Cost of dying in the Philippines; Can we afford to die?

CEBU, Philippines - Planning for the inevitable such as death may sound like a morbid plan, but it actually makes sense because come to think of it, the cost of dying is in fact as steep as the cost of living.

Even dying these days don't come cheap, it can range from thousands of pesos to as high as a million. The big question now is, can we afford to die?

Dying isn't a usual topic that anyone would like to dwell on, but since each one of us will eventually get there in God's time, let's check out how the cost of dying adds up.

Expenses

For traditional funeral services, the cost could range from P30,000 to as high as P1.2 million.

Kate Dychangcho-Anzani, vice president and business development head for Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes Inc., said that in urban areas or in large communities, per-service offer is no longer applicable as the industry has already evolved into an all-in-one full service provider for the death care sector, which means rates now come in complete memorial service packages.

A complete memorial service package means the funeral home takes care of everything including the processing of documents such as the death certificate and other government processes, embalming, casket, wake/viewing venue, among others.

Companies like Cosmopolitan, St. Peter Funeral Homes and other big players in the industry have employed this system, which in a way also eases the burden of the bereaved families as complying with all the paperworks can be too taxing for a family who just lost a loved one.

Despite these offers, other Filipino families would still opt to hold the wake of their dearly departed at home or in a community chapel to save on costs. However, even if the venue involves no payment, still the family has to shoulder the rent of the lights, electric candles, curtains, and other incidentals for an average expense of a thousand pesos or more per day.

On top of the funeral expenses is the cost of memorial plots in cemeteries. The rate of memorial plans starts from P100,000 or higher, which can be paid on the spot or through monthly amortization of P1,000 to P3,000 for three to five years payment term.

Even in public cemeteries, which are mostly crowded or 'fully-booked,' grave lots or apartment-type burial chambers do not come for free. Rental fee is pegged at P1,000 per year or may vary depending on the place and communities.

And while traditional funeral rites entail a menu of expenses, cremation on the other hand, which is now slowly gaining ground in the country, is perceived to be a less costly option.

Cost of cremation starts from P25,000 to P150,000 and while memorial lots can go up as high as a million, urns for cremated remains may only cost  around  P12,000 to P80,000.

Anzani said a family can spend a little less if they opt for direct cremation, which means the body will be cremated in less than 24 hours after death. The process saves the family from incidental expenses such as embalming, memorial chapel rental, and refreshments during the wake.

However, Anzani said direct cremation is still rarely practiced among Filipinos who, until now are still widely traditional who want to view the body of their dear departed before being cremated. Thus, more often than not, embalming and memorial services remain on the list of expenses even with the option for cremation.

Moreover, the cremated remains are placed in a pressurized jar or urn, prices of which range from P12,000 to as high as P80,000 or more, depending on the kind of materials the urn is made of.

Anzani said the Department of Health and even the Catholic Church are discouraging the practice of bringing the urn of cremated remains at home or disposing the ashes to the ocean for sanitary sensitivities. Just like coffins, urns should likewise be placed in memorial parks or cemeteries.

Cremated or not, families of the departed still need to purchase a proper resting place for their loved ones.

And no matter how others try to omit them, flowers will always be part of the funeral proceedings. Flower sellers at the Freedom Park in Carbon Market in Cebu City offer a wide array of flower arrangements for funerals. 

Nene Arcayan, 53, said prices of funeral flowers may vary depending on the size and the type of  flowers used. Simple flower arrangements are pegged at P150 to P500 while flower wreaths with stand cost around P800 to P5,000.

Customers may also choose which flowers to use and how it should look but this could mean additional costs, the flower vendor said. Orchids are way more expensive compared to ordinary ones, she shared.

Another funeral essential is the tombstone or 'lapida', which means additional outlay of P500 to P5,000.

Calamba and Carreta cemeteries are two of Cebu City's public burial places where tombstone engravers are making a living.

In these cemeteries, lapida makers offer cheap tombstones that are made of marble pegged between P500 to P1,000 depending on the design and the number of letters to be engraved on the slate.

Engravers also cut stainless steel plates and bronze, which are more expensive and form them into letters that are then placed on the gravestone.

Black granite-made tombstones are relatively more expensive, which could cost between P3,000 to P5,000 each.

This breakdown of funeral expenses suffice it to say that even the simplest funeral process is not easy on the pocket but unfortunately most Filipinos find themselves unprepared money-wise when death comes knocking.

Funeral poverty

And while the poverty incidence in the country remains high with millions of Filipino families still deprived of basic needs, funeral poverty on the other hand is also on the rise. Funeral poverty means the cost of funeral services is already beyond the capacity of a person to pay for a decent burial.

Today, the financing aspect of death is one of the main concerns of families who have lost their loved ones.

Charity institutions and Local Government Units  have initiated programs to help indigent constituents with the funeral expenses of their kin who passed away.

For instance, the Cebu City government offers burial assistance of P10,000 cash to families of the deceased.

Bernard Estrada, admin officer at the City Hall's Burial Assistance Office, said they receive an average of 20 to 30 applications for burial aid per day.

"Daghan gyud mangayog burial assistance ilabi na katong mga pobre," he told The FREEMAN in an interview.

To avail of the aid, he said the deceased person should be a permanent resident of Cebu City.

The claimant, he said, should also be a permanent resident of Cebu City and must be the nearest kin who took care of or lived with the deceased immediately prior to death.

According to the order of priority, authorized claimants include the mother or father, husband or wife, children, grandparents, brother, sister, aunt, uncle and nephew or niece.

However, releasing of the P10,000 cash aid would usually take three to five months after the claimant complies with all the requirements.

Janet Calomarde, 31, a resident of Barangay Kalunasan in Cebu City is among those still waiting for the city's cash assistance. Her grandmother died last August.

She said the wake of her grandmother was held in their house to save on cost even if the funeral will take days, rather than worry about rental costs if they had it in a chapel or funeral home.

Her family has already processed the burial requirements and is now waiting for the approval and release of the cash aid.

Estrada said the claimant must present at least two proofs of permanent residence such as any of the following: voter's registration, senior citizens card issued by the city government, tax declaration of properties, utilities bill indicating address in Cebu City, birth certificate, marriage certificate or school records indicating residence in Cebu City.

Other requirements include a letter of endorsement from a barangay official addressed to the mayor, certified true copy of death certificate, letter of request to avail the assistance and a social case study prepared and duly signed by the social worker.

All applications shall be submitted within 60 days from the date of death.

Estrada said the applications have to pass through different offices such as budget/audit office, treasurer's office, Commission on Audit and city administrator's office before they are approved for release.

Applicants will also be interviewed in the process, he said.

At a maximum, the burial aid office releases about 50 cash assistance in a day, he added.

It was in 2011 when the city government took over the implementation of the burial assistance program, which used to be undertaken by selected barangays in the city.

Apart from the cash aid, the city government also used to provide free caskets to those who can't afford, but it has since then been stopped, Estrada said.

Government agencies like Social Security System, DSWD, and other insurance establishments also have cash benefits for members. However, just like with any government office, it can only be claimed after complying with tons of requirements, which could mean a waiting period of at least a few months or even years.

Planning ahead

With funeral costs skyrocketing beyond the means of the poor and the sad reality of funeral poverty now upon us, planning ahead is probably the wisest thing to do.

Death care insurance specialist Marlo Ando said people are now starting to realize that death in the family can be emotionally and financially draining, thus recognizing the need to prepare for the inevitable.

Ando, who has been in the death care insurance industry for over five years now, said that the cost of death is truly overwhelming nowadays, but the option of getting a life insurance has actually saved families from the burden of having to shoulder costly funeral expenses, which has been deemed as a luxury that nobody can opt out.

Ando said that getting a medical doctor to certify the cause of death (which is a pre-requisite for death certificate) would cost at least P750. Medico Legal (for accidents) is P1,050 and autopsy (for accidents or unverified cause of death) is P5,000.

Saint Peter Life Plan, Inc., which flagship product is its chain of funeral homes around the country, already offers all-in-one death care service to plan holders, which means that everything is taken cared of from the death certificate, body retrieval (from hospital or home), preservation/embalming, casket, decent wake, carpet, flowers, curtains, crucifix, modern hearse, nine-day wake or viewing at the residence or chapel, plus modern e-Burol and other services for a cost of at least P625 a month in a five-year plan.

Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes also has a partnership with CFI Community Cooperative for the coop members' funeral insurance costing for as low as P470 renewable annual fee for basic all-in-one funeral services, to as high as P1,800 renewable annual fee for an executive funeral plan.

Maria Pamela Pegarido, a memorial plan holder for several units at an upscale memorial park in the northern part of Cebu, said she is paying a monthly amortization of P1,500 for a five-year plan for a lawn memorial space that can accommodate two coffins and four urns (for cremated bodies).

"Death is something we have to prepare for. It will happen to everybody without exemption. If we save and work hard for our homes while living, we should also do so or at least allocate some for memorial preparations," said Pegarido.

"Dying is truly expensive, but it is something that can be prepared for ahead of time. This way, the bereaved families will be saved from debt or financial burden," shared Pegarido.

Now knowing this funeral expenses that we have to deal with someday in the future makes us think: Which is more expensive, living or dying? Ehda M. Dagooc and Carlo S. Lorenciana (FREEMAN)