The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)-Cebu Provincial Office and the Philippine Crop Insurance Program (PCIC) distributed indemnity awards to some 148 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) that were affected by typhoon Yolanda that hit northern Cebu last year.

DAR-7 assistant regional director and concurrent provincial agrarian reform program officer Dr. Antonio del Socorro said, as of October 31, 2014, they distributed crop loss indemnity checks of P1,277,192 to the farmer beneficiaries from the municipalities of Bogo, Borbon, Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remegio, Sogod, Sta Fe, and Bantayan Island whose crops were destroyed by the super typhoon Yolanda.

DAR and PCIC forged an agreement under the Agricultural Insurance Program (AIP) that allows farmer-beneficiaries to collect payments in case of losses and damages to their crops and farm animals caused by natural calamities or fortuitous events.

The AIP is a P17.1 billion crop insurance coverage plan implemented by DAR and PCIC which is an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture (DA), where the agrarian reform office provides a premium subsidy worth of P1 billion to PCIC for 2014.

It is a safety net for ARBs against losses caused by crop pests, diseases, losses from damage of farm machineries and also from the devastating unpredictable weather patterns due to climate change.

The insurance program benefits agrarian reform beneficiaries who are members of agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) in Central Visayas.

Source - http://news.pia.gov.ph/