Faster insurance claims for farmers

Most insurance claims filed by farmers and fishers were processed and released within the standard 20-day period in 2025, according to the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC).

PCIC President Jovy Bernabe said the state insurer has significantly improved the turnaround time for claims, with the majority now being settled within the required processing window.

“In 2025, we’re computing at 80 or even higher, at 90 percent, within the standard 20 working days,” Bernabe told reporters on the sidelines of the partnership signing between PCIC and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH last week.

Bernabe attributed the faster release of claims to the agency’s ongoing digitalization and modernization initiatives, including the use of satellite imagery to assess agricultural damage.

Through satellite-based monitoring, PCIC can estimate losses in geo-tagged farms without relying solely on physical field inspections, helping speed up the insurance payout process.

However, Bernabe noted that the current satellite mapping system is limited to assessing damage linked to wind strength under the Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS).

“That’s only for wind speed. We’re still developing (how to assess damage from) flooding kasi wala pa tayong data talaga (because we still don’t have data) on how to measure flooding,” Bernabe said.

“We’re trying to look for a good partner na magbibigay sa atin ng flooding data para hindi na tayo pupunta doon (that can give us flooding data so that we no longer need to go to the field to conduct assessment) for flooding.”

To address this gap, PCIC is exploring partnerships with private sector data providers that can supply reliable flood monitoring information to further improve claims assessment for farmers and fishers affected by disasters.