Talisay urban poor group asks for seed money for bereavement fund

CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Councilor Dennis B. Basillote, who chairs the committee on shelter, urban poor and rural development, has asked Mayor Socrates Fernandez for an appropriation of P50,000 as initial funds for the city’s urban poor federation.

Basillote said the urban poor federation has a bereavement fund that serves to help bereaved families of members in time of death.

The Abag Kabanay Program is a joint mortuary program of the Federation of Talisay City Urban Dwellers Association, Inc. (FECTCUDA) and the City of Talisay for members of the accredited urban poor organization.

Each member of the program puts up P20 as initial fund as his counterpart and contributes P10 every time a member passes away.

But since they are just starting, Basillote said the members are asking for P50,000 for seed money. 

Basillote said a member or his/her legal spouse, who have died, is entitled to receive P10 from each of the organization’s more than 6,000 members as burial assistance.

Basillote conceptualized the idea December last year when the city’s urban poor celebrated its annual solidarity week.