Funeral parlor offers high-tech way to mourn the loss of a loved one

BY LOVELY NICA P. LEE, BusinessWorld Reporter TECHNOLOGY has changed the way the living can pay their last respects to the dearly departed. e-Burol, a pioneering program by St. Peter Memorial Chapels, is an online viewing facility that is specifically designed and created to allow families and relatives abroad to participate in the wake of a deceased loved one minus the cost of traveling to where the remains lie. "It is the first online viewing facility in the Philippines and probably, in the world which allows families and relatives living abroad or in the far end of the country to be part of the wakes of their departed loved ones through the Internet-Protocol (IP) cameras," said marketing and business development Officer Mildred V. Vitangcol. What began as a simple wireless fidelity (WiFi) project by a programmer from the company evolved into a program as the company saw the difficulty of relatives to personally visit their departed ones. "The beneficiaries here are really the loved ones who are not allowed by their employers to go home to visit the wake and can only do so through online," Ms. Vitangcol said. The e-Burol service started last Oct. 22. It was introduced to the public via the St. Peter’s Death Care week last Oct. 27 to Nov. 2. Ms. Vitangcol said St. Peter spent "more than P1 million" to install the facilities in its 23 chapels in Quezon City. Offered for free 24 hours a day, the service uses PLDT broadband for connectivity. Ms. Vitangcol said that the e-Burol program makes an otherwise somber occasion an opportunity for relatives to be there for each other. "Even if they are not physically present, they can already see [what’s happening during the wake]. So what is otherwise gloomy, nagkakatuwaan sila na nagkakakitaan sila," Ms. Vitangcol said. St. Peter claims that about 200 families have used the service. To use the online facility, an officer in charge gives a password to a family member, who in turn relays the code to relatives and friends who would want to enter the "Web site chapel." "They are given a password for tight security so no one can just go in and gain access. The officer in charge for the day or night is not allowed to personally give out the code other than to the family representative," Ms. Vitangcol said. Web cameras are strategically located on the ceiling and near the casket to provide a 180-degree vantage point of the funeral area. "What others do is that they bring a laptop and use the WiFi to access our Web site and test the facility themselves. The images they see in their laptop are what is exactly reflected in the computers of their relatives since it’s like real time feed," she added. St. Peter banks on word-of-mouth to advertise the free service. "When the families experience it, they are the ones who share the story," Ms. Vitangcol said. The testimonials are published as advertorials in the Obituaries page of widely circulated broadsheets with the permission of the family. The publications began last Jan. 27. "This time it’s more of a regular thing we do, give the public an update particularly with this project. There is so much that we can share with the public and natutuwa din naman sila when we ask permission from them na ipapublish namin at nababasa din ng ibang members ng family (they are glad when we ask permission to publish their experience and other members of the family read about it)," Ms. Vitangcol said. In the next few years, St. Peter intends to offer the service in its 141 chapels nationwide. This, despite expectations that competitors would follow St. Peter’s lead. "Even if other funeral parlors copy the idea, it won’t matter since it is a service beneficial to all anyway. It’s no marketing strategy to attract more clients and definitely we should be able to enhance the service," she said. Aside from e-Burol, St. Peter also has a Condolences Message Center in its Web site, where concerned relatives and friends can look for the name of the dead and post electronic condolences. "We’ll be the one to course through the condolences to the bereaved family, but eventually, [that will become interactive]. That’s the next phase of our project in our Web — the family can also talk to the person sending the condolences, but that is still an ongoing development plan," Ms. Vitangcol said. She said St. Peter also plans to do a "Tribute" documentary on the life of the deceased but on a per-request basis. "That [service] is also for free. We’d get pictures from the family and they can sit down with us and tell us the deceased’s life story. We arrange the story and let’s say, play it during the last day of the wake or they can reproduce it," she added. Saying that St. Peter is a "death care expert," Ms. Vitangcol said the company’s services are "a labor of love." "We can really give the best celebration for the departed loved ones." - BusinessWorld