DAVAO City Councilor Ragde Ibuyan has proposed an ordinance granting a 30 percent discount on rental fees of memorial lots and compartment niches in public cemeteries for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Ibuyan, chair of the Committee on Government Enterprises and Privatization, said the measure seeks to ease the financial burden of vulnerable sectors, especially during the loss of a loved one.
"One of the expenses that families have to cover after a death is the lease on memorial lots or compartment niches in our city’s public cemeteries,” he said in his privilege speech on Tuesday, August 20. “This representation believes that a way forward is to offer a 30 percent discount to PWDs and senior citizens who will be buried in our public cemeteries.”
Currently, lease contracts for memorial lots and niches range from ₱6,000 to ₱8,000 for six years, subject to renewal.
Ibuyan pointed out that while Republic Act 9994, or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010, and Republic Act 10754, which expands PWD benefits, grant a 20 percent discount on funeral and burial expenses, these do not cover memorial lot rentals.
He cited Sections 16 and 17 of the Local Government Code, which mandate LGUs to promote social justice and welfare, stressing that the proposed discount is consistent with that responsibility.
"This proposed ordinance has the potential to lift some financial burden for these vulnerable sectors and their families, most especially in times of tragedy," he said.
The councilor moved to have his privilege speech considered for first reading and referred to the appropriate committee.
The City Economic Enterprise (CEE) earlier reported a decline in cemetery revenues in 2024. Income from public cemeteries—including Wireless, Calinan, Tugbok, Mintal, Toril, Panacan, Tibungco, Bunawan, Tagakpan, and Maa—dropped to ₱7.31 million from ₱8.04 million in 2023. RGP