MORE than 32,000 farmers from nine regions are set to receive indemnification checks worth P251 million from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) as compensation for damage brought by typhoon Tino.
A statement issued by the PCIC quoted its president, Jovy C. Bernabe, as saying that the state insurer’s rapid assessment conducted from November 4 to November 7 covered insured farms in nine regions.
The regions include Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao. The assessment revealed that 32,247 insured farmers were affected by the typhoon, read the PCIC’s statement.
Of this number, nearly a third of the affected farmers, or 10,352 individuals, came from the Eastern Visayas region. The farmers are in the provinces of Biliran, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte.
According to Bernabe, the total estimated insurance payment amounts to about P250.6 million. He also noted that damages were valued at P56.7 million for rice, P42.3 million for corn and P74.3 million for high-value crops. The majority of the insured damages worth P169.9 million were assessed in Central Visayas, Negros Island Region, and Eastern Visayas.
Bernabe added he told his staff to continue assisting affected farmers and to fast-track the processing of damage claims.
Meanwhile, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Pe Tiu Laurel Jr. said the PCIC’s rapid assessment formed part of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) broader recovery efforts, which include the provision of inputs such as seeds, fingerlings, and feeds to help farmers quickly recover.
Tiu Laurel was quoted in a statement as saying the government ‘is doing everything to ease the burden of Tino’s victims, especially our farmers and fisherfolk.’
According to the DA, it has also activated its quick response fund and survival and recovery loan program to support further affected farmers and fishermen.
In its latest bulletin report, the DA noted that the losses incurred by 5,982 farmers and fishers from Typhoon Tino have reached P159.14 million, representing 6,578 metric tons (MT) of goods produced.
Rice sustained the majority of the damage at 5,542 MT. High-value crops, corn, and cassava also sustained damage at 679 MT, 320 MT, and 37 MT, respectively.
The report said the production losses are equivalent to P125.53 million for rice, P21.25 million for high-value crops, P10.23 million for corn, P1.26 million for cassava, and P452,960 for livestock and poultry.