Iloilo City, Aug. 12 -- The Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) has already released over PHP501 million in indemnity claims of 125,949 farmers from Western Visayas and Negros Occidental since January until the end of July this year.

Alicia Arnaldo, officer-in-charge for the Regional Manager of the PCIC Office in Western Visayas, said that they paid PHP242.19 million for farmers with losses due to pests because of drought, PHP87.68 million for floods and typhoons, PHP91.94 million for drought, and PHP57.53 million for diseases.

"The biggest goes to rice (palay) because that is our banner program. We have paid PHP154.46 million for 39,988 farmers," she said.

The claims covered 76,704 notices of loss (NL) in the last quarter of 2024, ...