Manila, Aug. 28 -- A total of 174 vegetable farmers in Benguet who suffered losses from a series of weather disturbances in July received indemnity checks from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) Thursday.

The PCIC handed a total of PHP1.95 million in insurance payments to beneficiaries during a distribution event at the Benguet Provincial Engineering Office, attended by the agency's officials and Senator Francis Pangilinan, chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture.

One of the beneficiaries, Dinah Labi, who maintains a one-hectare lettuce farm, said the assistance would help her settle loans she incurred to recover from the damage.

"About 90 percent of my crops, which were already at the matured stage, were damaged by ...