Antique - The Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) has disbursed PHP11.9 million in insurance claims to 551 hog farmers in Antique who experienced swine fatalities due to a range of diseases. According to Clogene Galuego of PCIC-Antique, during a Thursday interview, these hog farmers hail from four towns in Antique that reported swine deaths.
According to a news release by Philippines News Agency, From the period of Aug. 1 to Oct. 19, the indemnity checks were issued benefiting hog raisers as follows: 132 from Hamtic town, 271 from San Jose de Buenavista, 14 from Belison, and 134 from Sibalom. Among these, the swine from Hamtic, San Jose de Buenavista, and Belison had confirmed cases of African swine fever (ASF), while the deaths in Sibalom were attributed to pneumonia.
The insurance amounts ranged from PHP10,000 to PHP14,500 for each insured swine. However, for farmers to qualify for these claims, they had to be listed within the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture and must have insured their swine at least 21 days before their deaths.
Galuego further shared that after a brief halt, which started on June 21 following the confirmation of the first four ASF cases in Hamtic by the Department of Agriculture - Regional Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Iloilo City, PCIC-Antique resumed accepting insurance applications for swine on Sept. 1. He emphasized, "Currently, we are only processing insurance applications from towns categorized under the green zone or protected zone."
Towns identified as the green zone, implying they haven't reported any ASF cases and aren't directly neighboring the infected or red zone, include Anini-y, Bugasong, Laua-an, Barbaza, Culasi, Sebaste, Pandan, and Caluya.
Galuego also noted specific application requirements for hog raisers, stating, "Applicants must provide a certification from the Department of Agriculture confirming their adherence to biosecurity protocols, accompanied by their photo and a picture of their farm." Interested parties can collect application forms from their respective Municipal Agriculture Office.