Last Will and Testament

Sounds morbid but I am drafting my Last Will and Testament. I don’t want to die yet in the near future but it’s better that this things are prepared in advance while one is still strong and in sound mind according to lawyers.

If you have a complicated life, get a lawyer to help you, but if your life is fairly simple, just draft your own Will, to save on attorney’s fees.

I used to think that a document such as this is only for rich people like what we see in the movies. Hindi pala, kahit you only have one house, one car, and a few plates, one must have a Last Will and Testament so that the people you would leave behind would know exactly what to do with your belongings or ari-arian. Kung itatapon na ba ang mga gamit mo, o kanino ipapa hingi. Siguraduhin mo lang yung pagbibigyan mo eh matutuwa, baka mainis pa sa’yo. Mahirap yung patay ka na eh, meron pang mga galit sayo, hindi matatahimik ang kaluluwa mo.

Even if your estate consists of a 25 square meter condo and a few pairs of shoes, you still need to execute this document. Even if you don’t have any real properties, you still need this document.

Kung meron kang mga anak at marami kang asawa, naku, eh di lalo na na kailangan mo itong testamento na ito.

There are two kinds of Will
1. Notarial Will– eto yung medyo formal, usually prepared with the aid of a lawyer kaya yung terminologies eh sobrang formal. This is also notarized and must be executed in the presence of two witnesses.
2. Holographic Will – nakasulat lang sa isang ordinaryong papel, entirely handwritten, dated, and signed by you or me, by the testator himself. No specific format and witnesses are required.

Several years ago, I made a holographic living will. I wrote it down on a yellow pad. Napaka-simple. My name is Annie C. Tan-Yee, of legal age, married to Edmund C. Yee, with residence address at___. I leave behind all my utang to my husband, exclusively. This is my living will and testament. Inis ako siguro kay Edmund when I drafted that.

I still have that piece of paper. Mali pala iyon. Dapat more specific para daw walang awayan. Even how your pets would be assigned, dapat malinaw. Yung si Jazzy kay Oyen, yung si Tyler kay Nyke.

Even burial arrangements must be included pala. Kung saan mo gustong ilibing. What you want to wear, yung favorite dress mo ba. If cremation, where your ashes would be spread. Please lang, huwag sa EDSA, sobrang alikabok na sa bahay namin.

Kung gusto mong ipa-raffle yung mga damit mo, bags, shoes, kamiseta, etc. during the burial, make the raffle mechanics na agad. Example, Presence required. A person can only win once.

My daughter knows already saan ko AYAW magpalibing. Pero I haven’t bought my libingan. May bakante pa kaya sa Libingan ng mga Bayani?

I am drafting a new one. I will save it first in my laptop, para I can add and revise from time to time. Pero it might take forever, kasi how will I split my kutsara and pinggan between Oyen and Nyke. Baka mag-away bakit yung isa may bulaklak, yung kanya may ibon.
Ang mahirap yung bahay, basta share sila. Pero mabayaran muna ang mortgage.

My debts die with me that’s the good thing. But, banks have found a way to skirmish that. All loan documents have JSS, joint and severally, tila even my children would be liable to my debts. Kawawa naman ang mga anak ko, baka sa galit sa akin eh hindi ako ipalibing. Baka itapon na lang ako sa Payatas.