The Capitol’s plan of establishing a self-insurance coverage system is forging ahead, as Gov. Gwen Garcia met with Atty. Terence Vanessa Tomol, OIC of the Insurance Commission (IC) Cebu District Office, on Wednesday, February 28.
The governor consulted the IC official about the requisites for the establishment a dedicated division under the Provincial General Services Office to oversee the self-insurance initiative which will be led by an experienced insurance expert.
Atty. Tomol lauded the Capitol for being the first LGU in the country to have proposed of such initiative, adding that for Cebu Province, the country’s richest province, this can be done.
Atty. Tomol then proceeded to inform the governor of the requirements set by IC, the regulatory body that governs private insurance companies in the country, as well as answer queries from the governor and her consultants.
The decision to pursue self-insurance came about as Gov. Garcia realized that the Capitol’s current insurance arrangement with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) resulted in disproportionately low claims compared to premiums paid by the province.
Notably, only a fraction of the claims for infrastructure damages caused by Supertyphoon Odette in 2021 was honored by GSIS, prompting the governor to seek an alternative approach.
Capitol’s self-insurance model will cover accident and life insurance, and will extend coverage to Capitol employees, as well as members of the Provincial Board; the mayors, vice mayors, and councilors of all municipalities and component cities of the province; the barangay captains, barangay councilors, treasurers, and secretaries; as well as volunteer barangay workers such as barangay health workers, barangay nutrition scholars, lupon tagapamayapa, tanod, GAD focal persons, day care workers, and traffic enforcers in the province’s over 1,000 barangays.
Additionally, it provides coverage for teaching and non-teaching personnel of the DepEd Cebu Province, presidents of Parent-Teacher Associations in DepEd Cebu Province, as well as the canyoneering guides in Badian and Alegria.
The governor will be seeking the authorization from the Provincial Board by way of an ordinance in order to legitimize the program – another of Cebu’s groundbreaking initiative. | Carlo Lorenciana