This is unfortunate timing — what with All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day so close.
The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in Taguig City has been temporarily closed to the public because of the US government shutdown. The gates have been locked.
“On its website, the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) posted a notice, saying that ABMC cemeteries and memorials are closed due to a lack of funding for its operations. The ABMC said it would resume normal operations when a new funding measure is passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President of the United States,” reports Mike Frialde in The Philippine Star.
According to the report, the U.S. government shutdown “forced the closure of all 24 overseas war cemeteries maintained by the ABMC in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Britain, Italy, Panama, Mexico, Tunisia, and the Philippines.”
