Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill Number _______________ 
Introduced by REP. JANE T. CASTRO 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
According to data from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Php1.7 billion 
pesos was provided in burial assistance to 165,907 clients under the Assistance to Individuals in 
Crisis Situations for the period of January to September 2024.  These grieving families were unable 
to afford the cost of funeral and burial services for their departed loved ones. 
Generally, funeral and burial services are expensive, inclusions for the service usually 
include caskets, embalming services, transportation of cadaver (if needed), and handling of paper 
works among others. 
This bill aims to provide an affordable funeral services for our indigents, and less privileged 
citizens.  While not free, the bill would generally make funeral and burial services affordable to all 
thus ensuring that our grieving families would not incur debt.  
In view of the foregoing, approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
JANE T. CASTRO 
Representative 
2nd District of Capiz 
September 4, 2025
10:20 am
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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill Number _______________ 
Introduced by REP. JANE T. CASTRO 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR AFFORDABLE FUNERAL SERVICES TO INDIGENTS, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as “Affordable Funeral Service Act”. 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to promote a just and dynamic 
social order that will ensure the prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from 
poverty through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full employment, a rising 
standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all. As part of fulfilling this, the State shall 
ensure that affordable funeral services are made available to grief-stricken families, especially 
those classified as indigent and extremely poor. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – The following terms as used in this Act shall mean the 
following: 
(a) Funeral Services refers to a package of goods and services offered by a funeral
establishment comprised of basic embalming/mortuary services, transport of cadaver,
and provision of casket or coffin to hold the deceased, venue and/or furniture or
equipment for hosting of a wake, funeral hearse, transport towards burial grounds or
cremation;
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(b) Indigent Family refers to a family whose monthly income is equivalent to the 
minimum wage set in the region where they reside; 
(c) Extremely Poor Family refers to a family whose monthly income is less than the 
minimum wage set in the region where they reside; 
 
(d) Implementing Agencies refer to the Department of Social Welfare and Development 
and the Department of Trade and Industry; and 
 
(e) Funeral Establishment includes funeral parlors, funeral chapels and any similar place 
used in the preparation, storage and care of the body of a deceased person for burial or 
cremation. 
 
SEC. 4. Availability of Affordable Funeral Services in All Funeral Establishments. – All 
funeral establishments shall at all times make available for indigents funeral services with a price 
of not more than Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00). Moreover, the aforementioned funeral 
service package can be unbundled into its individual component services with the sum total of the 
components not to exceed Twenty thousand pesos (P20,000.00) to give the indigent family leeway 
to choose the specific service or component they want to avail of. In the event that a specific 
service is not available, the funeral establishment shall be obliged to offer said service of any 
higher value but the price to be paid shall still be the price as pegged for indigents. 
 
SEC. 5. Availment of Affordable Funeral Services. – The deceased indigent’s family must 
present a certificate of indigency and a case study verifying their indigent status from either the 
medical social service of a hospital, the local social welfare office or the DSWD to the funeral 
establishment in order to avail of the affordable funeral service package. 
 
SEC. 6. Penalties. – Any violation of this Act shall be penalized with a fine not exceeding 
Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00) and a suspension of license to operate for a period not 
exceeding six (6) months. 
 
Repetitive violations after the lifting of the suspension of its license to operate shall be 
penalized with a fine not exceeding Four hundred thousand pesos (P400,000.00) and a revocation 
of such license to operate. 
 
SEC. 7. Implementing Agencies. – The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) shall 
monitor and regulate the current market prices for funeral services. The DTI shall likewise provide 
the implementing rules and regulations ninety (90) days after the passage of this Act. The 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) may extend funeral or burial or financial 
assistance, where applicable, to qualified applicants through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis 
Situation (AICS) Program. Furthermore, the DSWD shall strengthen its partnership with funeral 
establishments consistent with the AICS program to implement the provisions of this Act. 
 
SEC. 8. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act 
shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations of the departments and agencies 
concerned. Thereafter, such amount shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 


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SEC. 9. Separability Clause. – If any portion or provision of this Act is declared void or 
unconstitutional, the remaining portions or provisions hereof shall not be affected by such 
declaration. 
SEC. 10. Repealing Clause. – Any provision of law or regulation inconsistent herewith is 
hereby repealed, revoked, or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 11. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in the 
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
Approved,