Duterte hikes funeral benefits of private, gov’t workers

President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an executive order (EO) increasing the amount of funeral benefits of private and government employees from P20,000 to P30,000.

Duterte signed EO 33 on July 17 but was released to the media on Wednesday.

The President said in the EO that “there is a need to continually improve benefits under the Employees’ Compensation Program (ECP) to make them more responsive to the welfare and development needs of occupationally disabled workers.”

“The current Employees’ Compensation (EC) Funeral Benefit for both the private and public sectors is no longer sufficient to cover ordinary funeral costs,” he said.

The President issued the order after a study of the Social Security System (SSS) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) showed that State Insurance Fund can finance the P10,000 increase without requiring additional contributions.

The EO came a year after the Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC) adopted two board resolutions approving the increase in benefits in May and July 2016.