Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate. Screengrab from House of Representatives livestreaming
MANILA, Philippines — House Deputy Minority Leader Carlos Zarate urged the House of Representatives on Sunday to pass the free and discounted funeral services bill for indigent families to alleviate the plight of poor Filipinos during the pandemic.
In a statement, Zarate lamented that House Bill No. 5249 had remained pending at the House.
In September last year, the House committee on poverty alleviation approved an unnumbered bill filed by Bayan Muna party list representatives but has not been acted upon by the House appropriations panel.
The bill seeks to grant a 50-percent discount on funeral services to indigent families and free funeral services to extremely poor families nationwide.
The proposed bill defines “poor” as those families whose income falls below the poverty threshold.