Ka Andres

The idea for shooting a funeral parlor that offered cheap funeral packages came during an assignment for our newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, during a period when ordinary citizens were trying to cope with the effects of skyrocketing world oil prices.

The Ka Andres Memorial Chapel is one of at least twelve funeral parlor businesses operating in Marikina City. It is a relatively new player in the business, having only started in 2006 with its first branch in Balon-Bato, Quezon City, then another in Cainta, Rizal and Marikina City in September 2007.

Around 60 percent of their clients avail of “murang palibing” or cheap funeral services. It costs around P8,000 for the whole package, which includes the pick up of the cadaver from the residence or the hospital, the embalming process, a cheap flat-top wooden coffin and the use of lights and other equipment for the wake. It does not cover the cemetery plot. Even middle class families are known to avail of this due to practicality and when hard times dictate it.

I found this topic interesting for two reasons. First, this is one way wherein people are trying to save on money now more than ever. Funerals are still an expensive affair in many provinces. The mentality is that it will be the last gesture you provide your loved ones. But how to meet that obligation with limited funds, but where the quality of service will not be compromised? For the other, I had never really explored this topic before. As a photojournalist, I viewed it as a sensitive but ultimately thought-provoking subject.

At the end of the project, I realized and hoped that the viewers might also, eventually, have a different appreciation of the business. To see the entire process not as being repulsive and impersonal, but one that is filled with dignity and respect for people whom we care about in life.