Grief in the Philippines will no longer carry a crushing financial burden for the nation’s poorest families, thanks to Republic Act No. 12309. This groundbreaking law mandates free, comprehensive funeral services for indigent Filipinos and those affected by calamities, ensuring dignity in death regardless of economic status.
MANILA – In a landmark move that honors Filipinos in both life and death, the government has enacted a powerful new law ensuring that no family, no matter how impoverished, will be burdened by the cost of a final farewell.
Republic Act No. 12309, a groundbreaking piece of social legislation, officially tasks the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) with providing comprehensive, free funeral services to indigent families and those struck by calamities or emergencies.
This law transforms grief from a financial crisis into a matter of pure mourning, offering a state-sanctioned promise of dignity for every Filipino.
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The “Indigent Funeral Package”: A Complete Service
At the heart of the law is the “Indigent Funeral Package,” a full suite of services designed to cover every essential need. This is not a mere subsidy; it is a complete provision, including:
- Processing of all necessary funeral documents.
- Embalming and preparation of the deceased.
- Burial or interment services.
- Provision of a casket or urn, and a venue for the wake.
The service will be granted per death in the family and can be accessed through a network of accredited funeral establishments nationwide, ensuring coverage from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi.
How to Avail of the Service
For bereaved families seeking to avail of this benefit, the law outlines a clear process to ensure transparency and efficiency. Required documents include:
- A valid ID of the claimant or beneficiary.
- A death certificate from the hospital or local health office.
- A funeral contract signed by the family representative, the funeral parlor, and an authorized DSWD official.
- A social case study report from the DSWD to verify indigency.
“This is more than just a policy; it is a covenant of compassion,” a DSWD spokesperson commented. “It ensures that in their most vulnerable moment, our poorest countrymen are met with support, not staggering debt.”
Funding and Enforcement: Teeth in the Law
To jumpstart this vital program, initial funding will be drawn from the DSWD’s existing Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) program, ensuring immediate implementation upon the law’s effectivity.
Crucially, RA 12309 carries significant penalties to prevent abuse and protect the integrity of the system.
- For Funeral Establishments: Any accredited parlor found violating the act faces a hefty fine of up to P200,000 and a suspension of its license to operate for a period of up to six months.
- For Fraudulent Claimants: Individuals who are found to have fraudulently availed of the free services face severe consequences, including imprisonment of up to six months and a fine that can reach a staggering P500,000.
This robust enforcement mechanism underscores the government’s commitment to ensuring that the aid reaches its intended beneficiaries—the truly destitute and the disaster-stricken.
The passage of RA 12309 marks a profound shift in the nation’s social safety net, recognizing that providing a dignified burial is not just a service, but a fundamental act of humanity, finally granting the underprivileged peace of mind when they need it most.
“S. No. 2965” and “H. No. 102” likely refer to specific bill or resolution numbers.
“Republic of the Philippines,” “Congress of the Philippines,” and “Metro Manila”
“Nineteenth Congress” and “Third Regular Session” specify the legislative session.
“Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-second day of July, two thousand twenty-four.” indicates the start date of the session.
[Republic Act No. 12309]
AN ACT GRANTING FREE FUNERAL SERVICES TO POOR FAMILIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Free Funeral Services Act”.
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the policy of the State to promote a just and dynamic social order that ensures the prosperity and independence of the nation and frees the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social services and promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all. To this end,
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. – As used in this Act:
(a) Funeral establishment refers to a licensed business that provides funeral services, such as funeral parlors, funeral chapels, and any similar place used in the preparation, transportation, storage, and care of the body of a deceased person for burial or cremation;
(b) Indigent funeral package refers to the preparation of funeral documents, embalming, interment or burial services, transport, cremation, and inurnment services, including the provision of a casket, urn, or venue, as the case may be, offered by funeral establishments; and
(c) Poor refers to those families whose income falls below the poverty threshold as defined by the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) and/or who cannot sustain or provide their minimum basic needs of food, health, education, housing, or other essential amenities of life as defined under Republic Act No. 8425, otherwise known as the “Social Reform and Poverty Alleviation Act”.
SEC. 4. Coverage. – Free funeral services shall be provided to families who are in crisis situations, as determined by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), including, but not limited to, indigent families, or those affected by calamities, disasters, or other emergency circumstances that prevent them from affording dignified funeral services.
SEC. 5. Free Funeral Services for Poor Families. – Free funeral services shall be provided to poor families per death of a family member by accredited funeral establishments anywhere in the country: Provided, That every funeral establishment shall have a uniform indigent funeral package, regardless of such establishment’s type or location, available to all poor families, as determined by and in coordination with the DSWD.
SEC. 6. Requirements for Availing the Indigent Funeral Package. – The bereaved family or representative must present the following to avail the indigent funeral package:
(a) Valid identification card of the claimant or beneficiary;
(b) Death certificate issued by the hospital or city/ municipal health office, or certification from the tribal chieftain;
(c) Funeral contract signed by the representative of the deceased’s family, the funeral establishment, and an authorized DSWD personnel; and
(d) Social case study prepared by any registered social worker.
SEC. 7. Lead Agency. – The DSWD shall be the lead agency in the implementation of this Act and shall engage the services of funeral establishments in the country. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) shall monitor and regulate the current market prices of funeral services, including the price of caskets and urns, to prevent undue or excessive price increases.
SEC. 8. Payment of Indigent Funeral Package. – Funeral establishments granting free services to poor beneficiaries shall be paid the cost of the services by any regional office of the DSWD upon the approval of the Regional Director. The payment will be based on the stipulations of the signed contract between the representative of the deceased’s family, the funeral establishment, and the authorized DSWD personnel.
SEC. 9. Penalties. – Any violation of this Act shall be penalized with a fine not exceeding Two hundred thousand pesos (P200,000.00) and a suspension of license to operate for a period not exceeding six (6) months.
Repeated violations after the suspension of the license to operate is lifted shall be penalized with a fine not exceeding Four hundred thousand pesos (P400,000.00) and revocation of such license to operate.
Any individual or establishment found to have fraudulently availed or facilitated the availment of free funeral services under this Act through false representation, document falsification, or collusion shall be penalized with imprisonment of not less than six (6) months and a fine not exceeding Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00).
SEC. 10. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s appropriations for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) Program and other similar programs of the DSWD. Thereafter, such amount needed for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The DSWD shall promulgate the implementing rules and regulations within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act.
SEC. 12. Separability Clause. – If any portion or provision of this Act is declared void or unconstitutional, the remaining portions or provisions hereof shall not be affected by such declaration.
SEC. 13. Repealing Clause. – Any provision of law or regulation inconsistent herewith is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.
SEC. 14. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,
FERDINAND MARTIN G. ROMUALDEZSpeaker of the House of Representatives
FRANCIS “CHIZ” G. ESCUDEROPresident of the Senate
This Act was passed by the Senate of the Philippines as Senate Bill No. 2965 on June 2, 2025 and adopted by the House of Representatives as an amendment to House Bill No. 102 on June 11, 2025.
REGINALD S. VELASCOSecretary GeneralHouse of Representatives
RENATO N. BANTUG JR. Secretary of the Senate
Approved: SEP 26 2025
Lapsed into law on without the signature of the President, in accordance with Article VI, Section 27 (1) of the Constitution.
FERDINAND ROMUALDEZ MARCOS JR. President of the Philippines