Be prayerful when visiting cemeteries, Catholics urged

MANILA, Philippines —  Catholics have been urged to be prayerful and observe peace when visiting cemeteries on All Saints and All Souls’ Days.

Cebu Archbishop Alberto Uy said people should respect the final resting place of the dead and must be considerate with others who are visiting the graves of their loved ones. 

“Let us avoid unnecessary noise, loud music, shouting and boisterous laughter. Families will naturally gather and share stories, but let us be mindful of others who are offering prayers for their loved ones,” Uy said.

He appealed to visitors to observe cleanliness in cemeteries.

It has been a tradition for some families to hold picnics in cemeteries during Undas, but many do not dispose of their garbage properly.

Meanwhile, as this year’s Undas falls on a weekend, Filipinos are choosing to travel to Boracay and Taipei to spend the holiday break, online booking application AirAsia MOVE reported on Wednesday.

Visayan destinations dominated flights and hotel bookings for Undas, with Boracay leading the list alongside Cebu, Iloilo and Tacloban. Manila was also among top domestic choices.

Domestic destinations accounted for 76 percent of flight-and-hotel package bookings, a 10-percent increase from last year.

Although domestic travel continued to lead flight bookings, its share decreased to 83 percent from 86 percent last year.

“The shift was more significant in hotel bookings, with domestic stays decreasing 20 percent, reflecting a growing share of international stays,” AirAsia MOVE said.

Between Oct. 28 and Nov. 8, international bookings recorded 17 percent of flights this year, accounting for a three-percent increase from 14 percent in 2025.

The share of international hotel bookings more than doubled to 38 percent from 18 percent during the same period.

AirAsia MOVE said Taipei recorded the highest share of international bookings along with Da Nang in Vietnam, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and Bangkok in Thailand.