Cemetery Work Offers Seasonal Income Boost for Koronadal Families

KORONADAL CITY — As Filipinos prepare for "Undas," the November commemoration of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, residents living adjacent to Koronadal City Public Cemetery are seizing the opportunity to earn extra income from visiting families.

Youths and adults in the cemetery vicinity offer grave-cleaning and candle-lighting services to visitors, earning as little as P5 per tomb attended. The work, though modest in per-task compensation, accumulates during the peak visitation period when thousands of Filipinos make annual pilgrimages to honor their deceased relatives.

The seasonal employment reflects a common pattern across Philippine cemeteries, where residents near burial grounds leverage the predictable surge in foot traffic during the holiday period. For families in Koronadal, the temporary work provides a meaningful financial boost during the year-end season.

The arrangement benefits both parties: cemetery visitors gain convenient assistance in maintaining gravesites during their often-brief visits, while local residents gain access to much-needed supplementary income. As the Undas season approaches, these cemetery-adjacent communities anticipate the annual economic windfall that comes with the tradition of honoring the dead.