Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27) – A lawmaker on Friday proposed a measure seeking to grant free funeral services for poor Filipino families.
Senator Raffy Tulfo filed Senate Bill (SB) No. 1695 also known as “Free Funeral Services Act” that aims to institutionalize a provision of burial assistance that offers free funeral services.
“Funerals are integral rites that allow families to grieve and mourn the loss of their departed loved ones, but death, for many poor families, can also equate to a crippling amount of debt and evidently a heavy burden for those left behind,” the bill read.
In the bill’s explanatory note, Tulfo stressed that funeral and burial services in the country can range from ₱10,000 to ₱100,000.
While there are programs that help indigent families such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) burial assistance of up to 10,000 pesos worth of benefits, the assistance is not yet institutionalized, it added.
“As such, many poor families are not only wracked with grief but also deep financial stress that may even lead them to borrow funds from lenders with high-interest rates,” it added.
Families that are entitled to free funeral services under the bill are those whose combined gross income does not exceed ₱15,000 per month and do not own real property or a vehicle.
Eligible families need to secure the following:
– Certificate of Indigency
– Death certificate
– Funeral contract between the beneficiary-family, the accredited mortuary, and the authorized DSWD personnel
Free services under SB 1695 will include: preparation of funeral documents, embalming, viewing, and burial or cremation.
The standard package of funeral services will cover the following:
– Transfer of the deceased from the place of death to the mortuary for embalming and applying of cosmetics within a 25-kilometer radius of the mortuary;
– An ordinary Plain Casket and casket stand for viewing of body or urn in case of cremation;
– Two to three days of viewing outside the funeral chapels such as the Barangay Hall or residence of the family;
– Use of funeral viewing equipment including lighting and arania; and
– Use of funeral vehicle for interment within a 25-kilometer radius from the place of viewing to the place of burial.
Interment (only on weekdays and on official time, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. Until 5:00 p.m., except on regular holidays)
