Insurance to come with free legal aid
FREE legal assistance, such as filing a claim or complaint arising from insurance, preneed and health maintenance organization (HMO) products, may soon be availed by those covered by insurance.
The Insurance Commission (IC) said in a statement last Tuesday that it signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to provide free legal assistance to the insuring public.
The IC said the marginalized and less privileged citizens living in the Philippines will benefit from the free legal assistance provided by the IBP, which will include consultation and representation during mediation, conciliation and adjudication proceedings.
The insurance regulator further clarified that it informs those covered by insurance who file requests for assistance and/or complaints against insurance, pre-need and HMO companies of the available legal remedies to enforce their claims as a standard procedure.
After the IC has informed a complainant of the available legal remedies, the IC may endorse the complainant to the IBP for free legal services as part of the agreement with the IBP.
Once the application of a means and merit test is approved and when a volunteer legal-aid is available, the IBP will then provide the legal services.
The IC said the agreement does not prohibit the filing of requests for assistance and formal adjudication cases even without a lawyer, as IC standard procedures already provide for the filing of requests and complaints even without the assistance of counsel.
The IC reported that a total of 5,417 complaints from the insuring public were resolved last year. Most of the complaints were other complaints referred through its 888 hotline, followed by complaints against non-life and life insurance companies and HMOS.
The grievances were settled either through an amicable settlement between the complainants and the corresponding Ic-regulated entities or through the endorsement of the complaints for formal adjudication, the IC added.
The IC is an attached agency of the Department of Finance (DOF) and is mandated to regulate and supervise the insurance, pre-need and HMO industries in accordance with the provisions of the Insurance Code, as amended, the Pre-need Code of the Philippines and Executive Order 192 (series of 2015).
Meanwhile, the IBP is the official organization of all Philippine law yers established by the state providing government assistance to accomplish its purposes.