BM Kitongan pushes for increase in mortuary aid for provincial gov’t workers in Kalinga who die on duty during disasters or calamities from P10,000 to P25,000

Tabuk City, Kalinga – To ease the burden on families of provincial government workers who may lose their lives while performing their duties during calamities, Kalinga Board Member Emilio T. Kitongan has pushed for the amendment of the province’s existing mortuary aid ordinance, raising the amount of financial assistance and expanding its coverage.

Currently, families of provincial government workers who die in the performance of their duties receive P10,000, as provided under Provincial Ordinance No. 2018-020 (an ordinance granting mortuary aid amounting to P10,000 to qualified employees and officials while in service with the Provincial Government of Kalinga).

Kitongan said it is time to increase the amount to keep up with the rising costs of funeral services and ease the economic burden faced by bereaved families, and thus the proposed amendment of the ordinance. 

The proposed amendment pushed by Kitongan is now close to being approved after the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Kalinga gave it a nod for its final reading during the council’s regular session on Tuesday, November 25, 2025. 

In the copy of the ordinance shared with Guru Press Cordillera, Kitongan noted that Kalinga is “highly vulnerable to natural hazards” such as earthquakes, typhoons, landslides, and floods—events that may lead to the loss of lives of provincial officials and employees while on duty.

The legislator explained that it is “appropriate and humane” to increase the assistance to further strengthen social protection measures for employees and officials who perish while performing their responsibilities.

Under the proposed amendment, the current mortuary aid of P10,000 will be increased to P25,000 to ensure that families receive more substantial support in such sudden events. Aside from raising the amount, the ordinance also seeks to extend the coverage of the assistance to the parents, spouse, and children of the deceased.

As stated in Section 3 of the ordinance, the following must be submitted to the Office of the Provincial Human Resource and Management Officer to avail of the aid: the death certificate of the deceased, certification from the barangay, municipal/city DRRMO, or other competent authority that the death is disaster- or calamity-related, employment certification of the concerned employee or official, and a valid government-issued ID of the claimant.

Once passed, the ordinance entitled “An ordinance amending Provincial Ordinance No. 2018-020 by extending the coverage of the assistance to the parents, spouse, and children of employees and officials who die due to natural disasters or calamities, and increasing the mortuary aid to P25,000” shall take effect after 10 days from the date a copy of it is posted in designated public places, as cited under Section 59 of the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160).