Insured farmers may file claim for cash indemnity
Farmer Ruben Villavelez’s rice plantation in Sitio Libo, Mohon, Talisay City was damaged by the long dry spell. He is seeking government assistance to help him recover from his losses. (CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO)
Farmers, who are members of the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), may file a claim for monetary indemnity for losses incurred due to the effects of El Niño.
Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) Regional Manager Cresencio Deligero said one of the insurance programs of the PCIC is the RSBSA insurance program, and payment of insurance premium is free until December 31, 2016, pursuant to the P1.6 billion premium subsidy fund from the national government.
“Libre ni siya sa mga mag-uuma ug mananagat nga narehistro sa atong gitawag nga RSBSA (This is free to farmers and fisherfolk registered under the RSBSA),” he said.
“Pero sa Cebu, marehistro o dili, magpasalamat ta sa provincial government nga kung duna mo’y mga paryente nga mag-uuma o mananagat, duol mo sa provincial government kay pwede nga, kung apil sila og kooperatiba o farmers’ organizations, libre pud sila sa atong probinsya (In Cebu, whether or not you are registered, we are thankful to the provincial government. If you have relatives who are farmers or fishermen, they can go to the provincial government if they are members of a cooperative or farmer’s organizations, they can avail of free premiums from the province),” he added.
Deligero emphasized the importance of crop insurance and the benefits that can be gained out of the program.
All they have to do is fill up an application form before they start planting their crops, and specify the date they will start planting, their expenses, the size of the farmland and submit this to the municipal agriculturist of their respective towns.
ASSESSMENT
The provincial government will conduct a three-day rapid assessment all over the province to determine the real extent of the effects of El Niño to existing and alternative sources of water, food supply, sanitation and migration among others.
Baltazar Tribunalo, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said teams from the Cebu Provincial Rapid Assessment Team (CPRAT) will be deployed to the seven districts of the province today. A simultaneous assessment will also be done in the component cities and municipalities until Friday.
The assessment teams will check on the preparations of the barangays, the status of water sources, the presence of conflict within the local government unit which could worsen the crisis situation and the effects on the income of farmers.
The Provincial Board had declared a State of Calamity in order to be able to utilize the P34 million quick response fund under the province’s annual budget.
ASSISTANCE
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections warned elective officials running in the 2016 polls against directly giving assistance to victims of the El Niño dry spell.
Lawyer Eliseo Labaria, Acting Provincial Election Supervisor, said all assistance should go to authorized agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine Red Cross, and not directly distributed by members of the executive or legislative departments during the election period.
The Cebu Provincial Board declared a state of calamity with the acute water shortage brought about by El Niño.
Labaria said a political official or any member of his immediate family is not allowed to be involved in any distribution of assistance as this constitutes an election offense./with USJR Intern Shiela Mae Gumapon
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