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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. ____ 
Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representative 
HON. EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA 
AN ACT 
PROVIDNG TEMPORARY FINANCIAL AND COUNSELING 
ASSISTANCE TO AN INDIGENT WIDOW OR WIDOWER THE 
DEATH OF SPOUSE APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTES 
Loss is an inherent certainty of the human experience. It cannot 
be controlled. Death occurs quickly and in a context that lends itself to 
feelings of anxiety, anger, and guilt.  
The erratic nature of who recovers and who dies can increase 
feelings of survivor guilt and ideas that this death was wrong or unfair. 
Much more if the dead spouse is the sole breadwinner of the family the 
degree of grief and pain aggravate the agony of the surviving spouse 
due to financial loss. 
It would go further and suggest that every personal loss such as 
the death of a loved one is a financial loss in some fashion. Indeed, 
every financial loss is a personal and emotional loss. 
Further, the death of a loved one is almost always highly impactful. 
Bereavement may be particularly challenging in the setting of 
widespread community grief and loss. Grief emerges naturally with 
force and intensity and gradually settles down and finds a place in a 
bereaved person’s life as they adapt to the loss.  
March 28, 2023
3:12 pm
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This bill aims to provide temporary assistance to widow and 
widower upon the death of either spouse to alleviate somehow the 
grief, pain and financial impact at the first few days and months of 
bereavement.  
The passage of this Bill is hereby earnestly sought. 
EDUARDO “BRO EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No. ____ 
Introduced by CIBAC Party-List Representative 
HON. EDUARDO “BRO. EDDIE” C. VILLANUEVA 
AN ACT 
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PROVIDING TEMPORARY FINANCIAL AND COUNSELING 
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ASSISTANCE TO THE FAMILY OF AN INDIGENT WIDOW OR 
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WIDOWER UPON THE DEATH OF SPOUSE APPROPRIATING 
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FUNDS THEREFOR 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
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Philippines in Congress assembled: 
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the 
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"Widower and Widow Financial Assistance Act”. 
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      SEC.2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the declared policy of the 
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State to protect the family as the foundation of the nation and it 
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shall strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution 
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strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its total development 
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and welfare. It shall also equally protect the life of the mother and 
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the life of the unborn from conception and promote full 
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employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of 
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life. 
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SEC.3. Definition of terms - The following terms as used in 
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this Act shall mean the following: 
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Widow and Widower - For purposes of this Act, a 
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widow is a woman whose husband died while she was 
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married to him and who has not since remarried, while 
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a widower is a man whose wife died while he was 
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married to her and who has not since remarried 
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respectively.  
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               Temporary Assistance - Shall refer to a financial 
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provision for a period of 3 months with the equivalent 
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amount to minimum wage in the place or region where 
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the widower or widow resides. 
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Indigent - A person who has no visible means of 
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income, or whose income is insufficient for the 
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subsistence of his family, as identified by the 
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Department of Social Welfare and Development 
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(DSWD)  
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SEC.4. Exemption. - Those widow that are under any 
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existing law is entitled already to such assistance of the same kind 
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is not covered by this Act 
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SEC.5. Counseling. A social worker from the barangay 
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where the widow or widower resides will provide “grief counseling”, 
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if a widow or widower is simply struggling to cope with the loss of 
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his/her spouse, he/she may seek grief counseling for the shock, 
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disbelief, feeling numb, even in denial that the loss occurred and 
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to relieve from sadness, despair, loneliness suffered by the 
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grieving family. 
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SEC.6. Documentary Requirements. Before a widower or 
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widow spouse can avail of this temporary assistance the following 
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requirements must be complied: (A.) The applicant must present a 
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residential and indigent certificate, also indicating that they were 
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living together at the time of death, issued by the barangay or LGU 
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concern; (B.) Death certificate of the spouse (C). Marriage 
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certificate issued by the Philippine Statistic Authority (PSA). 
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                       SEC.7. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within six 
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(6) months from the Effectivity of this Act, the Department of Social 
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Welfare Development in close coordination with the Department of 
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Interior and Local Government (DILG), shall issue the necessary 
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Implementing 
Rules 
and 
Regulations 
for 
the 
effective 
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implementation of this Act. 
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SEC.8. Separability Clause. Any provision of this Act is 
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declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not 
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affected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting 
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SEC.9. Repealing Clause. All laws, executive orders, 
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issuances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof inconsistent with 
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the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
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accordingly. 
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SEC.10. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) 
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days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper 
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of general circulation. 
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Approved, 
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