Manila: Filipino coconut farmers may soon avail of the free mobile medical service and hospitalization coverage, the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) announced. In an interview, PCA Health and Medical Division Chief King Arvy Gaspar said they are targeting to benefit 15,000 coconut farmers across the country, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s directive to support farmers.
According to Philippines News Agency, the mobile medical service will be launched first in Davao, considering the farmers' population, under the Revised Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan (CFIDP). Gaspar mentioned that the target in Davao is around 1,000 coconut farmers by the second week of July, with a simultaneous rollout nationwide within 2025.
Among the mobile medical services are free medical and eye check-ups with eyeglasses, free medicine, free consultation, free assistance devices, and dental missions. PCA Administrator Dexter Buted added that eligible farmers would also benefit from hospitalization coverage. The PCA will provide PHP40,000 to every sick or hospitalized coconut farmer, which is expected to offer substantial assistance.
Buted further explained that they would provide PHP5,000 out-of-the-pocket expense or outpatient care support coverage, along with PHP5,000 worth of post-confinement and medical laboratory support. Overall, the PCA has allocated an PHP800 million fund for these medical services to support local farmers. Currently, the country has over 2.4 million registered coconut farmers.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) and PCA also assured a continuous fertilization program to further boost the country's coconut industry. DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa noted that coconut remains the number one export commodity for the country. The Marcos administration increased the PCA's fertilization budget to PHP1.8 billion from the previous PHP153 million, which will be sufficient to fertilize 44 million coconut nuts, marking the country's baseline yield in 3.6 million hectares.
Under the program, the PCA aims to fertilize 45.5 million palms in 2025, another 45.5 million in 2026, and 53 million in 2027.
