The cost of dying in PH

DEPARTED LOVED ONES. Caretakers of the Libingan ng mga Bayani clean the tombs of our fallen heroes ahead of the observance of the All Saints Day and All Souls Day, on Monday (Oct. 28, 2019). November 1 and 2 have been declared as special non-working days under Proclamation No. 555, series of 2018, issued by President Rodrigo Duterte, to strengthen family ties by providing more time to observe their most cherished tradition of visiting loved ones during the period. (PNA Photo by Avito C. Dalan)

MANILA — There are a lot of reasons to revel as we get older, but having to ponder about the cost of death isn’t one of them.

But everyone dies. It comes as no great surprise and is inevitable, but the question is — are we financially prepared for death in the family?

Zooming into the country, how much does it cost to die in the Philippines?

Memorial plans

Funeral packages include memorial plans with money-back-guarantee for those preparing their life’s end and one-time payments for families.

Dr. Mildred Vitangcol, Chairman of the Board of St. Peter Life Plan Inc., cited the importance of having memorial life plans for Filipinos, especially building relationships without the fear of the concept of death or dying.

“It is very important to have a death care plan. If you don’t have any insurance coverage, or if you are not aware of how difficult it is not to have a plan especially when you lose your loved ones. It’s really an important investment wherein it’s available when the family would need it,” she said.

“It will be more expensive for you if you don’t have the life plan,” she said.

St. Peter’s Plan Inc. offers services from high-end clients to the poorest of the poor in the Philippines through its Death Care Memorial Plan.

“We have a selection of wooden and metal caskets and low-climate caskets which are also imported from the U.S. and we offer high-end casket for the family do have more budget in their funeral activities,” she said.

St. Peter’s, she says, offers the most affordable plan which is at PHP700 a month or PHP38,800 under St. George Plan and the new St. Gregory Plan worth PHP38,200 or PHP725 per month, both payable in five years.

It also offers top of the line plans like St. John Plan which comes with a more elegant casket for PHP300,000 or PHP5,700 monthly.

“We also introduce a money-back guarantee. We are offering a package at the liking of our client. The amount of the product is fixed and will be paid for a five-year span, it’s either paid annually or monthly. Our commitment is to return to the person the money invested,” she added.

There are a number of ways to cut funeral costs. Or if you cannot avail of paying monthly memorial plans, you just have to look for a funeral parlor that offers the best deal of memorial services without breaking your pockets.

Renato Mendoza started his funeral parlor called Norsam Memorial Chapels, which has been offering low-cost price funeral services among poor Filipinos.

Mendoza, who once delivered tombstones to funerals, says he knows how to live with just enough for daily living.

“I was once a deliverer of tombstones, I worked hard for a living until such time that I had my own funeral parlor. All the hard works are paid off and now I am able to help the families of the dead ones through my funeral,” he shared in an interview.

“We had just started a casket making before. We offer a lowest cost of a funeral at PHP28, 000 and it doesn’t matter how long the funeral activities are, we don’t ask for additional payment for that,” he said.

“The offer includes 50 pieces of coffee, flowers, limitless funeral and death documents,” he added.

Now, Mendoza Funeral Homes offers a one-stop-shop for poor families who can’t afford to have a memorial life plan.

Funeral homes offer packages include embalming, coffins and wake arrangements.

“We offer casket for the middle-class families and provide a casket for the poorest of the poor,” he said.

Cremation

Another dying cost to consider is cremation. The cost of the memorial lot depends on the location.

The government-run public cemetery offers much cheaper or could be free, depending on the status of the living family of the dead. That’s what Manila North Cemetery Director Roselle Castaneda explains.

“We are doing interviews for the family of the dead and checking an endorsement from DSWD, or from the office of the mayor or the barangay captains, that we can assess if the family belongs to the poorest of the poor,” she said.

“The family has to comply with the death certificate and burial permit, ” she added.

The costs of burying the dead may be heavy, but for many Filipinos, this doesn’t matter, so long as their loved ones are provided with a decent burial and funeral.