Philippines enacts Islamic Burial Law with Presidential Signature

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law a measure that requires the proper and immediate burial of Filipino Muslims in line with Islamic traditions, local media reported Tuesday. The Philippine Islamic Burial Act was signed on April 11 and posted on the Official Gazette’s website Monday, according to the Inquirer.Net

Under the new law, burials must be done as soon as possible, even without a death certificate. However, the law requires that the person who performed the burial rites, or the deceased’s next of kin, must report the death within 14 days to the local health officer, who will verify the cause of death and issue a death certificate.

“For burial purposes, in accordance with Islamic rites, Muslim cadavers shall be released within 24 hours by the hospital, medical clinic, funeral parlor, morgue, custodial and prison facilities, or other similar facilities, or persons who are in actual care or custody of the cadaver,” the law says.

The law also penalizes anyone who refuses to release a Muslim body due to unpaid hospital or funeral fees or other unjustified reasons with one to six months in jail, a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 Philippine pesos ($882 to $1,764), or both.