As the cost of dying has become a burden akin to the challenges of living, the House Committee on Trade and Industry approved a measure aimed at ensuring access to affordable caskets and funeral services for grieving families.
Upon the passage of House Bill (HB) 102 into law, Deputy Speaker Vincent Franco D. Frasco said the legislation is poised to offer social protections to the “most economically vulnerable segments of society.”
Under HB 102 or the proposed “Affordable Casket Act,” all funeral establishments will be required to maintain the availability of decent caskets that would cost not more than P20,000 (around $360.13). The scope of the bill was further expanded during the Committee deliberations with the P20,000 cap now to include not only caskets but also funeral expenses.
Frasco said the harsh reality faced by many Filipinos, where the financial burden of dying mirrors the challenges of living.
“In the Philippines, the cost of dying has become a burden akin to the challenges of living. Many Filipinos are born in poverty, and unfortunately, they often pass away in similar circumstances,” the lawmaker said in his sponsorship speech.
“With steep funeral and burial costs, one can only imagine the painful experience that grief-stricken Filipino families go through when facing not only the loss of their loved ones, but also the financial burden brought about by high-costs funeral expenses,” Frasco added.
The price of caskets ranges from P5,000 to P110,000, with the availability of lower priced caskets often limited and even unavailable in most funeral parlors. Funeral expenses further compound soaring costs of dying in the country.
With Frasco’s “Affordable Caskets Act,” if there is no affordable casket available and the deceased is indigent or extremely poor as duly certified by a Barangay Chairman or a social worker, the funeral establishment will be obliged to offer a casket of any higher value, but the price to be paid will still not exceed P20,000 to include funeral expenses.
Under the proposed measure, Funeral parlors found in violation will face fines ranging from P200,000 to P400,000, or the revocation of their business permits or related licenses.
Being a former mayor of Liloan town in the Province of Cebu, Frasco said he had seen firsthand the financial burden a poor and indigent family would face after losing a loved one with mounting funeral expenses often leading to families not only suffering grief but also indebtedness.
“Regulating the sale of caskets and funeral expenses will greatly relieve grief-stricken families of the added financial burden, and preserve the human dignity of our fellow Filipinos, both in life and in death,” added Frasco.
During the House Committee hearing, attended by representatives and stakeholders from the funeral services industry, there was a unanimous agreement to expand the bill’s scope to include all funeral services, ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing the financial challenges associated with end-of-life arrangements in the Philippines.
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