By Reynaldo Andres – PNA News
BATAC CITY— Some 1,049 farmers in Ilocos Norte received their indemnity crop insurance claims Wednesday from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) in Region 1 in a simple ceremony held at Teatro Ilocandia of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) in this city.
Raul A. Servito, Officer-in-Charge of PCIC Region 1, said the group comprised the second batch of 2,324 farmers, whose crops were severely damaged by Typhoons Carding, Luis and Ompong, and were entitled to receive benefits from the PCIC program.
“The first batch of 1,275 farmers already received their claims yesterday (November 27) in Dingras town and each received an average of PHP10,000,” Servito said, adding that most of them have received a maximum of PHP38,000.
“I’m very happy because although I have spent more than PHP40,000 for my one-hectare of palay last year, I still received PHP10,000 to be used for this next cropping season,” said Valentine Badua, 73, of San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte who was one of those who received insurance claims.”
Badua said he will use the amount to buy a high-yielding variety of rice and other inputs in his desire to recoup his financial losses last year.
“The rest will be used to pay my debts in fertilizers and pesticides,” he said.
Servito said the amount that each farmer received depends on how big the area planted with crops that was damaged by the three typhoons that hit the province during the 2017-2018 cropping seasons. The maximum size covered by each insurance is three hectares.
“Although the amount is not too much compared with the farmers’ expenses for their crops, at least it would help them as they start their farming activities for the next cropping season,” Servito said.
The PCIC head has appealed to Ilocano farmers to continue availing of the services of the agency for their own benefit.
Records show that barely .2% or 12,470 out of the 80,000 farmers in the province have insured their crops last year and the number is way below the PCIC’s target.
In fact, there is still a remaining Php54 million fund that the PCIC can use for Region 1 as premium subsidy for farmers.
“But even we reach the number of farmers who will become beneficiaries of the Php54 million, we still continue to allot more from our “financial buffer stock” so that we can help more farmers overcome their hardships in enduring natural calamities and that they would recoup their production losses,” Servito said.
Next year, the budget of PCIC for its insurance program is Php3.5 billion. The most fascinating news, according to Servito, is that not only farmers who were listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) will benefit from it.
“This is because there is now this RA 10000 or simply known as the Agriculture and Agrarian (Agri-Agra) Reform Credit Act of 2009 which provides the funds for farmers who did not register their crops with the PCIC,” Servito said, assuring that the PCIC will no longer collect premiums from farmers and that all their crops will be automatically secured by the agency.
Meanwhile, Matthew Joseph Manotoc, Ilocos Norte Senior Board Member, has advised the farmers to be more vigilant on the possible onslaught of typhoons that might hit the province. He, too, congratulated them for having a good foresight on what will happen last year by having their crops insured by the PCIC.
“All of us have learned that we must prepare for natural disasters because we cannot control the weather,” he said, adding that “as you receive your insurance claims, remember that you play a great role in shaping the nation’s economy.”
