RACHEL A.G. REYES
In the compact hillside town of Liliw in Laguna, there is a small cemetery where many of the graves have whitewashed headstones. Painted on by hand are the names and dates of the deceased. Sometimes there are just the names. My maternal ancestors are buried here. In the run-up to November 1st , the day of Todos Los Santos, when families gather to remember their beloved dead, graves are spruced up and the air reeks with the noxious, tarry smell of fresh paint and turpentine.