Demand for Filipino embalmers growing

CEBU, Philippines - There’s another overseas job opportunity that Filipinos can take advantage of aside from care-giving. And this is to embrace the growing demand for embalmers especially in United States, Canada and Australia.

The Pacific Center for Advanced Studies (PCAs) reported a growing demand for Filipino embalmers around the world, as fewer foreigners are showing interest in the profession.

Aside from United States, Canada and Australia, demand is also seen in Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia, said PCAs president Sarah Dychangco in a press conference.

“A lot of embalmers abroad are nearing age retirement and so the demand is so huge. Now you see caregivers wanting to become embalmers because of the hefty salary,” said Dychangco.

PCAS is the first formal embalming and mortuary training school in the Asia Pacific located in Nivel Hills, Lahug, this city.

The school is managed by the Dychangco Group of Companies which operates Cosmopolitan Funeral Homes Inc. (CFHI), the largest funeral home chain in the country.

In the Philippines, an embalmer’s entry level salary ranges from P9,000 - P12,000 per month and may even go up to P15,000 per month for those highly-trained and experienced. 

Embalmers also get higher pay in big mortuaries or funeral parlors. In the U.S. and Canada, the annual average salary for an embalmer is US$41,526 or US$3,460 per month, Dychangco said. 

“Career advancement for embalmers is when they get to be supervisors working with disaster teams after gaining considerable working experience,” she said.

In order to become a licensed embalmer, Dychangco said that one must be at least a high school graduate, have undergone a year of studying and training and have received certification in basic Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Sanitation and Hygiene, Ethics and Jurisprudence.

A licensure exam is given by the Department of Health (DOH) before one can practice the embalming profession.

But before you can work as an embalmer in the US, Canada or Australia, one needs to get a license in that country, “which would be easy if you have acquired your license here.”

PCAS, which has been in the industry for 12 years now, have produced over 200 graduates capable of working as embalmers.

Dychangco Group Chairman Renato Dychangco Jr. admitted there’s a need for the mortuary industry to “change its image,” especially in the Philippines if it wants to lure people to become professional embalmers.

“There is a great demand in the funeral profession, the problem is on how the community sees us,” he said.

Since the funeral industry is one of the most commonly misconstrued businesses in the Philippines, there is a need to change public perception by taking concrete steps to highlight the art and science of funeral services.

Yesterday, some 300 local and foreign funeral services operators and suppliers converged at the newly constructed Crystal Palace located near the PCAS school for the annual Philippine Funeral Convention to discuss the challenges and new developments and trends especially in embalming procedures.