The Senate on Monday approved on third reading Senate Bill No. 2965, or the Free Funeral Services Act, a measure seeking to make funeral services more accessible to poor families.

Senator Mark Villar, the bill’s sponsor, thanked his colleagues for their support and emphasized the importance of extending dignified end-of-life services to all Filipinos, particularly the indigent.

“It is the right of our fellow Filipinos to have access to dignified treatment even at their last moment on this earth. It is an honor to be a part of the Senate that made free funeral services possible for the indigent and the poor,” Villar said.

He added that it is time for vital services, such as funeral assistance, to be within reach of the most vulnerable sectors of society.

Villar joined the Senate in pushing for the measure, which aims to institutionalize free funeral assistance as a basic social service for qualified low-income beneficiaries.