Question & AnswerQ&A (HLURB ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 01, S. 1999)
A Funeral Establishment includes funeral parlors, funeral chapels and any similar place used in the preparation, storage and care of the body of a deceased person for burial or cremation. They are classified into three categories depending on the services and facilities offered.
Category I includes funeral establishments with chapels and embalming facilities offering funeral services. Category II includes funeral establishments with chapels and offering funeral services without embalming facilities. Category III includes funeral establishments offering only funeral services from the house of the deceased to the burial place.
The registered owner of a parcel of land who wishes to utilize the property as a site for Funeral Establishment(s) must apply for a locational clearance with the Board or the Local Government Unit concerned.
Applicants must submit a vicinity map, site development plan, Transfer Certificate of Title (or contract of sale or lease with approved survey plan), floor plan, initial health clearance, and Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for Category I projects prior to building permit application.
Funeral establishments shall not be allowed in flood-prone areas. Also, sites must conform to zoning requirements, be accessible by public transport, and maintain specific radial distances from food establishments, markets, and sensitive areas like schools and hospitals.
It must be at least 25 meters away according to the rules.
No, Category II and III Funeral Establishments must have an existing valid contract with a Category I establishment for embalming purposes.
A valid sanitary permit issued by the city or municipal health officer is required. The establishment must comply with sanitation codes including proper lighting, ventilation, sewage disposal, potable water availability, and waste management as prescribed by PD 856 and its implementing rules.
Violations are subject to fines and penalties as provided in HLURB's schedule of fines under Resolution No. 622, series of 1998. The DOH or Local Government Unit may also monitor and exercise visitorial powers during reasonable hours.
These Rules take effect after publication for two consecutive weeks in two newspapers of general circulation, with the specific version effective from June 3, 1999, following publication.