No matter how you look at it, funding a funeral service is expensive. The expenses – from paperwork at the hospital to the cemetery, the coffin and the wake, plus the food and lodging of the family that comes home and visits – have to be done in less than a week.
It is exhausting to juggle this big task while dealing with the actual service and the emotional loss of death. In this modern age, let us take a look at some options:
- Plan Ahead – a healthy talk with people close to you no matter the subject is always good. A conversation with your family about your funeral plan and/or the funeral service you purchased is a big help. It is for your peace of mind and them too. It is also important to note that all necessary documents are ready and procured when you plan ahead.
- Friends, Family, and Employers – the Bayanihan spirit of Filipinos never fails us. It works! All the time, especially during a funeral. Money is raised by friends and colleagues in the form of “abuloy”. During the wake neighbors and visitors will share as well. Filipinos always have a sense of a positive community, even in a very sad time.
- Government programs – According to the Philippine Information Agency website: “FUSS is an acronym that serves as a memory aid: Funeral, Unemployment, Separation, and Survivorship benefits. They should be filed within the prescribed period from the date of contingency.” FUSS is through the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) also has a program for overseas foreign workers in case of death. “With a membership fee of US$25.00, an OFW is entitled to Disability and Dismemberment Benefits, and Death Benefits”. The Department of Social Welfare and Development offers assistance as well. And with the Commander-in-Chief consistently boosting the morale of the military, this included burial assistance for our men and women in service.
- Online Crowdfunding – Abuloy can be done through the internet now. It is amazing how a random act of kindness works. Through the popular Gavagives platform, “givers can pay via PayPal, offline deposit, Internet Banking, Bancnet, 7-Eleven, GCash, Smart, Credit Card, Cash/Pickup or payment center”, which is basically an all-access all over the world. Friends and family who can give but can’t come home and visit, are given this opportunity to help.
For Telegram days to Gavagives, how has the world changed? The funeral service and burial can also be televised or livestreamed for the purpose of families abroad. The world is now quick and accessible to everyone. But the best thing the world has helped us with is that communication while we are still alive is now at a click of a button.
Images: Pixabay
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