Angeles City expands public cemetery in Sapalibutad

ANGELES CITY — Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin, Jr. on January 15, 2025 officially inaugurated the Phase 2 expansion of the Angeles City Public Cemetery, marking a significant step in the city government’s commitment to enhancing public services and ensuring better facilities for its residents.

Located in Sapalibutad, the Phase 2 expansion, covering an area of 11,510 square meters, will provide an additional 800 columbarium slots and 2,400 bone niches, with future expansion plans for 3,360 additional bone niches.

“The expansion of the Angeles City Public Cemetery is a crucial investment in the future, ensuring that we continue to provide essential services for our community,” Mayor Lazatin said.

“The inauguration symbolizes our unwavering dedication to the welfare of our residents, especially during times of loss,” Mayor Lazatin added.

Mayor Lazatin highlighted that the increasing need for affordable and decent burial options, which became especially evident during the pandemic.

The city, recognizing this necessity, has taken proactive measures to ensure that more families have access to these services.

It is also during the pandemic that the city government started to provide free caskets and discounts on columbarium use, further easing the financial burden during difficult times.  As of now, the free casket program has benefited 632 individuals.

The new facility will also feature 37 parking slots and includes 837 square meters of space designated for further bone niche expansion, along with 1,425 square meters of open space.

With a total budget of ₱70 million, the expansion aims to meet the growing demand for burial space while maintaining a respectful and dignified resting place for the city’s residents.

To date, the public cemetery has a total capacity of 10,118, following the expansions under Phases 1 and 2. This includes 5,752 full-body niches (5,228 for adults and 524 for children), 2,766 bone niches, and 1,600 columbarium slots. Each columbarium slot can hold 2 to 3 urns, depending on their size.

To recall, Mayor Lazatin also inaugurated the Phase 1 expansion of the ACPC on September 5, 2024 with additional 2,748 niches.

The city government already upgraded the public cemetery’s equipment including a crematorium machine and two scissor lifts.

When Mayor Lazatin took office in 2019, the public memorial park had only 600 niches.