March 29, 2024

Bakun, Benguet will soon give a P3,000 subsidy for families to cover the embalming services of their dead members.
The ordinance applies to all persons who reside in Bakun for at least six months on the day of their death from a non-communicable disease.
The resident must not also be entitled to other death or burial assistance from the municipal government.
Under the ordinance, a committee of examiners for embalmers will be created to be led by the Municipal Health Officer as chair with the Municipal Sanitary Inspector as co-chair. Members will be the chair of the committee on health, the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, and the midwife in the barangay where the dead person had resided.
The committee will check the license of the embalmers if they passed the examination and have complied with the requirements set by the Sanitation Code.
It will also recommend the denial of the issuance or renewal of license to any applicant or cancellation of license of those found guilty of a crime involving moral turpitude, has been found guilty of immoral or dishonorable conduct, or has been declared to be of unsound mind or physically unfit.
The committee will also investigate all sworn complaints against registered embalmers for any wrongdoing during the process of embalming.
Also, it will recommend measures necessary to regulate, standardize, and uplift the practice of embalming.  
Embalmers must have a license issued by the Department of Health and have health certificate issued by the MHO every six months.
The embalmers are expected to perform all procedures of embalming as requested by the relative of the deceased, ensure that no parts of the remains shall be removed during embalming, and apply all sanitary and safety precautions.
They are also required to be updated on the knowledge and skills on embalming by undergoing relevant trainings conducted by DOH or accredited trainers. They must also secure business permit from the municipality.
An initial fund of P100,000 will be allotted in the 2022 general fund for the implementation of the ordinance.
The subsidy can be claimed within six months from the date of the registration of the death with the Local Civil Registrar (LCR).
Claimants, who are the nearest surviving kin, should bring the certified true copy of death certificate from the LCR and an acknowledgement receipt signed by the licensed embalmer indicating the date and where the embalming was performed. 
They are also required to present the certification from the concerned punong barangay that the claimant is the nearest surviving relative and the deceased has resided for at least six months in Bakun prior to their death.
The claimant must also present their identification card or license and community tax certificate.
The Benguet provincial board committee on social services, women, and family has recommended a favorable review of the ordinance. – Ofelia C. Empian