Instead of gift certificates, home appliances, gadgets, or hotel promos, the Philippine Mortuary Association (PMA) chose their own products as raffle prizes for their Christmas party -- colorful caskets tied with ribbons.
The Christmas party which was held in Las Pinas has gone viral on social media particularly the display of colorful caskets tied with ribbons rolling out the stage as the host turned the wheel for the program's raffle segment.
This has been a tradition by the PMA, a non-profit organization of funeral and mortuary owners and constituents.
"We always raffle (off) caskets. We gave around six to seven caskets that they keep safe for now ," said Ferdinand Matthew Reyes, president of the PMA, in an interview with GMA News.
Tita Kei, digital content creator and host of the program, told GMA News that she was nervous standing near so many coffins but still put on a brave face to continue hosting.
"Sinong excited mag-uwi ng casket? Bigyan ng casket!" Kei said in the viral videos.
Some raffle winners have not yet claimed their coffins saying they could not possibly bring home their prizes for obvious reasons.
Mhay Resma, one of the winners, said she opted to allow her company to donate the casket that she had won.
The price of caskets usually range from P100,000 to P2,000,000, said Jordan Miranda, committee organizer and spokesman of the PMA, in a Reporter's Notebook segment.
Aside from caskets, the organization also gave away formaldehyde for embalming procedures and urns as raffle prizes.