Republic of the Philippines R FE
HOUSE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City, Metro Manila

YER,
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO, 1045

Introduced by: HON. KRISTINE SINGSON-MEEHAN

AN ACT
GRANTING FULL INSURANCE COVERAGE TO ALL QUALIFIED AGRARIAN
REFORM BENEFICIARIES OF THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM
PROGRAM, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 14 OF REPUBLIC ACT
NO. 9700, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN
REFORM PROGRAM EXTENSION WITH REFORMS”

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Our country is the third most disaster prone country in the world. More than 20 tropical
cyclones enter the Philippines each year. Over the past decade, these tropical storms have
struck more often and more severely, and every year, damage to agriculture also rises.
According to the Department of Agriculture, in 2013, typhoon Yolanda alone caused damage
at an estimated 31 billion pesos. In 2018 typhoon Ompong caused damage at an estimated
14.3 billion. The 2019 El Nino phenomenon has reached P7.97 billion in agricultural damage,
with rice and corn as the most affected.

The Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) is the implementing agency of the
government's agricultural insurance program which provides protection against damage to or
loss of non-crop agricultural assets due to perils insured against. With the sum of money paid,
the farmers are able to immediately replant as soon as weather and soil condition permits,
Thus, crop insurance ensures both food security and farmer income. It mitigates agricultural
risks and addresses the consequences of natural disasters to make losses more bearable,
especially to marginalized farmers. However, despite the existence of the PCIC, only a small
number of farmers avail of crop insurance because of the premium that they are required to
Pay. Although half of the premium is subsidized by the government, the remaining 50% is
still a burden to many of our farmers.

This bill seeks to give the qualified beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform
Program a full crop insurance coverage.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is eamestly requested.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS,

First Regular Session

1045

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by: HON. KRISTINE SINGSON-MEEHAN

AN ACT
GRANTING FULL INSURANCE COVERAGE TO ALL QUALIFIED AGRARIAN
REFORM BENEFICIARIES OF THE COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN REFORM
PROGRAM, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTION 14 OF REPUBLIC ACT
NO. 9700, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “COMPREHENSIVE AGRARIAN
REFORM PROGRAM EXTENSION WITH REFORMS”

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. Section 14 of Republic Act No. 9700, otherwise known as the
“Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with Reforms”, is hereby amended to
read as follows:
“SEC. 14. Section 37 of Republic Act No. 6657, as amended, is hereby
further amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 37. Support Services for the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries. ~ The
State shall adopt the integrated policy of support services delivery to agrarian
reform beneficiaries. To this end, the DAR, the Department of Finance, and the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) shall institute reforms to liberalize access to
credit by agrarian reform beneficiaries. The PARC shall ensure that support
services for agrarian reform beneficiaries are provided, such as:
(a) xxx;
“X XX}
“(e) x x x; [and]
“() xxx; AND
“(G) FULL INSURANCE COVERAGE TO ALL QUALIFIED
AGRARIAN REFORM BENEFICIARIES AS DEFINED IN SECTION


3(b) OF REPUBLIC ACT NO, 10000, OTHERWISE KNOWN

AS THE ‘AGRI-AGRA LAW’, WHO ARE ACTUALLY TILLING THE

LAND AND CAPITALIZING ON CROPS AS CERTIFIED BY THE

DEPARTMENT OF AGRARIAN REFORM (DAR).

“COMPENSABLE LOSSES INCLUDE THOSE RESULTING

FROM NATURAL CALAMITIES SUCH AS TYPHOON, FLOOD,

DROUGHT, EARTHQUAKE, VOLCANIC ERUPTION, FROST, AND

OTHER DESTRUCTIVE NATURAL PHENOMENA SUCH AS HEAT

AND HOT WIND; PLANT DISEASES CAUSED BY PATHOGENS,

BACTERIA, FUNGI, VIRUSES, VIRUS-LIKE PATHOGENS, AND

OTHER SIMILAR FOREIGN BODIES; PEST INFESTATIONS CAUSED

BY NEMATODES, INSECTS, MITES AND SPIDERS, MILLIPEDES

AND CENTIPEDES, SYMPHYLANS, SLUGS AND SNAILS, SOW BUGS

AND PILLBUGS, PARASITIC HIGHER PLANTS, AND OTHER

PARASITES, AND LOSS OF LIFE AND/OR INJURY TO THE

QUALIFIED AGRARIAN REFORM BENEFICIARY DUE TO

ACCIDENT OR ANY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED CAUSES.

“THE FOLLOWING CROPS ARE COVERED BY THIS SECTION:

PALAY, CORN, SUGARCANE, HIGH-VALUE CROPS AS DEFINED IN

SECTION 4(b) OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7900, OTHERWISE KNOWN

AS THE ‘HIGH-VALUE CROPS DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1995,

COCONUT, AND TOBACCO; AQUACULTURE; LIVESTOCK; AND

NON-CROP AGRICULTURAL ASSETS.

e+ toe

SEC. 2. List of Qualified Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries and Leaseholders. ~ The
DAR, in coordination with the Land Bank of the Philippines, shall submit to the Department
of Agriculture (DA) within thirty (30) days from the effectivity of this Act, the complete list
of qualified agrarian reform beneficiaries and leaseholders to be included in the Registry
System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), their respective locations and size of
landholdings.

SEC. 3. Appropriations. - The Secretary of the DAR shall immediately include in the
Department’s programs the needed operational requirement of this Act. The initial funding
for the DAR’s identified agrarian reform beneficiaries shall be in the amount of one billion
pesos (P1,000,000,000.00) from the funds allocated to the Philippine Crop Insurance


Corporation (PCIC) for the RSBSA, as provided by the General Appropriations Act
Thereafter, projections of the annual premium requirement shall be submitted by the DA-
PCIC and the DAR to the President, and shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act: Provided, That due to the insufficiency of the initial fund to cover all
qualified ARBs and leaseholders, priority for coverage shall be allocated in the following
manner: fifty percent (50%) to those newly installed and qualified ARBs with issued CLOAs
or leasehold instruments, in descending chronological order; and the remaining fifty percent
(50%) to those earliest installed and qualified ARBs with issued EPs/CLOAs or leasehold
instruments, in ascending chronological order: Provided further, That additional qualified
ARBs and leaseholders shall be covered yearly based on annual Projections, and in the same
manner as provided, until such time that all qualified ARBs and leaseholders are covered
under this Act.

SEC. 4. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within thirty (30) days. from the
approval of this Act, the DAR, in coordination with the DA, PCIC and Department of Budget
and Management shall issue the necessary implementing rules and regulations for the
effective implementation of this Act.

SEC. 5. Congressional Oversight Committee. — A Congressional Oversight
Committee on Full Insurance Coverage to Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (COCFICARB) is
hereby created to monitor the implementation of this Act.

SEC. 6. Repealing Clause. — Alll laws, acts, decrees, executive orders, issuances, and
tules and regulations or parts thereof which are contrary to and inconsistent with this Act are
hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.

SEC. 7. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,