IT IS BAD ENOUGH THAT people turn what should be a solemn, somber occasion into another excuse to party. If the dead could talk, they will probably tell their families and relatives to just stay home on Nov. 1 and let them rest in peace the way they do 364 days a year.



Filipinos usually turn cemeteries on All Saints Day and All Souls Day into picnic spots where they bring plenty of food and booze and huge boomboxes and/or karaoke/ videoke machines that are played loud enough to awaken even those who have been dead for millennia

Do the living even remember to say a prayer for their dear departed, ostensibly the reason why they are in cemeteries?

With elections coming up, we can probably also expect politicians to contribute to the farcical atmosphere, as they “haunt” the cities of the dead, eager to press flesh and hoping they will be remembered come election day.

But worse than the disrespect for the dead is the garbage that the living leave behind. At least dead people turn into ashes after a while and can return to the ground without causing any damage to the environment. But plastic containers of all kinds will outlive even those people who brought them to the cemeteries and will make future tragedies such as those caused by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” and Typhoon “Pepeng” even worse.

In the hope of preventing the havoc that is usually caused by the thousands of visitors to the cemeteries, the environmental group EcoWaste Coalition offers tips for a climate-friendly and toxic-free Undas, especially since, under Presidential Proclamation 1101, November is Clean Air Month:

1. Take public transport or share a ride to the cemetery. Carpooling or taking a jeepney, bus or train can reduce carbon emissions. If it is possible, walk or ride a bike.

2. Avoid idling your car to cut down on energy consumption and gas and other toxic emissions.

3. Use clean-burning candles that do not give off black fumes or ash. Candles that produce excessive soot can trigger asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments. Avoid candles with metal wicks that may contain harmful chemicals like lead.

4. Use just enough candles to save money and energy.

5. Bring locally grown fresh flowers instead of imported ones that are not only costly, but are also brought to the Philippines using tons of fuel.

6. Do not wrap flowers in plastic that often ends up clogging waterways and causing floods, injuring and killing marine animals, and poisoning communities with hazardous chemicals.

7. Do not bring/buy too much food and drinks to reduce cost and waste.

8. Bring water in reusable jugs instead of plastic bottles that add to the country’s garbage problem and use lots of oil and chemicals to make.

9. Pack everything in reusable bags and baskets. Instead of disposable plastic plates and utensils, use banana leaves or containers that can be reused.

10. Throw waste into recycling bins and keep cemeteries clean by not littering. Give leftovers to pets or turn into compost.

11. Keep the noise down. There are people who just want to pray and remember their dead in peace and quiet.

I will have the additional service center numbers next week. In the meantime, consumers who are a little skeptical about the kind of attention and service they will get from authorized service centers and would rather go to the neighborhood handyman, might be encouraged by this e-mail from Roseann Villegas.

She and her husband brought two Sony television sets to the service center for checkup. Villegas said they were very impressed with the service at Sony’s service center in Mandaluyong City (open Monday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.) from the guard to the assistants who helped them bring in the units.

The woman who attended to them was quite knowledgeable about the units they brought and explained clearly the procedure for servicing them. Diagnosis was scientifically done and spare parts were reasonably priced.

“The best part of all is we only waited for less than two hours [for them to get the] units working like brand new. Service and parts have three-month warranties,” Villegas said.

In addition to the customer contact center we published last week, Sony also has a customer service hotline, 3301111. By the way, if Sony advises you to go to the service center at the corner of TM Kalaw and J. Bocobo Streets in Ermita, Manila, look for it on Bocobo rather than Kalaw. It is not exactly at the corner of the two streets.

Send letters to The Consumer, Lifestyle Section, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 1098 Chino Roces Ave. cor. Mascardo and Yague Sts., 1204 Makati City; fax 8974793/94; or e-mail lbolido@inquirer.com.ph