De Lima wants gov’t to aid indigents on funeral expenses By Benjamin B. Pulta 03/28/2011

De Lima wants gov’t to aid indigents on funeral expenses

By Benjamin B. Pulta 03/28/2011
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is recommending an expanded program for the government to subsidize funeral services for indigents.

In a legal opinion, De Lima said “promissory notes” from the indigent families may not be the realistic workable solution for the rising cost of dying.

Secretary Ma. Lourdes Mendoza, committee on poverty alleviation-House of Representatives, Batasan Complex, Quezon City, sought a legal opinion for the official position of the Department of Justice (DoJ) regarding House Bill 3751 entitled “An Act Prohibiting the Detention of Bodies in Funeral Homes and Morgues on Grounds of Non-Payment of Embalment or Any Other Funeral Services.”

While there is a law that prohibits the detention of bodies by funeral homes and morgues due to unpaid payments of embalment, De Lima said the government should render assistance to indigents who cannot afford to pay for the funeral expenses of their deceased relatives..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20110328met1.html