They are tasked to manage the dangerous streets of Metro Manila. Yet despite the risks they face in their everyday work, the traffic enforcers of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) do not have insurance to protect them from accidents.
Not anymore. On October 15, 2019, the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (PIRA) in partnership with the Insurance Commission (IC) and the Philippine Insurers Club (PIC) signed a memorandum of agreement with the MMDA to provide 2,300 traffic enforcers with free personal accident insurance.
PIRA Chairman Allan Santos said the signing of the agreement is a fitting highlight for this year’s Insurance Consciousness Week (ICW) as it reminds insurers and the general public of the reason why insurance exists.
“This brings us back to the why of insurance – why are we here in the first place? We are here because there is a need to protect people from the risks they face in their daily work. In this case, there is a need to protect MMDA enforcers from road accidents,” he said.
The idea of providing free personal accident insurance to MMDA enforcers came from PIRA Executive Director Michael Rellosa. PIRA has been working with the MMDA to assist in conducting earthquake drills in the metropolis when Rellosa found out that MMDA enforcers do not have any form of insurance.
“It was a light-bulb moment for me. I suddenly realized that this could be an ideal project for the PIC and PIRA for the ICW,” he said.
Under the agreement, the industry through PIRA will be paying for the premium for the group insurance policy that will be issued to the MMDA by Fortune General Insurance. Each MMDA enforcer enrolled in the policy will be insured for P10,000 in case of accidental death or disablement; P5,000 for unprovoked assault or murder; P10,000 as additional coverage for motorcycle accidents; P1,000 as medical reimbursement for accident; and P1,000 as burial benefit for death due to accident.
Each MMDA enforcer will be given an insurance card as proof of being covered. It will have a validity of one year.
MMDA Chairman Danny Lim said this will mean a lot to enforcers and will serve as an additional non-monetary incentive to them.
“We are grateful to PIRA for this initiative. This is a very timely project as we are also pushing for the law that would grant hazard pay to our enforcers,” he said.
Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa congratulated PIRA and the PIC for this initiative and committed his agency’s support to the industry, particularly in its quest to improve its customer service through technology.
PIC President Joey Reyes, meanwhile, expressed his gratitude to PIRA for its support to the ICW which PIC organizes every year.