By — Brian Epstein Brian Epstein Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/dwelling-atop-dead-nowhere-else-live-filipinos-squat-graveyards Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Dwelling atop the dead: With no room to live, some Filipinos sleep in graveyards World Aug 24, 2014 1:25 PM EDT The Philippine capital of Manila is now one of the most densely-populated urban areas on earth. The city, the second-most populous city in the country, is so congested that its nearly 1.7 million inhabitants occupy just over 9,500 acres. And with one of the fastest-growing populations in Southeast Asia, some people are forced to seek refuge in local cemeteries as squatters where they eat and sleep on top of tombs and mausoleums. The Manila North Cemetery is currently bursting with life, home to more than 10,000 Filipinos who run businesses, raise families and live out their lives in between the headstones and crypts. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour The Manila North Cemetery houses not only the deceased but a large population of Filipinos, because the city is one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour The population living in the cemetery gradually grew as people who could no longer afford a home moved their family into the crypts, often sharing the space with the deceased remains of their parents and grandparents. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour This man stores his food cart here in a crypt at the Manila North Cemetery where his family lives. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour A man cleans a tomb inside a mausoleum at the Manila North Cemetery. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour A mother and her daughter outside their home in the Manila North Cemetery. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour A man sleeps on top of a tomb in the Manila North Cemetery. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour There are so many people living in the cemetery that it has become a place of commerce. A small store is pictured. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour Filipinos sit atop the tombs in the Manila North Cemetery. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour Watch our full broadcast report from the Philippines below: We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Brian Epstein Brian Epstein Brian Epstein is an award-winning producer and cameraman. His work has been honored with an Emmy Award, three Emmy nominations, the Sigma Delta Chi Award for Investigative Reporting, the Scripps Howard Award for in-depth-reporting, as well as others. Brian has reported from the Middle East, Central and South America, Asia, and across the United States. Prior to joining NewsHour, Brian produced for Need to Know on PBS and NOW on PBS.
The Philippine capital of Manila is now one of the most densely-populated urban areas on earth. The city, the second-most populous city in the country, is so congested that its nearly 1.7 million inhabitants occupy just over 9,500 acres. And with one of the fastest-growing populations in Southeast Asia, some people are forced to seek refuge in local cemeteries as squatters where they eat and sleep on top of tombs and mausoleums. The Manila North Cemetery is currently bursting with life, home to more than 10,000 Filipinos who run businesses, raise families and live out their lives in between the headstones and crypts. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour The Manila North Cemetery houses not only the deceased but a large population of Filipinos, because the city is one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour The population living in the cemetery gradually grew as people who could no longer afford a home moved their family into the crypts, often sharing the space with the deceased remains of their parents and grandparents. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour This man stores his food cart here in a crypt at the Manila North Cemetery where his family lives. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour A man cleans a tomb inside a mausoleum at the Manila North Cemetery. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour A mother and her daughter outside their home in the Manila North Cemetery. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour A man sleeps on top of a tomb in the Manila North Cemetery. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour There are so many people living in the cemetery that it has become a place of commerce. A small store is pictured. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour Filipinos sit atop the tombs in the Manila North Cemetery. Credit: Mark Litke/NewsHour Watch our full broadcast report from the Philippines below: We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now