With succeeding typhoons hitting the country, AGRI Party-list urged the immediate enactment of a measure expanding crop insurance coverage to protect the livelihood of farmers who lose their hard-earned crops every time a calamity hits.
AGRI is the principal author of House Bill (HB) No. 7387 which seeks to expand the services of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) and encourage private sector participation in agricultural insurance.
HB 7387 was approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading in March 2023, and is now pending in the Senate.
“Nananawagan tayo sa mga kapwa natin mambabatas sa Senado na agarang maisabatas ang panukalang ito dahil kulang na kulang sa proteksyon sa kabuhayan ang ating mga magsasaka. Alam naman po natin na tuwing may kalamidad, walang natitira sa kanila maliban sa utang at pangamba na lalong malubog sa kahirapan,” AGRI Party-list Representative and Senatorial Aspirant Manoy Wilbert “Wise” Lee, said.
Under the measure, the PCIC shall provide insurance coverage for all agricultural commodities, instead of being limited to palay crops.
Further, the proposed measure shall also include other non-crop agricultural assets, such as but not limited to livestock, aquaculture and fishery, agroforestry, forest plantations, machineries, equipment, transport facilities, and other related infrastructures.
“Bilang mga itinuturing natin na “food security soldiers”, deserve ng ating mga magsasaka ang suporta ng gobyerno para siguruhin ang kanilang kita. Nararapat lamang na pagaanin ang pasanin ng pinagmumulan ng mismong mga kinakain natin!” the AGRI Party-list said in a statement.
AGRI also called on the PCIC to intensify its information campaign to encourage more farmers to enroll in crop insurance and urged it to be more proactive in reaching out to farmers by deploying mobile offices in areas most affected by the successive typhoons in the past weeks.
“Imbes na maghintay sa mga opisina, kailangan ang gobyerno mismo ang gumawa ng paraan para ilapit ang mga serbisyo at benepisyo para sa ating mga magsasaka. Hindi na dapat pahirapan ang mga nasalanta nating kababayan o kaya naman ay parang sila pa ang nakikiusap o nagmamakaawa na sila ay tulungan,” the party-list stressed.
More than alleviating the financial woes of farmers due to uncompensated losses during calamities, AGRI Party-list underscored the importance of expanding insurance coverage in achieving food security.
“Ang pinakamabisang paraan para makamit ang murang pagkain at seguridad sa pagkain ay dagdag na suporta sa agrikultura,” AGRI stated.
“Kapag naprotektahan ang kabuhayan ng ating mga magsasaka at mga local food producers at natiyak ang kanilang kita, magsisilbi itong insentibo para pataasin ang kanilang produksyon na magpaparami naman ng supply sa merkado. Kapag nangyari ito, bababa ang presyo ng pagkain at iba pang mga bilihin kung saan panalo ang sambayanang Pilipino!” it added.
