The City Council of Manila, noting the increasing costs of funeral services, approved on third and final reading the “Unang Abuloy ng Maynila” – Death Benefits Ordinance of 2023 at a regular session held last Thursday, 14 December 2023.
Authored by Councilor Salvador Philip Lacuna of the Sixth District, the Ordinance provides for financial assistance in the amount of ₱3,000 to the bereaved family of a deceased resident of Manila, apart from a token worth ₱1,000.
The benefits shall be given to the surviving spouse, in the absence of whom they shall be awarded instead to the next of kin in the following order: children, parents, siblings, grandchildren, and aunts and uncles.
”This Ordinance will help the families left behind cope with rising burial expenses that tend to aggravate their suffering”, remarked Lacuna on the sidelines of the session.
For the family to become eligible for the assistance, the decedent should be, at the time of his or her death, a bona fide resident or registered voter in Manila. In the case of deceased minors, however, any one of their parents should be a resident or registered voter in the city.
The Manila Department of Social Welfare shall take the lead in implementing the ordinance, while being assisted by the Civil Registry Office of Manila, Manila Barangay Bureau, and the Liga ng mga Barangay.
