FUNERAL service provider in the city that offers cremation will soon be required to pay P500 as cremation fee once the recommendation of the city's treasurer would be approved by the City Council.
The City Council committee on health and social services is now reviewing the recommendation of City Treasurer Lino Daral to pass an ordinance requiring any competent and authorized funeral service provider to pay P500 to the City Government for every cremation service they would undertake.
The proposal has already passed through the pre-approval of the office of City Mayor Constantino Jaraula, which reportedly conforms to the provisions of Section 147 of the Local Government Code.
However, Ging Achumbre, manager of Divine Shepherd Memorial Chapel in Barangay Bulua, said as practiced in the past, it would be the clients who pay P500 as cremation fee upon applying for permits at City Hall.
"Before, clients used to pay more than P500 but they complained kay mahal ra daw kayo so it was lowered to P500. It's the clients who pay, not us, because we also pay taxes," Achumbre said.
Divine Shepherd Memorial Chapel is the only funeral service company in Northern Mindanao that offers cremation services.
Achumbre said the clients pay P500 when they apply for a certain permit in lieu of the "burial permit" needed for traditional wake.
She said this is in addition to the cremation fee of P25,000 that the clients would pay, which she added is much cheaper compared with the traditional burial where clients would spend about P100,000. (TDCB)