CEBU CITY, Philippines — A village councilor in Barangay Mambaling noted the rise of cost for burial services from funeral parlors in their barangay.
Councilor Anne Marie Palomo told CDN Digital that she noticed this when she recently assisted at least 10 families from their village who had to bury their loved ones. These families sought help since they couldn’t pay for the burial.
“Nagkamahal man intawon ning pagpalubong sa mga patay,” she said.
(The expenses for burial has become more expensive.)
“Ang ubang punerarya magpa downpayment man gyod sila og half unya P20,000 ilang lungon. Ang menteryo pagpalubong lang P5,ooo to P7,000 na,” she added.
(Some funeral homes ask for a dow payment of at least half of the total fee and then they now charge P20,000 for a coffin. Even cemeteries charge P5,000 to P7,000 for burial.)
Normally, coffins would start at P10,000 while burial fees in public cemeteries start at around P3,000.
Palomo said she was concerned about this spike because the residents of their village have not been able to work properly in the last three months and many of the residents have lost their jobs or sources of income due to the continuing threat of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Read: RIATF backs proposal to lift lockdown in Alaska Mambaling – captain
Alaska Mambaling, a densely populated residential area in Barangay Mambaling, was once the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hotspot in Cebu City when it documented close to 700 cases. But majority of the patients from this community have already recovered from the disease.
The councilor said the Cebu City government is providing for funeral assistance, but oftentimes it takes three months to process.
“Mao na among hangyo sa city government unta ang ilang funeral assistance immediate ang release, aron pud dili magka utang-utang atong katawhan para lang malubong ilang mga nipanaw nga pamilya,” she said.
(This is why we plead with the city government to immediately release the funeral assistance so that the public will not wallow in debt just to bury their dead.)
Palomo also urged the funeral homes in Mambaling to serve the families without downpayment and allow them to sign a promissory note to pay in the near future once the funeral assistance is released.
The village councilor hopes the city government can provide a solution to this dilemma of the ordinary residents who are struggling amidst the pandemic. /bmjo