{"id":287949,"date":"2018-11-02T06:06:45","date_gmt":"2018-11-01T20:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=287949"},"modified":"2018-11-02T06:06:45","modified_gmt":"2018-11-01T20:06:45","slug":"loved-ones-should-not-be-forgotten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/loved-ones-should-not-be-forgotten\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Loved ones should not be forgotten\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
A gravesite is riddled with Super Typhoon Yutu debris as family members clean up the site.\u00a0(Erwin Encinares)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite the widespread devastation of Super Typhoon Yutu, many Saipan residents still managed to make the traditional visit to the graves of their departed loved ones during yesterday\u2019s All Saint\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

With many areas of the Chalan Kanoa cemetery still riddled with debris such as roofing tins and some fallen trees, some families were able to use the opportunity to remember their loved ones.<\/p>\n

For the Tudela family, who drops by the cemetery each year, remembering their departed loved ones is a way of giving back to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a yearly thing here in the Chamorro culture. It\u2019s just a religious thing. They helped us a lot, and we can\u2019t repay them for what they had done for us,\u201d said Alvin Tudela, who was visiting his parents, grandparents, uncles, aunties, and some other family members when Saipan Tribune chanced upon him and his spouse, Zoranelle Camacho and daughter, Alana.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though we had a big storm, we still try our best to fulfill [our annual duties],\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an appreciation for them too. Every day is an appreciation for them,\u201d he added. \u201cWe are trying to show them that we are here. It\u2019s a good way to express gratitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife, Zoranelle, believes that remembering their loved ones on All Saint\u2019s Day is also a way to get some breathing air from the challenges of Yutu, \u201cthe devastation and how everybody is suffering,\u201d adding that she and her family are not exempted from the hardship. \u201cFor us, family is always first, even though they are deceased. At least there is a remembrance in our heart and soul,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Robert Cepeda, who was also at the cemetery, told Saipan Tribune that he finds a way to visit his father, no matter the situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to check if there is damage in the cemetery. We have to clean it; we have to take care of it, make it beautiful,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cepeda was with his aunt at his father\u2019s gravesite, cutting overgrown grass and weeding the area. \u201cEvery [All Saint\u2019s Day] I visit my father,\u201d he said. Cepeda visits his father\u2019s grave to repaint the site and maintain it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sometimes visit with my family and my brothers, with my friends at times,\u201d he said. Cepeda said he repaints the site every year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite the widespread devastation of Super Typhoon Yutu, many Saipan residents still managed to make…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":287950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[23161,23162,38,23107],"class_list":["post-287949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-alvin-tudela","tag-robert-cepeda","tag-saipan-tribune","tag-super-typhoon-yutu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=287949"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/287949\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=287949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=287949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=287949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}