LA TRINIDAD– A total of 174 vegetable farmers in Benguet who suffered losses from a series of weather disturbances in July, received indemnity checks from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) on August 28, 2025.
The PCIC handed a total of P1.95 million in insurance payments to beneficiaries during a distribution event at the Benguet Provincial Engineering Office, attended by the agency’s officials and Senator Francis Pangilinan, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture.
One of the beneficiaries, Dinah Labi, who maintains a one-hectare lettuce farm, said the assistance would help her settle loans she incurred to recover from the damage.
“About 90 percent of my crops, which were already at the matured stage, were damaged by the continuous rains brought by typhoons Crising, Dante, and Emong, as well as the southwest monsoon,” Labi said in Filipino.
She received the assistance after enrolling with the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and the PCIC.
Labi urged fellow farmers to also register, noting that the process is free and the benefits outweigh any doubts.
PCIC president lawyer Jovy Bernabe, in his message, acknowledged the need to raise awareness, noting that while 60,000 farmers in the Cordillera have been listed in the RSBSA, only 12,000 have registered with the PCIC.
“Maybe they do not yet see the benefits or still lack trust. Those of you receiving indemnity checks today, please tell your neighbors about this program and encourage them to enroll because it is for free,” Bernabe said.
He added that nationwide, only 35 percent of farmers have registered with the PCIC despite some 8 million having insurable interests.
Meanwhile, Pangilinan vowed to push for the extension of the PCIC’s corporate life, which will expire in three years.
He also promised to work for a bigger budget allocation for the agency to better support farmers who remain vulnerable to weather-induced crop damage. (PNA)
