Entry by Kuh Del Rosario
16 Apr 2017

The short hike up Batan Cemetery to visit and pay respects to the Del Rosario ancestors in Ambolong was a somber one. The rain started lightly enough but the rolling clouds made good of their threat and began a real down pour as soon as we reached the summit. The Del Rosario mausoleum sat at the top of the hill lined with storied grave stones and markers. There was no clear path to take, and so we walked through overgrown grass and at times over graves, to reach our destination.

A moment of silence for our loved and lost, through metal grid and gate. Why was the gravesite locked? Will anyone try to steal the flowers?

Armed with a modest bouquet of white daisies, the gesture felt lacking in ceremony. Compared to the dozen or so placards of Del Rosario's going back several generations, the flowers seemed to wilt under the weight of its own inadequacy. Prominently positioned at the centre are grandparents (and original owners of the house Elmo's House is run out of), Josefina Fulgencio Del Rosario and Patrocino Salazar Del Rosario, parents to Elmo F. Del Rosario.

It was Easter Sunday and that morning's mood was perfectly captured by the weather. A lot has changed since the last visit to the mausoleum, with little resemblance to the bits of memory from before.

The key to open the mausoleum was not the right one, so we were unable to go inside. Instead, the daisies had to be pushed between the metal bars and positioned as close to the graves as possible, eventually settling on the ledge by the gate entrance.

The rain was too strong and it was decided to wait it out under a covered roof, which turned out to be another family's cemetary plot. The rain never did end up calming down and instead, the visit ended with a mad run down the hill to the car.