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(Thread) Outside a facility where those presumed to have died of the coronavirus are taken to be cremated, Lydia Aquino holds a bag containing the ashes of her brother-in-law Sonny Aquino. Sonny succumbed to pneumonia as he waited for days for his test result for the coronavirus.
Due to slow and limited testing capacity, many patients in the Philippines have died before receiving their test result.
Government health protocols dictate that they be presumed to have died of the virus, that they be isolated from their families, and that their bodies are to be cremated within twelve hours after their death.
Wakes are forbidden. Families are not given time to grieve. It is especially painful when the test result turns out to be negative.
I waited along with Lydia and Sarah, Sonny's daughter, under a tent outside the crematorium. They were clearly too tired to grieve. They came straight from a hospital morgue across town, where they had trouble finding a funeral parlour who would service Sonny.
We watched as another family, who seemed well-off, have a little funeral ceremony for their loved one who was also presumed to have died of the virus. They could afford a priest and some snacks, while Lydia and Sarah could not even afford a bottle of water.
After an hour of waiting, they were called inside. They received Sonny's ashes in a plastic bag placed inside another cloth bag. They asked why the other family had an urn, the staff said it was bought by the family themselves as the crematorium had run out of urns.
As we walked out of the cemetery, they realized that they would have to walk for the rest of the day under the scorching sun to get home, as all forms of public transportation have been shut down as part of government lockdown measures.
They thought it would be hopeless to try to hitch a ride from passing motorists, they were afraid that they would be questioned what is inside the strange looking bag that they are holding.
I offered to take them home in my car. As we drove, they sat quietly in the back and stared at different directions. For the first since Sonny passed away, they finally had time to grieve.
