The Manila North Cemetery (Spanish: Cementerio del Norte) is a historic cemetery managed by the City of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. It is one of the largest cemeteries in Metro Manila and is located at the northern fringes of the city. It is bordered by two other historic cemetery, the La Loma Cemetery and the Manila Chinese Cemetery.
Numerous impoverished families notably inhabit some of the mausoleums.
History and architecture
The Manila North Cemetery was formerly part of La Loma Cemetery but was separated as an exclusively Catholic burial ground.Republic of the Philippines: Presidential Museum and Library."Our Heritage and the Departed: A Cemeteries Tour ". The cemetery formerly known as Cementerio del Norte was laid out in 1904.Vintage Philippines. December 2, 2010. "Manila North Cemetery: A Time Capsule of Philippine History ".
The cemetery in its entirety was once called Paang Bundok, the area Jose Rizal selected as his final resting place. The current Paang Bundok is now a barangay located before the cemetery grounds.
During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II the cemetery became the site of atrocities, with accounts that Imperial Japanese forces led by General Tomoyuki Yamashita brutally killed more than 2,000 unarmed noncombatants in the cemetery from October to November 1944.
The cemetery being one of the oldest cemeteries in the metropolis is evident on the different designs of mausoleums that reflect the prevailing architectural style in the Philippines during the period they were constructed. The styles range from simple, plain-painted with a patch of greenery, to very complex designs that contain reliefs that are difficult to carve while also having different colors.
Informal settlement Many people live inside the cemetery with most of them serving as caretakers of the mausoleums where they also stay to survive. When the families or owners of the mausoleums come, especially during and after All Soul's Day, the families transfer to other places. In addition, the informal settlers often serve as informal tour guides, bringing visitors to tombs of famous people and discussing the oral history of the area. Others take advantage of the quantity of visitors during the Allhallowtide holiday, setting up stalls to sell drinks and snacks, and providing visitors other services like renting out their toilets.Sauler, Erik. November 2, 2012. Philippine Daily Inquirer."From buko shakes to portalets, entrepreneurs thrive at Manila North Cemetery".
Clearing operations made in 2019 destroyed the shanties and other obstructions inside the cemetery, displacing the families who lived in the makeshift homes and in the mausoleums.
Heritage structures Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution
The Mausoleum of the Veterans of the Revolution is a memorial dedicated to Filipino revolutionaries of the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War.
Tuason-Legarda Family Mausoleum
Completed in 1915, this mausoleum is noted for its Egyptian-inspired design, especially the two sphinxes found in its entrance. It is a collaborative work of brothers Arcadio and Juan Arellano. It is the final resting place of the ancestors and descendants of the Tuason-Legarda-Prieto-Valdes families.
Bautista-Nakpil Pylon The Bautista-Nakpil Pylon at the North Cemetery was designed by Juan Nakpil as a tribute to both Bautista and Nakpil families, including his uncle and benefactor, Dr. Ariston Bautista. The funerary pylon is a tall, square podium which has four human figures on the top corners that form a gesture of prayer capping off the tall columns. The frontal side is embellished by geometricized flowers, spiraling foliage, and nautilus shells in low-relief concrete panels which has a highly decorated stoup on the lower portion. An octagonal lantern-like form sits on top of the podium with miniature columns buttressing on all sides and crowned by a rigid dome.
Manila North Green Park
A part of the cemetery became the Manila North Green Park, an extension of the Manila North Cemetery. It was developed through a joint-venture between the City of Manila and the CHC Development Consortium, Inc.
Notable burials
The remains of key figures in Philippine history are buried in the cemetery. Most of the people have their tombs on the main avenue of the cemetery while other notable people are located near the main entrance. Some of them are:Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 2, 2012. "Did You Know: Manila North Cemetery". Arcadio Arellano (1872–1920), architect Ladislao Bonus (1854–1908), Father of the Philippine Opera José Corazón de Jesús (1896–1932), poet known as Huseng Batute. Lyricist of the famed protest anthem Bayan Ko Tomás Cloma (1904–1996), president of the Philippine Maritime Institute (now PMI Colleges). Interred in a mausoleum shaped like a ship, titled SS Last Voyage Mariano Jesús Cuenco (1888–1964), 4th President of the Senate of the Philippines Doña Narcisa Buencamino vda. de León (1877–1966), Founder and matriarch of LVN Pictures, Inc. Isauro Gabaldón (1875–1942), former senator and resident commissioner to the US Congress Francis Burton Harrison (1873–1957), former American governor-general Amado Hernández (1903–1970), labor leader, Philippine literary icon and National Artist for Literature Atang de la Rama-Hernández (1905–1991), wife of Amado, kundiman singer, actress, and National Artist for Theater and Music Félix Resurrección Hidalgo (1853–1913), painter Arsenio Lacson (1912–1962), former Manila mayor Alfredo Lim (1929–2020), former Manila mayor, NBI Director, DILG Secretary and senator Tomas Morato (1887–1965), mayor of Calauag, Quezon, then first appointed mayor of Quezon City. His wife Consuelo Eclavea Morato is also buried with him Julio Nalundasan (1894 –1935), former Ilocos Norte congressman allegedly assassinated by Ferdinand Marcos Román Ongpin (1847–1912), businessman, philanthropist, nationalist, and civic citizen Quintín Paredes (1884–1973), former House Speaker and senator José Ignacio Paua (1872–1926), Chinese-Filipino general who joined the Katipunan, a secret society that spearheaded the 1896 Philippine Revolution against the Spanish Empire.Gen. Jose Paua, the Chinese in Philippine revolution by Raymund Catindig (The Philippine Star) He later served in the Philippine Republican Army under General Emilio Aguinaldo. Carmen Planas (1914–1964), first woman to be elected to any public office in the Philippines, former Vice mayor and former councilor of Manila Claro M. Recto (1890–1960), former senator and Spanish-language author Saturnina Rizal Mercado de Hidalgo (1850–1913), sister of Jose Rizal. Interred in the Ver-Hidalgo-Rizal Mausoleum. Lucía Rizal (1857–1919), sister of José Rizal. Interred in the Herbosa Mausoleum. Owen Robyns-Owen, Chief Officer, British Merchant Navy (died: January 9, 1945, at the age of 67), is the only British Commonwealth war grave in the cemetery CWGC Casualty record. José E. Romero (1897–1978), former representative of Negros Oriental, senator, first Philippine ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Secretary of Education. His second wife, Elisa Zuñiga Villanueva (1910–1999), is also buried with him Epifanio de los Santos (1871–1928), historian and former statesman. EDSA is named after him Hilarión "Larry" Silva (1937–2004), comedian and politician Andrés Solomón (also known as "Tugo" or "Togo") (1905–1952), actor Trinidad Tecson (1848–1928), revolutionary nurse Lilian Velez (1924–1948), singer-actress of the mid and late 1940s and dubbed as the singing sweetheart of Philippine movies, who was murdered by her co-actor, Narding Anzures on June 26, 1948 Pancho Villa (1901–1925), a boxer, the first Asian Flyweight World Champion Antonio Villegas (1928–1984), former Manila mayor. Formerly buried in Reno, Nevada Teodoro Yangco (1861–1939), former resident commissioner to the United States Congress and businessman for whom Yangco Market is named Joaquín "Buwaya" Fajardo (1940s–1991), actor Rodolfo Boy Garcia (1935–1997), actor Rod Navarro (1930–2003), actor Asiong Salonga (1924–1951), gangster Renato "Porky" Gomez (1948–2009), comedian Max Alvarado (1929–1997), actor Max Laurel (1944–2016), actor José Katigbak (1879–1916), engineer and first Filipino student of the renowned Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts Patricia Mijares (1923–2012), actress Shalala (1960–2021), comedian and TV/radio personality Moody Díaz (1930s–1995), actress Víctor López Jr. (1950–1985), barangay chairman of Tondo, Manila Col. Joe Pring (1942–1994), police officer and biological father of actress Joyce Pring Fred Elizalde (1907–1979), musician, composer, conductor, bandleader and president of the Manila Broadcasting Company José Ma. Basa (1839–1907), patriot and propagandist Metring David (1920–2010), comedian Rudy Meyer (1937–2009), actor Bentot Sr. (1920–1986), actor Bentot Jr. (1970–2016), actor Chiquito (1932–1997), actor and comedian Robert Reyes Natividad (1941–2007), Singer, movie and television actor, famous for Aawitan kita Guillermo Masangkay (1867–1963), Friend and Adviser of Gat Andrés Bonifacio, One of the first member of Katipunan and revolutionary general in Filipino-American War. Buried in his family plot. Isidoro De Santos (1873-1939), patriot and former congressman River Nasino (2020), infant baby whose death, funeral, and burial caused controversy in the Philippines. Dr. Alberto I. Vasquez (1962–2021), Dentist Josefa V. Mendoza (1954–2020), Brgy. Chairwoman of Malate, Manila Misael "Boy" Gonzales, Jr. (1959–2026), veteran reporter and anchor of DZRH
Unmarked graves Macario Sakay (1878 –1907), Filipino Revolutionary General. Buried in an unmarked grave after his execution in the Old Bilibid Prisons. 28 victims of Asociacion De Damas De Filipinas fire tragedy on December 3, 1998. Buried in unmarked graves.
Group and Family plots
Mausoleo de los Veteranos de la Revolución
A memorial and national monument dedicated to Filipino revolutionaries of the Philippine Revolution of the 1890s and the Philippine–American War. Notable burials in this monument were: Juan Arevalo, patriot, son of Bonifacio Flores Arevalo, assembly member (Declaration of Philippine Independence, Cavite-Viejo, Province of Cavite, June 12, 1898) Adriano Hernández (1870–1925), Brigadier General of the Philippine Revolution and Military Strategist and the local hero of Dingle, Iloilo. Fernando Canon – Filipino revolutionary general, poet, inventor, engineer, musician Pío del Pilar (1865–1931), Philippine revolutionary figure. Justo Lukban (1863–1927), Major of the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine–American War. Member of the Malolos Congress. Third Mayor of Manila
29 Martyrs of World War II Memorial
This memorial serves as the final resting place of twenty-nine Manila residents that the Japanese Army executed on August 30, 1944. The remains of the executed individuals were said to be located and identified by their compatriots after the war, after a Japanese-American officer (working in the Japanese Army as a spy), revealed what he had seen and the location of the grave after the executions. Their remains were interred in this mausoleum on March 9, 1947. Notable burials in this plot were: Manuel Arguilla (1911–1944), Ilokano writer in English, patriot, and martyr, known for his widely anthologized short story "How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife" José Fortich Ozámiz (1898–1944), former senator and first provincial governor of Misamis Occidental Rafael "Liling" R. Roces Jr. (1912–1944), Filipino journalist, writer, patriot, World War II spy, hero, and martyr
Osmeña Family Plot Sergio Osmeña (1878–1961), former 4th president of the Philippines. Esperanza Limjap-Osmeña (1894–1978), former First Lady of the Philippines
Roxas Family Plot Manuel A. Roxas (1892–1948), former 5th president of the Philippines