Over 1,800 families got burial assistance

CEBU, Philippines — The Burial Assistance Office (BAO) gave ?18.82 million in burial assistance to the families of 1,882 individuals in the first six months of 2024.

BAO head Andrew Borres said this is equivalent to each beneficiary getting ?10,000 each.

This year, the city government has allocated a budget of ?60 million for this.

Borres said that losing a loved one is not only painful emotionally, but also a burden financially that is why the city government is extending burial assistance.

Borres clarified that the burial assistance from the city government can be availed by its residents regardless of their economic status. However, those poor families/individuals are given priority.

Aside from that, to ensure that they are residents of the city, the deceased and the claimant should be a registered voter of the city.

For those seniors who have died, the processing of the burial assistance will have to go through the Office of Senior Citizens Affairs (OSCA) to verify his or her records and as well as for the said office to get updated with their data right away.

Last year, the city government extended burial assistance to 1,727 beneficiaries which amounted to ?17.27 million for the same six-month period. — (FREEMAN)