skinny dog ​​is standing on the top of the tomb. It is one of at least 400 animals living in the cemetery with about 300 families. In this place, some people even have to find leftovers in the trash to get through the day. “I have never seen a place where people live, sleep on graves. As a photographer, I want to tell the story I have witnessed. What I see is not despair but a cohesive community. They still shine with hope despite struggling with difficulties most of us can’t even imagine,” he said. The same suffering as humans are dogs. In the cemetery, everything is almost zero: no running water, no cleaning services, no electricity… Therefore, the dogs here mostly look emaciated. They huddled in the dark, curled up in the aisle, tails curling around their bony bodies. In the photo, Mrs. Cura (65 years old) with her chained dog. She is raising 5 dogs in the cemetery and wants to leave one day soon. Life in the cemetery for many has spanned several generations. They live on money taking care of the graves of rich families, carving steles or selling flowers… Many people want to leave but can’t. Because they live in cemeteries, they do not have access to health care, education, sanitation services, etc. This makes it difficult for them to find outside work. In the photo, Honey (18 years old) lives with 8 dogs and her parents. Ashley Fruno, founder of Pasay Pups – an organization that works for animal and children’s rights – regularly and volunteers visit, care for and vaccinate animals at the cemetery every week. They also hold discussions on the proper care of animals and give supplies to children. However, the pandemic makes weekly visits more difficult. The Pasay government has organized strict social distancing that prevents people living in the cemetery from leaving half a step. Because of their inability to go out, the cemetery’s residents have very limited access to food. They also cannot search for scraps to cover their daily lives. Pasay Pups has donated rice, soap, reusable masks twice a month. However, the number of volunteers is also decreasing day by day. “It’s shocking that they are provided with very few necessities to get through the days of social distancing,” Fruno said. Even so, even when the photos were made public, the Pasay government made no official comment. Sharing with The Guardian, Fruno and photographer Gekoski hope the photos will help people and animals in Pasay cemetery better in the future. Pasay, a city in metropolitan Manila (Philippines) has nearly 416,000 people living in an area of ​​about 18 square kilometers. It is described on tourist forums as a destination for “culture, shopping, relaxation and horror”. Gekoski’s series of photographs expose the lives of poverty that people and animals have to endure in cemeteries.