All Department of Health (DOH) hospitals and health centers are under a "Code White Alert" to address emergencies on All Saints' and All Souls' days. The DOH also encouraged people to report any health or health-related incidents to the Health Emergency Management Staff (HEMS) through their hotlines:
711-1001, or 711-1002. A Code White Alert is declared when there is a mass gathering or national event. The alert means that medical teams will be ready for deployment when a mass casualty incident occurs or when local government units request for their assistance. The alert means hospitals will be ready with manpower like general and orthopedic surgeons, operating room nurses and internists. Emergency service, nursing and administrative personnel residing at the hospital dormitory will also be "on call" for immediate mobilization. All Souls' Day, November 2, is a Catholic feast day for remembering the dead. However, millions of Filipinos start flocking to cemeteries as early as November 1, All Saints' Day, also a Catholic feast for honoring all saints, both those who are known and the unknown. Many Filipinos even start visiting cemeteries on Halloween (also known as All Hallows' Eve), October 31, the eve of All Saints' Day (previously called All Hallows' Day). Bring your own food Meanwhile, Health Secretary Enrique Ona advised the public to bring their own food and water when going to cemeteries to avoid diarrhea and food poisoning. He warned against patronizing ambulant food peddlers inside cemeteries, saying that the safety and sanitation of these foods are doubtful as these may have been exposed to dust and other disease-causing organisms. He also advised parents to leave babies and small children at home to prevent them from contracting diseases due to heat and congestion. Ona also appealed to transport owners to deploy more buses to bring people to provinces and aviod overcrowding and overloading of passengers, which oftentimes are the causes of accidents. Trauma cases HEMS' Dr. Ronald Law said in an interview that trauma cases are expected, especially because people are expected to be either in crowded cemeteries, or at parties, or vacations during the long weekend. The HEMS operations center will be on alert on November 1 and 2 to monitor any health or health-related emergencies. "The usual trauma cases are stab wounds, related to alcoholic drinking or traffic altercations," he said. He added that heat strokes are also common, especially on a hot day in a congested cemetery. Law added that asthma cases are also common because of smoke coming from candles. –VVP, GMANews.TV 
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