Magsasaka Partylist (MPL) Representative Argel Joseph Cabatbat appealed to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III today, to think twice before implementing a proposal that will deprive programs of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) of insurance premium subsidies from the government.

“The government should not abandon farmers in crop insurance, especially now when they need it the most. Climate change is hitting the agriculture sector hard, and farmers need subsidies more than ever,” Cabatbat said. 

In a statement, Cabatbat said that pulling out government subsidies from the crop insurance agency is tantamount to desertion.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Free Farming (FFF) warned the government that removing subsidies will hike premiums for farmers and effectively discourage them from securing crop insurance. 

Despite Dominguez pointing out PCIC’s heavy reliance on subsidies from the national government “unsustainable”, MPL reiterated that the PCIC is one of the most consistently efficient government-owned and controlled corporations in the country, and there is no need to  transfer the agency under the Department of Finance (DOF).  

Cabatbat has firmly spoken out against the transfer saying, “Why try to fix something that isn’t broken? Or perhaps more accurately, why destroy something that’s already performing very well? This transfer is just so baffling, and quite worrisome,” he ended. 

Photo Credit: Facebook/argeljoseph.cabatbat