Living with the Dead A Qualitative Study on the Social Well-being of Filipino Families Living in Cemeteries in Cebu City

Cemeteries are built to serve as the homes for the dead. In the Philippines, these cemeteries are also home to the living. This research aspires to explore the social well-being of the families residing in the cemeteries as it aims to spread the awareness of the status of these families to the government and to the entire citizen in the country while it expands the knowledge related to this topic for future research. This study utilized a qualitative research design where researchers interviewed six residents from three public cemeteries. The responses were transcribed and analyzed through coding and thematic analysis. The series of questions were derived from the themes of the theory used for this study’s framework. As a result of completing the procedure, the researchers learned that the prevailing reasons of their domicile are due to livelihood plausibility, geographical and generational displacement. The lives of the respondents in the cemetery can be described as those faced with challenges. These include sustaining livelihood, ensuring security and safety and building socio-political significance. This research implies that the families are socially well according to Keyes’ social well-being theory in general as they were able to function and contribute in the society. This study increases understanding of an unconventional lifestyle in the cemeteries and could be a basis for future research similar to this topic.

Keywords – Filipino families, Keyes’ Social Well-being Theory, living in cemeteries, well-being