Philippines
Metro Manila
Manila gives P3,000 funeral assistance to bereaved families
Manila gives P3,000 funeral assistance to bereaved families
At least P3,000 worth of funeral assistance will be given to bereaved families of city residents who have recently died as Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan signed the City Ordinance No. 9019 that took effect on Monday, Jan. 22.
The city ordinance, known as “Unang Abuloy ng Maynila-Death Benefits Ordinance of 2023”, was filed by Sixth Councilor Salvador Philip Lacuna to help lessen the burden of mourning families by expediting the process of request for death benefits assistance from the different offices at the Manila City Hall.
Mayor Honey thanked the Manila City Council headed by Vice Mayor and Presiding Officer John Marvin “Yul Servo” Nieto, Majority Floor leader Atty. Jhong Isip and Councilor Philip for the unanimous and swift passage of the ordinance.
Under the ordinance, the city government will provide funeral assistance of at least P3,000 worth or a Sympathy Card or any token with an equivalent value of not more than P1,000 to qualified beneficiaries.
She said the City of Manila shall allocate a substantial amount for the implementation of the ordinance under its Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE).
Under the ordinance, Councilor Philip said the surviving legal spouse of the deceased would be the primary beneficiary of the death benefit.
Should there be no surviving spouse of the deceased, the benefits shall be given to relatives under the following order:
1. Children
2. Parents
3. Siblings
4. Grandchildren
5. Aunts
6. Uncles
However, the deceased residents should be verified as a bonafide resident of the City of Manila and a duly registered voter of the City of Manila at the time of his or her death.
For deceased minors, the parents should be registered voters and, or residents of the City of Manila.
The following are the requirements that should be submitted by the claimant of the "Unang Abuloy sa Maynila" Death Benefit:
- Duly filled-up Claimants' Form issued by the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW);
- A certified true copy of the Death Certificate;
- Duly notarized original copy of the funeral contract;
- Valid government-issued identification card of the relative/representative;
- Valid government-issued identification card of the deceased and Barangay Certificate of Residency of the deceased.
The mayor said that the lead department for the implementation of the said ordinance shall be the Manila Department of Social Welfare (MDSW) headed by Re Fugoso with the assistance of the Civil Registry Office of Manila headed by Encar Ocampo.
The Liga ng mga Barangay under Councilor Lei Lacuna and Manila Barangay Bureau are tasked to help in gathering pertinent data such as reports of death and distribution of death benefits.
In the last three years, Councilor Philip noted that the Manila City Civil Registry Office has recorded an average of 11,000 Death Certificate applications per annum, which are mostly bonafide residents of the City of Manila.
"To express sympathy and gratitude to its dearly departed constituents, and considering the escalating costs of burial services nowadays, the City Government of Manila recognizes the need to further support its citizens by providing primary financial assistance as well as emotional support to their bereaved families," the councilor stated.