In line with the Philippines’ efforts to further boost the local insurance industry, GCash, the country’s leading finance super app, is introducing a new feature to unlock access to insurance for millions of Filipinos.

The e-wallet is providing free health insurance, underwritten by FPG Insurance, every time eligible users buy prepaid credits for themselves using the Buy Load service.

“This initiative, powered by GInsure in partnership with FPG Insurance, reflects the commitment of GCash to making financial protection accessible to every Filipino, ensuring that even the simplest transactions, like buying prepaid load, come with the added security of health coverage at no extra cost,” said Winsley Bangit, vice president and group head of New Businesses at GCash.

Made possible by GInsure, every time eligible users make Buy Load transactions on the GCash app, they can also avail of the free health insurance coverage, empowering users to prepare for unexpected medical expenses due to accidents or hospitalization.

“Beyond just financial assistance, this benefit ensures that users have funds to cover medical costs or compensate for lost income during recovery, helping prevent families from falling deeper into debt and alleviating financial struggles,” Ren-Ren Reyes, president and CEO of GCash mobile wallet operator G-Xchange, Inc.

The free health and accident insurance gives eligible users up to P30,000 coverage and additional valuable benefits. For every load purchase, a user can automatically get P10,000 in accidental death coverage, which can be accumulated up to a maximum of P30,000 when making up to three separate eligible load purchases.

Users can also get income assistance when they’re hospitalized due to illnesses and accidents, allowing them to receive P500 per day salary assistance for a maximum of 5 days. They can also get up to P10,000 disablement benefit, providing the user or their beneficiaries a safety net.

GCash introduced this initiative in response to shifting user needs. With millions of Filipinos still hesitant to fully embrace digital transactions, they still rely on traditional offline methods. (PR)

ORMOC CITY– A night of casual drinking ended in tragedy when a heated altercation between two drinking buddies led to a fatal stabbing early Sunday morning, May 25, in Barangay Pagsulhugon, Babatngon, Leyte.

The victim, identified by police as alias “Marvs,” 24, a single ice cream vendor and resident of Barangay Lukay, was stabbed in the chest following a verbal dispute. The suspect, alias “Ric,” 19, single and unemployed, is a resident of Barangay Naga-Asan, also in Babatngon.
According to the initial investigation by the Babatngon Municipal Police Station, the incident occurred around 1:30 am while the group was having a drinking session in front of Felesa Agullon’s store. The argument between the two escalated quickly, prompting the suspect to draw a knife and stab the victim.

Friends at the scene rushed the wounded “Marvs” to the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) in Tacloban City. However, he was declared dead on arrival by his attending physician.

The suspect later voluntarily surrendered to Babatngon police. The knife used in the stabbing was not recovered as of this report. He remains in police custody pending further investigation and the filing of appropriate charges.

(ROBERT DEJON)

ORMOC CITY-Two individuals were killed in a gruesome road accident involving a motorcycle with sidecar and a heavily loaded dump truck that lost its brakes along a downhill stretch of the Maharlika Highway in Barangay Alejandrea, Jiabong, Samar around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 24.

According to authorities, the two victims, who were aboard the motorcycle with sidecar, were mutilated beyond recognition due to the force of the collision. Only body parts were recovered and later assembled at a local funeral home. The victims remain unidentified as of this writing.

The ten-wheeler dump truck, bearing plate number NKK 5599, is owned by Rush Company and was reportedly carrying a full load of cement at the time of the incident. Its driver, identified only as “Bern,” 37, from Barangay Sagkahan, Tacloban City, and his two helpers, “Lix,” 24, and “Fred,” 34, both from Barangay Canlapwas, Catbalogan City, sustained injuries and were taken to the Samar Provincial Hospital.

Based on the initial investigation by personnel of the Jiabong Municipal Police Station, led by PCpl. Roben Jones Coscolluela, the motorcycle with sidecar was navigating a downhill slope when it allegedly lost its brakes and veered into the opposite lane, colliding head-on with the approaching dump truck.

The impact sent the dump truck off the road, with the driver and his helpers becoming briefly trapped in the vehicle’s cabin before being rescued and rushed for medical treatment.

Authorities are still working to confirm the identities of the fatalities and have launched a deeper probe into the accident, including a mechanical inspection of both vehicles involved.

(ROBERT DEJON)