Only the best for the departed

Some families choose cremation over the traditional earth burial due to cost considerations.

There’s no limit to providing the best for your loved ones—even those who have passed away.

Whether you’re talking about having the best interment arrangements, the top-of-the-line caskets, or the grandest final resting place, families and friends could only hope to give the most fitting tribute to the dearly departed in whatever form possible. And this do not apply only to humans. Even pets are being accorded the same kind of tribute, as they are considered by many as family.

In the Philippines, a burial of the entire body within a coffin, laid six feet below earth, is most common. More families, however, have begun considering cremation, for varying reasons.

Ascension Phildevelopers Inc. the company behind the Ascension Chapel, Crematory and Columbary, explained that cremation is the process of reducing the body of the deceased to basic chemical compounds in the form of gases and bone fragments.

This is done through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation. The process takes about three to five hours, after which the ashes are placed in a decorative urn and stored in a columbary.

PHOTOS FROM: ASCENSION.COM.PH

Ascension general manager Ian Dychangco explained in an interview that some families choose cremation over the traditional earth burial due to cost considerations.

Data from Ascension showed that the cost of cremation can be cheaper than earth burial by as much as 50 percent, but it will still vary depending on one’s preferences and budget. More specifically, cremation costs will depend on the funeral chapel, the inclusion of a memorial service, the type of urn that will be used by the family for the ashes, and the purchase of a vault within a columbary.

Choosing this alternative, according to Dychangco, can also be due to certain beliefs, or simply the families’ preference of not wanting to see their loved ones in a casket.

“A lot of families are now choosing cremation because some think it’s less morbid than seeing an urn during (internment). So some opt to go for straight cremation,” Dychangco added.

Of recent, cremation has also been regarded as a more eco-friendly alternative, and is deemed to be more convenient as it offers an advantage of not

Cremation is the process of reducing the body of the deceased to basic chemical compounds in the form of gases and bone fragments.

getting stuck in traffic during All Souls’ Day when families and friends flock to cemeteries to pay their respects for the dead.

“In many cases, you can instead bring home the urn every November 1 and pay your respects for the dead in your house. at Ascension, we allow vault owners to do this,” Dychangco said.

The rising popularity of cremation has thus paved the way for the construction of more columbaries, which Dychangco described as a “condominium of urns.”

“A columbary is a place where you can put your urns in a vault within a facility. It’s like having compartments for your urns. The cost of each vault, which can hold as many as four urns, can for as high as P125,000,” Dychango said.

The most expensive vaults are those that are within eye level, while those at the bottom are usually the more affordable ones.

Ascension offers various types of caskets made of wood and precious metals

In the case of Ascension, the company also offers certain packages that range from as low as P100,000 to as high as P12 million.

Some services may include body retrieval, embalming and cosmetics, viewing, registration of death certificate, securing of permits, hearse on internment day, flower arrangements, thank you cards, butterflies, vigil guards, police escorts, and even catering.

And since the columbary would be the final resting place for your loved ones, choosing a dependable company is just as important. In the case of Ascension, many have come to regard it as a wise, practical choice not only due to its wide array of services, but also because it has a reliable property developer like Sta, Lucia Land as one of its business partners.