PCIC to indemnify over 10,000 insured farmers affected by Typhoon Julian

A total of 10,781 insured farmers affected by Typhoon Julian will be compensated by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.

These are farmers of rice, corn, and other high-value crops from the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, and the Cordillera Administrative Region. The PCIC has initially estimated an indemnity of P93.8 million to compensate the farmers.

“We need to immediately indemnify our farmers to restore their financial health so they can quickly recover from this calamity. Fast-tracking the release of their insurance claims will foster confidence in the PCIC among our farmers and encourage more investors in agriculture,” said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.in a statement.

Of the farmers insured with the PCIC, 6,585 are from Ilocos Region, 1,841 from Cagayan Valley, and 2,355 from CAR.

“Two-thirds of the damage, estimated at P62.3 million, was assessed in Region I, with damage to rice farms accounting for about P51.3 million,” the DA said.

“We have also issued strict instructions to our staff to assist affected farmers and speed up the processing of their damage claims,” PCIC Acting Head Jovy Bernabe told Secretary Tiu Laurel.

There were five reported dead and eight injured due to Typhoon Julian, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said. —Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News