Dying in the Philippines
Dying is not cheap here in my country. With this in mind lots of Filipinos have opted to avail of pre-need memorial plans to ensure that in case of their death their bodies would be properly taken cared of and not be left in a hospital morgue to rot or some medical school as cadaver to be dissected and studdied by some medical students. A pre-need memorial plan aims to free the grieving relatives ... especially those who are poor and marginalized ... the burden of paying the cost of burial expenses.
Some memorial plans take five years to pay with a monthly payment of five hundred fifty pesos. Included are funeral services, a coffin and three days use of one of their chapels for free. What's not included is the memorial lot!
Image Credit » the photo 'm using in this article is from my (Carmela's) very own collection of photos
Comments
sheilagamo wrote on December 2, 2014, 9:10 PM
This is so true. That is why it is wise to get a memorial plan so your relatives won't be left with this problem if that comes knocking on the door
manni wrote on December 3, 2014, 1:49 AM
the same applies to my country too while conducting the death rituals. the cost is high
scheng1 wrote on December 3, 2014, 1:59 AM
That is why death is a big business. If you want to find a really permanent job, be an undertaker.
Ruby3881 wrote on December 3, 2014, 3:20 AM
Is 550 pesos a lot of money for someone to pay each month? The converted amount seems very low to me. In Canada it would cost two or three times this amount to have just the cremation and a single day's use of the chapel for a few hours. No coffin or burial urn included, nor any embalming services either. A funeral with embalming for the viewing, inexpensive coffin, etc. would likely cost on the order of five or six times as much, not including the cost of the burial plot.
HappyLady wrote on December 3, 2014, 3:59 AM
I don't think a a funeral is cheap here either. I know the last person close to me who was bereaved really struggled even here in the UK with grants and benefits.
tafmona wrote on December 3, 2014, 1:44 PM
oh my God, this is so sad, I wish everybody in this world was able to be comfortable and even be send off with some honour
carmela wrote on December 3, 2014, 5:39 PM
it is sad sometimes to see members of the grieving family go into debt just to pay for the very expensive burial cost.
carmela wrote on December 3, 2014, 5:46 PM
memorial lots are also very expensive here. for those of us who cant afford these expensive lots ...we take the option to bury our dead in a public cemetery
carmela wrote on December 3, 2014, 5:53 PM
added to the grief of loosing a beloved family member is the high cost of burial
carmela wrote on December 3, 2014, 6:06 PM
to be honest ... death is indeed a good business but i just dont have the courage to be an undertaker :(
carmela wrote on December 3, 2014, 7:20 PM
550 pesos is fairly affordable but it does eat up on the budget for someone who has to pay for rent, electric bill, water bill etc.
dying in Canada is more expensive than dying here in my country.
carmela wrote on December 3, 2014, 7:28 PM
its really sad cause there is no way the cost can be avoided by the grieving family
carmela wrote on December 3, 2014, 8:13 PM
its the responsibility of every member of the family to give their dead family member an honourable burial no matter how costly it might be for them
Ruby3881 wrote on December 4, 2014, 4:31 AM
So sad that dying anywhere is as expensive as it's become! People used to make the casket themselves and bury the loved one on the family's own land. Costs were minimal, and neighbours helped...
laksh wrote on December 6, 2014, 12:50 PM
I'm really amazed to know the kind of services they are coming up with these days... and it's sad that fellow humans don't help in such rituals.. Where is the world going?
carmela wrote on December 8, 2014, 1:40 AM
though its the sole responsiblity of the immediate members of the family to shoulder the cost of burial expenses ... other relatives and friends do help out by giving alms or providing food during the wake.
scheng1 wrote on December 8, 2014, 7:40 AM
Over here, it is tough to be a funeral palour owner. Many people request for all kinds of funeral styles, eg Buddhist style, Taoist style, Muslim style, Hindu style, and different Chinese dialects style.
carmela wrote on December 8, 2014, 11:55 AM
to be honest i am glad the practice of burying the loved one on the family's own land has been stopped because lands change ownership and also land use may also change.