Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Jocelyn stands near the casket at the wake of her husband, Cesar Carillo, Friday, dawn. He was abducted by masked men on June 6, then a day later, he was found dead, his body showing signs of torture. Carillo was one of two suspected victims of drug related killings in Navotas June, 9, 2017 Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Funeral

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176032917506220170609-navotas-drug-war--2-JC.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Jocelyn stands near the casket at the wake of her husband, Cesar Carillo, Friday, dawn. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — Indigent families in the Philippines are now entitled to receive free funeral services from the government after a bill pushing for its mandatory implementation nationwide lapsed into law.</p><p>Republic Act. No. 12309 or the Free Funeral Services Act lapsed into law on September 28 after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. neither moved for its approval nor rejection 30 days since Congress transmitted the measure to Malacañang.</p><p>Under the law, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will use its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) fund to shoulder the cost of funeral packages for Filipinos who are classified as “poor” or those “who cannot sustain or provide their minimum basic needs of food, health, education, housing or other essential amenities.”</p><p>Those who were also “affected by calamities, disasters, or other emergency circumstances” may qualify for the programs if there are incidents “that prevent them from affording dignified funeral services.”</p><p>The bereaved family or representative must present a valid ID of the beneficiary, death certificate issued by a hospital or a local health office, and a funeral contract.</p><p>“Funeral establishments granting free services to poor beneficiaries shall be paid the cost of the services by any regional office of the DSWD upon the approval of the regional director,” the bill read.</p><p>“The payment will be based on the stipulations of the signed contract between the representative of the deceased’s family, the funeral establishment and the authorized DSWD personnel,” it read.</p><p>The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will be tasked to monitor and regulate the current market prices of funeral services, &quot;including the price of caskets and urns to prevent undue or excessive price increases.”</p><p>Funeral establishments that would violate this law may be fined up to P200,000 and may be barred from operating up to 6 months.</p><p>Repeated violations will be meted with a fine of up to P400,000 and the revocation of the funeral establishment’s license to operate.</p><p>Individuals or establishments found to have fraudulently availed or facilitated the availment of the free funeral service through false representation, document falsification or collusion may face imprisonment of up to 6 months and slapped with a fine of up to P500,000.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0AiqmtA29N4?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Indigent families in the Philippines are now entitled to receive free funeral services from the government after a bill pushing for its mandatory implementation nationwide lapsed into law.</p>

Indigent families in the Philippines are now entitled to receive free funeral services from the government after a bill pushing for its mandatory implementation nationwide lapsed into law.

Free funeral services for poor now a law in the Philippines

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Free funeral services for poor now a law in the Philippines

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 13, 2025 12:21 PM PHT

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Free Funeral Services Act

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