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A Cebu City Council wants to increase the burial assistance that the city government may extend to the families of indigent residents who have passed away.
Councilor Gerardo Carillo, author of the proposal, also sought new guidelines in the disbursement of the assistance.
In his measure, Carillo proposed to increase the funeral service subsidy for the deceased from P5,000 to P8,000, to be paid directly to the funeral parlor. He said the city can extend a separate P10,000 financial assistance directly to the family.
The City Council has referred the proposal to City Hall's Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS) for study, since the department is usually tasked to handle these disbursements.
In City Hall’s last supplemental budget, DSWS was allocated P13.4 million for its programs, which includes burial and medical assistance, among others.
If Carillo's proposal pushes through, new guidelines would have to be drawn up for it.
Carillo said the funeral assistance should only be extended for qualified indigents who were residents of the city.
He also proposed that the P8,000 assistance for funeral services be only given to funeral parlors accredited by the city.
Carillo hoped that the new guidelines would not only seek to defray the expenses of the family of the deceased, but also allow the city to hasten the disbursement of funds.
