Davide: ‘Nothing irregular on private insurance for barangay workers’

Governor Hilario Davide III. (CDN Digital/FILE PHOTO)

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Outgoing Governor Hilario Davide III maintains that there is no irregularity in availing of the insurance program from a private provider for barangay workers.

In an interview on Tuesday, May 27, Davide said they could not avail of the insurance services from government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) for the accident insurance for the barangay workers because not all of them would qualify for it.

The camp of Governor-elect Gwendolyn Garcia said in a media statement sent on Monday night, May 27, that it was irregular for the Capitol to avail of the insurance from Fortune Life Insurance Company, a private provider.

Read more: Gwen’s lawyer questions province’s move to avail of insurance for barangay workers from private firm 

Lawyer Frank Eduard Dinsay V, one of the members of Garcia’s transition team, said the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation and the GSIS could have provided for the insurance grant, instead of Fortune Life.

“Ang PCIC only refers to crops, and we have that for our farmers and fisherfolks, and (the) GSIS only covers [government employees] and they are not government employees, kining mga tanods kay mga volunteers man ni sila,” said Davide.

Read more: PAO: Only qualified farmers can avail of P15K insurance

The Provincial Board (PB) approved the resolution, authored by second district Board Member Jose Mari Salvador, authorizing the governor to sign into a P6 million-contract with Fortune Life Insurance Company for the insurance policy in April 2019.

The insurance covers 27,300 barangay health workers, tanods, and nutrition scholars of the province’s 1,066 barangays

Under the insurance policy, the beneficiary barangay workers are entitled to a P2,500-claim if they meet an accident and P25,000-cash claim in case of death./dbs