by Lilanaiah Reyes, Miguel Antonio Magrata, and Leonard Andrei Cabalona
“Isang kahig, isang tuka.”
[Having enough to get by.]
Filipinos are now struggling to sustain their living expenses due to the rising inflation rate in the Philippines, but will it also impact the dead?
Based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), as of November 2022, the inflation rate escalates to 8.0% from 7.7% of the previous month, setting the Philippines a new record high since 2008.
With such a large percentage, it is hard for those making minimum or below minimum wage to maintain the country's standard of living.
What more to prepare for their future?
That being said, preparing for death such as having a memorial plan has become the least priority for some Filipinos, which in the end leaves the burden of funeral debts to their bereaved families.
Funeral expenses vary depending on how grand or simple a funeral is. As it includes separate expenses from mortuary services (embalming, casket, flowers, candles, lamps, etc.), wake arrangement to the final resting place (memorial lot), the bereaved family–especially if it is of middle and lower class–often resort to borrowing money and hope that donations can somehow reduce, if not cover the expenses.
In the Philippines, having buried in memorial parks are considered high end and more expensive compared to public cemeteries.
An apartment-style cemetery in Santa Maria, Bulacan, for example, has a standard annual charge of 1,000 pesos and is subject to renewal; if the family fails to pay for years, the remains will be removed.
Meanwhile, the price of a lawn lot at The Galilee Park Memorial Gardens and Mortuary in Malolos, Bulacan, varies from 85,000 to 95,000 pesos depending on where the grave is located. This fee just covers the site where the deceased would be interred; other funeral costs are not included.
Annie, a coordinator at Galilee Park, claimed that the costs were far higher than they had previously been.
“Tumaas kami ng after five years. Kasi dati ang lote namin is 61 [thousand] ngayon ay naging 85 [thousand], naging 95,550. Sa mahal din kasi ng tax natin dito sa Malolos… Kasi kami one time payment lang ang clients namin ng tax pero kami every year. ‘Eh ang appraisal n’yan tumataas, so wala kami, hindi kami… basta naibigay na namin yung presyo, ‘yun na.” the staff said.
[We increased after five years. Because before our lot was 61 [thousand] now it became 85 [thousand], it became 95,550. Because our tax is expensive here in Malolos... Because our clients only pay us tax once, but we pay every year. The appraisal is going up, so we don't have anything, we don't… as long as we have given the price, that's it.]
Moreso, if the family wishes to build a mausoleum for their loved ones, it will cost around 1.4 to 1.8 million pesos depending on the lot’s size.
Some have found funeral lots as profitable investment, but Annie pointed out that there’s more to those lots than profit.
"Alam nyo naman ang takbo pagdating sa value ng lupa, hindi pababa. Pataas. Mantakin mo, 2.44 sq. meters 85,550 na. O di ba ganun lang siya kaliit. Pero iyon ang kahalagahan naman niya kasi maliit siyang lote pero kung wala ka nyan, saan ka ililibing di ba?"
"Iyon minsan ang nakakalimutan ng, tayo mismo. Kasi ako lately ko na lang na-realize na kailangan ko rin magpundar, kaya kukuha ako ng hulugan din. Although siguro na nga lang advantage tauhan kami, pwede kaming mamili ng lote, " she said.
[You already know that land’s value doesn’t go down, but up. Imagine, a 2.44 sq. meter lot is worth 85,550 pesos? That’s such a small lot. But that shows how significant it is because it is indeed a small lot, but where would you be buried without it?]
[We tend to forget that ourselves. Lately, I realized the need to invest, that’s why I’m planning to get an installment plan here. Our advantage as workers though is that we can choose our preferred lots.]
For funeral viewing and ceremonies, they provided a multi-purpose chapel similar to other memorial establishments which costs 7,500 to 9,000 pesos per night. The package only included luxurious air-conditioned rooms, complete domestic equipment, and tables and chairs for the guests and does not include mortuary services such as lamps, flowers, etc., as it will be provided by a separate funeral parlor.
All of which are only available to those who have between 100,000 and 1.5 million pesos, but for a typical Filipino, it will be difficult to obtain that much money when making ends meet is their priority.
M.A. Nunag Funeral Services, with its main office located in Paombong, Bulacan and a branch at Brgy. Lugam in Malolos City, is one of the funeral parlors that offer affordable packages. Even with the pandemic and current inflation, their prices remained the same.
“Hindi siya nagbago ng presyo, pareho pa rin mula nung pandemic hanggang ngayon, walang nagbago kasi sarili nilang gawa dito”. Depende na lang kung gusto ng client na magdagdag ng bulaklak na sobrang dami, natural meron yun konting additional charge,” the secretary said.
[They didn’t change the price, it is still the same from the pandemic until now, there are no changes because they make their own caskets. It depends, if the client wants more flowers, then naturally there will be an additional charge.]
M.A. Nunag’s cheapest package includes flowers, tent, candle, table and chairs, water dispenser with 10 gallons of mineral water, tarpaulin, and an interment car as ‘freebies’. While higher packages include the deceased’s framed picture, balloons, interment, bottled mineral water, flowers, car and carriage on top of the ‘freebies’.
The secretary added, “Yung package po na bente [thousand pesos], pwede nyo pa po makuha ng 17 [thousand pesos], nagbibigay po kami ng discount. Malaki din po ang discount nung mga namatay na senior basta may ID card ng senior citizen”.
[Our package that costs 20 [thousand pesos], you can get it for only 17 [thousand pesos], we give discounts. Huge discount is also given if the deceased is a senior citizen as long as he or she has a card.]
“Madali po kausap si Nunag (owner). Naglilibing po ‘yan kahit wala pang bayad yung serbisyo basta nangangakong magbabayad. Ganon siya kasi naiintindihan niya yung buhay mahirap”, she further added.
[Nunag (owner) is easy to speak with.They proceed with the interment even if the service has not been paid yet, as long as the bereaved family promise to pay. He’s like that because he understands that life is difficult.]
While many opt to have the funeral viewing at home in order to save a little, still the expenses will not stop as food has to be provided to the sympathizers all throughout the viewing until interment.
Can funeral businesses be held accountable for how difficult and expensive modern burials are? No.
Even before the inflation rate dramatically increased, funerary and mortuary businesses are struggling to survive their livelihood, made worse by the emergence of COVID-19. Back then, expenses started to increase due to health protocols in interment and cremation so they left no choice but to raise the price for their services.
As it was external factors that drive the inflation which cannot be controlled by either business owners nor the consumers, both are left with no choice but to find ways to thrive. It is just saddening and pitiful that at the end of this societal issue, citizens bear the heaviest burden, especially those whose income is enough only for everyday basic necessities.
Indeed, living and dying decently are both struggles.
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