In a move to strengthen the resilience of Filipino farmers against worsening climate-related disasters, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan is advocating for a significant increase in government support for crop insurance, citing the urgent need to safeguard rural livelihoods amid rising losses due to typhoons, droughts, and pest infestations.
In a media interview on Thursday, August 28, the senator lamented that the current budget allocated for the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) cannot cover all of the 11 million farmers across the country as the current coverage only reaches about eight million farmers.
“Mabigyan ng dagdag suporta. Ma-insure yung kanilang mga gulay para pag nagkaroon ng frost at damage ang mga crops dahil sa kalamidad o di kaya bagyo, kinakailangan mabilis kumilos at maibalik kahit kalahati lang,” he said. “Kahit kalahati nung ginasta para makabawi at makatanim muli.”
The current allocation for crop insurance is gravely insufficient to meet the needs of the country’s farmers and fisherfolk, but Pangilinan vowed that he will be working hard to increase its budget in the next three years
“Napakahalaga ng crop insurance. Dapat talaga ipaglalaban natin in the next three years. Kung di man 50%, 100% i-increase natin ang inyong insurance funding” he added.
Data from the Department of Agriculture shows that agricultural losses due to El Niño, pests and diseases, volcanic activities, and tropical cyclones amounted to P57 billion in 2024, while agricultural losses caused by the combined effects of tropical storms Crising, Dante, and Emong—along with the southwest monsoon (habagat)—reached P1.12 billion in July.
On Thursday, the PCIC handed a total of P1.95 million in insurance payments to beneficiaries during a distribution event at the Benguet Provincial Engineering Office. Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform personally attended the event.
While he lamented how other countries also provide health and accident insurance to their farmers, the senator assured that he will push for increased protection for Filipino farmers and fisherfolk.