In the wake of the destruction brought by Severe Tropical Storm Florita on crops, AGRI Party-list Rep. Wilbert T. Lee called on Congress to start deliberations on a measure that would compensate farmers of essential crops for losses inflicted by calamities.
Essential crops include rice, corn, cassava, coconut, sugarcane, and vegetables.
HB No. 1298 provides a legal basis for the National Food Authority to shoulder the premium for indigent farmers subject to equitable shares in insurance proceeds by amending Section 4 of Presidential Decree No. 1467, as amended by Republic Act No. 8175, or the “Revised Charter of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) Act of 1995.”
“Florita is another harsh reminder of the urgency of implementing measures that would indemnify our farmers for disaster-related losses and help ensure that our food supply remains stable,” Lee said.
Earlier this month, Lee had filed House Bill No. 1298, or the Essential Crop Insurance Act of 2022, which seeks to make insurance for essential crops mandatory.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported recently that Severe Tropical Storm Florita, which hit northern Luzon this past week, destroyed crops valued at ₱19.1 million and impaired the livelihood of 1,286 farmers.
Rice and corn farmers had been the most heavily hit, with 699 metric tons of rice and 430 metric tons of corn damaged. With the destruction coming amid rising costs of food and farm inputs, Lee lamented that farmers would once again find it difficult to recover unless the government intervened.
“Florita is another harsh reminder of the urgency of implementing measures that would indemnify our farmers for disaster-related losses and help ensure that our food supply remains stable.”
“We have to institutionalize a proper insurance mechanism for our farmers and fisherfolk. Hindi makatarungan na tuwing may kalamidad na lang ay mababaon sila sa utang para lang magkaroon ng produksyon na hindi nila mapapakinabangan,” said Lee.
“Kaya’t nananawagan tayo sa liderato ng Kongreso, magmadali tayo sa pag-aaral at diskusyon para sa panukalang batas na ito,” the lawmaker added.
HB No. 1298 provides a legal basis for the National Food Authority to shoulder the premium for indigent farmers subject to equitable shares in insurance proceeds by amending Section 4 of Presidential Decree No. 1467, as amended by Republic Act No. 8175, or the “Revised Charter of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) Act of 1995.”
Insurance proceeds for premiums covered by the NFA will be split, with the agency getting at least 50 percent of payouts.
