Rep. Wilbert T. Lee of AGRI party-list group on Friday described the amount of insurance amounting to P15,000.00 that can be claimed for the death or injury of a passenger, third party, or pedestrian involved in a vehicular accident under our current laws, an “unjust” figure.
Lee said he hopes to address the problem through his House Bill (HB) 8498 which seeks to increase the amount of insurance claim for death or injury per accident to any passenger, third party or pedestrian without the necessity of proving fault or negligence from P15,000.00 to at least P1 million.
Lee said he learned about the current insurance claim amounts last April after he received a plea for assistance from the family of a traffic accident victim, a 22-year-old cum laude graduate who tragically died when she and her boyfriend figured in a vehicular accident when they were on their way home.
Lee said that according to the girl’s parents after she was brought to the hospital, her family was offered P50,000 by the owner of the truck.
The Bicolano legislator explained, “dahil ‘yong pamilya walang pera, kapit sa patalim, tinanggap po ‘yong P50,000, pinapirma. Noong namatay, dahil ang nakasaad po sa ating Insurance Code, ang no fault indemnity – ‘yon pong huwag na nating pag-usapan kung sino ang may kasalanan – ang nakalagay lang doon ay P15,000. So ang ginawa ng nakabangga, inofferan sila ng P15,000 at sinabi na take it or leave it dahil kung sila ay magkakasuhan aabutin ito nang taon-taon.”
“Itong pamilya, wala namang pantustos sa kaso, kukuha pa ng abogado, pupunta pa sa hearing, and everything, at kailan pa aabutin? At kapag napatunayan na may kasalanan sa pagkamatay, ang nasa batas natin ngayon ay P100,000 lang ang death insurance,” he lamented.